Jesus is Transfigured and Pays Tribute by way of Fish

Today I read Matthew 17 where the Lord is transfigured before Peter, James and John. When I was in seminary and right before my mission I had often wondered why Moses and Elijah, and others, were taken up into heaven without having to taste death. It wasn't until my mission that I put two and two together and realized that they could not have appeared to Jesus, and did whatever it is they had to do at this point in time without their bodies. Since Jesus is the first fruits of them that slept, or in other words, He is the first person to be resurrected, they could not have performed this mission if they had died. So it was necessary that they be taken up without having tasted death.

It also begs the question, where do those who are translated go? Do they go to the Celestial Kingdom and reside with God? Do they go to where the City of Enoch is with all those who were translated then, that is if they are not in the presence of God? We are not told actually. No is it entirely important for us to know I think, or we would know. Sometimes though it is fun to just think of these type of questions, knowing there is no answer that we have and just ponder on them. After all, who knows what we might learn if we do that? That is the way Joseph F. Smith saw the vision that led to Doctrine and Covenants section 138.

I doubt that Peter, James or John fully understood the import of what they were viewing at the time. They became frightened when God the Father spoke from the heavens and proclaimed who Jesus was. And who wouldn't be a little perturbed if the heavens themselves just started talking? I mean honestly, wouldn't that cause you to freak out just a little? But as they pondered on what they had seen, I'll bet that at first it didn't make a whole lot of sense. However, since they were forbidden to tell any man of it until after the Savior had been resurrected, they had some time to ponder on it and think on it. And perhaps the events that led to the Savior's death and the Holy Ghost coming to them after the Lord's death helped them understand the full importance of the event.

This chapter also contains a story of a man whose son had a devil in him and none of the disciples were able to cast it out of him. The Savior laments their lack of faith as the reason they were unable to cast out the devil. It is here he gives his famous analogy of the faith as a grain of mustard seed that we talk about a few weeks ago when we read Moses chapter 4. He also tells His disciples that devils are only able to be cast out through prayer and fasting. There is a power in fasting that I think most people don't realize. That is why when we read Matthew 4 and the devil picks that time to tempt the Savior it just seemed so incredible to me because that is when the Savior would have been at His absolute strongest Spiritually speaking. When we fast and do without food for a period of time, and it is accompanied by prayer I should add, we allow our bodies to diminish a little bit and give our spirits dominance.

When we fast appropriately, meaning we accompany our fast with prayer and with a purpose, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father and are able to commune with the Holy Ghost that much easier. Is it any wonder that fasting is the preferred method of learning new doctrines or gaining the faith necessary to perform miracles such as casting out devils? I sometimes wonder if we as a people, or perhaps it is just me that has this problem who knows, do not put enough stock in fasting and what it can accomplish.

Speaking of miracles, Jesus performs a miracle at the end of this chapter, largely to fulfill something Peter said to the publicans. They asked Peter if Jesus paid tribute and Peter of course replied back that He did. So Jesus tells Peter to go down and cast a line into the water and take the first fish that he pulls up and look into it's mouth and it would contain enough money to pay both their tributes. Just think about the sheer logistics involved in this miracle for a moment. First of all, the Savior was aware of the fact that a fish swimming in the very sea bordering the city they were in at the time, Capernaum by the way, has swallowed a piece of money, of a large enough denomination to fulfill two persons worth of taxes. Second, of all the other people fishing that day, He made that fish only bite on Peter's line. I for one am impressed by this miracle, similar to the new star appearing over Jerusalem that we talked about when we read 3 Nephi 1 all those months ago.

It really causes me to think when I read something like this because this is not just a miracle like moving a mountain that can be done on the spur of the moment, not to sound flippant or make light of such a mighty miracle. But a miracle such as this one or having a new star appear at the precise moment of His own birth requires careful planning, in the case of a new star perhaps centuries in advance. It really gives me a new insight into the mind of God and a grater appreciation for all that He does for little old me. I hope it does for you too. Until tomorrow.