Matthew 17

¹After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.[#Mk 9:2–8; Lk 9:28–36.; #These three disciples are also taken apart from the others by Jesus in Gethsemane (Mt 26:37). : this has been identified with Tabor or Hermon, but probably no specific mountain was intended by the evangelist or by his Marcan source (Mk 9:2). Its meaning is theological rather than geographical, possibly recalling the revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:12–18) and to Elijah at the same place (1 Kgs 19:8–18; Horeb = Sinai).]

²And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.[#: this is a Matthean addition; cf. Dn 10:6. : cf. Dn 7:9, where the clothing of God appears “snow bright.” For the white garments of other heavenly beings, see Rev 4:4; 7:9; 19:14.; #28:3; Dn 7:9; 10:6; Rev 4:4; 7:9; 19:14.]

³And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.[#See note on Mk 9:5.]

⁴Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”[#: the booths in which the Israelites lived during the feast of Tabernacles (cf. Jn 7:2) were meant to recall their ancestors’ dwelling in booths during the journey from Egypt to the promised land (Lv 23:39–42). The same Greek word, skēnē , here translated , is used in the LXX for the booths of that feast, and some scholars have suggested that there is an allusion here to that liturgical custom.]

⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”[#3:17; Dt 18:15; 2 Pt 1:17.; #: see note on Mk 9:7. : cf. Mt 3:17. The voice repeats the baptismal proclamation about Jesus, with the addition of the command . The latter is a reference to Dt 18:15 in which the Israelites are commanded to the prophet like Moses whom God will raise up for them. The command to listen to Jesus is general, but in this context it probably applies particularly to the preceding predictions of his passion and resurrection (Mt 16:21) and of his coming (Mt 16:27, 28).]

⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.[#A Matthean addition; cf. Dn 10:9–10, 18–19.]

⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”

⁸And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

The Coming of Elijah.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”[#Mk 9:9–13.; #: Matthew alone uses this word to describe the transfiguration. : only in the light of Jesus’ resurrection can the meaning of his life and mission be truly understood; until then no testimony to will lead people to faith.]

¹⁰Then the disciples asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”[#See notes on Mt 3:4; 16:14.; #Mal 3:23–24.]

¹¹He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;[#Lk 1:17.; #The preceding question and this answer may reflect later controversy with Jews who objected to the Christian claims for Jesus that Elijah had not yet come.]

¹²but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”[#11:14.]

¹³Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.[#See Mt 11:14.]

The Healing of a Boy with a Demon.

¹⁴When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him,[#Mk 9:14–29; Lk 9:37–43.]

¹⁵and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.[#: this description of the boy is peculiar to Matthew. The word occurs in the New Testament only here and in Mt 4:24 and means one affected or struck by the moon. The symptoms of the boy’s illness point to epilepsy, and attacks of this were thought to be caused by phases of the moon.]

¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me.”[#Dt 32:5 LXX.; #: so Matthew and Luke (Lk 9:41) against Mark’s (Mk 9:19). The Greek word here translated is the same as that in Dt 32:5 LXX, where Moses speaks to his people. There is a problem in knowing to whom the reproach is addressed. Since the Matthean Jesus normally chides his disciples for their (as in Mt 17:20), it would appear that the charge of lack of faith could not be made against them and that the reproach is addressed to unbelievers among the Jews. However in Mt 17:20b ( ), which is certainly addressed to the disciples, they appear to have not even the smallest faith; if they had, they would have been able to cure the boy. In the light of Mt 17:20b the reproach of Mt 17:17 could have applied to the disciples. There seems to be an inconsistency between the charge of in Mt 17:20a and that of not even a little in Mt 17:20b.]

¹⁸Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured.[#: not until this verse does Matthew indicate that the boy’s illness is a case of demoniacal possession.]

¹⁹Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”

²⁰He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” [[#The entire verse is an addition of Matthew who (according to the better attested text) omits the reason given for the disciples’ inability in Mk 9:29. : see note on Mt 6:30. : a combination of a Q saying (cf. Lk 17:6) with a Marcan saying (cf. Mk 11:23).; #21:21; Lk 17:6; 1 Cor 13:2.]

²¹][#Some manuscripts add, “But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting”; this is a variant of the better reading of Mk 9:29.]

The Second Prediction of the Passion.

²²As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,[#16:21; 20:18–19.]

²³and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief.

Payment of the Temple Tax.

²⁴When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”[#Ex 30:11–16; Neh 10:33.; #: before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in A.D. 70 every male Jew above nineteen years of age was obliged to make an annual contribution to its upkeep (cf. Ex 30:11–16; Neh 10:33). After the destruction the Romans imposed upon Jews the obligation of paying that tax for the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. There is disagreement about which period the story deals with.]

²⁵“Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?”[#: the Greek word here translated literally means “sons.”]

²⁶When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt.[#: just as are not bound by laws applying to , neither are Jesus and his disciples, who belong to the kingdom of heaven, bound by the duty of paying the temple tax imposed on those who are not of the kingdom. If the Greek is translated “sons,” the freedom of Jesus, the Son of God, and of his disciples, children (“sons”) of the kingdom (cf. Mt 13:38), is even more clear.]

²⁷But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.”[#: though they are exempt (Mt 17:26), Jesus and his disciples are to avoid giving offense; therefore the tax is to be paid. : literally, “a stater,” a Greek coin worth two double drachmas. Two double drachmas were equal to the Jewish shekel and the tax was a half-shekel. : not only Jesus but Peter pays the tax, and this example serves as a standard for the conduct of all the disciples.]