1Now after six days Jesus takes Peter, James and his brother John and leads them up on a high mountain, in private. 2And He was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun, while His clothes became as white as the light. 3When wow, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Him. 4Then Peter reacted and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make three booths: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking a brilliant cloud overshadowed them, and then, a Voice came out of the cloud saying: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am always well pleased. Hear Him!” 6As the disciples heard it they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7Then Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, don't be afraid.” 8So lifting up their eyes they saw no one but Jesus only.
Elijah and ‘Elijah’
9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them saying, “Tell no one the vision until the Son of the Man is risen from the dead.” 10So His disciples questioned Him saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11In answer Jesus said to them: “Elijah is indeed coming first, and he will restore all things. 12But I say to you that ‘Elijah’ has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. Thus also the Son of the Man is about to suffer at their hands.” 13Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptizer.
A tough kind of demon
14As they came to the crowd a man approached Him and kneeling to Him said: 15“Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is moonstruck and suffers badly! For he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17Then in answer Jesus said: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” 18And Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that very hour.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why were we not able to cast it out?” 20So Jesus said to them: “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed has, you (ye) will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21However, this class does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
22While they were staying in Galilee Jesus said to them, “The Son of the Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23and they will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised.” And they were seriously grieved.
Money from a fish
24When they entered Capernaum those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” 25He says, “Yes.” So when they entered the house Jesus anticipated him saying: “Simon, what do you think? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 26Peter says to Him, “From the strangers.” Jesus said to him: “Well then, the sons are free. 27But, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And opening its mouth you will find a ‘stater’ [a coin]; take that and give it to them for me and you.”
Notes
*17:4Instead of “let us”, perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have “I will” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
†17:4So how did Peter know who they were? Photography had not yet been invented. Luke 9:37 makes clear that they spent the night on the mountain. Evidently what has been recorded here (and in Mark and Luke) gives but a thumbnail sketch of all that took place.
‡17:5Peter never forgot that Voice (2 Peter 1:17)! He even coined the phrase, Magnificent Glory, to describe the source. Evidently what happened on that mountain was totally overwhelming.
§17:13At this point John is already dead, but in verse 11 the Lord declares that Elijah is still going to come—John performed the function for Christ's first advent that Elijah (literally) will perform for the second advent.
*17:17Why “perverse”? To reject the truth and the evidence is to be perverse. This word was presumably directed to the disciples, who should have known better by now. So how about us—are we living on the basis of the truth and the evidence? Really?
†17:20What kind of ‘faith’ might a mustard seed have? Albeit so small, it reacts without question to the climactic circumstances, and grows to remarkable proportions. If we reacted similarly, without question, to the Holy Spirit's promptings, our spiritual ‘climactic circumstances’, we should indeed move mountains, literally. Or to put it another way, a seed has the faith to die, like the Lord said in John 12:24: “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone”. In 1 Corinthians 15:31 Paul said that he died daily. How so? Obviously he did not die physically; he died to himself, his own ideas and ambitions, so as to embrace God's will. Dying to self is a prerequisite for moving mountains.
‡17:21Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit this whole verse (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, [TEV], etc.). I take it that this was true up until the Lord's victory on the cross and the resurrection. Now we are in Christ at the Father's right hand, far above all principality and power, etc., which includes Satan and all classes below him in rank—Ephesians 1:19-21,2:6. (There is nothing wrong with Christ's victory and authority, but our spiritual condition does not always permit us to make full use of that victory.)
§17:22Instead of “staying”, perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘gathering together’ (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.).
*17:27The stater was the exact amount for two people. Presumably somebody had lost the coin in the water.
Instead of “let us”, perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have “I will” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
So how did Peter know who they were? Photography had not yet been invented. Luke 9:37 makes clear that they spent the night on the mountain. Evidently what has been recorded here (and in Mark and Luke) gives but a thumbnail sketch of all that took place.
Peter never forgot that Voice (2 Peter 1:17)! He even coined the phrase, Magnificent Glory, to describe the source. Evidently what happened on that mountain was totally overwhelming.
At this point John is already dead, but in verse 11 the Lord declares that Elijah is still going to come—John performed the function for Christ's first advent that Elijah (literally) will perform for the second advent.
Why “perverse”? To reject the truth and the evidence is to be perverse. This word was presumably directed to the disciples, who should have known better by now. So how about us—are we living on the basis of the truth and the evidence? Really?
What kind of ‘faith’ might a mustard seed have? Albeit so small, it reacts without question to the climactic circumstances, and grows to remarkable proportions. If we reacted similarly, without question, to the Holy Spirit's promptings, our spiritual ‘climactic circumstances’, we should indeed move mountains, literally. Or to put it another way, a seed has the faith to die, like the Lord said in John 12:24: “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone”. In 1 Corinthians 15:31 Paul said that he died daily. How so? Obviously he did not die physically; he died to himself, his own ideas and ambitions, so as to embrace God's will. Dying to self is a prerequisite for moving mountains.
Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit this whole verse (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, [TEV], etc.). I take it that this was true up until the Lord's victory on the cross and the resurrection. Now we are in Christ at the Father's right hand, far above all principality and power, etc., which includes Satan and all classes below him in rank—Ephesians 1:19-21, 2:6. (There is nothing wrong with Christ's victory and authority, but our spiritual condition does not always permit us to make full use of that victory.)
Instead of “staying”, perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘gathering together’ (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.).
The stater was the exact amount for two people. Presumably somebody had lost the coin in the water.