Matthew 17

Review

Jesus had told the Pharisees the sign you’re gonna get is the Sign of Jonah (Jesus would be buried 3 days)

Confession from Peter that Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus saying that Jesus Himself was the rock He was going to build His church on and told Peter, in a sense, he would be the first pastor of it

Jesus, unofficially to the disciples, told of his coming death and resurrection and that true discipleship means each of us take up our cross and die (to ourselves, to sin, etc.)

Matthew 16:28 KJV

28 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.

Glory Revealed on the Mountain

Matthew 17:1–8 KJV

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 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. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

Peter, James, and John hold a special place as an “inner circle”; Matthew 26:37 in Gethsemane and Mark 5:37 when Jesus resurrects the synagogue rulers 12 year old daughter

Vs. 2: transfigured [(me)tamorph(o)ō “tam-morph-o”] we get our word metamorphosis. The dullness of earth was taken away for a moment and the true nature of God’s Son can be seen

Daniel 10:5-6 “5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” ; Psalm 104:2 “2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:” ; Peter reflects on it: 2 Peter 1:16-18 “16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”

Vs 3: Elijah and Moses point to the coming Messiah and His role. Elijah: Malachi 4:5 “5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:” ; Moses: Deuteronomy 18:15-19 “15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

Vs 5: The Father confirms their understanding that Jesus is the Messiah; the understanding that had probably been shaken when Jesus said he was going to die and be resurrected Matthew 16:21 “21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

Glory and Suffering: Elijah, John, and Jesus

Matthew 17:9–13 KJV

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 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. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Vs 9: Like before, if even the disciples with what they had witnessed and heard could get the idea of a national Messiah wrong, how much more everyone else. Until His resurrection is accomplished, he didn’t want people distracted by stories of His glory. Even if that didn’t also lead to people thinking national Messiah, it would take the focus off of the cross and lay it on His glory

Vs 11: Jesus IS the restorer of ALL things: Acts 3:20-21 “20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

Vs 13: Matthew 3:4 hinted it, Matthew 11:14 “14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” said it explicitly but Matthew repeats it here. Elijah has come in the person of John the Baptist

The Disciples’ Failure in Exorcism

Matthew 17:14–21 KJV

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

The key to miracles lies in faith. Different here though, the lack of faith isn’t in the one seeking help but in the disciples. This isn’t a story about Jesus as a miracle worker, but another lesson in discipleship

Vs 15: lunatick: selēniazomai - “moon struck” affected by the moon. Lots equate these symptoms to epilepsy. DANGER! #1. Quick to humanistic explanations and takes away from the supernatural. #2. Possible to link all cases of “epilepsy” as diagnosed by medicine today to demon possession. Think of the possible harm to people. Thomas Campbell: “Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; and where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.”

Second Prediction of the Passion

Matthew 17:22–23 KJV

22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: 23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

2nd of 3 predictions Matthew 16:21, here, Matthew 20:17-19 “17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

betrayed: first hint here but we only think Judas when we read it because we know the story. When they heard Him say it, they would not have had a clue by who

exceeding sorry: keep missing the part about resurrection

Paying the Temple Tax

Matthew 17:24–27 KJV

24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 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? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 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.

Tribute: dídrachmon - half-shekel temple tax paid every year by all adult Jewish males as a patriotic duty from Exodus 30:11-16 “11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. 14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an at…”

Jewish shekel equal to four Greek drachmas; half shekel was two drachmas roughly two days’ wages. The median weekly personal income for a full-time American worker was approximately $1,037 per week ($1037/5 = $207/day or $414 per year for adult Jewish male to help keep the temple

Vs 27: Sometime it is and will be impossible to “go along to get along” but as Christians, we are more like Jesus when we don’t major on the minors