21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
With Peter having just confessed that Jesus is the Christ of God, the Messiah, Jesus tells His disciples not to tell anyone. The reason was likely because there was confusion about the role Messiah was to play both among the people and the disciples who still needed further instruction. Then Jesus explained for the first time that He had to suffer at the hands of the elders and the chief priests, that He would die and then on the third day be raised.
Jesus then went on to explain to all (this is for all of us who desire to follow Jesus) that we need the same attitude to life and death that He did. If we are to follow Jesus then we must deny ourselves. That means that we are not to be overly concerned with our own lives. Instead, we should take up our cross daily and follow Jesus even to the point of death if necessary. Jesus told us that we need to make this decision daily. The implication is that we can opt to put down our cross and choose self instead of following Jesus. Jesus went on to explain that to make the choice to save your life, that is to avoid taking up your cross and to make the most out of your life for selfish gain, is to lose out on privileges in the future kingdom. Those who give up this life for God will enjoy those privileges. What does it help to gain all the world offers but lose all that God created you to be. Those who are ashamed of Jesus and turn from following Him will find Jesus is ashamed of them and they will not hear those sweet words, “well done, good and faithful servant.” Then Jesus predicted that there were those with Him who would see the kingdom of God before they died. How do we understand what Jesus said considering we know the kingdom is not here and all those disciples have died? Luke explains it in his next section.
Peter, John, and James got a glimpse of the kingdom when they went up the mountain eight days later and after Jesus prayed, He was transfigured before their eyes. His face and clothes became dazzling white and presented Him in glory. Moses and Elijah joined him and spoke of His imminent death in Jerusalem, the very place where He should reign on David’s throne as Messiah. Peter, James, and John had fallen asleep and when they woke up they saw His glory and Moses and Elijah with Him. As Moses and Elijah were leaving Peter said it was good for them to be there and offered to build three tents, one for each of them. He was likely thinking of the feast of booths or tabernacles, which may even have been happening at that time. With the talk of the kingdom, Peter may also have had in mind to usher in the kingdom at that moment in prevention of Jesus’ suffering. But Peter didn’t fully understand what he was saying. Jesus’ suffering was an essential part of the Messianic prophecies. Then God spoke from heaven and declared that Jesus was His Son, His Chosen One and told them to listen to Him. When the voice faded, they found themselves alone with Jesus and he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after He had risen.
What will you choose to do with your life? Will you live your life to the fullest, taking every advantage the world has to offer? Or will you choose to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus in obedience to God’s direct command to listen to Him? Will you lose your life for the privilege of standing before Jesus one day and hear Him say, “well done, good and faithful servant”?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Jehu and Jezebel: 2 Kings 9