Matthew: Chapter 17
Chapter 17 of the book of Matthew picks up six days after the events of the previous chapter, where Jesus mentions his death and resurrection. Jesus takes three of his closest disciples, Peter, James and John the brother of James and leads them up to a high mountain by themselves.
The Transfiguration
Jesus was transfigured before them. And his face shone like the sun and his cloths became as white as the light. Just then There appeared before them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Peter asks Jesus if they could set up camp, and while he's still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped and a voice spoke out, "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!". The disciples heard this and they fell face down to the ground terrified. Jesus asked them to get up and comforted them saying "Do not be afraid", and when they looped up they saw no one except Jesus.
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| The Transfiguration |
There is a lot to unpack here. In the previous chapter, we saw the confession Peter gave regarding Christ. This incident, serves as a conformation to what Peter declared. The three disciples chosen here are closest to Jesus, and probably where the ones who understood the most about Christ's mission on earth. While they didn't fully grasp it, they still stood by it in faith. And it is that faith which they had, which got them to see this sign of conformation, which the unbelieving crowd of Pharisees never got to see.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah could be a representation of the "law and the prophets", which hold prophecies on Christ, and which is fulfilled in Christ. The voice and what is said, is similar to what was said during the baptism of Christ. The disciples were naturally terrified with this whole experience and clearly needed more time to process what they saw.
As they were descending Jesus instructed them not to reveal this to anyone until he raises from the dead. The disciples further asked Jesus, "Why then do the teachers of law say that Elijah must come first?" To which Jesus responded, stating that Elijah does come are restore all things, but he already came 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. At this, the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
The Healing of a Boy with a Demon
When they came down, a man approached Jesus, knelt before him and pleaded to heal his son who was suffering due to a demon. He also mentions to Jesus that his disciples were unable to heal his son. Jesus, after citing the unbelief still in his disciples, calls for the boy, and rebukes the demon so that it leaves the boy and healed him. Later the disciples asked Jesus in private why they couldn't drive out the demon, and Jesus explains to them as such.
He 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. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20,21
The disciples naturally tried to chase the demon away. Besides Jesus did give them the authority to do so as we saw in previous chapters. But the faith they had was still weak. They knew if Jesus was with them, they can do certain things, but when Jesus and the closest disciples were absent, they stumbled. This is also why Jesus said "how long shall I stay with you?" earlier. To the disciples credit they wanted to know how they could get rid of their unbelief which prevented them from rebuking they demon themselves. And Jesus tells them how they could accomplish this.
Faith and Fasting
Fasting, is the act of not taking food for a set period of time, and is accompanied with prayer. The reason this is related to faith is because the act itself humbles oneself in front of God. Further, we are more sensitive to what God has to say to us and what God expects from us when we humble ourselves in his presence. Thus, fasting helps us to be transformed more in line to what God wills for us, and this in turn increases the faith we have in the LORD and his power. This is why Jesus mentions fasting and prayer in this passage.
Jesus Predicts His Death, again
When they came together in Galilee, Jesus mentions that he will be betrayed into the hands of men, who would kill him and states that on the third day he'll be raised to life. Hearing this filled the disciples with grief. They would have understood at this point why Jesus chided them for their unbelief, and his earlier statement of how he won't be there for long, was more relevant now.
The Temple Tax
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two drachma tax came to Peter and asked about the temple tax. Peter gives an affirmative reply. 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?" "From others," Peter answered. "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."
This miracle concludes the chapter. While Jesus being son of the Father was exempt from this tax, he still fulfilled it. And the miracle again shows how the Father provides. In this way, Jesus was indeed exempt.
Faith is one of the key focus in this chapter, and it is tied in to seeing signs and being able to do miracles. Faith unsurprisingly is how one can get rid of the unbelief they might have. Faith also encourages us to grow closer to God and enables us to stay on our path. See you in the next one. Take care of yourself and each other!
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