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| Chapter 17 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up onto a high mountain apart. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. 3 And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. 4 Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud, said, "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. HEAR YE HIM!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and be not afraid." 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, "Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead." 10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?" 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they pleased. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer by them." 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke unto them of John the Baptist. 14 ¶ And when they had come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sorely vexed; for ofttimes he falleth into the fire and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him." 17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, "Why could we not cast him out?" 20 And Jesus said unto them, "Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place,’ and it shall remove. And nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 However this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." 22 ¶ And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, "The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again." And they were exceeding sorry. 24 ¶ And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the tribute money came to Peter and said, "Doth not your master pay tribute?" 25 He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus prevented, saying, "What thinkest thou, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their own children, or from strangers?" 26 Peter said unto Him, "From strangers." Jesus said unto him, "Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up. And when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money. That take, and give unto them for Me and thee." |
Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36. v1-13 The Transfiguration. Peter, James and John are now given a special experience, to see Jesus in His true appearance. We are not told why these three disciples were given this special treatment, they were also given special treatment on two other occasions, Luke 8:51-56; Matt 26:37,38. v1 "High mountain," traditionally thought to be Mount Tabor or more likely Mount Hermon which is near Caesarea Philippa. v2 "Transfiguration," the word indicates that the change came from within, not a reflection of God’s glory as with Moses, >Exodus 34:29-35. The same word "metamorphoö," or what we call today "met amorphous," is used in Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18, this shows that the full spiritual change for a believer comes from within and will not be completed until the return of Christ, 1 John 3:2. v3 Moses and Elijah, these two people represented the Law and the Prophets. These were talking to Jesus about His coming death at Jerusalem, Luke 9:31. This action shows that the death of the Messiah was not separate from the Old Testament. Some Bible students see Moses, who physically died and Elijah, who was taken to heaven without death, represent the two groups of believers that Christ will bring on His return. v4,5 Peter wants to make three tabernacles, the kind of places of worship that would have been built by the worshipers for the Feast of the Tabernacles. The "bright cloud" indicated the divine presence. "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON " acknowledging the divine position of Jesus, "Listen to Him" so showing that Moses and Elijah had nothing more to add, Heb 1:1,2. v6,7 Frightened by the voice, the disciples are reassured and calmed by Jesus. v8 The disciples were obviously covering their eyes for when they opened their eyes, all was back to normal. v9 "Do not tell anyone," not even the other disciples were to be told of this event at this time. v10-13 The teaching by the scribes was that Elijah must come before the Messiah, Malachi 4:5 . The disciples were asking if this event was the fulfilling of this prophecy. v11 The first answer Jesus gave appeared to indicated that the event was still future, then He said that Elijah has already come, who was it? John the Baptist said " I am not Elijah" when questioned, John 1:19-23, this would have satisfied the unspiritual Jews who were just looking for signs, yet those who were spiritually minded could see that John came in the "spirit and power of Elijah," Luke 1:13-17. John had pointed out the "Lamb of God," John 1:29; Matt 3:1-3; Mark 1:7,8 John 1:19-23. v14-20 Powerless disciples. Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43. Following the period in the glory the group returns to the crowd, its problems and suffering. The child appears to be suffering epileptic fits, produced here by demonic presence. The disciples, who had been left behind, had been approach to heal the child, but had not been successful. Compare events in Matt 10:1ff. v17 Jesus is disappointed that without the physical presence of Him the disciples faith had failed. This was especially important as His presence on earth was soon to end and they would only have His spiritual presence. v18 Jesus removes the demonic presence and the child is cured. v19 During a time of quite the disciples ask Jesus why they could not heal the child. Matthew, being one of those who was involved, brings out the need of faith in the reply. v20 The disciples had failed to accept in faith the power already given to them, Matt 10:1ff. They had no doubts as to who Jesus was but did not have the faith in the authority and power given by Jesus to them. The mustard seed is very small yet can grow into a small tree. See Matt 13:31ff; Mark 4:31ff; Luke 13:19ff. If a person had the faith of a mustard seed, which grows from a very little seed into a tree, they would have the power to move a mountain. We must remember that Scriptural faith requires the trust and understanding of God’s Word, this means that seeking God’s will in all matters is required, you cannot do what you think is needed. v22,23 Jesus has to keep reminding the disciples of the coming events. v24-27 Payment of Temple Tax. Compare Mark 12:13-17. This is the final visit of Jesus to Capernaum, which had been His place of residence for most of the short ministry. The temple tax was introduce to support the Tabernacle, Exodus 30:11-16. Over the years this had developed into an half-shekel payment made in the spring. It appears that it was now due or overdue. v25 Jesus has already anticipated the coming question and asks Peter "where does a king get their tribute, from their own children or others." "From others" responds Peter. Therefore, Jesus as the Son of God, is not required to pay for the support of the House of God. v27 But to prevent the wrong impression among the people at this time, including no respect for the House of God, it will be paid. The money is supplied by a miracle. Because of His deity and omnipotence He knew that a fish had a money inside it and that it would be the first to be caught on a fishing line. The fish contained sufficient tax money for Jesus and Peter. |
Easy English Translation
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