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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.
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."
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.
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).
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."
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.
esus Cares About Our Social Obligations (17:24-26)
J
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.
