Matthew 16:21-17:27 | Mark 8:31-9:32 | Luke 9:22-45

Peter had just answered Christ’s question correctly (“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”), but then He rebukes Jesus for telling them that He was going to be killed in Jerusalem and raised from the dead on the 3rd day.  Jesus responds by saying “get behind me satan”, so Peter goes from hero to goat in just a few verses.  As seen in these passages, there were many times when Jesus told His disciples in advance that He would be killed, and raised from the dead on the 3rd day.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain, and He was transformed before them, as if His heavenly glory was leaking out of Him, being brighter than the sun.  Jesus is speaking with Moses and Elijah, and then God speaks from heaven to the disciples, saying “hear Him, Who I have chosen”.  Jesus tells them later to not speak of the incident until after He was raised from the dead.  This event remains vivid in Peter’s memory, and he speaks of it again in his epistle (2 Peter 1:17-18).

When they come down from the mountain, they encounter a man who’s son has been afflicted by a demon since childhood, and the Lord’s disciples had been unable to cast it out.  Jesus rebukes the demon, and the son is restored to his right mind, after He tells the man that all things are possible to him who believes (the man responded “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief”).  Jesus later tells His disciples that their faith was weak, and that such do not come out except following fasting and prayer.