THE BOOK OF MATTHEW – Chapter 17
The Transfiguration, The demon-possessed boy, The Temple Tax.
This chapter seems to address three distinctly different subjects: The transfiguration of Jesus, the healing of a demon-possessed boy, and an example of paying the temple tax. However, it is a demonstration of the dependability of scriptures, their fulfillment, what that means to future generations of Christian disciples and how it enables us to continue and complete the works of Jesus, and about our responsibilities as Christians to not entangle ourselves with the worries, cares and arguments of this world which are only distractions from our calling and our mission as followers of Jesus.
The Transfiguration
Matthew 17:1, Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. Verse 2. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. Verse 3. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Verse 4. Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Verse 5. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!” Verse 6. When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. Verse 7. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” Verse 8. And raising their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.
(Commentary Break): In case you ever wondered what it meant that Jesus was transfigured, know this: The word, from the Greek language in which it was written is, metamorphóō, (from Strong’s concordance #3326, metá, “change after being with” and #3445, morphóō, means, “changing form in keeping with inner reality”, and is from a root word of the English terms “metamorphosis” and “metamorphize.” Something had taken place that was magnificent and irreversible. Read on to discover what had happened and what it means to you. (End Commentary Break).
Verse 9. When they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” Verse 10. And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Verse 11. And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; Verse 12, but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Verse 13. Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
(Commentary Break): First, Jesus called this transfiguration a ‘vision’. Was it a real occurrence or was it a vision? This is a complex word, but it can mean that it could be seen spiritually, mentally and, or, physically. The main point, however, taken from the Hebrew understanding, is that they could discern clearly perceive, see and experience passively, and take heed.
Secondly, what is the purpose of this vision and what does it have to do with you or with me? The answer is found in verses 10 through 13. It is the fulfillment of prophetic scriptures that the scribes The scribes were the Jewish religious teachers, mostly Pharisees and Sadducees, who provided commentary on the Jewish Scriptures. They knew about these scriptures, but they could not see what was happening before their very own eyes.
GotQuestions.Org explains that Malachi 4:5-6 offers an intriguing prophecy: “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.” To this day, Jewish Seders include an empty chair at the table in anticipation that Elijah will return to herald the Messiah in fulfillment of Malachi’s word.
According to Malachi 4:6, the reason for Elijah’s return will be to “turn the hearts” of fathers and their children to each other. In other words, the goal would be reconciliation. In the New Testament, Jesus reveals that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy: “All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:13-14). This fulfillment is also mentioned in Mark 1:2-4 and Luke 1:17; 7:27. This was the fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures, but only for those who had eyes to see. It would, later, be revealed to the watching world, but still only those who had the eyes to see would understand.
Finally, why would Jesus’s command the disciples to tell no one of this vision until the Son of Man had risen from the dead? This is somewhat open to speculation, but it appears that Jesus did not want a distraction from the events to come. Once Jesus had completed His earthly mission, all would be clear.
As for you and me, it means that scriptures a dependable and true. We can rest assured our hope in Him is not in vain. (End Commentary Break).
The Demon-possessed Boy
Verse 14.When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, verse 15, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. Verse 16. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” Verse 17. And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” Verse 18. And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.
Verse 19. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” Verse 20. And He said to them, “Because of your meager faith; for truly 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; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
(Commentary Break): The takeaway from verses 14 through 20 could be about the disciple’s lack of faith, but don’t miss Jesus’ rebuke. I can hear Jesus telling us, today, that we are weak because of meager faith. If we had faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible. Of course, this kind of faith is meant for Kingdom purposes alone. And Jesus, in Mark 9:29, Jesus further explained that, “This kind can only come out by nothing but prayer and fasting”. Perhaps and our fleshy desires and lack of commitment are what weaken us. Also, James explains that “you ask and you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so you may spend what you request on your own pleasures”. Even when asking for the right things, the pride and ego of self, get in our way.
Jesus was clear that He had not such mixed motives or weaknesses. He said that did not come to earth and work His works on His own initiative, See John 5:19, “Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.” And again in John 5:30, Jesus says, “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” It must be the same for us. (End Commentary Break).
Verse 22. And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men; verse 23, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.
The Temple Tax
Verse 24. Now when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” Verse 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 the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” Verse 26. When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. Verse 27. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater, (a sliver four-drachma Greek coin). Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”
(Commentary Break): There is a lot that could be said here, but again, it would be mostly conjecture. What we do know and can learn is that Jesus speaks to Peter in Peter’s language, so to say. Peter was a fisherman and Jesus speaks to him in that vernacular. So it should be with us. Using fancy terms of language and complex spiritualization can confuse the listener or the student. Yes, Jesus speaks in parables and metaphors, but they are specifically designed to teach the familiar to His disciples, both then and now. (End Commentary Break).
I have a personal question for you, the reader, and a personal comment to make. What do you imagine it would be like, after reading and considering these first seventeen chapters of Matthew, to actually follow Jesus as demonstrated here? Or have the traditions and rituals of the postmodern church captivated or enslaved your thinking? Would you ever dare go and follow Him as He instructed?
My personal comment: The typical church, most of which are doing their level best to obey and follow our Lord, have organized the ‘laity’ into an army of greeters, kitchen workers, property care helpers, deacons and elders who tend to the administration duties of the corporate church, but who do very little of what Jesus said to be doing.
To wit:
Matthew 10:7-15, says, each of you – everyone calling themself a Christina, are to go, “and as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is deserving of his ]support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than for that city.”
Please don’t take this as a criticism. I, too, struggle with these very matters. I would like to consider my personal comments, here, as a wake up call. We all know the condition of this world. We all suspect, one way or another, that Jesus return is very close, and we all hope to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Ener into the joy of your Master.” Will we?
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
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