Faith Daily Lectio Saturday, October 24, 2026 Gospel
Saturday, October 24, 2026 · Saturday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, on the mountain Your Father called You His beloved Son. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 17, that I may hear You and see You only, my Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 17:1-13
1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5)
What other lines speak to you?
Six days after Peter's confession, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain and is transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah appear, talking with Him. Peter offers to build three tabernacles, but a bright cloud overshadows them and the Father speaks from it. Coming down, Jesus tells them to keep the vision quiet until He is risen, and He explains that Elijah has already come in John the Baptist, and that the Son of Man will suffer too.
The Law Peter means well: "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (v. 4). Yet he talks while the Father is about to speak, and he would set Jesus beside Moses and Elias as one among three. When the voice comes, the disciples "fell on their face, and were sore afraid" (v. 6). Sinners cannot stand in the glory of God. We, too, would rather stay on the mountaintop than follow Jesus down toward Jerusalem, where "the Son of man" will "suffer of them" (v. 12).
The Gospel Jesus does not leave His frightened disciples on the ground. He "came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid" (v. 7). That is how He still comes to you, in His Word and in His Supper, to lift you up. When they looked up, "they saw no man, save Jesus only" (v. 8). The glory they saw went down the mountain to the cross, and rose "again from the dead" (v. 9), for you. The Father's voice still points you to Him: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (v. 5). In Him, the Father is well pleased with you.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess that I have talked when I should have listened, and wanted glory without the cross. Forgive me. Touch me by Your Word, lift me up, and let me see You only. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
The glory on the mountain did not last the afternoon. The disciples went back down to crowds, sickness and the road to the cross. Under trial it may help to remember that the same Jesus who shone like the sun walks down the mountain with you, and that His word to you is still "Arise, and be not afraid" (v. 7).
Prayer Lord Jesus, when Your glory is hidden and the road goes down, keep me hearing Your voice. Touch me in my fear and raise me up. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
