CHAPTER 17

(A.D. 32)

THE TRANSFIGURATION

¹And after six days (is exclusive, meaning, that all the days and time are not included; Luke said, about eight days, but is inclusive, meaning that everything is included) Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into an high mountain apart (does not tell us which mountain; apart from the other Disciples),

²And was transfigured before them (means that the Glory did not shine upon Jesus, but instead, shone out from Him through His raiment): and His Face did shine as the sun (Rev. 1:16), and His Raiment was white as the light (the light made it white).

³And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Him (Moses and Elijah represented the Law and the Prophets, the dead, and raptured Saints; they spoke with Him of His Atoning Death [Lk. 9:31]; this doctrine is the great theme of Heaven [Rev. 1:5; 5:6, 9; 7:14]).

⁴Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will, let us make here three Tabernacles; one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah (God will not have even the greatest Saints associated with His Beloved Son in worship or teaching).

⁵While He yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them (this was a demonstration of the Shechinah, a token of the presence of the Most High, which had appeared over the Tabernacle in the wilderness): and behold a Voice out of the cloud (the cloud overshadowing them was a fore-view of the Work of the Holy Spirit after the Day of Pentecost in glorifying Christ [Jn. 16:14]), which said, This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased (we have here the Trinity, the Voice out of the cloud, which was the Father, Jesus, standing in a radiant light, and the Holy Spirit present with the overshadowing cloud); hear ye Him (Hear Him Alone; everything comes through Christ, and what Christ did at the Cross; the Holy Spirit works accordingly [Rom. 8:2]).

⁶And when the Disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid (the words, sore afraid, meant that they were fearful that they would die).

⁷And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid (ever the Voice of the Saviour to those who are truly sincere, but yet wrong).

⁸And when they had lifted up their eyes (proclaims them earnestly surveying the locality), they saw no man, save Jesus only (everything hinges on Jesus, and what He did at the Cross).

⁹And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them (Commanded them), saying, Tell the Vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead (as stated, due to the Victory of the Cross, the Resurrection was never in doubt).

JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ELIJAH

¹⁰And His Disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the Scribes that Elijah must first come? (They were referring to Mal. 4:5. As well, they were confusing the First and the Second Comings.)

¹¹And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things (Christ speaks here of Elijah who will come in the middle of the Great Tribulation, heralding the Second Coming [Rev., Chpt. 11]).

¹²But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed (had Israel received John the Baptist, they would have received Christ, and John would have been Elijah to Jerusalem at that time, because he came in the spirit and power of Elijah [Lk. 1:17]). Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them (Jesus once again predicts the Cross; nine passages in this Gospel foretell the Crucifixion [16:21; 17:12, 22; 20:17-19, 28; 26:20, 28, 31, 45]).

¹³Then the Disciples understood that He spoke unto them of John the Baptist.

THE DISCIPLES LACK OF POWER

¹⁴And when they were come to the multitude (to the foot of the mountain), there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying,

¹⁵Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falls into the fire, and often into the water (caused by a demon spirit).

¹⁶And I brought him to Your Disciples, and they could not cure him (the inadequacy of man, even believing man).

¹⁷Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation (wrong direction), how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? (Perturbed at the lack of faith on the part of His Disciples.) bring him hither to Me.

¹⁸And Jesus rebuked the devil (demon); and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour (the Word of Christ is such that demons must obey).

PRAYER AND FASTING

¹⁹Then came the Disciples to Jesus apart (privately), and said, Why could not we cast him out?

²⁰And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief (improper understanding regarding Christ and the Cross): for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed (symbolism), you shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (the impossible made possible); and nothing shall be impossible unto you (that which is the Will of God).

²¹Howbeit this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting (the fasted life [Lk. 9:23-24]).

AGAIN FORETELLS DEATH AND RESURRECTION

²²And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them (lends credence to the thought that it was Mount Tabor, which was in Galilee, where the Transfiguration took place), The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men (draws the Disciples back to the Mission at hand; that Mission was the Redemption of humanity, which would require the offering of the perfect Sacrifice, which was His Body):

²³And they shall kill Him (but only because He allowed such [Jn. 10:17-18]), and the third day He shall be raised again (Resurrection). And they were exceeding sorry (but still without understanding).

MIRACULOUS PROVISION

²⁴And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Does not your master pay tribute? (Temple tax, of about a half shekel per person, required of every Jew yearly [Ex. 30:13].)

²⁵He (Peter) said, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented (confronted) him, saying, What do you think, Simon? (Revealed by the Spirit, Jesus questions Peter even before Peter broaches the subject.) of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? (Assumes the answer.)

²⁶Peter said unto him, Of strangers (the correct answer). Jesus said unto him, Then are the children free (Jesus was Lord of the Temple, therefore, did not owe the tax, nor His Disciples).

²⁷Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them (proclaims Him paying the tax, even though not owed, in order that His enemies not have any occasion against Him), go thou to the sea (Galilee), and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them from Me and you (it was a shekel, which was enough to pay the tax for both Peter and Christ).