March 23 / Matt. 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45

Matthew 17:14-23, Mark 9:14-32, and Luke 9:37-45

And when they came to the disciples, they saw … scribes arguing with them. (Mark 9:14) As I note in the second link below, Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John with Him for His Transfiguration, leaving the other disciples behind, presumably nearby. And the scribes were there also, presumably still in the region of Caesarea Philippi. [NOTE: A few verses later they came to Capernaum. (v. 33a)] That is to say, the scribes who had followed Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and who consistently hounded Him when he was in and around Capernaum, these same scribes had also traveled some 20-30 miles north to the region of Caesarea Philippi. There was no let-up for them in attacking Jesus. But with no Jesus around, the scribes took to attacking Jesus’ disciples.

I’m imagining myself as one of these disciples who had been left behind when Jesus took the three up the mountain. And these disciples (myself included!) were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit. They (we) must have been overwhelmed by these learned scribes – they (we) must have been really longing for Jesus to return! How happy they (we) would have been when they (we) finally saw Him! Frankly, nothing has changed in 2000 years. We are still thrilled when we “see” Jesus, when we encounter Him with our brothers and sisters at church, or when He joins us in our most difficult places. Scribes may argue with us, but we know “…Him in Whom we have believed.” (II Timothy 1:12)

See also: June 11 / Matt. 17:14-23; June 12 / Mark 9:14-32; June 13 / Luke 9:37-45