The beginning of Matthew 17 gives us the account of Jesus' transfiguration on an unknown mountain in Israel. These verses clearly connects to Moses' beholding the glory of God in Exodus 24 (and 34). But in this passage, Jesus is shown to be none other than God Himself, shining all of the radiant glory of God the Father into this sinful and broken world. These verses begin to reveal that, in Christ, we find the fulfillment of Psalm 36:9--"In thy light we shall see light". Indeed, Jesus' glory will transform the entire world as He reveals the glory of God's coming Kingdom.

Jesus teaches His disciples and us about the great importance and benefit of His passion ministry--His death, burial, and resurrection. Without these salvation events, the Christian faith would be entirely meaningless, and even impossible. But because Christ has first taken up His cross and laid down His life and then raised it up again, so too can we believers. Only by the power of God's Spirit can we take up our cross and follow after Jesus every day.

These verses represent a turning point in Jesus' ministry. Jesus confronts His disciples here with the truth of His identity and the reality of His invading the evil of this age. Caesarea Philippi hosted several major temples and shrines to pagan false gods. From this place, Jesus thunders against the devil and all his scheming. We see in this passage the hope that God will never fail His people.

The beginning of Matthew 16 marks a turning point in Jesus' Gospel ministry. From this point forward, He begins to shift His attention towards Jerusalem and the ministry of His passion. But the Jewish leadership come to confront Him, even before He arrives in the Holy City. In these verses, Jesus warns His disciples, and He warns us about the danger of false teaching. He also stresses that the Christian life will be one of blessing from God, but He doesn't mean that it will always be easy.

Jesus first heals a multitude of people in our passage of Scripture. He then miraculously feeds a great crowd of more than 4000 people with only a handful of ingredients. Through this great miracle, which is distinct and separate from the feeding of the 5000, Jesus demonstrates God's love for peoples from every tribe and nation and language. He also demonstrates God's ability to feed and care for His people, no matter where they are or what they are facing in this age. May that give us great courage as we seek to worship and serve God.

As Jesus continues to teach His disciples more about the Kingdom, Jesus heals a Canaanite woman in this passage from Matthew. He does so at least partially to challenge their prejudices and Jewish sensibilities. Through this healing, Matthew further demonstrates that God's mission of the Kingdom is one that will be for the blessing of all nations. It also forces the readers and hearers to reckon with their own biases. We must be rooted and grounded in the Gospel of Jesus more than anything else.

After healing a great deal of people in the region of Gennesaret, Jesus is once again confronted by the Jewish religious leaders. They accuse his disciples of disobeying the "tradition of the elders". This technical term represented all of the teaching from Israel's rabbis throughout history. However, it was not the Law itself, and should not be treated as the Law. Jesus explains that only the pure in heart can actually keep God's Law--a category that He alone can fulfill. In order to be righteous and to have any hope at obeying God's commands, we must look to Jesus.

Matthew gives an account of one of Jesus' most famous miracles in at the end of Matthew 14. Most people understand that the miracle is Jesus' walking on water. However, the more profound truth from this passage is that Jesus is always faithful to save us, even when we don't deserve it. Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus and begins to sink, but Jesus immediately saves him. What an incredible Savior!

The history of John the Baptist's beheading is gruesome and disturbing. It clearly demonstrates the depths of our human sin and depravity. However, it also demonstrates the lovingkindness of the God of the bible. Matthew tells us that John would not die in vain, nor would he be left dead in the grave without a head. Indeed, Jesus clearly demonstrates the promise of the resurrection in this passage--the resurrection that will restore John's body to life, along with all of those who follow and trust in the Lord Jesus. May this be your hope today!

In these last verses of Matthew 13, Jesus warns His followers that He will be rejected. The passage also serves as a solemn warning that Jesus' followers will also be rejected. Thankfully, in Christ and through the Gospel, our Savior endured rejection so that believers might ultimately be accepted by God. May this bring encouragement to all those who trust in Jesus!