The Transfiguration
17:1-8pp — Lk 9:28-36 17:1-13pp — Mk 9:2-13
17
Af ter six days Jesus took with him Pe ter ,
James and John the broth er of James , and led them up a high moun tain by them selves . 2 There he was trans fig ured be fore them . His face shone like the sun , and his clothes be came as white as the light . 3 Just then there ap peared be fore them Mo ses and Eli jah , talk ing with Jesus .
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Pe ter said to Jesus , “ Lord , it is good for us to be here . If you wish , I will put up three shel ters — one for you , one for Mo ses and one for Eli jah .”
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While he was still speak ing , a bright cloud cov ered them , and a voice from the cloud said , “ This is my Son , whom I love ; with him I am well pleased . Lis ten to him !”
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When the dis ci ples heard this , they fell facedown to the ground , ter ri fied . 7 But Jesus came and
MattheW 17:15 | 1565
touched them . “ Get up ,” he said . “ Don ’ t be afraid .”
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When they looked up , they saw no one ex cept Jesus .
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As they were com ing down the moun tain , Jesus in struct ed them , “ Don ’ t tell any one what you have seen , un til the Son of Man has been raised from the dead .”
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The dis ci ples asked him , “ Why then do the teach ers of the law say that Eli jah must come first ?”
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Jesus re plied , “ To be sure , Eli jah comes and will re store all things . 12 But I tell you , Eli jah has al ready come , and they did not rec og nize him , but have done to him ev ery thing they wished . In the same way the Son of Man is go ing to suf fer at their hands .” 13 Then the dis ci ples un der stood that he was talk ing to them about John the Bap tist .
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
17:14-19pp — Mk 9:14-28 ; Lk 9:37-42
14
When they came to the crowd , a man approached Jesus and knelt be fore him . 15 “ Lord ,
16:24 – 28 Jesus revisits his earlier remarks about taking up one ’ s cross ( 10:38 – 39 ).
16:24 take up their cross See 10:38 and note . 16:25 whoever wants to save their life Compare 10:39 . 16:27 the Son of Man is going to come Compare 13:37 – 43 ; see 8:20 and note . 16:28 the Son of Man coming in his kingdom The meaning here — and in the parallel statements at Mk 9:1 and Lk 9:27 — is difficult to determine . A reference to the transfiguration is unlikely , since it occurs only six days later ( Mt 17:1 ). Options clearly corresponding to the disciples ’ lifetimes include : Jesus ’ resurrection ; Jesus ’ ascension ; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ; the powerful growth of Jesus ’ kingdom among non-Jewish people and divine judgment against Jerusalem and the temple , carried out by the Romans in AD 70 . Various combinations of these options are possible as well .
17:1 – 13 Three disciples catch a glimpse of the intersection between heaven and earth , as they observe Jesus in his heavenly glory . See the event line “ Jesus ’ Journey to Jerusalem ” on p . 1616 .
17:1 Peter , James and John the brother of James These men compose the inner circle of Jesus ’ disciples . They occasionally become privy to events that the rest of the group does not see . a high mountain There is no indication that Jesus and the disciples have moved away from Caesarea Philippi ( 16:13 ), located at the base of Mount Hermon . Another possibility is Mount Tabor , southwest of the Sea of Galilee . 17:2 he was transfigured Jesus ’ appearance changes in some way , apparently reflecting his heavenly glory . His face shone like the sun This description places Jesus within the prophetic tradition of Moses ( see Ex 34:29,30,35 ; compare Da 12:3 ; Rev 1:16 ). white as the light Used elsewhere to describe heavenly garments ( Mt 28:3 ; Mk 9:2 – 3 ; Rev 3:5 ). 17:3 Moses and Elijah The presence of these men might signify that both the Law ( Moses ) and the Prophets ( Elijah ) point to Jesus ( see Mt 5:1 and note ; 11:14 and note ). Either directly or by allusion , Matthew often compares Jesus ’ ministry with those of Moses and Elijah
( 4:8 ; 5:1 ; 8:1 ; 14:23 ; 15:29 ; 17:1,9 ; 28:16 ; compare Ex 34:1 – 9 ; 1Ki 19:1 – 18 ). 17:4 three shelters Describes temporary residences or tents . 17:5 bright cloud Reminiscent of Yahweh ’ s presence appearing in a cloud in the OT ( e . g ., Ex 13:21 ; 16:10 ; 19:9 ; Nu 12:5 ). a voice from the cloud said A voice at Jesus ’ baptism speaks these same words , which reflect Ps 2:7 and Isa 42:1 ( compare Mt 3:17 ; 12:18 ). 17:6 they fell facedown to the ground A typical response to a divine encounter ( e . g ., Eze 1:28 ; Da 10:9,15 – 19 ; Rev 1:17 ). 17:7 Don ’ t be afraid A common divine greeting to mortals ( e . g ., Da 10:12 ; Ge 15:1 ; 21:17 ; Lk 1:13,30 ). 17:9 raised from the dead Jesus mentions his forthcoming resurrection for the second time ( see Mt 16:21 ). Son of Man See 8:20 and note . 17:10 Elijah must come first Malachi had prophesied that Elijah would come before the Messiah ( Mal 4:5 ). See note on Mt 11:14 . 17:11 Elijah comes In vv . 11 – 12 , Jesus could be referring to two Elijah-figures — one in the future and one in the past — or he might be restating the prophecy of Mal 4:5 and then speaking about its fulfillment in John the Baptist . If Jesus is speaking about two Elijah-figures , the identity of Elijah-to-come is unclear , although the reference to restoring all things suggests that it is Jesus at his second coming . Earlier in Matthew , Jesus identified Elijah-already-come as John the Baptist ( Mt 11:14 ); this is confirmed again in v . 13 . 17:12 done to him everything they wished Refers to John the Baptist ’ s beheading ( 14:6 – 11 ).
17:14 – 20 Apparently back in Caesarea Philippi ( 16:13 ), Jesus encounters a demon-possessed person and demonstrates his power over evil . His disciples had tried to cast out the demon , but they failed due to their weak faith . At the end of this story , some ancient manuscripts have an extra verse ( v . 21 ) in which Jesus gives a second reason for the disciples ’ failure : Casting out this kind of demon required prayer and fasting . This extra verse appears to have been added by a scribe , likely influenced by Mark ’ s ending to this exorcism story ( see Mk 9:29 ). See the table “ Miracles of Jesus ” on p . 1741 .