Matthew Chapter Seventeen
The Transfiguration
[Verses 1-9 parallel Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36; verses 10-13 parallel Mark 9:11-13]
17:1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 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.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Six days later after talking to His disciples about what is required to follow Him, He takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain without the other disciples (Luke’s account records this event as a time for prayer). While on the mountain, Jesus changes and becomes transfigured in front of them (Greek ‘metemorphōthē’,[1] denoting change of place or condition, change one’s form, it is the root for the English word ‘metamorphosis’), changing from His earthly form into a supernatural form. His face became bright, like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. Soon Moses and Elijah appeared and began to talk with Jesus. Peter approached and told Jesus that is was good that they were with them, as they could make three tents for them (Greek ‘skēnas’,[2] booth, hut, tabernacle, essentially any cover), one for Him, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While Peter was still talking, a bright cloud overshadowed them and God the Father spoke from within the cloud, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When Peter, James, and John heard the voice they were terrified and immediately fell to the ground. Jesus then came over to them, touched them, and told them to rise and not be afraid. When they looked up they saw that they were alone again.
The Transfiguration of Jesus was possibly the greatest display offering clear visual evidence that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. Many readers ask why just show Peter, James, and John? Why not all of His disciples? Or for that fact, why not transfigure in public? After all, people would surely be impressed and accept Jesus’ claims then, right?
First, why these three disciples? It seems that nearly every commentator and theologian has a different idea, here are some of their suggestions: they were Jesus’ inner circle; they were the most intimate with Jesus; they needed more instruction than the others; they were the most capable to understand; they were among the first disciples; they were more spiritually attuned and therefore more teachable; they saw themselves as Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu for the new Moses (referring to Jesus, see below); they were more reliable and convincingly articulate; God’s law required two or more as witnesses (see Deuteronomy 19:15); and finally, Jesus knew both Peter and John would later write about the event (see 2 Peter 1:16-18 and John 1:14). While some may be more correct than others, the answer is not clear, nor offered in the text, therefore, these are all just speculations. All we need to know it was Jesus’ decision, He wanted Peter, James, and John to witness and see first-hand the transfiguration and hear the confirmation from His Father, and they did.
The next question one might ask would be why not transfigure in public? Some believe that there would have been uncontrollable turmoil if the public watched. Others say that the people would not be able to understand, and as a result, may encourage some to embrace a pagan viewpoint.
17:9 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.
On the way down the mountain Jesus commanded (Greek ‘eneteilato’,[3] to order, command) Peter, James, and John to not tell anyone what they saw or heard, at least not until after He was resurrected. This was the third time He told them that He would die and be raised from the dead (the first time was an indirect reference, see Matthew 12:40, the second time was direct, see 16:21-23) and His request was consistent with His wishes to not be identified as the Messiah until the right time.[4]
But this request confused the three men, since they had heard from the scribes that Elijah must come first (before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes, as the prophecy recorded in Malachi 4:5 states). Now that they saw that Elijah had come, instead of proclaiming that news, Jesus instructs them to not tell anyone what they had seen. In their minds they believe that what they saw was in fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy, but now no one else will know if they don’t share that information. In response to them being commanded not to talk, they ask Jesus, “so why must Elijah come first?” Or perhaps another way of asking could have been, why was this short appearance of Elijah’s to be kept a secret?
Jesus tells them that Elijah does come and he will restore all things. Then He informs them that Elijah already came, but no one recognized him[5] and “they chose to abuse him” (NLT) and He noted that they will do the same to Him, and will suffer at their hands. Then the disciples realized that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist. Remember that the disciples were out telling others about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and did not hear when Jesus spoke about John the Baptist, saying he represented the coming Elijah (see Matthew 11:2-15).
The reference to “restore all things” comes from the prophecy of Malachi as Elijah who is represented here by John the Baptist,[6] sets into motion the restoration of all things from the corruption that began with the first sin, by announcing the coming Messiah. Who through living a sinless life, suffering, dies, and is raised back to life again to offer salvation from sin, brings restoration (back to how God intended before sin, as created) to all that accept His offer. Malachi wrote, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6) Destruction is reserved for those who do not accept Jesus as their Savior.
It is interesting to note that the last word of the Old Testament, in Malachi 4:6, is the Hebrew word ‘hē’·rěm’,[7] referring to being set apart or devoted to destruction, or that which is cursed, one might say that sums up the condition of mankind at that time. Without the gospel message from the New Testament, only destruction could result. But since God so loved the world, He sent His Son, and now those that accept the gospel message are not destroyed, but live forever with Jesus (see John 3:16). Thankfully, the Bible does not end with the Old Testament.
Considerations
Since the apostle Paul noted that when believers die, they will change (see 1 Corinthians 15:51) and be transformed into the same image as Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 3:18), many believe that this transfiguration of Jesus is an example of what a Christian’s glorified body might look like.
It is interesting to note that Peter was able to recognize both Moses and Elijah, while it is doubtful that they wore name tags, this recognition may give us another glimpse of post-death insight, people in heaven will be known and recognized.
Many wonder why out of all the Old Testament leaders, prophets and saints, did God chose Moses and Elijah to be on the mountain with Jesus. Since the text does not specify a reason, all potential theories are just speculation. Although when studying the Old Testament these two men do truly stand out. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and was the recipient of God’s law. Plus, he was given special privileges that no other human was granted, including erecting and consecrating the Tabernacle; consecrating the Aaronic priesthood; was the only non-priest to enter the Most Holy Place (also known as the Holy of Holies); he spoke and interacted directly with God, and was able to see a portion of God. Elijah was not only a powerful and influential prophet, he was one of two Old Testament saints who did not die (see 2 Kings 2:11, Enoch was the other, see Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). Perhaps Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the prophets.
However, there is an event yet future that may involve these two individuals. In the eleventh chapter of the book of Revelation, we read about two witnesses. One of them can shut the sky and prevented rain, while the other can turn water into blood (see Revelation 11:6). There were two individuals in the Old Testament who could do the same things. Moses was used by God to change water into blood for the first of the ten plagues (see Exodus 7:14-25) and Elijah through God was able to prevent rain until he called for it to fall (see 1 Kings 17:1). Does that mean that these two witnesses were Moses and Elijah? Again, the text does not specify, but it is an intriguing idea.
Peter once again was the spokesperson for the group, probably motivated by being overwhelmed by this event or fear, he seemingly needed to say something, even if it was possibly inappropriate (Luke records that Peter asked this question, “not knowing what he said,” see Luke 9:33). One commentator notes that the only time Peter opened his mouth was to change feet!
Jesus is often referred to by scholars as the “New Moses,” who, like Moses, leads His people on a new exodus to the promised land of heaven, rescuing them from their bondage to sin.
Matthew’s primary focus was Jesus’s identity. Matthew’s Gospel stressed four aspects of Jesus’s identity. First, Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited King of God’s people. Second, Jesus is the new Abraham, the founder of a new spiritual Israel consisting of all people who choose to follow him, including both Jews and Gentiles. Third, Jesus is the new Moses, the deliverer and instructor of God’s people. Fourth, Jesus is the Immanuel, the virgin-born Son of God who fulfills the promises of the OT. Thus, although Matthew’s Gospel is similar in some ways to ancient biographies, it remains distinct. Matthew was concerned not only to preserve Jesus’s teachings, to record his deeds, or to commend his example, but especially to explain who Jesus is. Matthew’s Gospel might best be described as a “theological biography,” a historical account of Jesus’s life and teachings that explains his spiritual significance.[8]
A question that is often asked of readers of this section, is why mention Elijah in Malachi 4:5-6, if the fulfillment of the prophecy is not really Elijah? The answer is somewhat complex. Theologian, commentator, pastor, author and well-respected prophecy expert John Walvoord (1910-2002), offers one explanation:
The final word from Malachi predicted the coming of Elijah, “See, I will send you the Prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful Day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse” (vv. 5–6).
Interpreters have differed as to whether this prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled by John the Baptist or not. According to Matthew 11:7–10, the messenger of Malachi 3:1 was specifically stated to be John the Baptist and as such one who prepared the way of the Lord in His first coming. It had been predicted before his birth that John would operate in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).
Though it is clear that John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1), John the Baptist, however, expressed that he was not Elijah (John 1:21–23). Christ even called John, “the Elijah who was to come,” with the stipulation, “if you are willing to accept it” (Matt. 11:14). The matter is further discussed in Matthew 17:11–12 where Christ affirmed, “Elijah comes and will restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). In other words, because Israel did not accept John the Baptist as Elijah, another Elijah is yet to come. But in Matthew 17:12 Jesus said, “Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him.”
It was clear that Elijah was a type of John and to some extent that John the Baptist fulfilled Elijah’s role. But, predictively, it is difficult to determine whether the future one will come in the spirit and power of Elijah or be Elijah himself. Though some identify one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:1–13 as Elijah, there is no scriptural evidence that this is the case. The Book of Malachi closes with a warning that if their hearts are not turned to the Lord, God will strike the land with a curse (Mal. 4:6).
So the Old Testament which began with the statement, “In the beginning God,” ends with a possibility of a curse on the land followed by several hundred silent years when there was no prophet until John the Baptist appeared on the scene. Much of the Old Testament has already been fulfilled, but much also awaits future fulfillment in the last days.[9]
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
[Text parallels Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 9:37-43a]
17:14 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 has seizures 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.”
Luke records that this event occurred the day following coming down the mountain (see Luke 9:37). As Jesus approached a crowd, a man came up to Him and kneeled in front of Him and asked Jesus to have mercy on his son, who had been suffering from dangerous seizures, often falling into fire or water. He also told Jesus that he had already brought his son to His disciples, but they could not heal him (probably while Jesus, Peter, James and John were on the mountain).
17:17 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, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 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.”
Hearing that the man had brought his son to His disciples but were unable to heal him, Jesus responded to His disciples and the crowd, “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.” Jesus was not only grieved at the lack of faith of His disciples, as He had already given them full authority (see Matthew 10:1), but He was also sorrowful over the lack of faith of the current generation of Jews. Besides their lack of faith, Jesus said it was a twisted (Greek ‘diestrammenē’[10], to turn or twist, metaphorically used to refer to perverted or corrupt) generation (Greek ‘genea’[11], a generation, in context referring to the current generation). Not only were those Jews that were present remaining skeptical and not believing, Jesus called them perverted, as their beliefs were completely misshaped and distorted. While undoubtedly a little disappointed with His disciples (although the concept of ‘disappointment’ does not fully apply to Jesus as He is omniscient and would already know what a person, or group of people, will do, or not do), when Jesus made His statement, “how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?,” He was not saying this out of frustration or exasperation, He was exclaiming a compassionate concern. After all, He was their teacher, who would soon be gone. If they didn’t understand while He was with them, how are they going to understand after He is gone?
The boy was brought to Jesus, and as He rebuked the demon (same Greek word[12] Jesus previously used to rebuke the wind and calmed the storm, see Matthew 8:26) the demon immediately left the boy. The disciples later came to Jesus privately and asked Him why they couldn’t cast out the demon. He told them that they lacked faith. Jesus then offered a short discourse on faith. He compares faith with a physical object, saying if they had faith like a grain of mustard seed, they would be able to move mountains and that nothing would be impossible for them (see also 1 Corinthians 13:2). We see in this comparison two things, the first being that the disciple’s faith was small, and secondly, that God needs believers to truly believe. There should not be any doubt in a believer’s mind. First and foremost, belief in Jesus as Savior is critical, there cannot be any doubt. Secondly, Christians need to have complete confidence and faith that they can do what God has called them to do. Since man can only perceive the physical world, to believe or rely on the supernatural is a foreign concept that requires a strong faith. Nothing in the will of God is impossible for those that believe.
It should be noted that some Bibles include an additional sentence at the end of verse 20, which is typically identified as verse 21. For example we can read in the New King James Version, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21, NKJV, verse can also be found in KJV, NASB95, HCSB, ISV, etc.) This requirement of additional prayer and fasting to cast out demons, was determined to be added (plus it is not found in most manuscripts) and therefore not included in most modern Bibles, although it does parallel Mark’s account.
Since there is no satisfactory reason why the passage, if originally present in Matthew, should have been omitted in a wide variety of witnesses, and since copyists frequently inserted material derived from another Gospel, it appears that most manuscripts have been assimilated to the parallel in Mk 9:29.[13]
Considerations
Having faith to move mountains is a metaphor for having and using great faith. We need to understand what that means, let’s begin with the question, faith in what? Having faith alone does nothing (Warning: some like to teach this means having faith in faith, that is an empty statement and should be avoided). But having faith in God is different, if He says, “move that mountain,” then you know that it can be done and in faith you can trust God that He will indeed move that mountain. One should not treat this verse like some form of Excalibur (sword) in the stone, where people test to see if they are the “true king,” (or in this case to test to see if they really have great faith) by trying to move mountains. That is not the lesson. Every Christian has a role in God’s Kingdom, He will provide what is needed to accomplish whatever it is He has called them to do, even when it means doing something seemingly impossible, like moving mountains.
Belief is something is necessary for something to be included in our personal worldview. If we have any doubt in our minds regarding something, then we would likely think of it as being impossible and therefore would influence our opinions and decision making. For salvation, a Christian is to believe that when they die, Jesus will do as He promised and save them from condemnation. Since Jesus did all the work, there is nothing more that needs to be done. Once a person recognizes that they are a sinner, repents of those sins, and accepts Jesus as their Savior, they become adopted as a child of God (see Romans 8:12-17). Heaven is guaranteed!
Some still question, but why faith? Pastor and author Ron Dunn (1936-2001) offers this short explanation:
Why this divine insistence upon faith? The answer, I believe, revolves around three words: grace, glory, and guarantee.
Grace. In Romans 4:16, Paul says, “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace.” Grace can operate only through faith; that is the only environment in which it can exist. To set aside faith is to make grace inaccessible. Since grace is God’s unmerited favor toward man, the only way man can receive it is by faith. If it comes to him because of his goodness or his parentage or anything else, it ceases to be unmerited; thus it ceases to be grace. And that is why man has such a hard time with faith: It strikes a fatal blow to his pride. It is extremely difficult and downright traumatic for human nature to sing a song like, “Jesus paid it all; all to him I owe.” Old Adam would choke on such words.
We have this need to contribute something; our ego demands it and feeds upon it. But faith forces us to admit that the things we truly need are beyond our power to produce and that only God can provide them. Calvin said, “Faith brings a man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings of Christ.” Faith puts man right where God wants him—in the place of total dependence.
Glory. Faith glorifies God and brings honor to his name. Faith is man’s positive response to the revealed character of God. Unbelief, therefore, is an assault upon God’s character and an insult to his integrity. To disbelieve God is to deny that he is what he says he is; it calls into question his wisdom and power and goodness. That is why Spurgeon said that “to trust in the Lord Jesus is the climax of virtue.”
Guarantee. Again in Romans 4:16, Paul gives another clue as to why God demands faith: “So that the promise may be guaranteed to all the descendants.” That the promise will be guaranteed to all; and such certainty is possible only on the basis of faith. If any basis other than faith is required, then some will be excluded. For regardless of how easy and simple you make the requirement, some will be unable to meet it. But anyone, everyone, can believe.
Walter K. Price quotes one of his college professors as saying, “The genius of Christianity lies in its method of accessibility, for it is both universal and democratic. Anyone can believe—from the president of the university to the garbage man!” Christmas Evans used to say, “I can take a man, tie him hand and foot, nail him in a barrel and shout through a knothole what he must do to be saved and he can do it!”
What Is Your Mountain?
Have you found yourself saying, “If it wasn’t for this circumstance, I could be what God wants me to be”? Is there a specific something that is preventing you from fulfilling the will of God in your life? That is your mountain. And you can be certain you have one, for the Christian life is never unopposed. The Ship of Zion is a man o’ war, not a luxury liner. God expects us to face opposition from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. But that unholy trinity and the mountains they pile up before us can be swept away by the weakest Christian who knows how to believe God.[14]
Reminder of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
[Text parallels Mark 9:30-32 and Luke 9:43b-45]
17:22 As they were gathering 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.
Jesus once again informs His disciples that He will be delivered (Greek ‘paradidosthai’[15], to deliver over to the power of someone) into the hands of men and they will kill Him, but He will be raised back to life on the third day. The news deeply grieved them. We read in Mark’s account that the disciples still did not understand, but were afraid to ask any questions (see Mark 9:32). The news must have been particularly confusing for Peter, James, and John as they had recently seen the glory of Jesus during His transfiguration. Jesus was fully aware of the disciples lack of faith (see verse 20) and their lack or slowness of comprehension (see Luke 24:25), so He offered them several reminders, this was the third reminder.
Paying the Temple Tax
17:24 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. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
The Romans allowed the Jews to collect a tax for the maintenance and operation of the Temple. The history of this tax goes back to the days of the Tabernacle (see Exodus 30:11-16). This two-drachma (Greek ‘didrachma’[16], a silver coin equal in value to the Roman denarius, this is a double-drachma tax) was a tribute paid annually. In this event only Peter and Jesus are mentioned, perhaps they were together as they entered into Capernaum (an entrance to a city would be a good place for tax collectors to station themselves).
Peter is approached, as a resident of Capernaum he may have been recognized or perhaps he was known to be the lead disciple. He was asked why Jesus had not paid the tax. Undoubtedly staying at Peter’s house, he asks Jesus about paying the tax. Jesus begins by asking Peter (called here by his given name of Simon), What do you think, from whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax, from their sons or from others? Peter replied, “from others.” Jesus then said, then the sons are free (explaining that He is exempt from paying the tax). But in order to prevent the tax collectors from being offended, Jesus instructed Peter to go fishing using a fishing line with a hook and the first fish caught by him will have a shekel (a silver coin worth four drachmas) in its mouth. He is then to use the shekel to pay the tax for both Jesus and himself.
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[1] Strong’s Greek 3339.
[2] Strong’s Greek 4633.
[3] Strong’s Greek 1781.
[4] See Considerations under Matthew 9:27-31 regarding “Tell No One.”
[5] See commentary under Matthew 11:12-15.
[6] See Considerations below.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 2764.
[8] Köstenberger, A. J., Kellum, L. S., & Quarles, C. L. (2016). The cradle, the cross, and the crown: an introduction to the new testament. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.
[9] Walvoord, J. F. (1990). The prophecy knowledge handbook (pp. 339–340). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Strong’s Greek 1294.
[11] Strong’s Greek 1074.
[12] Strong’s Greek 2008.
[13] Metzger, B. M., United Bible Societies. (1994). A textual commentary on the Greek New Testament, second edition a companion volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th rev. ed.) (p. 35). London; New York: United Bible Societies.
[14] Dunn, R., & Catt, M. (2013). Faith crisis: what faith isn’t and why it doesn't always do what you want. Nashville, TN: B&H Books.
[15] Strong’s Greek 3860.
[16] Strong’s Greek 1323.