The Word Made Fresh
1Six days later, Jesus took Peter and James and James’ brother John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2And his appearance changed; before their eyes his face shone as bright as the sun and his clothes became a brilliant white. 3Then suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared, talking with Jesus.
4Peter said, “Lord, it’s a good thing we’re here – If you want, we can put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5Before he had finished saying it a bright cloud surrounded them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!”
6The three disciples fell to the ground in fear, 7but Jesus touched them and said, “Get up! Don’t be so afraid.” 8When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus.
9As they were returning from the mountain Jesus told them, “Don’t say anything about this until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10They asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11“Elijah is coming, and he will restore everything,” Jesus answered. 12“But, of course, Elijah has already come. They didn’t know it was him, though, and they did whatever they wanted to him. The Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands, too.” 13Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptizer.
14When they returned, a crowd had formed. A man came up to Jesus and knelt. 15He said, “Lord, please help my son. He suffers terribly with epilepsy. Sometimes he falls into a fire or into water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t help him.”
17Jesus said, “What a faithless and hardheaded generation! How much longer do I have to stay with you? Bring the boy here.” 18Then he rebuked the disease, and it left the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.
19The disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, “Why couldn’t we heal the boy?
20Jesus said, “Because your faith is small. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as big as a mustard seed you can tell this mountain to move, and it will. Nothing would be impossible for you.”
22When they gathered in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed and given into human hands. 23They will put him to death, but on the third day he will be raised.” They were deeply distressed.
24When they arrived at Capernaum, the temple tax collectors confronted Peter and asked him, “Does your teacher not pay the tax for the temple?”
25Peter replied, “Of course, he does.” When Jesus returned to the house, he brought it up before Peter mentioned it. “What do you think, Simon? Do kings and other rulers levy a tax on their own children, or on others?”
26Peter replied, “Others.”
Jesus said, “Then the children are free. 27Nevertheless, we don’t want to offend them, so go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish you catch and open its mouth. You will find a coin worth twice the individual tax. Take and give it to them for you and me.”
Commentary
1-8: Peter, James, and John are often referred to as the “inner circle” among the disciples, but this is the only incident in Matthew’s gospel that has just the three of them together with Jesus. It is a significant incident, however. The “high mountain” is unidentified. Popular speculation places it at Mt. Tabor, an isolated peak at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley 11 miles west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Some early scholars thought it more likely to be Mt. Hermon, the highest peak in the region, for Caesarea Philippi is located at the base of its southern slope. Matthew seems to wrestle with the task of describing what is taking place; Peter certainly struggled with the impact of the moment. Following as it does the revelation from Jesus that he would be killed in Jerusalem and raised on the third day, the “transfiguration” seems to be Jesus’ way of assuring them that his death will not be the disaster they fear. If Moses and Elijah are still living, the resurrection is not such a far-fetched idea.
9-13: Their conversation on the way down the mountain fills in some of the blanks the disciples were worrying over. Jesus assures them that Elijah has come in the person of John, fulfilling one of the pieces of the messianic prophesies.
14-21: Back in civilization Jesus is immediately confronted with a case of demon-possession, and he is upset that his disciples were unable to take care of the matter. The reference to a “faithless and perverse” generation has drawn much commentary: is it a reference to the disciples, or to the crowds, or both? I take it to be aimed at the crowds — the boy wasn’t healed because they wouldn’t accept the ministrations of the disciples of Jesus. On the other hand, the disciples themselves are guilty of having “little faith.” Matthew (and the early church) believed that God’s power at work in the world depends on the faith of both those who wield it and those for whom it is wielded. Isn’t that still true?
22-23: This is the second clearly worded statement by Jesus of his impending crucifixion and resurrection. They are distressed because they have little faith.
24-27: This story is peculiar to Matthew. It is a source of curiosity that Matthew never tells us whether Peter actually caught such a fish, and Jesus may have simply been suggesting that they would have to go fishing to earn the money for the tax. Jesus’ reply is interesting for another reason, though: the coin Peter would find is a “stater,” which is worth exactly twice the amount of the tax for an individual.
Takeaway
This chapter is the turning point, so to speak. From here on the emphasis will be on the impending crucifixion of God’s only begotten Son. If God was willing to make that sacrifice for us, what should our response be in terms of making sacrifices to God? Everything belongs to God, doesn’t it?