AFTER SIX DAYS Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12But I tell you, Elijah has already come, 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.” 13Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
17“O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20He 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.”
22When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
24After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
25“Yes, he does,” he replied.
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?”
26“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27“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.”
Original Meaning
AFTER RECEIVING PETER’S confession of his identity as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and after giving the first prediction of his suffering and resurrection, Jesus directs his earthly ministry toward the final preparation of his disciples for the impending events of Passion Week. In chapter 17 Jesus reveals his divine glory in the Transfiguration (17:1–8), and Matthew shows us (1) how the ministry of John the Baptist’s ministry does, yet does not, fulfill the prophesied arrival of Elijah the prophet (17:9–13), (2) how unbelief and ineffective belief can thwart God’s will (17:14–22), (3) how Jesus’ impending death will come about through betrayal (17:22–23), and (4) how institutional religious rules have no claim on him or his disciples (17:24–27).
The Transfiguration of Jesus (17:1–8)
A HIGH MOUNTAIN (17:1). On the seventh day after the climactic events of Peter’s confession and Jesus’ first prediction of his suffering and death, the even more dramatic event of Jesus’ transfiguration occurs. Apparently Jesus stays for a week with the disciples, probably the Twelve and some others (cf. 16:13), in the area around Caesarea Philippi.1 Jesus takes with him the inner circle of disciples—Peter, James, and John—and goes up “a high mountain.” Luke tells us that the purpose for this was to pray (Luke 9:28). However, Jesus is also probably taking the inner circle to give them extra experience for their future leadership roles within the church.
This mountain is not identified. Mount Tabor has been favored by much of church tradition. It is only six miles from Nazareth and twelve miles from the Sea of Galilee, but few today contend for this as the site, primarily because we now know that it was occupied by a Roman garrison during Jesus’ time. Moreover, since Matthew seems to imply the mountain is outside of Galilee (cf. 17:22), most scholars favor Mount Hermon. Jesus and the disciples have been in the region of Caesarea Philippi, and this mountain is immediately accessible. It is the most majestic peak in the region, rising 9,166 feet about sea level. Its primary peak is snow-capped for much of the year, with a series of two other peaks rising at less altitude. If this is the location, Jesus and the disciples probably do not ascend to the top but go to a secluded spot.
The primary difficulty with identifying Mount Hermon with the transfiguration scene is that when Jesus and the others descend from the mountain, they are met by a crowd of people and a man seeking healing from Jesus, among whom are “teachers of the law” (Mark 9:14). This is an unlikely scene for a pagan region. Nevertheless, Mount Hermon remains the most likely spot, although it is still debated.2
Jesus is transfigured (17:2). The urgency of the preceding call for the disciples to take up their cross in the light of Jesus’ soon-coming glory (cf. 16:24–28) is now readily understood, because three of them receive an unmistakable revelation of Jesus’ identity. There must be no hesitancy or delay in following Jesus with all one’s heart and soul, for unreserved commitment to Jesus Messiah is required from those who have witnessed his glory.
The Synoptic Gospels indicate that while Jesus is on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, he is “transfigured” (Mark 9:2–10; Luke 9:28–36). Matthew uses the passive of the verb metamorphoo, indicating that God is behind the transformation. Paul uses the same verb to describe the spiritual transformation that believers experience as a result of regeneration (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). But here Jesus experiences a physical transformation visible to the disciples. It is a reminder of Jesus’ preincarnate, divine glory (John 1:14, 18; 17:5; Phil. 2:6–7) and a preview of his coming exaltation (2 Peter 1:16–18; Rev. 1:16). That glory designates the royal presence, for in his person the kingdom of God is with his people. The inner circle of disciples witness this profound revelation of Jesus’ identity as well as his mission.
Moses and Elijah appear (17:3). During this transfiguration, two of the greatest Old Testament figures appear, Moses and Elijah. Their arrival represents the Law and the Prophets as witnesses to Jesus the Messiah, who fulfills the Old Testament (cf. 5:17). Moses is the one whom God used to give the Law, and Elijah is the one who connects the earlier charismatic prophecy of the days of Samuel with the later writing prophets. Moses is also considered the model prophet (Deut. 18:18) and Elijah the forerunner of Messiah (Mal. 4:5–6; cf. Matt. 3:1–3; 11:7–10).
Both Moses and Elijah had visions of the glory of God on a mountain—Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:15) and Elijah on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8–16). Both of them had unique endings—Elijah was taken directly to heaven (2 Kings 2:11–12), while Moses, whose grave was never found (Deut. 34:6), is said by rabbinic tradition also to have been taken directly to heaven (cf. As. Mos.; b. Soṭah 13b). Both are mentioned together in Malachi 4:4–6: the giving of the Law through God’s servant Moses and the sending of the prophet Elijah before the coming Day of the Lord. Their appearance on the mountain with Jesus indicates the greatness of Jesus, who transcends them both as the One who will be declared the Son of God.
Peter’s response (17:4). Peter “answers,”3 which indicates that he is stepping forward once again as a leader and spokesman for the others as he tries to respond to these spectacular appearances. This is the fourth of five incidents in which Matthew emphasizes a prominent role for Peter (14:28–31; 15:15; 16:17–19; 17:24–27; 18:21). Each incident reveals a forcefulness of character that will be used for his leadership role, but which also reveals that he is an imperfect leader in the process of growth.
It is difficult to understand Peter’s comment and suggestion: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He may be indicating what a privilege it is for the three disciples to witness the event, although “good” seems rather weak. Or he may actually be posing a question, “Is it good for us to be here?”—voicing the fear that they may be experiencing at this frightening event.4 The offer to build three “shelters” may recall the Old Testament tabernacle, since the word “tent” is the same one used in the LXX for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:9). But it also is the word used for the shelters erected for the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:42).
Perhaps the best that can be made of Peter’s suggestion is that he, in trying to make sense of this overwhelming transfiguration of Jesus and the appearance of these great figures, wishes to make some sort of memorial fitting to their stature. As the next verses indicate, however, Peter does not grasp fully the stature of Jesus, for he is not just another Old Testament figure like Moses and Elijah. Jesus is superior in every way, and his transfiguration confirms the eschatological inauguration of the kingdom of God.
The Father’s declaration (17:5). The glorious scene continues, interrupting Peter’s feeble attempt to make sense of the situation. A “bright cloud” appears, reminiscent of the way that God appeared at different times in the Old Testament. The cloud of God’s presence appeared to Moses on Sinai (Ex. 34:5–7, 29–35), his Shekinah glory filled the tabernacle (40:34–35), the cloud of God’s presence guided the Israelites during their wandering in the desert (13:21–22; 40:36–38), and the cloud of the glory of the Lord filled Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:10–13). Isaiah looks ahead to the day when the Branch of the Lord will bring restoration to Jerusalem, as the cloud of the glory of the Lord shelters Zion (Isa. 4:1–6). The cloud of the glory of the Lord was recognized in Jewish literature as the time when the Messiah would gather his people and reveal the location of the ark of the covenant (2 Macc. 2:7–8).
The voice of God the Father from the cloud gives the same public endorsement of Jesus that was given at his baptism (see comments on 3:17), combining elements prophesied in Psalm 2:7 (“this is my Son”) and Isaiah 42:1 (“with him I am well pleased”), indicating that Jesus is both Son and Suffering Servant. Jesus has fulfilled both the Law and the Prophets (cf. 5:17), now made clear in that he is superior to Moses and Elijah, whose revelations point ultimately to Jesus. Jesus is the embodied Son of God, the ultimate Prophet who fulfills Moses’ prophetic expectation (Deut. 18:15–22), so the disciples must listen to him to understand his messianic mission. The gloriously transfigured Jesus Messiah will be the divine sacrifice on the cross (17:12), but he will be raised from the dead (17:9) to live forever as their messianic deliverer.
At the sound of the voice of the Father coming from the cloud of his presence, the disciples “fell facedown to the ground, terrified” (17:6).An experience of the awesome reality of God’s presence commonly produced fear in the people of the Old Testament whether they observed the presence of God in a cloud or heard his voice.5 But Jesus tenderly touches his frightened disciples and tells them not to fear (17:7). This gives them reassuring confirmation that he is the same Master that they have known, even though they have just experienced a stunning revelation of his divine nature.
When the disciples look up, they see no one except Jesus (17:8). Their focus is now exclusively on Jesus, the way Moses and Elijah would have desired, for their ultimate significance was in preparing the way for Messiah, the Son of God, and his redemptive mission.6 The disciples have received the most explicit revelation of Jesus’ identity, but they still do not comprehend fully what they have experienced.7
John the Baptist and the Coming of Elijah (17:9–13)
THE NEED FOR SILENCE (17:9). As they are coming down the mountain, Jesus instructs the disciples for the final time not to tell anyone what they have seen (cf. 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; 16:20). They may tell others of the stupendous events of the Transfiguration only after he has been raised from the dead. Otherwise, the disciples and the crowd may think that Jesus’ transfiguration and meeting with Moses and Elijah indicates that the time has come to effect national and military liberation, thus misunderstanding his mission. Jesus’ message must be understood to focus on forgiveness of sins through his suffering on the cross. Through the Spirit of holiness, Jesus will be declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (cf. Rom. 1:3); then all will finally understand who he is and what he has come to accomplish. (For comments on “Son of Man,” see 8:20.)
Elijah and John the Baptist (19:10–12). The need for silence is immediately illustrated in the question the disciples ask: “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” After having seen Jesus transfigured and Elijah appear, Jesus’ disciples do not understand how Malachi’s prophecy of Elijah as the forerunner can be fulfilled in Jesus if he truly is the Messiah. Jesus is there with them, and Elijah has only now appeared on the mountain. He has not preceded Jesus, so how can Jesus be the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy? The further talk of Jesus being raised from the dead confuses them even more.
Congruent with the prophecy that Elijah would come before the day of the Lord, Malachi prophesied that at that time all things will be restored, particularly the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers (Mal. 4:5–6). Jesus confirms that all things will be restored with Elijah’s arrival (17:11), but to be clear, it is not Elijah who will restore all things, otherwise he would be the Messiah. Instead, John’s appearance signaled the beginning of these events, indicating that the Messiah would soon arrive to carry them out.
So Jesus clarifies Malachi’s prophecy in the light of John the Baptist’s ministry, his own arrival, and the response of the people of Israel to both John’s and Jesus’ announcement of the kingdom of God—John’s ministry was a partial fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy. “But I tell you, Elijah has already come, 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.” Malachi’s prophecy drew on the memory of Elijah as a fiery prophetic voice to point ahead to the time when another prophetic voice like Elijah’s would announce God’s restoration and judgment through the Messiah. Apparently some of the religious leaders misunderstood Malachi’s prophecy to mean that Elijah would return personally. Their hope was focused primarily on a militaristic/political Elijah for a militaristic/political Messiah. But John the Baptist clarified that he was not a reincarnated Elijah (John 1:19–27).8 Reincarnation was a superstitious pagan belief.
The correct understanding of the prophecy is that John had come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). John was the fulfillment of the arrival of the anticipated Elijah, in that he was the prophet sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus as Messiah (Matt. 3:1–3; 17:12–13). Had the people and religious leadership repented fully and accepted John’s and Jesus’ message of the gospel of the kingdom, John would have been the complete fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy (11:14). But neither John’s nor Jesus’ ministry was accepted fully. Instead, John was executed, as will be Jesus. Thus, the complete fulfillment of Malachi’s promise of restoration and judgment cannot now be accomplished. Another Elijah-type figure will have to come in the future (17:11), again preparing the way, but then for the final consummation of the Day of the Lord prophesied in Malachi, preparing the way for the returning Son of Man who will at that time restore all things and bring God’s wrath on the unrepentant.9
The disciples understand (17:13). Jesus’ clarification of the role that the prophesied Elijah figure will play jogs the disciples’ memory. Jesus had earlier connected John the Baptist with Malachi’s prophecy (11:14), so now they understand the connection. In Matthew, understanding is a key ingredient of Jesus’ disciples. But as we saw in the Parabolic Discourse, their understanding is not some special quality with which they have been endowed. Rather, it results from Jesus’ teaching (see 13:10–17, 51).
We can observe this crucial distinction by comparing Mark and Matthew’s narrative. On several important occasions Mark notes that the disciples do not understand who Jesus is or what he is talking about (Mark 6:52; 8:21; 9:10, 32), whereas in related passages Matthew says that the disciples come to understand the implications of what Jesus has said (Matt. 14:33; 16:12; 17:13, 23; cf. 13:51). Just as it served Mark’s purpose to emphasize the profound historical and theological difficulty of understanding Jesus’ identity and teaching, so Matthew goes one step further and clarifies how, in the midst of confusion and misunderstanding of each of those incidents, Jesus goes on to give teaching or revelation that finally brings the disciples to the point of understanding. Matthew emphasizes how Jesus and his teaching bring enlightenment in the path of discipleship.10
The Healing and Exorcism of an Epileptic Boy (17:14–20)
JESUS AND THE inner circle of three disciples come down the mountain of transfiguration to rejoin the remaining disciples. The next scene appears to be in a Jewish setting, because Mark tells us that teachers of the law are arguing with the disciples (cf. Mark 9:14). This may indicate either that they have traveled out of the Mount Hermon and Caesarea Philippi region into Galilee proper, or that the mountain is actually in a Jewish region. But it may also indicate that the teachers of the law have been tailing Jesus and his disciples wherever they go, looking for more evidence against them of violating the law (cf. 12:2; 15:1).
The epileptic boy not healed by Jesus’ disciples (17:14–16). As they come down the mountain, a crowd has gathered because of an argument about the attempted healing of an epileptic boy. The boy’s father approaches Jesus with great reverence and says, “Lord, have mercy on my son. . . . He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.” The man respects Jesus as an esteemed pious master by calling him “Lord,” but he goes beyond that to anticipate that Jesus can extend mercy to heal his son. He has apparently heard of Jesus’ reputation as a miracle worker and seeks help for his beleaguered son. The boy’s lack of control over motor skills causes him to suffer greatly.
While Jesus was on the mountain with the inner three, the father sought help from the remaining disciples. The father had such confidence in Jesus’ ability to heal that he assumes that his disciples have this ability as well. But his confidence has been dashed: “I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
The generation’s “no faith” (17:17–18). Jesus’ response is noticeable insofar as he points beyond his disciples’ inability to heal the boy and condemns the entire generation. “ ‘O unbelieving and perverse generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?’ ” Jesus here points to all who have witnessed his miracles that have attested his identity as the long anticipated Messiah and calls them “unbelieving and perverse.” “Unbelieving” (apistos) indicates that the current generation has not as a whole placed their faith in Jesus as the anticipated Messiah; “perverse” (diestrammenos) indicates that they have become distorted in their evaluation of Jesus, likely a result of their own willfulness in rejecting Jesus’ demand for repentance as well as the influence of the religious leaders on them.
Jesus clearly understands that this world is not his real home (“how long shall I stay with you?”) and that his departure is based at least in part on the recognition that this world will not fully turn to him (“how long shall I put up with you?”). He reveals a conscious understanding not only of the contrast between the glory of his transfiguration and the realities of this world, but of his heavenly origin with his Father. Jesus will only return to his heavenly glory after going through this world of demonic activity, faithlessness, and eventually the cross. Demonstrating that he has ultimate authority over the satanic source of this illness, he directs the father to bring the boy to him. Then Jesus rebukes the demon, it comes out of the boy, and he is immediately healed.
This is another incident in which the casting out of an evil spirit produces healing of a physical infirmity (cf. 9:32–33). It reveals a wholistic understanding of the interplay of spiritual and natural forces in this world. While not all illness or disease is a direct result of demonic activity, the fallenness of this world does impact our entire being. True healing involves the whole person—physical, emotional, and spiritual. The tendency for many of us in the modern world is to fragment people by not recognizing the way our human condition is intertwined.11
The disciples’ “little faith” (17:19–20). Once they hear Jesus condemn that generation for having “no faith,” his disciples come to him in private to ask about their inability to exorcise the demon to heal the boy. Jesus says that it was because of their “little faith.” The generation of Israel at that time is “unbelieving” (lit., “having no faith,” 17:17), because as a whole it has not repented and believed in Jesus as their Messiah. The disciples do have faith in Jesus and his mission, but here it is not functioning properly; it is “little faith,” or defective faith (17:20; see also comments on 13:58; 14:31). Apparently in the present incident the disciples were either relying on their own abilities to do the exorcism, or else they were doing something that God had not called them to do; perhaps they were trying to put on a show for their own acclaim.
The accomplishments of “effective faith” (17:20). Instead of the ineffective faith that the disciples have displayed, Jesus presents a memorable contrast to show what effective faith can accomplish: “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.” Jesus does not point to the amount of faith but rather to its effectiveness. By using the contrast to the mustard seed, the smallest seed known in Palestine, he declares that even the smallest amount of faith can accomplish tremendous feats. The disciples’ themselves would declare that they have a larger amount of faith than that the size of a mustard seed. So Jesus is getting them to look at the real nature of faith. It is not the amount of faith that is in question, but rather its focus.
Faith is not a particular substance, the more of which the disciples have, the more they can accomplish. It is not a gift of magic that can be manipulated at will. Rather, faith is confidence that we can do what God calls us to do—it is “taking God at his word.” Therefore, the disciples should not place confidence in what they have but have confidence that if God calls them to do something, they can do it in his strength.
Moving a mountain is proverbial in Jewish literature for doing what is virtually impossible (Isa. 40:4; 49:11; 54:10; b. Sanh. 24a; cf. Matt. 21:21–22).12 Faith simply means that if God calls a person to do something, it will be accomplished through his power and the person’s obedience. Even the most absurd things from the world’s point of view can be accomplished if God calls us to do it.
This whole section centers on “faith.” Faith is either existent (as in the disciples) or non-existent (as in that generation), but it can also either be functioning effectively or defectively. Jesus does not so much condemn the little faith as he points out that if faith is placed in God’s will and power, even though it is “little,” all things can be accomplished. Even the smallest amount of effective faith can move mountains; misdirected faith, even if it is of the largest amount, can do nothing.
The Second Passion Prediction (17:22–23)
JESUS AND THE disciples now return to Galilee. This is the final visit to that region prior to the final journey to Jerusalem. Jesus gives his second prediction of the fate that awaits him there: “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” Jesus gave his first prediction of these impending events after the profound confession that Peter made of Jesus’ identity (cf. 16:16–17). Now after the profound revelation of Jesus’ divine nature as revealed in his transfiguration and the voice from the Father (17:1–9), he reveals again that he will be killed but raised to life (17:22–23). This is the Father’s will for his life’s mission, which will unfold step by step throughout the rest of Matthew’s narrative. Thus, as the obedient Suffering Servant, Jesus resolutely gives himself to the redemptive sacrifice that lies behind the prediction and ahead of him as his ultimate task.
This second prediction adds an ominous element: Jesus will not just be arrested by the religious leaders—he will be betrayed. Along with an increased understanding of the tragedy ahead, the knowledge that a duplicitous, evil betrayal lies behind it causes the disciples to be “filled with grief.” Little do they know they will experience even greater grief upon discovering that the traitorous betrayer is one of their own (cf. 26:21–25, 47–50; 27:3–5) and that they themselves will abandon Jesus at his moment of greatest human need (cf. 26:56).
Paying the Temple Tax (17:24–27)
JESUS AND THE disciples arrive in Capernaum and are accosted by religious tax collectors with a question: “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” The Old Testament directed that at the annual census, each person over twenty had to give a half-shekel offering to the Lord for the support of the tabernacle (Ex. 30:11–16), which was later applied for the support of the temple. The half-shekel temple tax was the equivalent of the Greek silver didrachma, a “two-drachma piece” coin. But the most common coin used among the people was the denarius, equivalent to a day’s wage. So those coming to collect the tax from one person would have received two denarii, since the didrachmon was seldom minted. Or two persons could have paid for their combined temple tax with the Tyrian stater or Greek tetradrachma (cf. 18:28).13
These collectors of the temple tax are not tax collectors of the sort Matthew had been prior to his call, who had worked for the Roman occupying forces (cf. 9:9). Rather, they represent the Jewish religious establishment in Jerusalem overseeing the temple. The high priest was in charge of collecting the temple offering. In the Diaspora on the fifteenth of Adar,14 local community leaders collected the half-shekel tax by installing in conspicuous community centers containers similar to those found in the temple that were shaped like trumpets, into which the local people placed the temple tax.15 In Palestine, representatives of the Jerusalem priesthood went throughout the land collecting the temple tax.16
Instead of approaching Jesus himself, the tax collectors approach Peter, the leader among his disciples, which may have been a practice in deference to the esteem of a popular teacher (cf. 9:11).17 The grammatical structure of the question indicates that these temple tax agents are attempting to elicit an affirmative response: “He does pay the tax, doesn’t he?” This may mask an attempt to embroil Jesus in a contemporary debate among the religious leaders about who should pay the tax.18 These representatives from the temple establishment may have been attempting, with duplicity, to confirm charges of Jesus’ disloyalty to the temple.
Peter knows of Jesus’ loyalty to the law (5:17–19), so he answers in the affirmative. He is correct on one level, but once Jesus gets him alone in the house, he gives Peter a more profound insight to the issue. Jesus has apparently overheard the interaction. He calls Peter by his given name, “Simon,” which is Jesus’ usual way of referring to him in this book (except for 16:18–19). This leads to his question about the “duty and taxes,” which are civil tolls and poll taxes that a ruler exacts from his subjects (see comments on 22:17). He asks: “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?”
Peter’s reply is expected: Rulers do not collect taxes from their own children but from their subjects. This completes the analogy, as Jesus concludes, “Then the sons are exempt.” The temple is his Father’s own house, so since Jesus is the Son of God his Father, he is exempt from the temple tax. And Jesus’ disciples, now part of the Father’s family (12:48–50), are likewise exempt. This is a profound Christological statement, indicating not only Jesus’ relationship by analogy to his Father, the ultimate King, but also the way in which he is the fulfillment of the law. There will no longer be a need for sacrifice in the temple because his cross will be the final sacrifice (cf. Heb. 7:26–28). Hence, there will be no temple tax for Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus, and by extension his disciples, are not under obligation to pay the tax. But so as not to offend the conscience of those Jews who have not yet experienced liberation through Jesus and his end to the temple, they will both pay the tax. For the Jews to go against their conscience by Jesus’ example would lead them to sin. Here Jesus enunciates the principle of not giving offense to the Jerusalem authorities or “causing them to stumble” unnecessarily (skandalizo; cf. 1 Cor 8:13). This same principle later guides the apostle Paul in resolving problems for life among pagans (cf. Rom. 14:13–23; 1 Cor. 8:13–9:1, 12, 22).
To make a striking impression on his disciples that they will long remember, Jesus instructs Peter to throw out a fishing line, where he will find the coin for paying the tax. Although line and hook were used regularly for fishing on the Sea of Galilee, nets were the most effective means of commercial fishing (see 4:18–22). All other references to fishing in the New Testament indicate the use of a net. The fish known popularly, but probably inaccurately (since it feeds only on plankton), as “Saint Peter’s Fish” in commemoration of this event, is the musht. Most likely Peter caught the barbell, a voracious predator of the carp family. The coin found in the fish’s mouth was the stater, the equivalent of two didrachmas—hence, one shekel.19
The miracle is both of foreknowledge (cf. 21:2) and of divine provision. God may have arranged providentially for a fish to swallow a shiny coin at the lake’s bottom, which is not an unknown phenomenon, or this may have been a uniquely arranged miracle. Either way it is a sign for the disciples, like the cursing of the fig tree (21:19), but here it indicates Jesus’ superiority to the temple (cf. 12:6). The age of God’s kingdom has dawned. The temple, which has stood as the ultimate hope of God’s coming redemption and forgiveness of sins, now has its hopes fulfilled in Jesus’ steadfast stride toward the cross.
Bridging Contexts
THE EVENTS RECORDED in chapter 17 further clarify the revelations in chapter 16. The Transfiguration, the healing of the epileptic boy, and the miraculous provision of the temple tax confirm the reality of Jesus’ true identity as the messianic Son of God (cf. 16:16–17), whose mission, quite askew of the common expectation, is to die and rise again. Matthew especially emphasizes how one must listen to Jesus’ words about himself and follow his model of obedience to the Father, in which true life is found. The connection is Jesus’ words about those who truly want to follow him is that they should take up their cross and lose their lives in finding real life (16:24–28). If they submit to God’s will for their lives, only then will they find true life. One should do this since submitting to God’s plan or failing to do so has eternal consequences.
However, Jesus’ teachings often fell on reluctant or deaf ears. So in Jesus’ transfiguration his disciples see the proof of his mission in a grand and powerful way, grounded in the Father’s direct confirmation of Jesus’ mission: “This is my Son. . . . Listen to him!” If they have not taken Jesus’ words seriously before, they surely must now! Those events on the mountain had such a dramatic effect on Peter that he mentions them later as one of the profound confirmatory evidences of Jesus’ true identity (2 Peter 1:16). They served not only to confirm Jesus’ words about his present mission (reflected in the presence of Moses and Elijah being precursors to the Messiah) but they also foreshadowed his glorious state after his resurrection. The transfiguration cements and confirms in a powerful way Jesus’ identity and mission.
Proximity to Jesus can screen a clear vision of him. Those with the privilege of close proximity to Jesus were often screened from fully comprehending his identity and mission by their own preconceptions. Peter and the other disciples were honored to have physical proximity to Jesus, yet that very closeness impeded them from comprehending the magnitude of his person and mission. They had preconceptions of what the Messiah was to be, which hindered them from seeing who Jesus actually was. They were so close to Jesus physically that they could not understand the immensity of his incarnation. Jesus was the man with whom they had walked and talked and shared meals. They believed him to be God’s Messiah, the divinely endowed deliverer of Israel. But it took the transfiguration to drive home that he was not just divinely endowed but was actually himself divine.
Our own closeness to Jesus can also hinder us from seeing him for who he really is. We are privileged to have proximity to Jesus through the original disciples’ preaching and writings, along with two thousand years of theological reflection. Through the careful formulations of church history, we have a precise understanding of the Trinitarian relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have an orthodox understanding of the hypostatic union of the two natures, human and divine, that constitute the one person, Jesus Christ. We have a more carefully formulated comprehension of Jesus than did even those first followers. Yet our familiarity with Jesus can screen us from realizing the sheer immensity of the truth of his incarnation. We can be so comfortable with our theological formulations that we lose the impact of the uniqueness of his person and work.
But God does not want us to be too comfortable, nor will he consign us to our propensities to blindness. As he continues to nudge Peter and the other disciples along toward fuller understanding, so he patiently continues to reveal himself to us through his Word so that we can align our awareness and expectations of Jesus’ identity and mission to his own purposes. The social, religious, and philosophical barriers to a clear understanding of Jesus’ identity and mission in the first century were overcome by the Father’s intentional revelation, and those same barriers in our contemporary world can be overcome by heeding clearly the message that Matthew has recorded for our guidance.
The mountain of transfiguration alters our worldview. Peter’s prior confession in 16:16–17 said even more than he understood. So in this scene on the mountain, God continues to nudge him and the other disciples to comprehend more fully Jesus’ uniqueness. The disciples must recognize that Jesus is not another lawgiver, as great a privilege as that was for Moses. He is not just another prophet, as powerful a role as that was for Elijah. He is not even just a divinely endowed messianic deliverer, as significant as that was in the hopes and dreams of Israel. Instead, Jesus is the One to whom the greatest Old Testament figures, Moses and Elijah, defer. Jesus is himself in his very being divine, not just divinely endowed.
This is the stunning truth that thunders from the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration. The Father not only reveals the divine glory of Jesus’ preexistent form (Phil. 2:5–7) and his end-time apocalyptic form (Dan. 7:13–14; Matt. 24:30), but he also reveals the glory that exists in Jesus as the Son of God at that very moment. The divine glory that he retained as the Son of God, but was hidden in his incarnation, is now transfigured to the outside world. Dale Bruner remarks that “what Jesus was within was once made visible without.”20 The theological function of the Transfiguration was to demonstrate to the disciples that the seemingly inauspicious history of Jesus always contained the divine dimension as the ontological Son of God.21
So the mountain of transfiguration demands a radical shift in the disciples’ worldview. They cannot remain the same, for such an unthinkable reality had never before been considered, much less occurred. Jesus as the ontological Son of God in human form does not fit into any of their philosophical or religious or theological categories. So they must change. And the change will affect everything—every thought about reality, every activity in their religious behavior, every dream and ambition in their personal lives.
The shift in their worldview will come slowly, since it is too immense to handle at once. Peter shows that he doesn’t quite yet get it when he attempts to put his arms around this truth by memorializing it. It remains for the events of the cross and resurrection and the coming of the regenerating and illuminating Spirit at Pentecost for the disciples to finally get it. And get it they do, because their view of the world was never the same after that. Their understandable fright on the mountain gave way to unthinkable courage as they went everywhere to proclaim the message of Jesus as Savior and God, which eventually challenged every religious, philosophical, and political establishment around the world.
Jesus’ transfiguration also demands the transformation of our own worldview. When we see him for who he is truly as the ontological Son of God incarnate, it promises for us a completely new way of looking at reality. Jesus is, as John records, the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Jesus is not just the only way to the Father, as vitally important as that is for life eternal, but he is the sole truth that brings all reality into focus, and he is the sole access in this world to the kind of life that allows us to live the way God intends us to live. If Jesus truly is the Son of God, which the events of his transfiguration declare him to be, then it demands that we view everything through his ordering of this world.
Our view of reality will never be the same once we allow Jesus to transform our worldview, whether in the realm of the religious or scientific or economic or political or social. All of the world’s ideologies must be examined in the light of the revelation of Jesus that we see on this mountain. There cannot be a religious pluralism that makes all ways to God equally valid. There cannot be a scientific materialism that accounts for the origin of life or the explanation of reality apart from God. There cannot be a Marxist dialectical or historical materialism that accounts for a progress of history through class struggles. There cannot be a social objectivism that elevates the individual whose egoism and genius prevail over altruism, social conformism, and sacrifice for others.22 With Jesus at the center of our worldview, all of these ideologies need to be adjusted.
Our view of this world will be transformed when we place Jesus, the Son of God, at the center of our reality. Not only ideologies, but also our daily priorities and values must be evaluated in the light of Jesus’ revelation. After all, the Father declares, “Listen to him!” We must listen to his guidance on the way that we live our lives—how much television and what kind of movies we watch, the way we budget our income, the respect we display toward our spouses and children, the kind of car we drive, the style of clothes we wear, the language that proceeds from our mouths. Everything that we are is impacted by the centrality of Jesus in the way that we view the world and live in it as his disciples.
Contemporary Significance
ON A LOCAL news broadcast the anchor ridiculed a recent advertisement. The ad that he mocked was entitled “What Would Jesus Drive?” He had a great deal of fun spoofing the Christians who had created the ad, convincing his viewers that Jesus probably wouldn’t care at all, and if he did, he’d probably drive a donkey. I was a bit embarrassed at first, thinking that this was just another gimmick by Christian car salesmen trying to pitch their model of automobile. But as I looked into it more closely, I saw the point. In a recent issue of Christianity Today, there was a full-page ad with the same title, “What Would Jesus Drive?” placed beside The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). In the ad they make the following claims:
Of all the choices we make as consumers, the cars we drive have the single biggest impact on all of God’s creation. Car pollution causes illness and death, and most afflicts the elderly, poor, sick and young. It also contributes to global warming, putting millions at risk from drought, flood, hunger and homelessness. . . . Transportation is now a moral choice and an issue for Christian reflection. It’s about more than engineering—it’s about ethics. About obedience. About loving our neighbor. So what would Jesus drive?23
You may not agree with that argument, but the ad rightly challenges Christians to put Jesus’ values at the center of our worldview. Not every Christian thinks through from the perspective of Jesus’ values the car that he or she drives. But we should. We could say the same for our every action, every word, every thought, every choice. That is the impact that Jesus should have on us. His living presence in our lives radically challenges all that we are.
The picture of Jesus that we see displayed in this chapter is awesome. He is transfigured to show his divine relationship to his heavenly Father, which now places a radical challenge on our worldview and in turn affects all we do, say, and think. That is the impact he makes on those who surround him in these incidents. Matthew presents three primary scenes—from the mountain of transfiguration to the village of faulty faith to the sea of the miraculously supplied coin—to demonstrate the centrality of Jesus Messiah in God’s program of salvation history and to persuade his followers to give him ultimate centrality in their worldview. This in turn affects all of our relationships, all of our ministries, and all of our priorities.
Obedience means to listen to Jesus. The stunning revelation of Jesus as the ontological Son of God on the mountain of transfiguration prompted an almost comical response from Peter about building three tents. We suggested above that Peter is probably doing his best to get his mental and spiritual arms around this stupendous revelation, so he stumbles around and suggests that he build a memorial. Then from out of the glorious cloud that envelopes them on the mountain, the voice of God the Father declares again his relationship to Jesus his Son and demands authoritatively, “Listen to him!” This is an overarching command that demonstrates that Jesus’ ministry fulfills the law as represented in Moses and the Prophets as represented in Elijah.
Jesus is the unrivaled, authoritative revelation of God, and “mortal people should take heed to all that he says.”24 This especially goes for Peter, whose enthusiasm consistently causes him to stumble. It’s as though the Father is saying, “Peter, if you really want to understand who Jesus is and what he has come to do, be quiet, stop trying to figure it out on your own, and listen to what he reveals to you.” Throughout the rest of the chapter, and indeed throughout the rest of his ministry, Jesus will lead Peter and the others to a clearer comprehension, and all that is required is that they stop talking long enough to listen to him.
As rational, reasoning humans, we can go a long way toward understanding this world in which we live, but the revelation of God through Jesus is the final and ultimate word. Thus, we must learn to submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus, which means to evaluate our lives in the light of his revelation, being obedient to what he calls us to be and to do. Once we hear his words, we cannot pick and choose which ones we like. Hardship may accompany being one of his disciples, but if we want to find true life, we must embrace that to which he calls us.
Faith means to stay focused on Jesus. The second incident occurred in the village where the remaining disciples were not able to heal the epileptic boy. This is one of the most striking demonstrations of the function of faith in our personal lives and in our ministries. The generation of that day was described as being “without faith” (17:17) while Jesus’ disciples were described as having “little faith” (17:20). That Jesus was not talking about the amount of faith in the disciples is indicated by the analogy to the smallest of all seeds, the mustard seed. Instead of amount, Jesus pointed to the effectiveness of faith. The smallest faith can accomplish the greatest deeds, such as moving a mountain, if it is properly focused. We do not accomplish anything on our own. It is God who is at work through us, and our role is to yield ourselves to him so that he can accomplish what he wants. Thus, the important thing once again is to listen to Jesus, hear what he calls us to do, and then simply say yes to his will for us.
I saw this up close in the first pastorate that my wife and I served. The wife of one of our elders was gravely ill and hospitalized. The doctors gave her only days to live. Her husband called me one evening and asked if I would gather the other elders and come to pray for her. I was a young and completely inexperienced pastor, but they looked to me to offer some hope. As we gathered in her hospital room, we prayed and anointed her. I went home that night exhausted with the ordeal of her condition but peaceful with the way in which we had placed her in God’s hands. The next day her husband called early in the morning with intense excitement in his voice. His wife was showing improvement! The doctors were amazed at her recovery, and within two to three weeks she was released from the hospital. Although she was in her seventies and suffered repercussions from her illness, she went on to live four more years.
It was a miraculous healing that profoundly affected the entire church. One of the other elders in the church also had a bedridden wife, suffering from a severe spinal injury. She likewise asked us to come to pray over her. I was feeling as if a whole new ministry was opening up! As we gathered around her bed, we prayed the same prayers, used the same anointing, and had the same hope. But this woman was not healed. In fact, she got worse.
Did we have more faith when we prayed in the first incident than in the second? No, I don’t believe so. I believe that we acted out of the same primary motivation: We were seeking God’s will for each woman. In the first case it was God’s will that she be healed; it wasn’t God’s will in the second case. We were God’s instruments by which he demonstrated his will. The second woman later declared to us that not being healed was the best thing that ever happened to her, because she learned to rely on God in the middle of her suffering. This eventually led to her developing a ministry to others in like circumstances.
It is not the amount of our faith that works miracles. It is the focus of our faith on Jesus who will work miracles through us according to his will. Jesus’ point is that anyone with any amount of faith can do the most unthinkable things, if that is what God has called us to do. Therefore, we should not place confidence in what we have; rather, we should be confident that if God calls us to do something, we can do it in his strength, even the most absurdly impossible-sounding things from the world’s point of view. That is the primary point of the apostle John’s statement, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15).
Freedom means the ability not to demand our rights, but to do the right thing. The incident back at the Sea of Galilee where Jesus told Peter to find the coin in the fish’s mouth for paying the temple tax has two important implications for us. (1) We have a preview here of the effect of Jesus’ forthcoming atoning work on the cross. The temple ritual and sacrificial system are to be fulfilled by Jesus’ own sacrifice, setting his disciples free from sin’s bondage. The recognition of what Jesus will accomplish on the cross brings us to understand deeply the applicability of his sacrificial death, for which he has paid the price for our sins. Jesus will pay the ransom for our sin with his own life (20:28).
(2) We see in this incident that the freedom brought by Jesus’ sacrifice now gives us the ability to do the right thing for others. As Jesus directs Peter to pay the temple tax so that it will not cause others to stumble into sin, he indicates that true freedom is not serving ourselves but in serving others. By paying the temple tax, even though he was free from the obligation to do so, Peter discovers he has another form of freedom—the ability to go beyond himself to serve others.
We often think of freedom as simply the ability to do what we want to do. There is truth in that concept. But there is another sense of freedom that comes from the biblical understanding of the effect of sin on humanity. Humanity after the fall does not have the ability to do consistently the right thing (cf. Rom. 3:9–18). Humanity is under the curse of sin, which chains us to self-centeredness and rebellion against what God wants us to do. But when we come to know the truth from Jesus about our sinfulness and receive his atoning sacrifice, we are set free from our bondage to sin (Rom. 6:1–14; cf. John 8:31–32). That freedom enables us to do the right thing, which we were not able to do before.
Therefore, true freedom does not mean the unrestricted ability to do whatever we want, but the ability to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. This is the principle that the apostle Paul enunciated for the church as they attempted to live within their pagan culture with the varied practices that individual believers brought into the church from their diverse backgrounds (cf. Rom. 14:13–23; 1 Cor. 8:13–9:1, 12, 22). The kingdom life characterizes the church, and our walk of discipleship in this world is not so much about asserting our rights as it is the freedom to benefit and serve others. As Martin Luther stated, “A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.”25