Matthew 17

The Transfiguration

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, [1] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, [2] and it [3] came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. [4] 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” [5]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 As they were gathering [6] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. [7] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Translation Notes

[1] 17:5 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
[2] 17:18 Greek it
[3] 17:18 Greek the demon
[4] 17:18 Greek from that hour
[5] 17:20 Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting
[6] 17:22 Some manuscripts remained
[7] 17:27 Greek stater, a silver coin worth four drachmas or approximately one shekel

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Matt. 16:21–17:27 The Suffering of the Messiah Revealed. Jesus reveals the nature of his messiahship. He is a suffering Messiah, and those who are his disciples must suffer with him (16:21–28). Still, the transfiguration (17:1–13) discloses who Jesus really is: the Son of God. And believers, who are themselves sons of the kingdom, are free from the old era of the law (17:14–27).

Matt. 17:1–13 The Beloved, Transfigured Son. Jesus reveals his divine glory in the transfiguration (vv. 1–8) and explains how John the Baptist's ministry fulfills the prophecy of Elijah's return (vv. 9–13).

Matt. 17:1 After six days probably indicates that they are still in Caesarea Philippi. Peter and James, and John. The inner circle of disciples (cf. 26:37). high mountain. Church tradition identifies this as Mount Tabor, about 12 miles (19 km) from the Sea of Galilee, but most scholars favor Mount Hermon, outside of Galilee and rising 9,166 feet (2,794 m) above sea level.

Matt. 17:2 was transfigured. Jesus' physical transformation was a reminder of the glory he had before he became man (John 1:14; 17:5; Phil. 2:6–7) and a preview of his future exaltation (2 Pet. 1:16–18; Rev. 1:16).

Matt. 17:3 The appearance of Moses and Elijah represents the Law and the Prophets, which witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the one who fulfills the OT (cf. 5:17). Elijah was considered the prophetic forerunner of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5–6; cf. Matt. 3:1–3; 11:7–10).

Matt. 17:4 three tents. Peter wishes to make some sort of fitting memorial for this glorious event.

Matt. 17:5 bright cloud. Reminiscent of the cloud of God's presence and glory that appeared at various times in the OT (e.g., Ex. 13:21–22; 34:5–7; 1 Kings 8:10–13). voice. God the Father's public endorsement of Jesus his beloved Son echoes that given at Jesus' baptism (Matt. 3:17). Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, superior to Moses and Elijah, so the disciples must listen to him in order to understand his messianic purpose.

Matt. 17:6 terrified. Fear was a common experience of people in the OT who witnessed the awesome reality of God's presence (e.g., Ex. 19:16; Deut. 5:5).

Matt. 17:9 Tell no one the vision. See note on 8:4; cf. 9:30; 12:16; 16:20.

Matt. 17:10–13 Elijah has already come. See notes on Mal. 4:4–6 and Matt. 11:14. Jesus indicates that the ministry of John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi's prophecy.

Matt. 17:13 Then the disciples understood. “Understanding” is a key theme in Matthew's Gospel, and it comes here as a result of Jesus' teaching (cf. notes on 13:51–52; 16:6–12).

Matt. 17:14–27 Sons of the Kingdom. Through the healing and exorcism of an epileptic boy, Jesus shows the contrast between defective and effective faith (vv. 14–20). Jesus also teaches that his impending death will come through betrayal (vv. 22–23) and that the OT law has no claim on him or his disciples (vv. 24–27).

Matt. 17:15 By calling him Lord, the man shows respect for Jesus as an esteemed, righteous teacher, but he goes beyond that by believing that Jesus will show mercy and heal his son.

Matt. 17:17 faithless. In spite of the miracles and teaching of Jesus, the majority of people did not place their faith in him as the Messiah. Twisted indicates people's distorted perception of Jesus and spiritual truth.

Matt. 17:20 little faith. The disciples are not, of course, devoid of faith, but their faith is not functioning properly. Faith can be stronger or weaker (cf. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Rom. 14:1). Moving a mountain was a common metaphor in Jewish literature for doing what was seemingly impossible (cf. Isa. 40:4; 49:11; 54:10; Matt. 21:21–22).

Matt. 17:22–23 to be delivered. This second prediction of Jesus' passion (cf. 16:21), has an ominous new detail: Jesus will not only be handed over to his enemies, he will be betrayed.

Matt. 17:24 two-drachma tax. At the annual census, each person over the age of 20 was to give a half-shekel offering for the support of the tabernacle (Ex. 30:11–16), which was later applied to the temple. The religious tax collectors approach Peter, the disciples' leader, rather than Jesus himself, perhaps in deference to Jesus' esteem as a popular teacher.

Matt. 17:25–26 Then the sons are free. Because the temple is God the Father's own house, the Son and those he has brought into the Father's family (12:48–50) are exempt from the temple tax, signaling that, with the coming of the kingdom, believers are no longer under the OT law but the law of Christ (see Gal. 6:2).