{"id":331,"date":"2024-04-10T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=331&2024"},"modified":"2024-04-08T18:00:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T00:00:13","slug":"elijahs-ministry-matthew-17-1-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/elijahs-ministry-matthew-17-1-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Elijah’s Ministry: Matthew 17:1-13"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 17:1-13 (GW)<\/div>

1\u00a0<\/sup>After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone.<\/p>

2\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus\u2019 appearance changed in front of them. His face became as bright as the sun and his clothes as white as light. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were talking with Jesus.<\/p>

4\u00a0<\/sup>Peter said to Jesus, \u201cLord, it\u2019s good that we\u2019re here. If you want, I\u2019ll put up three tents here\u2014one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.\u201d<\/p>

5\u00a0<\/sup>He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, \u201cThis is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!\u201d<\/p>

6\u00a0<\/sup>The disciples were terrified when they heard this and fell facedown on the ground. 7\u00a0<\/sup>But Jesus touched them and said, \u201cGet up, and don\u2019t be afraid!\u201d 8\u00a0<\/sup>As they raised their heads, they saw no one but Jesus.<\/p>

9\u00a0<\/sup>On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, \u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone what you have seen. Wait until the Son of Man has been brought back to life.\u201d<\/p>

10\u00a0<\/sup>So the disciples asked him, \u201cWhy do the experts in Moses\u2019 Teachings say that Elijah must come first?\u201d<\/p>

11\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered, \u201cElijah is coming and will put everything in order again. 12\u00a0<\/sup>Actually, I can guarantee that Elijah has already come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased because they didn\u2019t recognize him. In the same way they\u2019re going to make the Son of Man suffer.\u201d<\/p>

13\u00a0<\/sup>Then the disciples understood that he was talking about John the Baptizer.<\/p>

Read Matthew 17:1-13<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Have you ever wondered if Jesus said something before thinking it through?<\/p>\r\n

Or perhaps wondered if Jesus ever stumbled over one of His main points and had to go back and restate it because it wasn\u2019t worded correctly?<\/p>\r\n

And if either of these ideas were true, could this misstep have been recorded in one or more gospels and then copied thousands of times throughout the ages?<\/p>\r\n

Bible critics love to search out such mistakes and errors in order to discredit Christianity and\/or Jesus, and in this passage may be one such slipup \u2013 or in it could be a hidden repeating prediction for the future.<\/p>\r\n

In several translations, including the one we are using for this entry, Jesus says in verse 11, \u201cElijah is coming and will put everything in order again.<\/strong>\u201d But then He quickly follows up in verse 12 by saying, \u201cActually, I can guarantee that Elijah has already come.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\r\n

So which is it?<\/p>\r\n

Is Elijah still coming, or has He already come?<\/p>\r\n

This is the sort of question that Bible critics like to pose towards how the Bible is written. Looking at the context and how the disciples understood this dialog, they conclude that this Elijah prediction represented the role and ministry of John the Baptist, who\u2019s ministry got people thinking about and looking forward to Jesus\u2019 arrival.<\/p>\r\n

However, we also have a problem though, because at least with how these two verses are translated into English, it seems as though Jesus misspeaks and then restates what He meant to say. This may be the case, but it could also be Jesus hinting us to a larger, repeating truth: Before God does anything big in the world, He sends messengers to prompt us to pay attention:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n