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MATTHEW 17

Setting of the chapter
We have already noticed the way in which the Lord Jesus had distanced Himself from the nation, because they had distanced themselves from Him. The climax to this came in chapter 16, where He prophesies the building of the church after He has been crucified and raised from the dead.

This might raise a question in the minds of Matthew’s readers as to whether the idea of a future Messianic kingdom has been abandoned, and the church put in its place. There are some who teach today that this is what has happened, and that we may freely apply the blessings promised to Israel in the Old Testament to the church. (Conveniently forgetting to apply the curses as well).

The incident Matthew is about to relate dispels such a notion. The point is that the church is a heavenly company, and is not an earthly project at all, whereas the coming manifest kingdom of Christ is, amongst other things, the vindication of God’s honour because of the trust He put in man when He put all things under his feet at the beginning. Adam has failed in his stewardship, and it is Jesus that shall fulfil the role of universal Lord. This is explained in Hebrews chapter 2.

Far from the church replacing the kingdom, we find that the Mount of Transfiguration experience confirmed the Old Testament prophecies for Peter. His words were, “And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him on the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy”, 2 Peter 1:19,19. So what Peter saw on the mountain confirmed what the old prophets had said all along, namely, that Messiah would reign in glory.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verses 1-9	Preview of the coming kingdom
(b)	Verses 10-13	Problem about Elijah
(c)	Verses 14-21	Perversity of that generation
(d)	Verses 22-23	Prediction of the crucifixion and resurrection
(e)	Verses 24-27	Payment of tribute money

(a)  Verses 1-9
Preview of the coming kingdom

It would be helpful to have in our minds at the outset the sequence of events on the Mount of Transfiguration:

1. The Lord takes Peter, James and John up an un-named mountain.

2. He prays, and as He does so, is transfigured before them.

3. Moses and Elijah appear, and talk with Him of His decease.

4. Peter and the others fall asleep.

5. When they wake up they see His glory, and Moses and Elijah.

6. Moses and Elijah begin to leave.

7. Peter suggests three tabernacles, even though Moses and Elijah are going away.

8. A bright cloud comes and overshadows them.

9. The Father speaks from the cloud, giving His Son glory.

10. The disciples fall to the ground in fear.

11. Jesus lifts them up, and they see no man save Jesus only.

12. They tell no man the vision, as commanded.

17:1
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

And after six days- we should remember that this is the sequel to the previous chapter. There, having foretold His death, the Saviour pointed out that to follow Him meant suffering, but it also meant reward, for He comes to reign. To assure them of the certainty of this He said, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”, 16:28. It is in fulfilment of this that He takes three apostles up the mount and His kingly glory was seen. The sight of Christ transfigured was a foretaste of the coming of the kingdom, and a guarantee that it would be established.

Matthew and Mark say “after six days”, whereas Luke says “about an eight days after”. There is no discrepancy, for if it was the seventh day after the Lord’s promise they would see the coming kingdom, then it was after six days and after about eight days as well.

But why the difference? Matthew has just recounted the prophecy of the building of the church, and now is assuring us the kingdom is not cancelled, but is yet to come. But it will come after a complete cycle of time has elapsed. The week is the period we are most used to. So after this present age has run its course, the kingdom will be brought in. But it is also true that it will be brought in as a fresh start, and just as the eighth day is the start of a new week, so Christ’s kingdom will be altogether different and new, unlike any kingdom before it.

The fact that the writers are deliberately imprecise as to the actual period, reminds us that the length of this church age is imprecise, as far as we are concerned. It is not prescribed as to length as are the three periods in Daniel’s vision, Daniel 9. The evangelists are silent as to what happened during those six days, for at the present time God is not intervening in the affairs of men in the way He did in Old Testament times. He has given His final word to men in His Son, and is waiting for them to respond.

Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother- so Matthew, Mark and Luke did not witness the transfiguration, but they are the ones who wrote of it. James and John do not mention it, but were there. Peter is the only one who was there, and who refers to it. He does this in his second epistle.

These three had been present when Jairus’ daughter had been raised from the dead, Luke 8:51-56. They would also be present in Gethsemane, Matthew 26:36,37. At this point they have the privilege of seeing His kingdom glory. It is as if seeing the raising of Jairus’ daughter would assure them that a selective resurrection from among the dead was possible, and seeing the Saviour’s glory on the mount would assure them that the sufferings anticipated in Gethsemane would give way to the kingdom.

All three of these men had to learn lessons about the nature of Christ’s kingdom. Peter would seek to prevent the Lord’s arrest by the use of the sword in Gethsemane. This gave occasion to the Lord to rebuke him, and heal the one he had harmed. This king restores the soldier of the enemy’s army! As He pointed out to Pilate, if His kingdom were of this world in its character and origin, His soldiers would fight to bring it in, John 18:36. As it is, He can point to the fact that He had rebuked Peter, (for no doubt Pilate had been kept fully informed as to what had happened in Gethsemane), so that Peter did not keep on fighting in the way he had begun. Christ’s kingdom will be brought in, not by military might, but by the exercise of the right His Father has given Him. When He does come to set up His kingdom, He will be as a stone smashing Gentile dominion so that it can never recover, Daniel 2:34,35. Significantly, Peter’s other name, Cephas, means stone, John 1:42.

James and John had been surnamed “sons of thunder”, for they clearly at that time had a stormy nature, Mark 3:17. This is seen in their request that fire come down from heaven on the unbelieving Samaritans, Luke 9:54. The sons of thunder want the lightning as well. That was suitable action in the days of Elijah, 2 Kings 1:10-14, but not now, for as the Lord said to James and John in response to their request, “the Son of Man came not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them”, Luke 9:56. His response was to go to another village. But in a day to come it will be different, for we read, “the God of glory thundereth”, Psalm 29:3, and when John heard seven thunders in the book of Revelation, they were too terrible to be told, Revelation 10:1-4. The apostle Paul writes, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”, 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8. Clearly, in the time of judgment thunder and lightning will be appropriate, but not now, for God is waiting to bless, not to judge.

And bringeth them up into an high mountain apart- this is one of seven mountains that Matthew mentions in his gospel. They are found in 4:8; 5:1; 1 4:23; 15:29; 17:1; 21:1; 28:16. As we may see from the reference in Daniel 2 just alluded to, a mountain is representative of a kingdom. It is appropriate that Matthew’s kingdom gospel should involve seven mountains, seven being the number in scripture that symbolises perfection and completeness. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw the successive empires of the Gentiles one by one. But they were marked by deterioration, for the second kingdom was inferior to the first, Daniel 2:39, and that set the tone. Christ’s kingdom, however, will have no defect, for His sceptre of dominion will be as righteous as He is, Hebrews 1:8,9.

So the King takes these disciples into a mountain to give them a preview of that coming kingdom on earth. The promise from the Lord was that they would not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom”, Matthew 16:28, and now it has come to pass.

So there were six days when they knew they would not die. We are reminded that Christ’s control over the time of His people’s death is absolute, for He has wrested the power of death from the devil who had it before, Hebrews 2:14. He has the keys of hell to lock the doors so His people do not go there, and the keys of death to allow them to go there as far as the body is concerned, but only at the moment of His choosing, Revelation 1:18.

The mountain is a high mountain, for Christ’s kingdom shall not be over-topped by any other. It also became, temporarily, a holy mount, according to Peter, but it was only holy by association with the Son of Man as He was transfigured there. It is still high, but it is not still holy, for there are no “holy sites” on earth, whatever men may say. But we are reminded that Christ’s kingdom will not only be high, but holy. World-emperors have striven to achieve their high mountains, but none of them did it on the basis of holiness. Historians speak of the “Holy Roman Empire”, but it is a fiction. Only Christ has the ability and authority to found a kingdom on holiness, where all that defiles, at least at the beginning, shall be excluded. We read, “The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”, Matthew 13:41,42. John the Baptist referred to this when he said, “He shall throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”, Matthew 3:12.

By “apart” is meant, as Mark puts it, “apart by themselves”. So these favoured three are given a private preview of the kingdom apart from the other disciples, for they are going to be especially prominent in the testimony to Christ after His ascension. It is nonetheless true that Christ’s kingdom will be apart, for it will be distinct and different to all other kingdoms.

17:2
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

And was transfigured before them- this means that His form was altered. The word is “metamorphose”, the prefix “meta” denoting a change, and “morphe” meaning “form”. Now “form” is “reality in manifestation”, the display of that which is from within. Metamorphosis is the word used of the transformation of a butterfly egg into a caterpillar, and then into a chrysalis, and finally into the full splendour of the butterfly. The Lord Jesus has been eternally in the form of God, Philippians 2:6, (the word “being” of that verse teaching this), and His Deity has ever manifested itself. In grace and humility, however, He voluntarily took the form of a servant, adding this to Himself, (for He “took upon him” that form).

When He was in resurrection He appeared in different forms, and the word Mark uses is morphe, Mark 16:12. So He manifested Himself as a gardener to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, as a pilgrim and stranger to the two on the road to Emmaus, and as a fisherman on the shore in John 21. These are not successive forms, however, in the sense that He has become a gardener permanently, or a pilgrim, or a fisherman. They were the varied ways in which He who is in the form of God and who took upon Himself the form of a servant manifest Himself at the time to suit the situation. The various forms just noticed were all adopted to facilitate His servant form.

Here, however, He is giving to the apostles a glimpse of the glory that will shine forth when He comes to reign, and His inherent kingship makes itself evident. He will take the form of a majestic king. He is coming in “His glory”, Matthew 25:31. We must remember that “King of Israel” is a Divine title, Isaiah 44:6, so He who is in the form of God is still able to display that glory, and is giving His own a preview of that which shall be universally seen in a day to come.

But He is in the form of a servant too, so He will serve His Father as He administers the kingdom as the Firstborn, “higher than the kings of the earth”, Psalm 89:27. At present He acts in kingly grace, but in that day in kingly glory and power. There is emphasis on this, for He is “coming in his kingdom”, the kingdom of God will come “in power”, and Peter was eye-witness of the “power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

So we should not think of this metamorphosis, or change of form, however, as a third manifestation of Himself, with the first being the form of God, and the second being the form of a servant, and the third on the mountain as King. He will reign as a servant, and He will reign as the Son of God.

This is no doubt why the Authorised Version translators wisely did not translate as “transformed”, but as “transfigured”. His form as God and as servant is unchanged, but the fashion of it, its mode of display, is altered as suits the task at hand. When He came the first time the nation of Israel saw no beauty that they should desire Him, for He did not fit their mistaken notions as to what their king should be like. When He comes again to them it will be different, and they will say like Nathaniel, “Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel”, John 1:49.

So we may say that He was configured in the womb of Mary before He was born, and disfigured at His trial before He was slain, Isaiah 52:14, but as the next verse in Isaiah tells us, in a day to come kings shall shut their mouths at Him, for they will be dumbfounded when they see Him as transfigured, for the one-time Victim has become the Victor.

There is a further thing about this kingdom, and Luke presents it to us, for he tells us that “as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered”. This is one of the seven occasions that Luke notices when the Lord was found praying. This reminds us that in its initial thousand year phase, the Messiah’s kingdom is mediatorial, for He will be acting for His Father as His Firstborn Son, administering on His behalf. This is so as to vindicate God for His placing of all things under man at the beginning. Was that a mistake? Not at all, for although Adam miserably failed in the task, and brought creation down with him, Christ will gloriously succeed, and restore all things for God. After He has done that, “then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father”, 1 Corinthians 15:24. His task completed, He will signify His subjection to God afresh, and then the Triune God shall be all in all, verse 28. So it is no surprise to find Him praying on the mount, since He will reign in dependence on His Father, just as He lived in dependence on His Father when here the first time. Again the promise will come to Him, (and the writer to the Hebrews quotes it in connection with Messiah being brought in to the world again as God’s Firstborn, Hebrews 1:5), “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son”. All that a son expects from a father will be His. All that a father expects from a son will be the Father’s, too.

Luke does not use the word “metamorphose” in his account, for he is writing to a Gentile nobleman, and the Gentiles used that word for the manifestation of their gods, and Luke does not want Theophilus to misunderstand, so contents himself with the words, “the fashion of His countenance was altered”, which had no pagan undertones.

And his face did shine as the sun- in the beginning God made a greater light to rule the day, Genesis 1:16. Moses did not use the word sun in that chapter, for one of the purposes of the creation account is to be a protest against idolatry. Moses was writing to prepare the nation of Israel for their entry into the land of Canaan, where men worshipped Baal, the sun-god. He establishes in their minds that the sun is not to be worshipped, for it is a created thing. And he does not give the greater light a name, so that they do not make it an excuse to do the same.

So the sun is the supreme ruler of the day, just as Christ will be Supreme Ruler in the day of His kingdom. Even the names of idols like Baal will not be remembered then, and God will insist that they do not call Him “Baali”, but rather “Ishi”, so that the false ones among them are not tempted to lapse into idolatry, Hosea 2:16.

It is only Matthew who likens His face to the sun, as is fitting in the gospel of the Ruler. But Peter, in his account, says he was eye-witness of His majesty, the word meaning magnificence or greatness. The greatness and magnificence of the sun is a fit figure for that of Christ. He is the sun of righteousness, who shall arise with healing in His wings, Malachi 4:2.

And his raiment was white as the light- every art class has learnt that white is the combination of all the colours. Spin a card with the colours of the spectrum on it and it will turn white. So all glories meet in Christ and are perfectly manifest by Him. If an object is green, for instance, it is because all colours except green have been absorbed, and only the green is manifest. Christ will hide nothing of His glory in the day of His manifestation.

The psalmist wrote of God, “Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment”, Psalm 104:2. It is appropriate, therefore, that the Divine King should appear as clothed with light. The glory of His person is shining through His raiment. There is a contrast here, for Christ will displace the beast, the world-ruler of a coming day, of whom it is said, “his kingdom was full of darkness”, Revelation 16:10.

Mark likens the whiteness of His garments to the snow, for garments speak of character, and He is pure and spotless. Then he adds, “so as no fuller on earth can white them”. It is typical of Mark in his servant gospel to use a trades-person to illustrate his point. If a fuller could make a garment as white as Christ’s, (remembering his garment is white because of the shining-through of his glories), then someone could wear that garment and compete with Christ in glory. But Mark assures us it cannot be done. No wonder he says the garments were “exceeding white”, for they surpass anything that earth can produce. After all, fullers do use Fuller’s Earth to make garments white.

Luke adds that they were glistering. Luke does not compare the whiteness to anything, whereas Matthew says “white as light”, Mark says, “white as snow”. The reason Luke does not do this, is because the word glistering is itself a comparison, meaning, literally, “to flash as lightning”. This reminds us that not only is the character of Christ glorious, “as the light”, and pure, “as the snow”, but it is active in its maintenance of righteousness, “as the lightning”. When He reigns, every sin and act of rebellion shall be dealt with actively and promptly, just as the lightning strikes the earth without warning.

17:3
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him- this raises some interesting matters. For instance, how did Peter and the others know who these two men were? Was it because Elijah was wearing his distinctive hairy garment? This cannot be, since it fell from him when he was translated to heaven, 2 Kings 2:13. However they were able to tell, it suggests to us that believers shall recognise one another in resurrection, even those they have not known personally on earth.

There is also the matter of how did they appear? Were they given bodies for the occasion, just as angels appeared to men in old time as men? They certainly did not have their resurrection bodies, although by the time the kingdom is set up they will have been raised with an incorruptible body.

The fact that they were talking with Him shows that in the glorified state there will be fellowship with Christ, for His promise was that His people would be with Him where He is, John 14:3, and the apostle Paul assures believers that they shall “ever be with the Lord”, 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Those who overcome shall walk with Him in white, Revelation 3:4.

It is interesting to notice that Moses and Elijah are both mentioned at the end of the last book of the Old Testament. Malachi writes, “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, Malachi 4:4,5. The mount experience is establishing a link in the minds of the three apostles that were there, between the Old Testament and the coming kingdom. This was not lost on them, for the apostle Peter tells us that his experience confirmed the prophecies that had been given of old time concerning the coming of the Messiah to reign, 2 Peter 1:19.

So Moses is a servant, and Elijah is described as a prophet, and as such they represent, on the Mount of Transfiguration, all the Old Testament servants and all the Old Testament prophets. But they also represent the Law and the Prophets, the general division of the Old Testament sanctioned by the Lord Jesus Himself in Luke 24:27, for to say “Moses and all the prophets” is equivalent to saying “all the Old Testament scriptures”. The appearance of Moses and Elijah is a reminder that the scriptures are full of the coming glories of Christ. Israel were bidden in Malachi 4 to look back to Moses, and to look forward to the coming of Elijah.

The mention of “Moses…in Horeb”, reminds us that both Moses and Elijah were associated with mountains. For Moses it was mount Sinai, or Horeb, where he was given the law, and where the people sinned grievously at the foot of the mount. Elijah is known for his triumph on mount Carmel, where he confounded the prophets of Baal. The law was the covenant of the kingdom, and established the nation of Israel before God. The work of Elijah in a sense restored the kingdom after its lapse into idolatry under Ahab. Neither of the these two men were able to bring in permanence, however. Only Christ can reign effectively, and maintain God’s rights completely.

It is Luke that tells us what the conversation was with Christ. He writes, “who…spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem”. So they did not discuss the kingdom as such, but the event that would lay the foundation of the kingdom, even the Lord’s decease. The word for decease is “exodus”, a going out, a departure. Moses had left Egypt when he renounced his rights as a ruler in Pharoah’s court, but the conversation is not about that. He had led the children of Israel out of Egypt in their great exodus, but they do not speak of that specifically either. He had a strange exodus from this world, for not only was he buried by God when he died, Deuteronomy 34:6, but the Devil had contended with Michael the archangel about his body, Jude 9. Unique as those things were, they are not the subject of discussion on the mount.

And neither did they discuss the occasion when Moses offered to die for the nation, and thereby, as he thought, make atonement for their sin of idolatry, Exodus 32:30-33, for the work of Christ for Israel must be preserved in its uniqueness. Only He is qualified to make atonement.

And then there was Elijah, depressed because Jezebel sought to kill him, and requesting that God would take away his life, 1 Kings 19:1-4. But this would have undone all the good he had achieved on mount Carmel, where the forces of evil had been defeated. Elijah also had a dramatic exodus from this world, for Elisha saw “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire…and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”, 2 Kings 2:11. Momentous as that was, it is not discussed on the mount.

So they spake of His decease, the way He would go out of this world. The Lord Himself would speak of His death as a departure, saying, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father”, John 16:28. And John, in the second prologue in his gospel, writes, “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father…and that he was come from God, and went to God”, John 13:1,3.

Now when Israel were experiencing their exodus, they sang on the banks of the Red Sea, “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed…thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance…the Lord shall reign for ever and ever”, Exodus 15:13,17,18. So there is a link established between the exodus and the arrival in the land. But more than that, they look on further, and think of the establishment of an everlasting kingdom, with the Lord as King. And so it shall be. The apostle Peter made it clear on the day of Pentecost that David, in his capacity as a prophet, knew that God would “raise up Christ to sit on his throne”, Acts 2:30; that is, to sit on David’s throne. So the resurrection of Christ and His ascension to God’s right hand is the basis on which He will sit on David’s throne in the day of His kingdom. He must be a man risen from the dead to die no more, since His kingdom is for ever. The King shall never die!

This conversation may have gone on for a long time, for Luke tells us “But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him”. These three would sleep in Gethsemane, and they sleep on the mountain. How we need to heed the exhortation of the apostle, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober”, 1 Thessalonians 5:5,6. It is not appropriate for those whose proper sphere is the light of His presence, and the day of His kingdom, to sleep like those who know neither His presence nor His rule. It is certain that if we do not keep alert, we shall miss both sights of His glory and insights into His decease.

17:4
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 Elias.

Then answered Peter- now that he and his two companions are awake, they can see the glory of the Lord, and also Moses and Elijah. Even though these two “appeared in glory”, as Luke tells us, it was not their own glory, nor yet the glory of resurrection bodies, for they did not have these, but they were seen in association with the glory of Christ. Moses had requested to see the glory of God, and his request was granted to a degree, but he could not look upon God and live. God graciously covered him with His hand, Exodus 34:20-23. Now, on the mount, however, he can look upon the glory and be in the glory, for God is manifest in flesh, and we see the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Peter responds to this situation, (hence the word “answered”), but Luke tells us “not knowing what he said”. If he had thought more and spoken less it would have been better. What he was doing was putting the Lord on the same level as Moses and Elijah, and this will not do, and the Father instantly moves to counteract the idea. He is jealous for the honour of His Son, and will not allow Him to be in any way diminished.

And said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here- this was indeed true, and it is always good to value opportunities to see the Lord’s glory.

If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias- it was good that he called Jesus Lord; it was good that he said “if thou wilt”, recognising that His will must be paramount. Sadly, however, he did not realise the implications of his suggestion, even though he knew the Lord and His will must come first. His suggestion to detain Moses and Elijah was as they were leaving. He wanted to bring them back.

Some see in the idea of making tabernacles a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles, when Israel dwelt in temporary booths to commemorate their journey through the wilderness and to anticipate their entry into the kingdom. But the response of the Father to this suggestion about tabernacles was to command that they listen to His Son alone. So perhaps the idea that they make tabernacles was so that they could sit in them in turn and learn of Moses and Elijah and the Lord Himself. At the beginning of Christ’s ministry two of John’s disciples had enquired where He dwelt, and He invited them to come and see, and they abode with Him that day. What fellowship they must have enjoyed, no doubt in a temporary shelter near the Jordan. One of those thus privileged was Peter’s own brother, and the other may well have been John.

Peter’s thought perhaps went something like this, “What things Moses and Elijah can tell us, since they have been speaking so long with Christ in glory. They must have a wealth of information they could pass on to us”. But this lessens the supremacy of Christ in relation to the unfolding of the truth, and must be resisted. To give each a teaching tent was to say they had equal knowledge of the truth, and this was not the case. Luke tells that he said these things not knowing what he spake. He had not thought through the implications of his words.

17:5
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

While he yet spake- the Father moves instantly to rebuff any suggestion that His Son may be treated equally even with Moses and Elijah, great men of God as they were. He spake through the prophets of old, but now speaks exclusively in His Son, Hebrews 1:1,2.

Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them- the cloud that signified God’s presence was upon the mercy-seat in the tabernacle, Leviticus 16:2. Now it again signifies God’s presence, but instead of being over the ark it is over His Son, the one the ark prefigured. This cloud of glory overshadowed them, putting them in the shade, so that they might see the better the glory of Christ, and not be so foolish as to equate Him with Moses and Elijah.

And behold a voice out of the cloud- Peter tells us that he heard the voice from the excellent glory, another description of the bright cloud they saw.

Which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him- these are the same words that Matthew wrote in his account of the Lord’s baptism. There it was the Father’s word of approval after His life in Nazareth in the past, and also to pre-empt the critical words of men that they would speak to Him during His ministry. There was nothing in the word at His baptism about hearing Him, even though that was going to be necessary. It is as if the Father is assuming they will, even though He knew they would not. Here it is the Father’s word of approval of His ministry in the past. Nothing has spoiled Him during those years, and He remains the delight of His Father’s heart.

In the context of Matthew’s gospel, and the purpose Matthew had in writing it, this is the assurance that He is God’s Beloved one, far superceding David whose name means “beloved”, and Solomon, whose other name was Jedidiah, again meaning beloved, 2 Samuel 12:25. He is the supreme King in virtue of His unique relationship with the Father.

Matthew is also linking back to the closing book of the Old Testament, and showing that whereas in Malachi’s day God had to say “I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand”, Malachi 1:10, now it is different, and one has come to Himself be the offering for the sin of the nation, and then rule over them in righteousness. Perhaps this is why Mark and Luke omit the words “I am well pleased”, for to them the fact that He was the beloved Son included the idea that God was well-pleased with Him, and they employ other means to link with the Old Testament. Mark does it by developing the idea of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah, and Luke does it by giving scenes at the beginning of his record that are Old Testament in character.

So it is that, as Peter says, when the voice came to Him He received honour and glory. He also says that the voice came to Him, even though it is in the third person, and not directly to Christ. He is being honoured and glorified amongst those who wanted to put Him on a level with Moses and Elijah. Instead of wanting to divide their attention between Christ, Moses and Elijah, the apostles are to hear God’s Son exclusively. That is not to say that the law and the prophets they represented do not still have lessons for us, (the Lord Himself showed they do on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24), but the lessons are to be learnt in the light of the ministry of Christ, and not in isolation. This was relevant in Peter’s day, for he is just about to warn his readers concerning false prophets and false teachers. The way to counteract them is to listen to Christ. He spoke Himself in the gospels, and He speaks still through the rest of the writings of the New Testament. We need nothing more. Indeed, to add to these is to incur God’s curse, Revelation 22:18.

When the law was given, so awesome was the occasion that the people asked that the word be not spoken to them any more. In response, God promised He would send them a prophet like unto Moses, Deuteronomy 18:15-19. The apostle Peter made it clear to the nation of Israel that Jesus was that prophet, yet they had not obeyed Him, Acts 3:22,23.

Elijah also was found on the mount of the law, and he had to learn that God speaks through a still small voice, and not through fire, wind and earthquake, 1 Kings 19:8i-12. That still small voice was that of Christ, who came in grace and truth.

17:6
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid- they no doubt were not so much afraid of the sound, but what the voice said, as they were rebuked for ever putting God’s Son on a level with Moses. This was especially sad because a few days before, Peter had confessed Christ as the Son of God, and had thereby rejected the notion of the people that He was Elijah, Matthew 16:14-16.

17:7
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid- He can calm their fears because of the truth of the next verse.

17:8
And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only- this was the answer to their wrong suggestion. It is as we concentrate on Christ alone that we are in the right attitude before God.

(b) Verses 10-13
Problem about Elijah

17:9
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.

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- Luke tells us “they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things they had seen”, Luke 9:36. It was not appropriate at that time to proclaim that Christ was the Coming King, since the nation had rejected His claims, and would soon crucify Him. The age of the church was about to dawn, and the emphasis during that period is on heavenly things, not an earthly kingdom.

In Mark there is special mention of the puzzlement of the disciples about the expression “risen from the dead”. He writes, “And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean”, Mark 9:10. The preposition the Lord used, and which the disciples also used, was “”ek”, meaning “out of”.

They were used to the words of Daniel 12:1 which were, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”, Daniel 12:2. Now it is important to understand this verse correctly. On the surface it appears to say that all involved awake together, and some go into everlasting life, and the rest into shame and everlasting contempt. However, the word translated “some” is never used in the Hebrew Bible to divide up what has been mentioned before. The correct understanding of the words, (and the rabbis were agreed about this), is as follows:

1. Many of them that sleep in their graves shall be wakened. The word “of” means “out of”, so bearing in mind the angel is only referring to Daniel’s people, the Israelites, the prophecy is telling us about the resurrection of Israelites from among the dead, with no reference to any others in the graves, whether Gentile believers or Gentile unbelievers. In fact the Gentile believing dead of Old Testament times will indeed be raised at this point, as we shall see, but the concern in this passage is Daniel’s people.

2. Since the promise to believers in Israel was that they would have a share in Messiah’s kingdom, (and this is what having everlasting life meant to an Old Testament Jew), those who awake to everlasting life go into Christ’s kingdom when He comes to earth to reign.

3. Those who go into shame and everlasting contempt are clearly unbelievers, even though of Israel. These shall awake at the resurrection of the unjust, and shall be judged at the Great White Throne judgement, Revelation 20:11-15. There is nothing in the verse to say that all the people in view rise at the same time, just that the righteous rise from among other dead persons. Indeed, if they did all rise together, and it is a rising from among the dead, who are the dead the unrighteous rise from amongst, for they are the last to rise? So there are one thousand years between the two awakenings, just as there are one thousand years between the first resurrection and the second resurrection, Revelation 20:4-6.

4. The foregoing is a warning to the men of Israel not to presume that since they were children of Abraham they were guaranteed a place in the kingdom. Nicodemus thought this in his day, and the Lord Jesus had to warn him that unless he was born of water and the Spirit he would not enter the kingdom of God, John 3:5. The Rabbis taught that all those who were descended from Abraham and had been circumcised were sure of a place in the kingdom, but they were wrong.

So when the Lord Jesus referred to His resurrection in Mark 9:9, He used the preposition “ek”, meaning “out of”, which is the equivalent to the “of” in Daniel 12:2. The idea of resurrection was not strange to them; nor was the idea of many persons rising from among the dead, for they would know the meaning of Daniel 12:2. What was new to them was the idea of one man rising from among the dead, leaving all others, of whatever class, behind. They did not as yet realise that the resurrection of Christ would inaugurate a new sort of resurrection, namely some believers rising and leaving other believers behind. Those raised being church saints at the rapture, and those left being Old Testament saints.

17:10
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? The word “then” shows that the disciples are drawing a conclusion. Had they misunderstood the words “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom”, 16:28? Did they really think that the kingdom was about to begin? The sight of Elijah now reminds them that God had said “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, Malachi 4:5. If the kingdom was about to begin, then they think that Elijah should have come beforehand.

17:11
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things- without reference to the scribes, the Lord reinforces what Malachi had written, for it was the promise of God. He will “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers”, Malachi 4:6. What this means may be learned from the similar words spoken of John the Baptist, for the angel said to Zecharias, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord”, Luke 1:17. if “to turn…the disobedient to the wisdom of the just” is the equivalent of turning the heart of the children to their fathers, then it means that the fathers will be exercised to teach their children the law, (for this is mentioned in the previous verse in Malachi 4), and the children will be willing to respond, and so be turned back to the wisdom of the just men who wrote the Old Testament. In this way Elijah shall restore all things. In his first ministry, Elijah had brought the people back to the Lord at Carmel, and he will do so again in the future. He appealed to “the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel”, and God answered by fire, 1 Kings 18:36. He was turning the hearts of the children to the wisdom of the just. As a result we read, “thou hast turned their heart back again”, and the people fell on their faces and worshipped God, verses 37,39. Elijah had restored all things.

17:12
But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed- so not only is there a future coming of Elijah, but also a past one, for by coming “in the spirit and power of Elias”, John the Baptist’s ministry was identical to Elijah’s. His spirit was the same as Elijah’s, a strong condemnation of sin. His power was in his preaching. Sadly, however, his ministry was not appreciated by the rulers, and he was put to death.

Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them- this is a solemn warning to the disciples that the path to the kingdom, both for Christ and for them, would be through suffering. Of course, death for Christ would not be the swift swing of the axe, as with John the Baptist, but the long cruel death of the cross.

17:13
Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist- as often, they took in one truth, but seemed to ignore the other. They realise that John the Baptist was as good as Elijah for that time, but that Elijah would come in person at the end times. But they seemed to have missed the reference to the Son of man suffering.

The incident which follows presents a great contrast with what has just been related. On top of the mountain were scenes of glory, and a preview was given to three favoured disciples of the coming kingdom. When Peter referred to this he spoke of “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”, 2 Peter 1:16. The Lord had said to His disciples a few days before that they would see the Son of man coming in His kingdom, but in verses 14-21 we see something of the power of His kingdom, for Christ will defeat the powers of evil in the child, but He will also defeat the powers of evil in order to set up His kingdom on earth.

Special note on Satanic activity in the Great Tribulation
The book of Revelation is just that, a revelation of the glories of Christ, firstly in relation to churches now, and then afterwards during the last seven years that are left to run of the seventy that the angel Gabriel told Daniel about. Its equivalent in the Old Testament is the book of Daniel, but that book is more about the revelation of Antichrist, the great satanically-motivated figure at the end times who will oppose God in every way he can. We may learn certain things about those times in relation to the powers of evil by noting what Daniel records.

In Daniel chapter 3 we read of Nebuchadnezzar’s great image, which all were required to worship. So also, in the end times, the Antichrist will require all to worship his image, Revelation 13:12. But there are forces of evil behind an image, and when men worship the beast they will be worshipping Satan, 13:4.

In Daniel chapter 7 we learn that of a world-emperor who is like a wild beast. This is Antichrist again. Despite his seeming invincibility, he will be at last destroyed, but the agents who do this, under God’s hand, are said to be the saints of the Most High, 7:18, who shall take the kingdom. So we learn that in the end times God will ultimately triumph, and the forces of evil shall be destroyed. Throughout the book of Daniel the saints are angels, God’s holy ones, such is the meaning of the word saint. As a result of their activity, the people of the saints of the most High, meaning believing Israelites, shall receive the kingdom, 7:27.

But this will not be without much spiritual conflict. We are given insight into this later in the book of Daniel. The personage known as the Little Horn in chapter 8, (prefigured by Antiochus Epiphanes, but finally realised in the Antichrist), waxes great, even to the host of heaven, and will cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamp upon them, 8:10. So it seems that with Satanic power the Antichrist will be able to touch even some of the angelic hosts of heaven, and cause them to fall. He will even attempt to overcome the prince of the host, who is perhaps the same as the captain of the host of the Lord who appeared to Joshua just before the taking of Jericho, Joshua 5:14. Daniel saw in his vision that the Little Horn made war with the saints, and actually prevailed against them, presumably just for a time.

As a result of this initial success, the Antichrist is able to interfere with the worship going on in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, and cause it to cease. This will happen at the half-way point in the last seven years of Daniel’s seventy-week vision, Daniel 9:27.

We read of this same personage that “his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power”, 8:24, for it is the Devil who gives him his power to act, Revelation 13:4.

We learn from Daniel 10:12 that as soon as Daniel set himself to supplicate God for the state of His people, Gabriel had been sent to him to give him the insight into the purpose of God regarding Israel. But such was the power of the enemy, that he was withstood by the prince of the kingdom of Persia, and he was delayed for twenty one days, verse 13. However, Michael, the great prince that standeth for the children of Israel, Daniel’s people, 12:1, came to assist Gabriel, and they together prevailed.

This tells us that nations have their angels, Michael the archangel being the one allotted to Israel. But Satan has his agents too, those that he commissions to seek to overthrow the work of God amongst the nations. This is why Daniel tells Daniel that he had been the one who had confirmed and strengthened Michael at that critical moment in history when the rule of the world was transferred from Babylonia to the Medo-Persian empire, represented by Darius the Mede, 11:1. It was important that the affairs of the political world be controlled, so that they would favour Israel. So it was that they were allowed to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild their city.

So we see that at times even God’s mighty angels find it difficult to prevail against the forces of evil. We might wonder why this is. A prior question is what is the nature of the conflict they engage in. To find the answer to this we must turn to the New Testament. We read in Revelation 12:7, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels”. No doubt battle is joined because the Devil has instigated his final and most serious attack on God, by motivating the Antichrist to set up an image of himself in the temple of God. This is the ultimate insult, being the claim to be Christ. This God cannot allow, and marshals His forces to finally settle the question.

We should not think of this in terms of physical warfare. This is conflict between good and evil, and between truth and error. The battle is fought by reasonings and argument. The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations, and every high thought that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. And having in a readiness to revenge every disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”, 2 Corinthians 10:4-6. We often hear the expression “High Court battle”, when lawyers contest a case, using their best arguments so that those they represent “win” the argument. So it is here, except that the Court is the Heavenly Court of Justice. So by the mighty power of logical argument, Michael and his army of angel-lawyers will contest the reasonings of Satan that, from the very beginning, he has used to deceive men. At last his lies and propaganda will be exposed, and those plans to exalt himself above God will be condemned. Every thought will be tested as to whether it represents obedience to Christ; if it does not, it will be cast down. At last, after sixty centuries of rebellion, Satan’s disobedience will be avenged.

No doubt the reason why the holy angels have difficulty in prevailing in their arguments against the Satanic hosts, is the unbelief of the majority of the nation of Israel at that time, and this will provide an argument against God. Are they not supposed to be His chosen people? did He not threaten them with judgment if they went into idolatry? Yet they are worshipping the image of the antichrist, and beyond that, are worshipping the Devil himself. The evil hosts will be able to accuse God with glee, for it looks as though the plan of the ages is coming to nothing.

In the face of this the holy angels will have difficulty countering the arguments, but at last they shall prevail, and the enemy defeated. Perhaps one of the arguments they will be able to use is the fact that Manasseh, a wicked king of Judah, actually put an image in the temple in his day, 2 Kings 21:7. But he repented, took away the idol out of the temple, and God forgave him, 2 Chronicles 33:13,15. His prayer of repentance is not told us, but it is written “among the sayings of the seers”, verse 19. This establishes a precedent that maybe the angel-barristers will use. We do not know what the seers said, but the angels will know.

After He had upraided the cities of Galilee for their unbelief, the Lord spoke of a man possessed of a devil, but the devil left him, but after a while returned with seven other spirits more wicked, so that the last state of the man was worse than before. Then, in explanation, He added, “Even so shall it be also unto this generation”, Matthew 12:43-45. So there is reason to see in this child a figure of the nation of Israel in a future day.

(c) Verses 14-21
Perversity of that generation

17:14
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

17:15
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water- after the scenes of glory on the mountain, there is a sorry sight presented to them, for a man comes with his son who is lunatic, and also indwelt by a devil. Now in 4:24 Matthew has carefully distinguished between those who were possessed with devils, and those who were lunatic, so he is not saying they are the same thing here. It seems that the fact that a devil was in the child had affected his mind with lunacy.

Matthew is presenting us with a further aspect of the coming of the kingdom, for at the time of the coming of the Messiah the nation of Israel will be in the grip of Satan as never before. So the Lord sees in a possessed person a figure of the nation of Israel overcome by the power of Satan. So shall it be before He comes, with the majority going along with the deceptions of the Antichrist.

Special note on this miracle
The rabbis said that the Messiah would be able to do three things that even prophets could not do. These were, cleanse a leper who was an Israelite, give sight to a man born blind, and cast out a demon that caused dumbness. Thus by this miracle the Lord establishes that He is the Christ.

For ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water- the child was not only affected in mind and spirit, but in body too, for he had lost all sense of danger, and could not avoid it. Moreover, as Mark tells us, the spirit was a dumb spirit, so the poor lad cannot express his pain in words. How often the nation of Israel has been through the fires of persecution, (not least in the Holocaust, which comes from a Greek word which is used for a burnt offering), and the overwhelming floods of anti-Semitic propaganda.

17:16
And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him- we learn from verse 21 that certain kinds of devil are difficult to deal with, and this the disciples have now found to be the case. Only the Lord is competent in every situation.

We could gather together the various facts about this child, and compare them to the nation of Israel:

1. He had the spirit from a child, so it had been a long time. For the whole of this age Israel has been marked by unbelief, having come under the power of Satan in order to crucify their Messiah.

2. The spirit had often tried to destroy him by fire or by water. Many have been the attempts of Satan to destroy the nation of Israel, both in the past, and now.

3. The spirit was a dumb and deaf spirit. The nation of Israel has nothing to say to God, for the unbelief that caused them to crucify Christ still marks them; they are those who are dumb; nor will they listen to the voice of God, but are as those who are deaf, Acts 28:26,27.

4. When the child was brought to Christ there was a fresh attempt by the spirit to control him, which was rebuked by Christ. So when Christ is about to come to reign the Devil will make a determined effort against the nation, knowing that “he hath but a short time”, Revelation 12:12.

5. When He cast the spirit out, the Lord commanded it to not enter into the child any more, Mark 9:25. So once Christ has delivered the nation from the power of the enemy, they will never again be overcome, for he will reign over them.

6. The nation will be in such a state that only Christ can save them, for the disciples, even though they had the authority to cast out demons, were powerless. The prophet spoke of the future time when the Lord shall say, “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me”, Isaiah 63:5.

7. Mark tells us that when the spirit left the child, the people thought he had died, Mark 9:26, but the Lord took him by the hand and lifted him up. So shall it be with Israel, for as the apostle Paul wrote, “For if the casting of them away be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” Romans 11:15.

8. The classic words of the child’s father will be expressive of the feelings of the nation in a day to come, for he said, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief”, Mark 9:24. In other words, his attitude was one of belief, and any element of unbelief that had marked him before he asks to be helped to overcome. So the nation in a coming day will change from unbelief to faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, and they shall be restored to favour. They will be conscious all the while that they were marked by unbelief for long centuries, for Isaiah asked the question, “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” Isaiah 53:1.

17:17
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.

Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation- this might seem to be a rather harsh response to the man who had a genuine need. But we should see the words against the background of the condition of the nation. It was this that the Lord was addressing with His stern words, and not the heart-condition of the man bringing his child.

How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me- as He thought of the length of time He had been with them, and they as a nation were still faithless and perverse, He asks the question out loud as to how long does he have to be amongst them before they believe Him? And how much longer will He have to offer restraint in the face of their perverseness?

But His strong anger is followed by words of mercy, for He said, “bring him hither to me”. For as the prophet said of God, “he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil”, Joel 2:13. And Isaiah, speaking of Israel, writes, “And in that day they shall say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation”.

17:18
And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him- with Divine authority He rebukes this agent of Satan, and at His rebuke the devil departs, never to return.

And the child was cured from that very hour- the disciples were not able to cure the lunacy, for it was brought about by the spirit inhabiting the child. No sooner was the spirit expelled, than the child was cured; there did not have to be a separate cure. So there was a direct connection between the child being dumb, and him having an evil spirit; so the nation was silent when they should have praised Christ, and this was because they listened to Satan rather than the Holy Spirit.

17:19
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? We might well feel a little sorry for the disciples, for not only had they been questioned by the scribes, Mark 9:14, (perhaps disputing their right to claim to be able to cast out spirits), but they find that they are powerless in this situation, despite being given authority over the spirits by Christ Himself when He sent them forth.

Perhaps Matthew is writing for the benefit of the preachers of the gospel of the kingdom during the Tribulation Period, who will need to be prepared for the fact that the world, and the nation of Israel, will be in the grip of Satan, the Holy Spirit having been withdrawn at the rapture of the church saints, and they will be powerless to act on their own. As we have noticed, even holy angels will have difficulty against the forces of evil during the Tribulation Period; disciples should not be surprised if they have difficulty too.

17:20
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.

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief- they were like the father of the child, for he confessed his faith, but also his unbelief, a strange yet common mixture. The unbelief is explained in the next verse, for if faith is not wholly committed, then it is unbelief, for there is trust in self. As the rest of the verse shows, their faith, because it was faith in God, could do anything they were commissioned to do.

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- the Lord has already described mustard seed as the least of all seeds, 13:31,32, so is a figure of speech for that which is seemingly insignificant. But as He went on to say, “when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs”. So it was not the smallness of the disciple’s faith that prevented them from casting out the devil from the boy; it was the largeness of their unbelief. They no doubt tried to cast the devil out, but when it resisted, they thought themselves powerless, and gave up trying. They saw the demon-possession as a great mountain that could not be removed, whereas the Lord had placed no limits on their power over spirits when He sent them forth.

17:21
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting- so there was something different about the kind of spirit the disciples were confronted with. As we have seen from verse 18, the spirit had brought on lunacy in the child, so there was a mingling of an evil spirit with a human spirit which seems to have rendered the case particularly difficult. But whilst it was difficult, (“a great mountain”), it was not impossible, (“remove to yonder place…nothing shall be impossible unto you”). Their lack of power over the spirit was not because they had not authority, but because their lack of prayer and fasting hindered their effectiveness. Prayer is an evidence of dependence upon God; fasting is an evidence of the denial of self. So they lacked dependence and self-denial, and hence gave up when their initial attempt to cast out the devil failed, because they were too occupied with self. Their failure was not through lack of power, but lack of persistence.

In Mark the word is, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting”, so there is no alternative to prayer and fasting in this matter.

Luke tells us that as a result of the casting out of this spirit, “they were all amazed at the mighty power of God”, Luke 9:43. The word translated “mighty power” is the one Peter used when he was writing about the transfiguration, for he said “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty”. So the majesty that was seen on the mount at the beginning of Matthew 17, is still in evidence at the foot of the mount. The majesty and mighty power which shall bring in Christ’s kingdom, is the same majesty that will expel the forces of evil so that it can be established.

(d) Verses 22-23
Prediction of the crucifixion and resurrection

17:22
And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

And while they abode in Galilee- we learn from Luke’s account that this is just before the Lord’s final journeys to Jerusalem took place, or as Luke puts it, “when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”, Luke 9:51. This does not mean one more journey; just that a critical point had been reached. His ministry in Galilee had taken the form of nine circuits, but now this was coming to an end.

Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men- the disciples must have been amazed at this statement, for He has just given a preview of coming kingdom power on the mount, and also a demonstration of power over the forces of evil at the bottom of the mount, but now He is going to be under the power of men! But only so could the “decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem”, (the topic of conversation on the mount), come to pass. The statement was also a warning to Judas, for it was by him that he was betrayed. There will be Judases among the nation of Israel in a day to come, ready to betray fellow-Israelites, Matthew 24:10.

17:23
And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

And they shall kill him- it is one thing to be betrayed, but men would succesful see to it that He was dead. David was betrayed by Ahithophel, the Old Testament Judas, but he survived to regain the throne.

And the third day he shall be raised again- notwithstanding the apparent success of men in executing him, God’s purpose was in it all, so He would be raised again. The work of man would be allowed, and then the work of man would be reversed.

And so it has come to pass that He has been raised up to sit on David’s throne, Acts 2:30. Not immediately, of course, but He has been exalted to God’s throne in heaven, and will one day occupy David’s throne on earth. He must go through a death and resurrection experience so that He may reign without interruption and for ever.

So the transfiguration experience does not cancel out Calvary, nor does the church age cancel out the kingdom.

And they were exceeding sorry- we can understand their sorrow at hearing of his betrayal and death, but should their sorrow not have been lessened by the news that He would rise again quickly? And should they not have deduced from the subject of conversation on the mount, (“his decease”, the word means “exodus”), that just as Israel had an exodus from Egypt, so also did they emerge the other side of the Red Sea three days later?

The fact is that they did not believe that He would rise in three days. Luke tells us that “they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not”, Luke 9:45. So we may be confident that when they did eventually believe He was risen, and began to preach His resurrection, they did so, not because they had persuaded themselves that it had happened when it had not, but because they were convinced that He had in fact risen from the dead.

(e) Verses 24-27
Payment of tribute money

17:24
And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

And when they were come to Capernaum- so the forecast of his death was made somewhere else in Galilee. Now they are back in the place that He made His centre for His preaching tours, no doubt returning to Peter’s house, which was probably where He lodged.

They that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? As soon as Peter arrived back home the collectors of the tribute money came to him for the money. They seem to suggest by their question that they were not sure whether the Lord paid the tax or not.

Special note on the tribute money
We should distinguish this tax from the “tribute to Caesar” referred to in Matthew 22:16-22. That was the money demanded of the Jews by the Romans. The tribute money of this chapter is the temple-tax that was levied on heads of households for the upkeep of the temple services. It had its roots in the atonement money that the Israelites were required to pay in the wilderness. We read of this in Exodus 30:11-16, and that was used to provide the silver for the tabernacle, Exodus 38:25-28.

It does not appear that this was an annual tax, for when Joash sought to repair the temple he had to revive the practice in order to collect funds for the project, 2 Chrionicles 24:4-12.

In 67 BC, when the Pharisees were in control in Palestine, they had tried to make the tax enforceable by law, but in the days of Christ, according to Jewish writings, the tribute was voluntary. The collectors would sit at tables in each city, and “mildly ask everyone” if they wished to give, but they did not oblige anyone to give. Those who sat in the temple to receive the money were more insistent, apparently, but it was still not compulsory.

17:25
He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

He saith, Yes- no doubt the collectors came to Peter since he was the head of the house, and probably had provided accommodation for Christ when He was in Galilee. The collectors may have wondered whether Christ claimed exemption, for rabbis were not expected to pay. Peter assures them that this is not the case, and that He does indeed pay the tribute. It is unlikely that Peter said yes without thinking, or to get himself out of a difficult situation, but was simply stating the facts of the case.

And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him- He took the initiative in the conversation, and showed that He knew what had gone on between Peter and the collectors.

Saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? We should not think from the illustration the Lord uses here about kings of the earth, that the tribute was, after all, one paid to the Romans. Custom, (as in “Customs and Excise”), is a toll paid on goods, such as Matthew would have collected when he sat at “the receipt of custom”. Tribute is the tax imposed when the authorities did a census; in fact the word used is “kensos”. 

The point is that kings do not tax their own sons, but the people at large, who are not personally known to them and are in that sense strangers.

17:26
Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers- and in this he was right. As far as the temple system was concerned, the Lord was not a stranger to the one who owned the temple, for He was His Son. He had cleansed the temple with the words “make not my father’s house an house of merchandise”, John 2:16.

Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free- if he is not a “stranger” he must be one of the “children”, in other words, in close relationship with the temple owner.

17:27
Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an 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.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them- despite the fact that the tax as then operating was optional, and also that as the Son of the Father who owned the temple He was free of its demands, the Lord is willing to pay. He does this because He does not wish any misunderstanding to arise about His relationship with the temple authorities. When He purged the temple at the beginning of His ministry, the Lord had spoken of it in His own words as His Father’s house, John 2:16, but soon He will purge the temple again, and this time will quote the scripture which represents God speaking, and saying “My house”. In this way He distances Himself from the temple even further, for He does not claim relationship with God in connection with the temple on the second occasion. The one who was one of “the children” at the beginning of His ministry, is becoming one of “the strangers”. That public distancing of Himself has not quite been reached, however, and He pays the tribute, but only to avoid misunderstanding. One of those who rose up in Galilee and rebelled against the authorities incited the people not to pay the temple tribute, and the Lord does not wish to be classed alongside of him.

Go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up- when Adam was set over creation, the psalmist said he had dominion even over the fish of the sea, and whatever passes though the paths of the sea, Psalm 8:8. So individual fish and shoals of fish were under his control. He lost his place of dominion, however, so “we seen not yet all things put under him”, but “we see Jesus”, Hebrews 2:8,9. Jesus is the man who is not liable to any of the consequences of Adam’s fall, so we see Him able to control the fish in this incident. He knows and orders the paths they take, and ordains that one particular one should make its way to Peter’s hook. We read of no bait on this hook, so the fish was not lured to the hook by the hope of food; it came simply because the Lord directed it.

It was not that the fish was not hungry, for it had been scavenging for food and picked up a coin, thinking it to be a tasty morsel. But anyone who has fed goldfish in a bowl and then watched them eat the food will know that if a fish has something in its mouth, and then finds something else to eat, it will reject the first item before swallowing the second. This fish, however, despite having something in its mouth already, (unusually, it has not rejected the coin after it has discovered it is not food), takes Peter’s hook into its mouth together with the coin. The fish is directed to swallow a coin of exactly the right value to pay for two people; it makes its way to Peter’s hook; it swallows the hook without rejecting the coin. All is under the perfect control of the Son of man, the Lord of creation.

And when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money- apparently it was quite usual for two people to combine to pay the tax, since the coin involved, the didrachma, was not in plentiful supply, whereas the stater, (which is what is meant by “piece of money”), making two didrachmas, was freely available. It was not freely available in the mouth of a fish, however!

That take, and give unto them for me and thee- so it could be said that the Lord and Peter had paid, but not paid. They paid in the sense that they handed over a piece of money, which satisfied the authorities, but they did not pay in the sense that the piece of money was a gift to them from the fish. They have paid, but without supporting the corruption rife in the temple. Because he paid with the same coin as the Lord paid with, Peter has been put on the same footing as the Lord in relation to the temple. He is one of the children, who are free. But like the Lord, because he did not have to pay but did so, he is a stranger.

In this way the suggestion that Peter’s coin had a different significance to the Lord’s is avoided. They paid on the same basis, for they paid with the same coin.