Daily Devotional For Saturday, December 13, 2025
Good morning Southside. We are making our way through Matthew’s Gospel and today we come to part 3 of a section of Scripture we are looking at in Matthew 17. Today, we are going to look at the final two verses of that section. We have already looked at Matthew 17:1-8 for the last two days. For today, we are going to conclude with Matthew 17:9-13:
“As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’ (10) And His disciples asked Him, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ (11) And He answered and said, ‘Elijah is coming and will restore all things; (12) but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’ (13) Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.” (NASB).
Jesus instructed Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone about what they had seen, and it seems this included the other 9 disciples. Why? Because they would not fully understand it, until the Son of Man, Jesus, has been raised from the dead. This is the only injunction to silence given by Jesus with a time limit. It suggests that once the temporary time limit had expired, the three would not need to keep Jesus’ identity secret anymore nor this experience..
Furthermore, after the Resurrection, these disciples would understand what they had seen, heard and experienced during the Transfiguration and at a later future date, be able to correctly interpret and proclaim it. They would fully realize that only by Jesus dying on the cross could Jesus show His power over death and His authority to be King of all through His Resurrection. The disciples could not be powerful and they would impotent witnesses for Christ until they had grasped this truth. It was natural for the disciples to be confused because they could not see into the future. They knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but they had much more to learn about the significance of his death and resurrection.
Then in verse 10, the disciples ask Jesus about Elijah because they had seen Elijah during the Transfiguration. Their question is based on the religious leaders’ teaching about Malachi 4:5-6. The religious leaders believed and taught that before the Messiah would come, Elijah had to make an appearance to usher in and announce the Messianic kingdom. This is not why Elijah appeared. You can read the past two devotionals that cover this. The Messiah had already come. Elijah had not appeared to prepare the people for repentance.
Jesus affirmed to His disciples that Elijah had to come first before the Messiah could bring spiritual renewal and revival (see Malachi 4:5-6). The fact that Elijah would come and begin to be used by God to restore things would not eliminate nor forfeit the Messiah from suffering and dying. This was confirmed by prophetic Scripture (see Ps. 22:14; Ps. 22:16-17; and Isa. 53:1-12). So, Jesus shows His disciples these prophecies would not have been written to only not be fulfilled. Jesus takes these prophecies, His Transfiguration and the Cross to teach His disciples the close connection between His suffering and His serving.
When Jesus told them that Elijah had already come, the disciples understood He meant John the Baptizer – not the reincarnation of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. John the Baptist had taken on Elijah’s prophetic role—boldly confronting sin and pointing people to God. Malachi had prophesied that a prophet like Elijah would come (Malachi 4:5). John the Baptist had come and had restored all things just as Malachi had foretold.
He had come like Elijah to prepare the way for the Messiah’s first coming (Matthew 3:1-3); Elijah himself will reappear before Jesus’ second coming (see Revelation 11). Unfortunately, it seems that Jesus’ disciples were still expecting the physical appearance of Elijah. Did the mountaintop experience count for that? Would there be a more apparent appearance to more people? Even Jesus’ own words in Matthew 17:11 seems to express this – this points to a future appearance of Elijah. Some scholars think this will happen before Jesus returns, thus causing a massive revival in Israel.
Also, some equate this to the appearance of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-14. Though the Bible does not tell us, some scholars think these two witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Why? They have already made an appearance during Jesus’ Transfiguration affirming His mission (see Luke 9:30-31). Others think the two witnesses are Enoch (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11-12), both who left this world without dying physically.
Revelation gives very little details about these two witnesses. We know that they will preach for 3.5 years during the 7-year Tribulation. During which time they will be protected from harm and given special power to call down plagues and judgments on their wicked adversaries (Revelation 11:3-6). Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this:
“Because the symbols of the two olive trees and two lampstands in Revelation 11:4 correspond to the symbols representing Zerubbabel and Joshua in Zechariah 3-4, it may be that the testimony of the two witnesses will somehow relate to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as mentioned in Revelation 11:1-2. Most importantly, their miraculous authority will be similar to that of Moses, Elijah, and other Old Testament prophets, demonstrating the crucial nature of their ministry during the future Tribulation period. It seems likely to me that the two figures, who will seemingly come in the spirit of Moses and Elijah, will serve to fulfill the prophecy of Malachi 4, just as John the Baptizer would have fulfilled that prophecy had Israel accepted him” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Bible Commentary, “Matthew 16-28,” Vol. 1B, pp.51-52).
Jesus’ disciples would know the story of Elijah well and know how persecuted and how Elijah suffered under King Ahab and Jezebel. He actually had to flee for his life (see 1 Kings 19). In like manner, John the Baptizer suffered at the hands of Herod and Herodias (see Matthew 14:1-12). And not only that, just like the religious leaders had rejected Jesus, they had rejected John the Baptizer as well as the herald or forerunner of the Messiah (see Luke 7:30). Jesus’ point is that suffering is the path to glory. What can we learn from this?
- If we go too fast through this, we will stay shallow in our theology. Just like how a speedboat flies across the surface of the water, it is impossible to go deep in you’re moving too fast through Scripture. God never hurries to catch-up with us; we have to slow down to follow Him. God wants maturity in us.
- If we talk too much, we will listen very little. Have you ever gone to a movie with a friend who had already seen the movie? If they talk through it, explaining everything, exposing things before they happen, the thrill is lost. You miss the details that make the movie so good. Peter, James and John finally realized that. They stayed silent and then experienced the awesomeness of God. This is the point of James 1:19 and Psalm 46:10.
- If we react too quickly, we miss the rewards of waiting patiently. We see this in Peter’s initial reaction. Have you ever blurted something out of your mouth without thinking only to regret it later?
Assignment: When reading Scripture, do not fly through it. Take your time. As you do, ask God to show you, teach you, challenge you and mature you. For example, do this with John 15:1-8 today or this week. Familiarity tends to breed speeding through a text. Take it in. Chew on it. Digest it.
Scripture To Meditate On: John 15:5, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Lord, help me to slow down during my quiet times with You. I don’t want to be a speedboat skipping across the pages of Scripture or in prayer and miss the deep truths You want and need me to learn, know and apply. Slow me down Lord. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly