Matthew 16

²⁸I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Matthew 17


The Transfiguration

¹After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ²There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ³Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
⁴Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
⁵While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." ⁸When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
¹⁰The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
¹¹Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. ¹²But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." ¹³Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Matthew 16:28-17:13

Explanation:

The Son of Man's Glory (16:28-17:13)
Had the disciples any doubt that Jesus would someday come to reign in glory (16:27), he promises them a proleptic vision of his glory in the present (16:28). In a narrative that resembles Moses' revelation on Mount Sinai, the disciples become witnesses like Moses of Jesus' divine glory (17:1-8). The six days (17:1) probably allude to Exodus 24:15-18 (see, for example, Mauser 1963:111). The bright cloud (Mt 17:5; Ex 24:15) and other features of the narrative likewise recall the revelation on Mount Sinai. The appearance in Matthew 17:3 of the literal Moses and Elijah (both of whom had experiences with God on Mount Horeb) invite the reader to consider the other allusions to Moses (17:2-5) and Elijah (17:10-13) later in the narrative.

Jesus the Glorious Lord (16:28-17:3)

When Jesus again takes some disciples aside for private instruction (15:21; 16:13; see comment on 13:10-17), his transfiguration among them provides a foretaste of his glory when he will return to judge the earth (16:28). Various suggestions for the background for Jesus' proleptic "glorification" could be offered here, but a variety of allusions combine to point to Moses in the Old Testament. After Moses beheld God's glory, his own face shone with that glory (Ex 34:29-35; compare Ps-Philo 12:1; 19:16). Despite the clear testimony of Deuteronomy 34 (see also 1 Enoch 89:38), some of Jesus' contemporaries doubted that Moses had died (Sipre Deut. 357.10.5; ARN 12A), living on like Elijah and some other figures (compare 4 Ezra 6:27; pace Jos. Ant. 9.28). The Bible itself claimed that both Elijah (Mal 4:4-5) and a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15-19) would return. Most important, this literal Moses and Elijah also capture the reader's attention for the figurative new Elijah (Mt 17:12) and new Moses-Jesus-of whom this text speaks.

But while the text may present Jesus as a new Moses (especially 17:5), it also presents him as something more. It portrays the disciples as witnesses of his glory on the mountain, just as Moses and Elijah heard God on Mount Sinai (see Moiser 1985). The presence of Moses and Elijah indicates that Jesus is incomparably greater than the prophets with whom some were comparing him (16:14; compare Thrall 1970:316).

We Are Called to Heed Jesus As We Would God's Law (17:4-5)

The bright cloud that enveloped or "overshadowed" them is described in language reminiscent of the Jewish doctrine of the Shekinah, God's presence, especially recalling God's presence in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex 40:34-38; Daube 1973:30; W. Davies 1966b:22-23; Argyle 1963:132). God then repeats in a bat qol some of the commendation oracle he uttered at Jesus' baptism, revealing Jesus' identity as both Messiah and suffering servant (Ps 2:7; Is 42:1; see comment on Mt 3:17); to this he adds an allusion that indicates that Jesus is the promised "prophet like Moses" as well, for of that prophet God said, Listen to him (17:5; Deut 18:15).

Jesus Does Not Flaunt His Power (17:6-8)

The disciples fall on their faces, afraid. As he often did, Jesus crosses barriers and communicates his kindness by touching (v. 7; compare 8:3, 15; 9:20, 25, 29). He then speaks words of assurance customary for divine and angelic revelations: Get up. . . . Don't be afraid (compare 28:5, 10).

God's Way Is the Way of Martyrdom (17:9-13)

Although scholars disagree concerning how widespread and early was the explicit view of Elijah as the Messiah's forerunner, his end-time function in general is clear from Malachi 4:5-6 (compare Sirach 48:10; see note on 3:4 above), which also presents him as a "restorer."

Matthew 17

The Healing of a Boy With a Demon

¹⁴When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ¹⁵"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."
¹⁷"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." ¹⁸Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
²⁰He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
²²When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.

Matthew 17:14-23

Explanation:

Miracles and Disciples (17:14-27)
Even after three of Jesus' disciples had seen his glory, the other disciples lacked adequate faith (vv. 14-22), and one of those who had seen him still required further instruction (vv. 23-27).


Lacking a Mustard Seed of Faith (17:14-23)
As Moses found that those he had left in charge were unable to control the people (Ex 24:14; 32:1-8), Jesus found that those he had left behind could not cast out a particularly troublesome demon. Jesus casts out the demon immediately, demonstrating how it should be done (17:18; compare 8:26), but the disciples' inability twice invites Jesus' reproof of their weak faith (17:17, 20).
Jesus Honors One Person's Faith on Behalf of Another (17:14-15)

A man brings his son to the One with power to deliver him. Some of the symptoms depicted here resemble those of epilepsy (for example, Alexander 1980:83), which may imply that demons gaining control over the human central nervous system can sometimes cause epileptic-type phenomena. This observation does not, however, mean that epilepsy is always caused by demons; both the differentiation of the two in 4:24 and the numbers of committed Christians who suffer from epilepsy invite us to distinguish the two. Some contemporary accounts of spirit possession tell of spirits seeking to make people burn themselves (Kaplan and Johnson 1964:211).


Jesus accepts the father's faith on behalf of his son. Those who support infant baptism have found in this text a principle they believe supports it (Richardson 1958:359-60); those who emphasize the importance of personal faith at baptism are not persuaded by the analogy. But in either case the principle applies for many other kinds of prayer (compare, for example, 10:8; 18:15-20; 1 Jn 5:16) and encourages us in our faith for others' needs (compare 8:13; 9:2; 15:28).

Jesus Summons Us to Grow in Active Faith (17:16-18)

Jesus expected his disciples to have sufficient faith to repeat his miracles by this point (vv. 16-17, 20). Unbelieving . . . generation (v. 17) applied generally to Jesus' contemporaries (11:16; 12:39-45; 13:39, 45; 16:4; 23:36; 24:34), but in this case specifically to his disciples, who proved unable to stand in for him in his absence (17:16). Disciples were by definition apprentices in training to assume the role of their teachers. Jesus had already sent his disciples out, and they had healed the sick and driven out demons (10:8). Had they not seen enough to believe (compare 8:26)?

Matthew expected his audience to learn from these recorded signs of Jesus, just as the first disciples did when they witnessed them. We who read these accounts in the Bible should be growing in our faith relationship with Jesus, as the disciples did who first walked with him. How often do needs around us go unmet because we neglect radical trust in God, especially on behalf of others' needs?

The Disciples Lacked the Most Basic Level of Faith (17:19-20)

Jesus explicitly attributes their inability to the smallness of their faith (compare 6:30; 8:26; 14:21; 16:8), pointing out that even a mustard seed's worth of faith would be sufficient to cast out not merely demons but mountains (17:20; 21:21; 1 Cor 13:2). The disciples already recognized how small a mustard seed was (Mt 13:32). Ancient peoples thought of mountains as rooted far beneath the earth (Gundry 1982:353), so "moving mountains" was a typical Jewish teacher's image for doing what was virtually impossible. With this illustration Jesus indicates that even were we casting out mountains rather than demons, we would only be scratching the surface of a life of faith. What could we do with faith greater than that of a tiny mustard seed! Like children who have only begun to walk, most of us have only begun our adventure of faith.

Faithful Obedience to God Invites Martyrdom As Well As God's Power (17:22-23)

We may become too infatuated with God's power and protection (v. 20); God sometimes calls us into danger. God twice honored Elijah's call for fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:10-12), but then instructed him to accompany the third captain (who by this point, at least, feared God enough to provide the prophet safe passage). Jesus' disciples had preferred the glories of the messianic kingdom to suffering (Mt 16:16, 21-22; 17:4); like them, we must avoid missing the point of his triumphant empowerment (compare 1 Cor 13:2; Lk 10:17-20). Faith means willingness to go where God leads, not power to avert all unpleasant circumstances. We mature as the Lord leads us through hard tests for his name's sake, forcing us to actively trust his provision and power.

Jesus gives us access to tremendous power for accomplishing his will. Jesus' own example shows us, however, that those who have an intimate faith relationship with God act in compassion for others' needs rather than exploiting power frivolously (Mt 4:3-10).

Matthew 17

The Temple Tax

²⁴After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"
²⁵"Yes, he does," he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own sons or from others?"
²⁶"From others," Peter answered.
²⁷"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

Matthew 17:24-27

Explanation:

Upholding Society's Requirements (17:24-27)
Adult Jewish males throughout the Empire paid an annual two-drachma tax, based on Exodus 30:13-16, for the upkeep of the Jerusalem temple (compare E. Sanders 1992:156). Even in Matthew's day, (probably) after the temple was destroyed, this tax remained important: after 70, the Romans required all Jewish people (including Jewish Christians maintaining allegiance to their Jewish heritage) to pay that tax to the Roman government (see CPJ 1:80-81; 2:119-36, 160-229; Hemer 1973; Carlebach 1975). For the sake of maintaining public identification with their Jewish heritage, Jewish Christians should join non-Christian Jews in paying the tax. The principle is that we must sometimes engage in otherwise unprofitable pursuits for the sake of upholding our witness as citizens of the communities where God has placed us.
Jesus Cares About Our Social Obligations (17:24-26)

Like a good prophet, Jesus knows in advance Peter's question (17:25). He also does not regard the poll tax as binding on himself or Peter (vv. 25-26), but recognizes that the tax collectors may (v. 24). He thus does not rebuke Peter for committing him (v. 25); he wishes to avoid unnecessary cause for misunderstandings (v. 27) that might turn people away from his gospel unnecessarily (compare 5:29-30; 13:41; 16:23; 18:6). Jesus has offended (literally "caused to stumble") members of the religious establishment before (15:12-14), but this is an unnecessary "stumbling block" because it addresses one's own rights rather than the truth of God's kingdom (18:6).

Surrendering "Rights" for the Sake of the Gospel (17:27)

Jesus' point here is similar to Paul's point in 1 Corinthians 9 and 10:29-33: one should sacrifice one's own privileges for the sake of the gospel. Head or poll taxes normally listed specific exceptions who would not have to pay (for example, N. Lewis 1983:169). Conquerors subjected conquered peoples, not their own subjects, to taxation. Priests were exempt from the two-drachma tax cited here (Reicke 1974:168; E. Sanders 1990:50); so in later times were rabbis (France 1985:268). Most significant here, dependents of a king were naturally exempt from his taxes (Derrett 1970:255).


Jesus Supplies These Needs As Well As Other Needs (17:27)

The four-drachma coin probably is a Tyrian stater, precisely enough to pay two persons' temple dues (Avi-Yonah 1974-1976:60-61). Following an old Greek story, some Jewish stories of uncertain date speak of God blessing pious people by leading them to find precious objects in fish (Bultmann 1968:238; Jeremias 1971:87). If Peter knew of such stories, the moral of Jesus' causing him to find money in a fish would not be lost on him. This is irony of a sort: the King's children can pay the tax because the King gives them the money to do so (Patte 1987:247). Jesus can take care of his people who walk close to him.