Matthew 17:1-9
Hello Brothers and Sisters,
If I were to title this section, it would lean toward validation of Jesus’ Godhood. Why? Yeshua was a God-man. God became flesh and was born of a woman. This is understandable to us since we look at Jesus in retrospect of the writing of the New Testament. At that time, the disciples were following a magnificent teacher who broke traditional rules. He taught Torah in its pure form. They saw the miraculous healings and fascinating wonders that Jesus had performed. But, did they know for certain that Yeshua was the YHVH God of the Old Testament that came in the flesh? We read and studied earlier about how that Yeshua was endorsed by the Father at his baptism. Besides that, nothing happened to validate or point to who Yeshua really was. This single act of transformation gives us an incredible validation of who Jesus really was.
The Greek word used for transfiguration was “metamorphoo”, where we get the English word “metamorphosis”. Yeshua literally changed into a new creature before their eyes. He changed from a human to the very person of God. Moses and Elijah were talking with Him. Let’s explore that idea for a moment.
We have an indication from Moses that God’s face shone with light. This is drawn from the time when Moses returned from speaking with the Lord and his face shown with light (Ex 34:29-35). His face shown so intently that those observing him were scared to go around him due to the light that shown from his face. We understand from this that the light was absorbed into his face from his discussions with God. Another reference to the light of God shining through the face is from Psalms.
Psalm 67 is a messianic Psalm that is applies directly to the transfiguration of Yeshua. Here it is from the Complete Jewish Bible:
Psalm 67 (CJB)
“1 For the leader. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song: 2 God, be gracious to us, and bless us. May he make his face shine toward us, (Selah) 3 so that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 4 Let the peoples give thanks to you, God; let the peoples give thanks to you, all of them. 5 Let the nations be glad and shout for joy, for you will judge the peoples fairly and guide the nations on earth. (Selah) 6 Let the peoples give thanks to you, God; let the peoples give thanks to you, all of them. 7 The earth has yielded its harvest; may God, our God, bless us. 8 May God continue to bless us, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.”
First, we acknowledge that God’s face shines toward us. This is embellished in an interesting way. The words “your salvation” is specifically stating “your Yeshua” in Hebrew. When we use the modern name for Yeshua, this would be “Your Jesus”. The Psalm looks at God blessing and extending grace toward all of His people. Salvation (the literal translation of Yeshua’s name), is made available to all people on the earth, Jew and Gentile. We know this because verses 2 and 4 clearly point to the Jewish people. Verse 5 points to the “nations” or the Gentiles. Gentiles include everyone who is not a Jew. Salvation is made available to all nations of the earth through Yeshua. When Yeshua was transfigured, this psalm was literally fulfilled as a messianic prophecy.
Moses and Elijah having conversation with Yeshua further validates that Yeshua is the YHVH that they spoke with on their journey on the earth. Paul referenced Moses’ face shining when he addressed the Corinthians (2 Cor 3:7-13). This glory gives boldness to believers who follow Yeshua. John had the same vision of Yeshua when he received the Revelation (Rev 1:6). Yeshua’s face was shining with the full strength of the sun. John had no question who he was talking with.
Peter, James and John missed the point. They thought it important to build tabernacles for Yeshua, Moses and Elijah. Notice, the disciples were able to enter into conversation with the three. It is clear that all three were present in the flesh. The Greek indicates that they were physically visible. The Greek word for appeared is “horao”, which indicates the ability to see a real thing.
But, that is not the end. The Father validated that Yeshua is the Messiah. They heard an audible voice from the Father. You can imagine the fear and reverence that they felt when they all heard the Father’s voice. “Falling on their face” to us simply means that they were so terrified that they laid face down. The Hebrew understanding for this term carries an entirely different implication. The Old Testament term for “worship” means to fall on your face or to lay prostrate before the Lord. The Hebrew root word for worship is “hawa” which means to prostrate, bow low, or bow down. In almost every single case in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word used for worship means this exact thing.
Now, Let’s go to the New Testament. After all, most Christian churches today say that we are ruled more by the New Testament than the Old. The Greek word that is used for worship is “proskyneo”… the very word that we get the word prostrate from. It means to fall down or bow down. This word is used almost every single time in the New Testament for worship. Hebrews 1:6 quotes Psalm 97:7 using the Greek word “proskyneo” for the Hebrew word “hawa”. The concept is exactly the same: it means to fall or lay on your face.
When the disciples heard God’s voice, they did not fall on their face in fear. They fell on their face engaging in instantaneous worship of the Father! Along with the voice was the bright cloud that was similar to the bright cloud that was present when God visited with Moses in the Old Testament (Ex 24:15-16; 33:9; 40:34-35).
Perhaps you are arguing mentally with me right now. The translators of the Bible certainly would not mislead the reader, would they? Try to picture the scenario. Biblical translators of modern times generally went to old main-line denominational churches. Worship meant to show up for church, sit in a pew and pay attention. In many churches today worship means raising your hands and standing before the Lord in an attitude of praise. The biblical meaning of the word meant to fall on your face… Do you see a problem here? If the translators had said the disciples fell and worshipped, it would have rocked the boat of every church at the time. Today, to say prostrate means that our current form of worship, standing with our hands held high, is contrary to biblical meaning. The safest way for the translators to translate the idea without getting in trouble from their churches was to simply say that the disciples fell on their faces in terror. Modern churches do not want to change it because doing so will call into question our modern practice.
The reader is then left to make his own decision on why they fell down. I believe that Matthew was marveling at the way that the Voice of God instantly caused the disciples to fall to their face in worship. It is intriguing when we look at Revelation that the description of worship is to fall down and worship, with others casting their crowns before the throne (Rev 7:11; 4:10; 5:14; 11:16). The very act of worship indicates falling down on one’s face before God. At least according to the scriptural account. Matthew described the action and expected the reader to understand that the disciples worshipped God. They fell down to worship once they realized either who Jesus was or that it was the Father who was speaking.
In this study, we have looked at translating the scriptures as they were written. Context always rules. Part of the context of the situation was the understanding of the Jewish person that wrote the passage. You can be very certain that Matthew knew what he was writing and the implications of his writing. Yeshua was endorsed not only as Messiah, but also as the God of the Old Testament standing before them in the flesh.
The last verification was the Words Yeshua spoke to the disciples, “Get up, don’t be afraid”. In closing let’s look at the same words that was spoken to Joshua when he led the conquest in the promised land:
Joshua 1:6–9 (NLT)
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
At the death of Moses, God encouraged Joshua with the command to follow His instructions and not to fear. This command is repeated several times through the book of Joshua. Yeshua gives the same instructions to his disciples as they prepare to conquer the world.
Matthew 17:9-13
Jesus told them to keep quiet about this until after the resurrection. In the situation that they were in, Jesus had already claimed to be the “I am” of the Old Testament. He came performing miracles that established who He was according to Old Testament prophecy. In this chapter, He demonstrated for the disciples that He was truly God and His claim was verified by prophecy, Moses and Elijah and by a direct word from the Father.
When He spoke of rising from the dead, the disciples seem to ignore the question. This comes up later in this chapter. Yeshua taught them about it in verses 12 and 22. He explained to them that Elijah (John the Baptist) was executed. Therefore, he would also be executed. Then in verse 22, he taught specifically that he will be killed and raise from the dead on the third day.
Let’s discuss Elijah for a moment. The disciples had just met Elijah face to face. They understood from the rabbi’s that Elijah must prepare the way for the Messiah. This comes from Malachi:
Malachi 3:1 (NLT)
1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Malachi 4:5–6 (NLT)
5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
The last emphasis of this is from the Passover Seder (meal). Every year a special plate is prepared at the Seder for Elijah. When the Jewish people reach a certain point in the Seder, a young child is sent to answer the door. He opens the door and looks out to see if Elijah has arrived. When Elijah has not shown for the Passover, they say, maybe next year… The Jewish people are still looking for Elijah to come.
When you read through Malachi, it becomes obvious that the ministry of John the Baptist was cut short. He moved people toward repentance by having them go through baptism of repentance. This is called a mikvah in Jewish terms. His ministry as one who prepared the way for Yeshua the Messiah is exactly as the scriptures prophesied.
We see prophecy later that indicates that Elijah may come back yet again. John wrote about the two prophets who come back to draw the world to repentance. These two witnesses will prophesy for three and a half years. During that time they will speak as God leads them and will be invincible (Rev 11:3-14). Eventually they are killed by the beast. Then they rise three and a half days later as the world watches. God calls them home and a great earthquake hits the earth. Elijah is not named in this prophecy. The reason we believe it is Elijah is because of the prophecies mentioned above from Malachi.
Yeshua was teaching the disciples about things to come. He related to them through the entire passage how that He is the YHVH of the Old Testament that had taken on flesh. Let’s discuss that for a moment. English Bibles do not translate the name YHVH because it is untranslatable. No one knows how the name is translated or how it sounds. Through the ages pronunciation of the name has been forgotten. Vowel markings in the Hebrew language is a relatively new idea that does not date back to the beginning of the language. So somewhere in time, pronunciation for the Name of God indicated by the four Hebrew consonants Yod Hey Vav Hey, has been forgotten. In English Bibles we compensate for this by translating the name “LORD”. Stern in the Complete Jewish Bible translates the name “Adonai”. The name is also translated by some Bibles as Jehovah or Yahweh. The Jewish people translate it as HaShem. There are many theories as to how the Name should sound. No one knows. It seems that the name lost the ability to be translated as early as Judges where God told Manoah that His name was wonderful, or better translated as “incomprehensible” (Judges 13:18).
Psalm 67, quoted above, makes it clear that the YHVH is Yeshua who became flesh for the redemption of man. Yeshua instructs the disciples that just like John the Baptist (Elijah), he must die and rise from the dead as a part of the redemption process. He does not make the method clear to them yet. All they understand at this point is that John the Baptist carried the spirit of Elijah.
Matthew 17:14-18
In this chapter we have learned so far that Jesus’ Hebrew name was Yeshua. This name means literally “salvation”. When they return from the mountain, they are faced with a significant drama. The disciples who were left behind were attempting to cure a boy that was a lunatic. It seems evident that that they were trying to pray for a medical cure since the word for “cure” is the Greek word “therapeuo”. This is where we get our English word “therapy”. The other synoptic Gospels show that the apostles knew that a demonic spirit was involved in the boy’s sickness (Mk 9:14-18; Lu 9:37-42). The point of it is still the same. The disciples were unable to deliver or cure the demonic child.
Illnesses are a curse from the fall of man. There are a lot of arguments about what brings on sicknesses. I hold to a conventional view that sickness is brought on because we live in a fallen world with the curse of sin. Not all sickness is because of sin, demon possession, or error on the part of the sick person. I stress this because there is a lot of quackology among Christians.
In this case the epileptic behavior was brought on by a demon. There are two ways of thinking of this, some argue that Jesus allowed them to call the behavior demon possession, knowing that it was actually a physical healing. The second way of looking at it is that it was demon possession that caused the epilepsy. This view is hard for modern day people to accept since it places the cause of the behavior with demon possession. The reader then must rationalize, and ask the question, is epilepsy caused by demonic activity? I believe that the best way to answer that is, “sometimes”. Other times and most of the time it is caused by a myriad of reasons which cause the body not to function properly. As we degenerate as a society both in spirituality and in diet, we will see more nonfunctioning people.
Demon possession was real in Jesus’ day. It is still real today, although it is not as obvious. I believe that we have become so spiritually hardened by sin that we cannot recognize demon activity when it is blatantly looking us in the face. Demon possession is still a problem in all societies. If you travel to other lands, the blinders quickly come off. In our land, we have a huge share of demonic activity that permeates America. We often diagnose this as “mental illness” or attribute it to tweakers who have fried too many brain cells… The excuses range according to the subculture that we are talking about. On that note, few are delivered since symptoms are treated instead of the cause of the problem. We cannot dabble in the demonic in our media through horror movies, dark television series, and flirting with demonic doctrines through our media and not be affected by its influence. But, that is another discussion, back to the passage:
The phrase “unbelieving and perverted generation” comes from two scriptures:
Deuteronomy 32:5 (AV)
5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
Deuteronomy 32:20 (AV)
20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
Sandwiched between these two scriptures is an interesting line of thought that Moses makes which askes several things of the reader. First, it asks the person to consider the history of Torah. It brings into view the way that the Most High personally selected Israel (Deut 32:7-9). God actually protected Jacob just as if he was the very pupil of His eye, guarding over them like an eagle over its young (Deut 32:10-11). Then God provided for the people on every level only to have them reject the leading of God (Deut 32:12-14). Then an interesting thing happens which lines up with our story. They “scorned the Rock of his salvation” (Deut 32:15). This actually says, “They scorned the Rock of his Yeshua (Jesus)”. This reference to an evil generation was not picked at random. The reference gets even more interesting here, it refers to sacrificing to demons, neglecting the Rock, forgot God who gave birth and provoked His sons and daughters (Deut 32:16-19). Yeshua was teaching who He was by referring to this passage. The one who understands the Jewish instructions of Moses (Torah), would most likely not miss this reference. This is especially significant when we consider demon possession. Now, let’s return to the disciples…
Now we have an interesting insight into the ministry of the disciples while they were walking with Jesus. His disciples were attempting to cast out the demon that was afflicting the child. This demonstrates that they were taking what they were learning and putting it into practice on their own. However, in this case they were unable to cast out the demon. This gives us a clear indication that the disciples were putting into practice the teachings of Yeshua. According to our insight, the disciples were actively casting out demons and healing even when Jesus was away. This was apparently standard practice since they are not rebuked for attempting to cast out the demon. Yeshua is instead saddened that they do not have the belief to cast it out.
Another observation on this is along the same path. Often when a great spiritual work is taking place in one area, Satan is counter-attacking in another area. I believe that this child and the drama that surrounded him was orchestrated in an attempt to derail the remaining disciples. Satan was not taking the ministry of the Messiah lightly. He was attempting to discourage the disciples through a diversion while the Master was away. Yeshua attributed the inability for the disciples to cast out the demon to their lack of faith (Matt 17:19-20). He further stated that the demon was one that could only be removed through prayer (Mt 17:21; Mk 9:29).
The demon caused muteness, and self-destructive behavior. It would be quite cumbersome to try to categorize all the psychological issues that this boy was having. We know for certain that according to this passage the sickness was caused by demon possession. We also know that the boy did not have faith to be healed. His father also did not have the faith to have his son healed, he was running only on a ray of hope (Mark 9:23-24). Yeshua used this healing as a platform to teach the disciples about true faith and prayer. This healing had two purposes, first, it was simply an act of mercy. Secondly, it demonstrated that Yeshua was the one who delivers all people from bondage.
Yeshua rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy. The boy experienced instant healing.
Matthew 17:19-21
Jesus had apparently never withdrawn the gift given back in Matthew 10:1, 8 where the disciples were given authority over demons and sent out into the surrounding area in pairs. Another note on this, the disciples had apparently already attempted to cast this demon out according to Luke 9:37-42, which seems to imply that the disciples that were left behind tried to cast out the demon. This gives two things to think about. Yeshua expected them to be able to cast out the demon. The second thing that comes to mind is that they lacked the faith to act upon the gift that was already given to them. It seems from this story that the Holy Spirit was not waiting until Pentecost to empower the disciples.
Faith is a funny thing, it is hard to build, and easy to build, it is somewhat of a mystery. The disciples to this point had basically been spoon fed by Jesus regarding the doctrines and secrets of life. Now that they had to stand on their own two feet, they failed to meet the task. This demonstrated that the faith-building experiences that they had with Jesus did not build confidence in personal faith. Take for instance the feedings of the thousands; the stilling of the sea, and Jesus walking on water, these illustrations themselves should have been enough to cause them to have huge faith. But the disciples did not exercise the faith to cause the tremendous results that Jesus had. So, from this it could be concluded that faith will not build in a person’s life until he exercises the faith on his own.
An excellent chapter on faith is Hebrews 11, where it describes all the great men of the Old Testament and how that they exercised their faith in life. Contrast the little faith of the disciples with the great faith of the Gentiles in Matthew 8:10; 15:28. Was their faith little by comparison to what it should have been considering their knowledge about the Lord, or was it little as compared to faith demonstrated by others? It is something to think about.
Matthew 17:20 (AV)
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.
Matthew 17:22-23
The English Bibles are very forgiving with these verses. It is traditional to translate the word “paradidomi” as deliver. This is consistent through the New Testament. However, in this case it may carry the meaning “betray” better. The word is used as “betray” when Judas betrayed the Lord (Mk 15:1). It is also used by Paul when two different people are recommended to be handed over to Satan because of their sin (1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20). God gave people over who had betrayed him (Ro 12:4ff). He also hostilely delivers people over to the desires of their flesh (Acts 7:42; Eph 4:19). Yet it can also describe an action that a person makes of their own free will (Jn 19:30; 1 Cor 13:3; Gal 2:20). It was also used of God delivering authority over to Yeshua by the Father (Mt 11:27; Lk 10:22).[i]
“Kill” carries the same type of connotation. It is more of a slaughter or murder than to kill by accident. It is no wonder the disciples were “deeply grieved”. They were standing in awe of the amazing vision that they had just experienced and Yeshua was showing them that it was for an entirely different purpose. He was soon to be betrayed by someone, and murdered.
He would be raised on the third day. The idea from “being raised” is that this raising will take place by the action of a third person. Someone was going to be doing the raising. Yeshua would be raised from the dead by someone else.
In this short declaration Yeshua is stating that someone is going to act in a manner that will harm and kill him. Someone is also going to act in a manner that will raise him from the dead. In both cases Yeshua will be acted on by others as a victim of their will. We know in retrospect that since He was the Lamb that was shed for all man, He had to be taken for slaughter. The text indicates that someone, possibly the Father or as a reference to the God-head as a whole, would raise him from the dead.
I am certain that the disciples were grieved because of revelation that Yeshua would soon die. They were with Yeshua on a daily basis and observed the interactions between Him and the religious authorities. It is almost certain that they knew that the authorities would not continue to be stood against by Yeshua. I am of the conviction that they did not expect the final confrontation to come in the way of death for Yeshua. They understood that the Messiah would set up a kingdom on the earth. Death was not part of the plan. Grieving could have hit on several levels. They could have been grieved at the news, or at the possibility that their understanding of Messianic prophies were wrong. I believe that even though they may not have understood completely what was taking place, Yeshua was preparing them for the events in the near future.
Matthew 17:24-27
The temple tax was required by the instructions from the Old Testament (Exodus 30:13-16; 38:26; Nehemiah 10:32-33). Jesus apparently did not have any money, so He sent Peter fishing, to demonstrate that He is Lord even over the fish. He also demonstrated that the temple should be supported as was required by instructions in the Torah. The temple officials were the very ones who were opposed to Him. Jesus also supported paying taxes to governments (Matthew 22:15-22).
Why is this important to us? Many Christian teachers say that the “law” or “instructions” of the Old Testament are done away with. If this is so, why did Yeshua make sure to pay the temple tax? The tax was set in biblical instructions as a half shekel. When Peter was sent fishing, he caught a fish that had a shekel in its mouth. This was exactly what was needed to pay the temple tax.
The illustration about kings and sons is hard to understand, unless you look at it as does the king tax his own children, or does he tax everyone else? The obvious answer is that the king will not tax his own children; he will tax all the other subjects of the kingdom in order that they will support the royal family. The children of the king have an exemption from taxes. This is understood to relate to Jesus being the King, and His followers as the children.
The full meaning of this illustration is a mystery. My best stab at it is that it relates to the Kingship of the Messiah. Yeshua established earlier in this chapter that He is the YHVH of the Old Testament. He is the rightful King of the earth. However, since He had not technically stepped into the role as King, He paid the tax. The method of paying the tax is very interesting since he calls on nature to provide the tax for him. This demonstrated that He was also King of the universe.
[i] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 167.
