Seeds for 11/01/2023 - Matthew 17:9-13
Scripture: As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Observation: “Then the disciples understood…”
The Christian life isn’t always clear to us from the beginning. We don’t understand every saying of Jesus or every point He makes at first.
Here, the disciples ask about the coming of Elijah in preparation for the day of the Lord. The reference is most likely to Malachi 4:5-6, the last verses of the last book of the Old Testament. Jesus affirms the coming of Elijah while asserting that he has already come. The disciples figure out that Jesus is not referring to a literal return of the person of Elijah himself, but instead someone in the style and with the same function of Elijah — John the Baptist.
When we are perplexed about something in the Bible, we are to bring our questions, confusions, and curiosities to Jesus. As in the parables, it may take some effort on our part to work out what is meant. Like the disciples here, we may not get it initially. We may have to ask good questions and listen well in order to get what Jesus is teaching. We may bring our questions back to Jesus again and again.
If at first you don’t understand, stay with Him. Dig further into the Word. Wrestle with God even. Eventually, He will bless you and reward your diligence with godly insight. Praise God when it can be said of us, “Then the disciples understood…”
Application:
What is a scripture that you have been trying to understand for a while?
What is a scripture have recently come to understand?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, be our teacher. Open our eyes to the treasure, wisdom, and truth of your word. Help us understand the good news of your kingdom. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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