Wisdom begins with an understanding of God—who he is and how he responds to the world around us. In Jesus, we have the perfect example of who God is. Seeing the world through God’s eyes requires us to know him personally through his Son. We can do this by having a living relationship with Jesus and reading the Bible.

The whole structure and flow of the Gospel change with this paragraph. “From that time on…” Matthew used the same expression in chapter 4:17 as the Gospel began to move from John the Baptist to Jesus. Now it moves to the culmination of the story that Matthew wants to tell. The immediate future does not look bright.

Peter is front and center and will stay there for the next several years.

There are a few experiences in life that are unforgettable and life transforming. As we journey through life and reflect back on our own story, we can all remember those special moments that marked our life.

Interestingly, the text we are reading today is that one experience that Peter marks out in his own experience and wrote about it in 2 Peter 1:16-18.

Matthew has a fascinating way of putting events together so as to engage his readers in the story. The transforming experiences of three of the disciples on the mountain gives way to the inability of the nine others to practice what Jesus had instructed in chapter 10. But the mountain and all it means is in the background.

This interesting encounter with the demonic and physical illness of a young boy illustrates Jesus tender approach, especially of children.

“Does your teacher pay the temple tax?”What an uncomfortable question for Peter to be asked. If he says, “No,” Jesus might be branded as a rebellious Jew, unwilling to contribute towards the temple upkeep. If he says, “Yes,” Jesus would have to come up with the equivalent of two days’ pay – not exactly pocket change. Also, Jesus would be lumped in with every other Jew in Palestine, one subject to the letter of the law. Hoping it’s the right answer, Peter replies, “Yes, he does.”

Fill in the blank: “I want to be more _______.” What was in your blank? Patient? Joyful? Self-disciplined? Caring? Chances are you didn’t write “needy.”In our culture, being needy is an unattractive quality. We value strength, independence, the ability to stand on our own two feet. “Needy” brings to mind clingy ex-girlfriends or people on the receiving end of Christmas baskets.

When God seems absent, what does it take to ask him the hard questions about where we find ourselves?

We are not told the what had happened to make the psalmist feel like this, but all seems lost. “Is this the end of your love and your promises? . . . Have you forgotten how to have pity?” he cries out