Dr Paul Allen

English: Jesus and the Samaritan woman. A miniature from the 12th-century Jruchi Gospels II MSS from Georgia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Mark 9:30–32 “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise” ( v. 31 ). Peter’s great confession at Caesarea Philippi ( 16:16 ) proclaims our Lord as the “Son of the living God.” The transfiguration (17:1–8), in particular, is a striking illustration of the majesty of our Savior. In order that we might better understand and praise the majesty of the second person of the Trinity , especially as He is revealed in the names given to Him in Scripture. The various titles ascribed to Jesus in the New Testament give us insight into His majesty. Were we to sit down and count the frequency of each, we would find that the Greek title christos, which we translate as “ Christ ,” is the title most often used of Jesus in the New Testament.  Christ is not ...

Transfiguration, 1520, unfinished at his death. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 17:1–8  “He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” ( v. 2 ). The Holy Spirit enabled Peter to confess Jesus as the Messiah, but this is not the only revelation the apostle received while he and the other disciples traveled with Christ in and around Caesarea Philippi . As today’s passage indicates, Peter, along with James and John, was privileged to witness our Lord ’s transfigured glory only days after Peter’s great confession ( Matt.  16:13 – 17:8 ). As background to the transfiguration, we must consider the many theophanies recorded in sacred Scripture.  Our English term  theophany  finds its roots in the Greek word for “God” ( theos ) and the Greek verb “to appear” ( phainein ); thus, we can see that theophany basically means “an appearance of God.”  Theophanies were visible manifestation...

English: Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82) Fresco, 335 x 550 cm Cappella Sistina, Vatican. Ελληνικά: Λεπτομέρεια από την νωπογραφία του Πιέτρο Περουτζίνο, Ο Χριστός Παραδίδει τα Κλειδιά στον Πέτρο, 335 x 600 cm, Καπέλα Σιξτίνα, Πόλη του Βατικανού. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In Matthew 16:18 , Jesus said to Simon, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Roman Catholics interpret Matt. 16:18 to mean that Peter is the rock upon which the church is built. That interpretation then becomes the basis for the doctrine of papal succession. If Peter is the rock on which the church is built, and if the bishops of Rome are Peter’s successors, then it follows, they say, that the papacy remains the foundation of the church. But that is not at all what Matthew 16:18 teaches. The name “Peter” was a nickname given to Simon by Jesus, all the way back in John 1:42 when Peter fir...

Ruins of Caesarea Philippi (today Banias, Golan heights)) in 1886. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 20:29–34 “They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ And Jesus  in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him” (vv. 33–34). Christ began His final trip to Jerusalem after Peter’s great confession (Matt. 16:13–23). In all likelihood, He traveled mostly along the eastern bank of the  Jordan River as He and His disciples moved southward from Caesarea Philippi . This was a common route for Galilean pilgrims in His day, and the crowds that we have read about during this trip are those Jews who, while traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover , have seen the deeds of Jesus and are hoping that He is the Messiah (17:14–18; 19:1–2). These men and women are among those who will hail our Savior’s triumphal entry into the Holy City (21:1–11). This passage indicates that Jesus will soon arrive in Jerusalem to compl...

Matthew 17:1–8 “He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (v. 2). The Holy Spirit enabled Peter to confess Jesus as the Messiah , but this is not the only revelation the apostle received while he and the other disciples traveled with Christ in and around Caesarea Philippi . As this passage indicates, Peter, along with James and John, was privileged to witness our Lord’s transfigured glory only days after Peter’s great confession (Matt. 16:13– 17:8). As background to the transfiguration, we must consider the many theophanies recorded in sacred Scripture. Our English term theophany finds its roots in the Greek word for “God” (theos) and the Greek verb “to appear” (phainein); thus, we can see that theophany basically means “an appearance of God.” Theophanies were visible manifestations of the Creator and were usually granted to central figures in the Almighty’s redemptive plan. We can think, for example, of God’s appearan...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ , the Son of the living God ” (Matt. 16:16). As we reflect on the glory of Christ , we cannot do so without considering the glorious confession of His true identity in Caesarea Philippi . Jesus ’ glory had been hidden from the world, a glory that He had possessed for all eternity and shared with the Father . But, while veiled, that glory was manifested at various times during Jesus’ life—and, of course, after His death when He walked among His followers as the resurrected Christ and then ascended into heaven as Lord and King. One particular manifestation of Jesus ’ glory before the resurrection and ascension was in Philipi, not far from Mount Hermon . Jesus’ public ministry had been dwindling as the crowds became frustrated and bitter that He would not rally as the revolutionary they so desperately wanted. And for Jesus Himself, the shadow of the cross was growing longer. T...

Baptism of Christ. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 20:29–34 “They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him” ( vv. 33–34 ). Christ began His final trip to Jerusalem after Peter’s great confession ( Matt. 16:13–23 ). In all likelihood, He traveled mostly along the eastern bank of the Jordan River as He and His disciples moved southward from Caesarea Philippi . This was a common route for Galilean pilgrims in His day, and the crowds that we have read about during this trip are those Jews who, while traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover , have seen the deeds of Jesus and are hoping that He is the Messiah ( 17:14–18 ; 19:1–2 ). These men and women are among those who will hail our Savior’s triumphal entry into the Holy City ( 21:1–11 ). This passage indicates that Jesus will soon arrive in Jerusalem to complete His messian...