God warns the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:6-18, against forgetting the Lord and thinking that they did all things themselves in obtaining the land. And I think we all know exactly why that warning is there, for we have all forgotten certain important things when everything is going fine (though when struggle comes we often suddenly remember). Also, we know why the warning not to forget is so important, for what we remember (and forget) affects how we live. Therefore, if the Israelites forget their need for God, they would not seek him, worship him, or obey him; they would sin. And so will we if we do not renew our minds continually to some foundational truths.
One of the clearest examples of the need to remember things or else walk into sin is in these two chapters of Matthew. Over and over, it is apparent that the disciples forget (or fail to see) truths that would keep them from walking wayward. However, as we look at these things, I want us to let them rebuke us as needed, not just cause us to point fingers at the disciples. The following, then, are things from the text that the disciples forgot (or failed to see):
The first thirteen verses of chapter 17 provide the clearest manifestation of Christ’s glory that the disciples had yet seen, as Jesus was transfigured before them in the presence of Moses and Elijah. But in these verses, it is clear that they were missing the main point – until they heard the voice of God. For as Peter, James, and John saw Moses and Elijah standing with Jesus, Peter remarked, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (17:4).
Peter had been with Jesus before this, so why didn’t he offer anything like this before? I think the reason is because Peter was marveling over the fact that Jesus was standing before Moses and Elijah (and possibly thinking that Jesus was shining with glory because of that). That is to say, Peter forgot who Jesus is. But he was quickly reminded, as the Father spoke from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to him!” (17:5). How misplaced had been the disciples’ joy and amazement!
But don’t we do the same thing quite often? Don’t we sometimes find ourselves enjoying with great amazement so many things besides our Lord, when he is the greatest joy we might know? No doubt many of us can think of a time when we have found great joy when our business is going right, or we have many friends, or many are recognizing our works. But is our Lord more or less glorious in those times than others? No. The problem is that we have misplaced our eyes in looking for our source of joy. We have marveled at everything around God when he demands that we be about him.
And on that note as well, we forget that our God is truly God Almighty, he receives counsel from no man and stands as judge over man, rather than one to be judged by man. I bring that up because this is the thing Peter forgets in 17:24-27.
In these verses, Peter is asked about whether or not Jesus pays the temple tax. Peter, wanting to help make Jesus look good, says, “Yes” (17:25). However, in verses 25-27, Jesus reminds Peter that the royal family is not taxed, and he, being the Son of God, is by nature exempt from the temple tax, administered by God. Therefore, though Peter was trying to make Jesus look good to the people, he actually diminished the almightiness of his Lord.
We are tempted in doing this all the time. For example, after the attacks on September 11, I heard several people say, when asked where God was in all this, that God could not do anything to stop this though he hates what’s going on. Now, I know the reason that people would give such an answer; they are trying to make God look good and get him “off the hook” so that people might know how great he is (even if it means giving an unscriptural answer).
But the mistake that men are making when they try to cover for God in such a way is that they make him appear weak. They are saying, “God is frustrated because he didn’t want this to happen but was too weak to stop it.” In trying to make God appear good to people, they make him appear less than who he is – the Sovereign, Almighty God. They make the mistake Peter did, and it’s a mistake with which we might often be tempted ourselves. However, we must not forget who our Lord is.
Verses 14-21 tell us of the other nine disciples (those besides Peter, James, and John) not being able to cast out a demon from a boy. Then, after Jesus casts out the demon, the disciples ask why they could not cast it out. Jesus responds, “Because of the littleness of your faith” (17:20). But it is hard to imagine here that Jesus means quantity, for he says in the same verse that even a mustard seed of faith can move mountains. Therefore, Jesus’ words are probably better understood as “poor faith.” That is to say, they might have approached the epileptic boy with the understanding that, if they say and do everything right, the demon would be cast out. However, Jesus teaches them, according to Mark’s account, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer” (Mark 9:29).
That is to say, Jesus is reminding his disciples that faith is not about saying all the right things and going after great authority, it is about walking in relationship with God, allowing him to lead your heart to understand who he is and what he desires. Also, it is in this walk with our Lord that he will often gift us with great and genuine faith.
After the incident of Jesus’ rebuking his disciples for their poor faith, he tells them that he is going to be killed and raised on the third day. In other words, he assures them that he is going to be proven to be the victorious Messiah who is both the suffering servant and the victorious king who will conquer death. And yet, all they hear is that he will suffer and die, and they have no category for that happening to their Messiah. They fail to view things in the framework that Scripture provides.
But I cannot help but think of all the times that we do that as well. We start to do something and encounter resistance and suffering, and we think it means it’s wrong and we should retreat. But not only has our Lord told us that they would do to us what was done to him, but Paul also tells us that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Therefore, we must not default to our fallen logic, but view things within the framework that Scripture provides us.
The question asked by the disciples in 18:1 is: “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” It is one that should strike us as odd, especially in light of the fact that Jesus had told them twice that he was going to suffer and die. And it strikes at the height of human sin and arrogance. However, it easily becomes a natural part of our thinking if we forget that our mission is not in being great here.
God promises all kinds of blessings in his kingdom, but he has promised no man the praise of his peers here. But often, even in our striving to minister, we do so out of a desire to be seen as great by man. Here again, we must remember that our greatness is wrapped up in pointing to Christ. Therefore, if we can point a thousand men to Christ and none of those men are in a position to point the praise to us, we have only succeeded. We must battle against the mindset of the disciples in these verses and remember that our mission does not have it’s ultimate end here.
In these final verses of chapter 18, Peter asks Jesus, “How often shall I forgive my brother who sins against me?” Then he proposes the answer: “Up to seven times?” Now, this proposed answer is pretty good when one understands that the traditional answer had been three times. So Peter is trying to “take the high road.”
However, Jesus quickly points out that he should be willing to forgive much more than seven times. He tells Peter that he should forgive his brother seventy times seven. And lest we think this means there is a certain number of times, Jesus reminds us in the following parable that we cannot forgive another to the point that we have been forgiven.
I think the reason that we are sometimes slow to forgive is exactly what Jesus hit on in this parable. We forget that we’ve been shown great mercy and will continually need to be shown such mercy. He who struggles to forgive struggles to remember how much he has been forgiven. Let’s not be these kind of people.
But how do we keep from forgetting these things and sliding into a lifestyle where these sinful things characterize us?
I think there are two things:
1) Humble ourselves (18:2-6).
Many of the things that we have mentioned are remembered once we are humbled before God. If that is the case, we will know our need to walk in relationship with Christ, that our mission is not greatness here, and that our goal is not to “cover” for God but to point to his majesty.
Jesus tells his disciples that we must be as children if we are to be great in the kingdom. And by that I don’t think he means innocent; rather, he means humble and not laboring for prestige. Each day spend time remembering who God is and that we are helpless apart from him.
2) Grow in concern for our brothers and sisters (18:7-20).
Again, we can avoid many of the aforementioned things with this focus. For we will labor in not sinning against them and in forgiving them. However, we will also love them enough to aid them in overcoming sin. These are surely the lessons we are to learn in these verses.
Therefore, as we are reminded this holiday season of a story that many of us have heard our whole lives, let’s remember these simple realities as well that we might live lives reflecting the character of our Lord. To his glory, Amen.