Large Christian library. Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew (Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria) Gospel of Matthew Chapter 17

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INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are usually called Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic comes from two Greek words that mean see together. Therefore, the above-mentioned Gospels received this name because they describe the same events in the life of Jesus. In each of them, however, there are some additions, or something is omitted, but, in general, they are based on the same material, and this material is also arranged in the same way. Therefore, they can be written in parallel columns and compared with each other.

After this, it becomes very obvious that they are very close to each other. If, for example, we compare the story of the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:12-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 5:17-26), then this is the same story, told in almost the same words.

Or take, for example, another story about the healing of a paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26). These three stories are so similar to each other that even the introductory words, “said to the paralytic,” appear in all three stories in the same form in the same place. The correspondence between all three Gospels is so close that one must either conclude that all three took material from the same source, or two were based on a third.

THE FIRST GOSPEL

Examining the matter more carefully, one can imagine that the Gospel of Mark was written first, and the other two - the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke - are based on it.

The Gospel of Mark can be divided into 105 passages, of which 93 are found in the Gospel of Matthew and 81 in the Gospel of Luke. Only four of the 105 passages in the Gospel of Mark are not found in either the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke. There are 661 verses in the Gospel of Mark, 1068 verses in the Gospel of Matthew, and 1149 in the Gospel of Luke. There are no less than 606 verses from Mark in the Gospel of Matthew, and 320 in the Gospel of Luke. Of the 55 verses in the Gospel of Mark, which not reproduced in Matthew, 31 yet reproduced in Luke; thus, only 24 verses from Mark are not reproduced in either Matthew or Luke.

But not only the meaning of the verses is conveyed: Matthew uses 51%, and Luke uses 53% of the words of the Gospel of Mark. Both Matthew and Luke follow, as a rule, the arrangement of material and events adopted in the Gospel of Mark. Sometimes Matthew or Luke have differences from the Gospel of Mark, but it is never the case that they both were different from him. One of them always follows the order that Mark follows.

REVISION OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Due to the fact that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are much larger in volume than the Gospel of Mark, one might think that the Gospel of Mark is a brief transcription of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. But one fact indicates that the Gospel of Mark is the earliest of them all: so to speak, the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke improve the Gospel of Mark. Let's take a few examples.

Here are three descriptions of the same event:

Map. 1.34:"And He healed many, suffering from various diseases; expelled many demons."

Mat. 8.16:"He cast out the spirits with a word and healed everyone sick."

Onion. 4.40:"He, laying on everyone of them hands, healed

Or let's take another example:

Map. 3:10: “For He healed many.”

Mat. 12:15: “He healed them all.”

Onion. 6:19: "... power came from Him and healed everyone."

Approximately the same change is noted in the description of Jesus' visit to Nazareth. Let's compare this description in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark:

Map. 6.5.6: “And he could not perform any miracle there... and he marveled at their unbelief.”

Mat. 13:58: “And he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.”

The author of the Gospel of Matthew does not have the heart to say that Jesus could not perform miracles, and he changes the phrase. Sometimes the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke leave out little hints from the Gospel of Mark that may somehow detract from the greatness of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke omit three remarks found in the Gospel of Mark:

Map. 3.5:“And he looked upon them with anger, grieving because of the hardness of their hearts...”

Map. 3.21:“And when his neighbors heard, they went to take him, for they said that he had lost his temper.”

Map. 10.14:"Jesus was indignant..."

All this clearly shows that the Gospel of Mark was written earlier than the others. It gives a simple, lively and direct account, and the authors of Matthew and Luke were already beginning to be influenced by dogmatic and theological considerations, and therefore they chose their words more carefully.

TEACHINGS OF JESUS

We have already seen that the Gospel of Matthew has 1068 verses and the Gospel of Luke 1149 verses, and that 582 of these are repetitions of verses from the Gospel of Mark. This means that there is much more material in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke than in the Gospel of Mark. A study of this material shows that more than 200 verses from it are almost identical among the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke; for example, passages such as Onion. 6.41.42 And Mat. 7.3.5; Onion. 10.21.22 And Mat. 11.25-27; Onion. 3.7-9 And Mat. 3, 7-10 almost exactly the same. But here's where we see the difference: the material that the authors of Matthew and Luke took from the Gospel of Mark deals almost exclusively with events in the life of Jesus, and these additional 200 verses shared by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke deal with something other than that. that Jesus did, but what He said. It is quite obvious that in this part the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke drew information from the same source - from the book of sayings of Jesus.

This book no longer exists, but theologians called it KB, what does Quelle mean in German - source. This book must have been extremely important in those days because it was the first textbook on the teachings of Jesus.

THE PLACE OF THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW IN THE GOSPEL TRADITION

Here we come to the problem of Matthew the Apostle. Theologians agree that the first Gospel is not the fruit of Matthew's hands. A person who was a witness to the life of Christ would not need to turn to the Gospel of Mark as a source of information about the life of Jesus, as the author of the Gospel of Matthew does. But one of the first church historians named Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, left us the following extremely important news: “Matthew collected the sayings of Jesus in the Hebrew language.”

Thus, we can consider that it was Matthew who wrote the book from which all people should draw as a source who want to know what Jesus taught. It was because so much of this source book was included in the first Gospel that it was given the name Matthew. We should be eternally grateful to Matthew when we remember that we owe to him the Sermon on the Mount and almost everything we know about the teaching of Jesus. In other words, it is to the author of the Gospel of Mark that we owe our knowledge of life events Jesus, and Matthew - knowledge of the essence teachings Jesus.

MATTHEW THE TANKER

We know very little about Matthew himself. IN Mat. 9.9 we read about his calling. We know that he was a publican - a tax collector - and therefore everyone should have hated him terribly, because the Jews hated their fellow tribesmen who served the victors. Matthew must have been a traitor in their eyes.

But Matthew had one gift. Most of Jesus' disciples were fishermen and did not have the talent to put words on paper, but Matthew was supposed to be an expert in this matter. When Jesus called Matthew, who was sitting at the toll booth, he stood up and, leaving everything but his pen, followed Him. Matthew nobly used his literary talent and became the first person to describe the teachings of Jesus.

GOSPEL OF THE JEWS

Let us now look at the main features of the Gospel of Matthew, so that when reading it we will pay attention to this.

First, and above all, the Gospel of Matthew - this is the gospel written for the Jews. It was written by a Jew to convert the Jews.

One of the main purposes of Matthew's Gospel was to show that in Jesus all the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled and therefore He must be the Messiah. One phrase, a recurring theme, runs throughout the book: “It came to pass that God spoke by the prophet.” This phrase is repeated in the Gospel of Matthew no less than 16 times. The Birth of Jesus and His Name - Fulfillment of Prophecy (1, 21-23); as well as flight to Egypt (2,14.15); massacre of the innocents (2,16-18); Joseph's settlement in Nazareth and the raising of Jesus there (2,23); the very fact that Jesus spoke in parables (13,34.35); triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21,3-5); betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (27,9); and casting lots for Jesus' clothes as He hung on the Cross (27,35). The author of the Gospel of Matthew made it his main goal to show that the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus, that every detail of Jesus' life was foretold by the prophets, and thereby convince the Jews and force them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

The interest of the author of the Gospel of Matthew is directed primarily to the Jews. Their appeal is closest and dearest to his heart. To the Canaanite woman who turned to Him for help, Jesus first answered: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (15,24). Sending the twelve apostles to proclaim the good news, Jesus said to them: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles and do not enter the city of Samaritans, but go especially to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (10, 5.6). But one must not think that this Gospel excludes the pagans in every possible way. Many will come from the east and west and lie down with Abraham in the Kingdom of Heaven (8,11). "And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world" (24,14). And it is in the Gospel of Matthew that the order was given to the Church to set out on a campaign: “Go therefore and teach all nations.” (28,19). It is, of course, obvious that the author of Matthew's Gospel is primarily interested in the Jews, but he foresees the day when all nations will be gathered together.

The Jewish origin and Jewish orientation of the Gospel of Matthew is also evident in its attitude towards the law. Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Not even the smallest part of the law will pass. There is no need to teach people to break the law. The righteousness of a Christian must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (5, 17-20). The Gospel of Matthew was written by a man who knew and loved the law, and saw that it had a place in Christian teaching. In addition, we should note the obvious paradox in the attitude of the author of the Gospel of Matthew to the scribes and Pharisees. He recognizes their special powers: “The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses; therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do.” (23,2.3). But in no other Gospel are they condemned as strictly and consistently as in Matthew.

Already at the very beginning we see the merciless exposure of the Sadducees and Pharisees by John the Baptist, who called them "born of vipers" (3, 7-12). They complain that Jesus eats and drinks with publicans and sinners (9,11); they declared that Jesus casts out demons not by the power of God, but by the power of the prince of demons (12,24). They are plotting to destroy Him (12,14); Jesus warns the disciples to beware not of the leaven of bread, but of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees (16,12); they are like plants that will be uprooted (15,13); they cannot discern the signs of the times (16,3); they are killers of prophets (21,41). There is no other chapter in the entire New Testament like Mat. 23, in which it is not what the scribes and Pharisees teach that is condemned, but their behavior and way of life. The author condemns them for the fact that they do not at all correspond to the teaching they preach, and do not at all achieve the ideal established by them and for them.

The author of Matthew's Gospel is also very interested in the Church. From all the Synoptic Gospels the word Church found only in the Gospel of Matthew. Only the Gospel of Matthew includes a passage about the Church after Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13-23; cf. Mark 8:27-33; Luke 9:18-22). Only Matthew says that disputes should be resolved by the Church (18,17). By the time the Gospel of Matthew was written, the Church had become a large organization and truly a major factor in the lives of Christians.

The Gospel of Matthew especially reflects an interest in the apocalyptic; in other words, to what Jesus spoke about His Second Coming, the end of the world and the Day of Judgment. IN Mat. 24 provides a much more complete account of Jesus' apocalyptic reasoning than any other Gospel. Only in the Gospel of Matthew is there a parable of the talents. (25,14-30); about wise and foolish virgins (25, 1-13); about sheep and goats (25,31-46). Matthew had a special interest in the end times and the Day of Judgment.

But this is not the most important feature of the Gospel of Matthew. This is an eminently meaningful gospel.

We have already seen that it was the Apostle Matthew who gathered the first meeting and compiled an anthology of Jesus’ teaching. Matthew was a great systematizer. He collected in one place everything he knew about the teaching of Jesus on this or that issue, and therefore we find in the Gospel of Matthew five large complexes in which the teaching of Christ is collected and systematized. All these five complexes are associated with the Kingdom of God. Here they are:

a) Sermon on the Mount or Law of the Kingdom (5-7)

b) Duty of Kingdom Leaders (10)

c) Parables about the Kingdom (13)

d) Greatness and forgiveness in the Kingdom (18)

e) The Coming of the King (24,25)

But Matthew not only collected and systematized. We must remember that he wrote in an era before printing, when books were few and far between because they had to be copied by hand. At such a time, comparatively few people had books, and so if they wanted to know and use the story of Jesus, they had to memorize it.

Therefore, Matthew always arranges the material in such a way that it is easy for the reader to remember it. He arranges the material in threes and sevens: three messages of Joseph, three denials of Peter, three questions of Pontius Pilate, seven parables about the Kingdom in chapter 13, sevenfold "woe to you" to the Pharisees and scribes in Chapter 23.

A good example of this is the genealogy of Jesus, with which the Gospel opens. The purpose of a genealogy is to prove that Jesus is the son of David. There are no numbers in Hebrew, they are symbolized by letters; In addition, Hebrew has no signs (letters) for vowel sounds. David in Hebrew it will be accordingly DVD; if these are taken as numbers rather than letters, their sum would be 14, and the genealogy of Jesus consists of three groups of names, each containing fourteen names. Matthew does his best to arrange Jesus' teachings in a way that people can understand and remember.

Every teacher should be grateful to Matthew, because what he wrote is, first of all, the Gospel for teaching people.

The Gospel of Matthew has one more feature: the dominant thought in it is the thought of Jesus the King. The author writes this Gospel to show the kingship and royal origin of Jesus.

The genealogy must prove from the very beginning that Jesus is the son of King David (1,1-17). This title Son of David is used more often in the Gospel of Matthew than in any other Gospel. (15,22; 21,9.15). The Magi came to see the King of the Jews (2,2); Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem is a deliberately dramatized declaration by Jesus of His rights as King (21,1-11). Before Pontius Pilate, Jesus consciously accepts the title of king (27,11). Even on the Cross above His head stands, albeit mockingly, the royal title (27,37). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quotes the law and then refutes it with the royal words: “But I say to you...” (5,22. 28.34.39.44). Jesus declares: "All authority has been given to me" (28,18).

In the Gospel of Matthew we see Jesus the Man born to be King. Jesus walks through its pages as if dressed in royal purple and gold.

MOUNT OF TRANSFORMATION (Matthew 17:1-8)

The great moment at Caesarea Philippi was followed by the great hour on the Mount of Transfiguration. Let us first look at the place where this time the glory appeared to Jesus and His three chosen disciples. According to one tradition, the Mount of Transfiguration is identified with Mount Tabor, but this is unlikely. On the top of Mount Tabor stood a powerful fortress and a large castle; It is unlikely, rather even impossible, that the Transfiguration took place on the mountain on which the fortress was located. It is more likely that the Transfiguration took place on Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon was located more than twenty kilometers from Caesarea Philippi. This 2,860 m high mountain rises 3,350 m above the Jordan Valley, so high that it can be seen from the Dead Sea, on the other side of Palestine, more than 160 kilometers away.

This could not happen at the very top of the mountain: the mountain is too high for this. One traveler writes that he and his group were able to practically reach the top of the mountain on horseback in five hours. You can't do much physical work at such a height: "We spent most of the day at the top, but soon the thin atmosphere began to take its toll on us."

The transformation must have taken place on the spurs of the beautiful and majestic Mount Hermon. Luke tells us that the disciples were heavy with sleep (Luke 9:32). It was the next day that Jesus and His disciples went down to the plain, where the father of an epileptic boy was waiting for them. (Luke 9:37). The transformation took place sometime around sunset, or late in the evening, or at night.

Why did Jesus go there? Why did He go to these deserted mountain spurs? Luke again gives us the key to this question. He says Jesus prayed (Luke 9:29).

Let us try to put ourselves, as far as possible, in the place of Jesus. At this time He was already heading towards His suffering. He was already absolutely sure of this, and repeatedly told His disciples about it. We saw that in Caesarea Philippi He had one problem and He resolved one question; we saw that He wanted to find out if anyone knew who He really was. We have seen that He received an affirmative answer to this question, because Peter recognized the great fact that Jesus can only be described as the Son of God. But before setting off on the final journey, an even more fundamental question than this had to be resolved.

He had to be absolutely sure that He was doing the will of His Father. He had to be convinced that God's will really was for Him to go to Jerusalem to the Cross. Jesus went up Mount Hermon to ask God, “Am I doing Your will in going to Jerusalem?” Jesus climbed Mount Hermon to hear the voice of God. He did not take a single step without consulting the Father, how then could He take the most important step without consulting Him? Jesus constantly sought the will of His Father.

We understand that the thing about Jesus is that He was more sinless. This means that Jesus had no will other than the will of God.

When Jesus had a problem, He did not try to solve it in His own strength, and He did not turn to other people for advice. He decided them alone with His Father.

BLESSING FROM THE PAST (Matthew 17:1-8 (continued))

There, on the mountain spurs, two great men appeared to Jesus - Moses and Elijah.

It is extremely interesting to note how similar the life experiences and experiences of these two great servants of God are to the life experiences and experiences of Jesus. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he did not know that his face was shining (Ex. 34:29). Both Moses and Elijah had their closest encounters with God on mountain tops. Moses went to Mount Sinai to receive the tablets of the law (Ex. 31:18). On Mount Horeb, Elijah found God, not in the wind, not in an earthquake, but in a gentle breeze (1 Kings 19:9-12). Strangely, there was something terrifying about the death of Moses and the ascension of Elijah. In Deut. 34.5.6 talks about the lonely death of Moses on Mount Nebo. One gets the impression that God Himself buried the great leader of the people: “And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab opposite Bethpegor, and no one knows the place of his burial even to this day.” As for Elijah, he was carried away from the astonished Elisha in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Moses and Elijah, who appeared to Jesus as He went to Jerusalem, were great representatives of the Old Testament.

Moreover, as we have already seen, the Jews firmly believed that Elijah would be the forerunner and messenger of the Messiah, and some Jewish teachers also believed that the Messiah, when he appeared, would come accompanied by Moses.

It is clearly seen how appropriate this vision of Moses and Elijah was then. But this alone cannot definitively explain why Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus.

And we must again turn to Luke's description of the Transfiguration. He tells us that Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus, as the Bible says, "about His going out, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9:31). The Greek word translated as Exodus, very remarkable. This exodos, same word as Russian Exodus.

Word Exodus has one special usage: the exodus, the departure of the people of Israel from the land of Egypt onto an unknown desert path that would ultimately lead them to the promised land. In a word Exodus called the most risky journey in the history of mankind, when an entire people set off into the unknown with faith in God. And this is what Jesus imagined. With faith in God, He was going to set off on such a dangerous journey to Jerusalem, where death on the cross and then glory awaited Him.

In the Jewish worldview, Moses and Elijah have always been symbols. Moses was always the greatest legislator; he was in the highest degree and first of all the man who brought the law of God to people. And Elijah was the greatest of prophets; in it the voice of God spoke to people with unique directness. These two men were the two pinnacles of Israel's religious history and achievements. Thus, the greatest representatives of Israeli history came to Jesus, who was about to set off on His last journey to Jerusalem, to talk with Him. All history stood up in their faces and showed Him His path. In them, history recognized its fulfillment in Jesus. The greatest of legislators and the greatest of prophets recognized in Jesus the One about whom they dreamed, whose coming they predicted.

All the evangelists write that a cloud overshadowed them there. The cloud was also part of Israel's history. Throughout its history, the cloud symbolized the presence of Almighty God.

In the Book of Exodus we read about pillar of cloud, who showed the people the way (Ex. 13:21.22). And again in the Book of Exodus we read about the construction of the tabernacle, and it ends with the words: “And it covered cloud the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." (Ex. 40.34)."And the Lord descended to cloud, and stood there near him, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah." (Ex. 34.5). We meet again this mysterious cloud at the dedication of Solomon's Temple: "When the priests came out of the sanctuary, cloud filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:10.11; cf. 2 Chronicles 5:13.14; 7:2). Throughout the Old Testament there is a picture of a cloud in which the mysterious glory of the Lord is located.

And here on the Mount of Transfiguration the cloud began to glow with a mysterious light, and from this cloud the voice of the Heavenly Father was heard. God testified and approved of His Son Jesus.

The Mount of Transfiguration was a spiritual peak for Jesus. Ahead lay Him Exodus to Jerusalem, where the Cross awaits Him. He heard the judgment of history - the greatest of legislators and the greatest of prophets. Then, He heard the voice of God Himself, approving His decision. What Jesus experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration gave Him the strength to unswervingly follow the path of suffering.

PETER'S LESSON (Matthew 17:1-8 (continued))

But this event on the Mount of Transfiguration gave something not only to Jesus, but also to His disciples.

1. The disciples were probably still amazed and stunned by the insistence with which Jesus kept talking about going to Jerusalem to suffer and die there. It might have seemed to them that only shame awaited Him ahead, but the whole atmosphere on the Mount of Transfiguration was glory. The face of Jesus shone like the sun, and His clothes sparkled and shone like light.

The Jews knew well God's promise to the triumphant righteous: “Their face will shine like the sun.” (2 Esdras 7:97). Every Jew, seeing this luminous cloud, would think of the glory of God resting on His people. This is a remarkable and significant touch in the present passage. In these short eight verses, no less than three times there is a short exclamation: “And behold! And behold!”, as if Matthew could not calmly tell this story, he was so breathless with surprise.

All this was supposed to encourage the hearts of the disciples and they could see not only shame, but also glory, victory in humiliation, a crown after the Cross. It is quite obvious, however, that even now they have not yet understood anything; but still there must have been some glimmer in their consciousness that the Cross was not only a humiliation, that it was somehow connected with glory, and that glory was present in the very atmosphere of the exodus to Jerusalem.

2. Moreover, Peter must have realized that night that when he realized what was happening, his first desire was to build three tabernacles—one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He was always an active person, he always needed to do something. But there is a time to be silent, there is a time to reflect, a time to wonder, a time to admire, a time to stand in awe and tremble in the presence of the highest glory. "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 45:11). Maybe we are sometimes too busy doing something when it would be better to be silent and listen, wonder, admire in the presence of God. Before embarking on risky adventures and struggles, a person must stand on his knees in wonder and prayer.

3. But here, however, the opposite probably happened. Peter, of course, wanted to stay longer on the spurs of the mountain, he wanted to prolong this great moment; he did not want to return to ordinary and everyday affairs, but wanted to remain forever in the blaze of glory. This feeling should be familiar to everyone. We have all had those moments of intimacy, serenity, peace, closeness to God that we would like to extend. As someone said: “The Mount of Transfiguration is always more pleasant than everyday service or the way of the cross.”

But the Mount of Transfiguration was given to us only to give us strength in daily service and the ability to walk the way of the cross. There is such a prayer: “Lord, help me to remember that faith is not limited to the church and does not manifest itself only in prayer and meditation, but is found everywhere where I am in Your presence.” The moment of glory exists not for the sake of an end in itself, but so that our everyday life acquires a previously unseen brilliance.

INSTRUCTION ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS (Matthew 17.9-13.22.23)

And here Jesus once again tells His disciples to keep everything secret, because it was really very necessary. The great danger was that people could proclaim Jesus as the Messiah without knowing what the Messiah was or what He was supposed to be. It was necessary first to completely and radically change their idea of ​​the Messiah.

It would take a long time for people to lose the habit of the idea of ​​a victorious Messiah. This idea was so ingrained in the Jews that it was almost impossible to change it. Verses 9-13 pose a great difficulty for us. Behind these verses is the following. All the Jews agreed that before the Messiah comes, Elijah will return and be His messenger and forerunner. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord,” writes the prophet Malachi, and continues: “And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Mal. 4,5.6). But this prophecy about the coming of Elijah was slowly acquiring details. The Jews began to believe not only that Elijah would come, but also that before the coming of the Messiah he would arrange everything, bring the world into proper condition, and make it worthy for the Messiah to enter into it. The idea was that Elijah would be a great and terrible reformer, walking through the world, destroying all evil and restoring justice and order. And therefore they thought about the Forerunner and the Messiah exclusively in terms of strength And authorities.

Jesus corrects this idea. “The scribes,” He says, “say that Elijah will come like vengeful fire. He's already arrived but his path was the path of suffering and sacrifice, as the path of the Son of Man should be." Jesus declared that the ministry of God can never destroy the lives of people; it conquers them with sacrificial love. This is what the disciples should have understood, and therefore they should have remained silent until they knew this. If they immediately went to preach the victorious Messiah, a tragedy would occur. It is estimated that in the 100 years preceding the Crucifixion of Christ, at least 200,000 Jews died in unsuccessful uprisings. Before preaching Christ, the disciples must. were thoroughly to know who Christ is, and until Jesus taught His followers about the inevitability of the Cross, they had to remain silent and learn. We must bring people not our ideas, but the message of Christ, and no man can teach others until Jesus Christ; didn't teach him.

THE NECESSITY OF FAITH (Matthew 17:14-20)

No sooner had Jesus descended from heavenly glory than He was immediately confronted with an earthly problem and a practical requirement: in Jesus' absence, a man brought to His disciples a boy suffering from epilepsy. As should have been the case at that time, the father attributed his son's health to the harmful influence of evil spirits. The boy's condition was so serious that he posed a danger not only to himself, but also to other people. You can almost hear the sigh of relief that escaped the people when Jesus appeared, and He immediately took control of a situation that was catastrophic. With one strong, stern word, He commanded the demon to come out and the boy was healed. There are many remarkable moments in this event.

1. We cannot help but be touched by the faith of the boy’s father. Although the disciples were given the power to cast out demons (Matthew 10:1), it was a case where they failed in public, but despite the failure of the disciples, the boy's father did not for a moment doubt the power and authority of Jesus. It was as if he was saying: “Just let me get to Jesus Himself, and all my problems and needs will be solved.”

There is something extremely painful about this for us and it is universal and modern. Many people believe that the Church, the disciples of Jesus of their time and generation, have failed in their task and were unable to cope with the evil and misfortunes of mankind, but deep down they still believe: “If only we could get further than His human followers, if we could penetrate behind the façade of priesthood and the failures of the Church, if only we could get to Jesus Himself, we would have what we need." And this is our defeat and our reproach, that even now, although people have lost their faith in the Church, they have, even perhaps unconsciously, a yearning hope in Jesus Christ.

2. We see here that Jesus is always approached with requests. No sooner had He come from the glory on the mountain top than He encountered human suffering. Immediately after He heard the voice of God, He heard the crying voice of human need. The man most like Christ is the one who does not look upon his fellow man as a nuisance. It is easy to feel like a Christian in moments of prayer and meditation, it is easy to feel the closeness of God when we are apart from the world. But this is not faith - this is an escape from life. True faith is when one gets up from one's knees to help people and solve human problems. True faith is when one draws strength from God in order to give it to others. True faith is when you meet God in a secluded place and meet people in a crowded square. True faith is when we turn to God with our needs, not in order to find peace and comfort, but in order to be able to generously, efficiently and effectively meet the needs and wants of other people.

3. We see Jesus' concerns here. Jesus is not saying that He wants to be free from His disciples, but He is saying, “How long must I be with you before you understand?” Patience is the most striking Christian trait. When we are running out of patience with the pettiness and thoughtlessness of men, we must remember God's endless patience with the fickleness and unfaithfulness of our souls and their inability to learn anything.

4. We see here how important and necessary faith is, without which nothing can be accomplished. Talking about moving mountains Jesus used a phrase familiar to every Jew. The great teacher who could truly expound and interpret the Scriptures and explain and resolve difficulties was called uprooting mountains or even grinding mountains into powder. Uproot, turn mountains into powder - these phrases were usually used to mean eliminating difficulties. Jesus never used this expression literally. After all, it is not very often that an ordinary person will need to move a real mountain. What He meant was this: “If you have enough faith, all difficulties can be solved and even the most difficult task accomplished.” Faith in God makes a person capable of moving mountains of difficulties that stand in his way.

Comments on poems 17,22-23 see section 13,9-13 .

TAX FOR TEMPLE MAINTENANCE (Matthew 17:24-27)

The maintenance of the Jerusalem Temple cost a lot of money. There were daily morning and evening sacrifices for a one-year-old lamb. In addition to lambs, wine, flour and oil were sacrificed. It was necessary to buy and prepare incense and incense, which was burned every day. The expensive veils and robes of the priests were worn out, and the cost of the high priest's robe was generally unimaginably expensive. All this required money.

So, according to Ref. 30.13 It was established that every male Jew over 20 years of age must pay an annual temple tax of half a shekel. In Nehemiah's time, when the people were poor, the tax was set at 1/3 of a shekel.

Half a shekel was equal to two Greek shekels drachms and the tax was usually called that didrachm, as it is called in this passage. The tax was two days' wages for a day laborer. Each year the Temple collected more than two million such didrachmas in the form of taxes. Theoretically, the tax was mandatory and the Temple administration had the right to seize the property of the defaulter.

Tax collection was well organized. On the first day of the month of Adar, which corresponds to March according to our calendar, it was announced in all the cities and villages of Palestine that it was time to pay the tax. On the fifteenth of the same month, booths were installed in cities and villages, into which the tax was paid. If the tax had not been paid by the 25th of Adar, it could only be paid directly at the Temple in Jerusalem.

In this passage we see Jesus paying the temple tax. The tax authorities approached Peter with the question of whether his Master would pay the tax. There can be no doubt that the question was asked with intent, and that they hoped that Jesus would refuse to pay this tax, which would give the orthodox leaders a basis for an accusation against Him. Peter immediately responded that Jesus had paid the tax, after which he went and told Jesus about it, and Jesus spoke a kind of parable - 17,25.26.

The picture Jesus painted can be interpreted in two ways, but the meaning is the same in both cases.

1. In the ancient world, the victorious or conquering people cared little about the good government of the subject peoples; rather, he believed that subject peoples existed in order for them to live more luxuriously. And therefore, the kings did not take tribute from their people if they still had many subject peoples. It was they, the subject peoples, who bore all the burdens and paid taxes. So Jesus may have said, "God is the King of Israel, and we are true Israelites, because we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven; we are free, and let strangers pay."

2. But the picture can be much simpler. When the king imposed a tax on the people, he, of course, did not impose it on his family. Actually, he collected taxes in order to maintain his house. The issue here concerned the temple tax, which was collected for the house of the Lord. Jesus was the Son of God. Didn't He say when his parents were looking for Him in Jerusalem: "Or did you not know that I should be in what belongs to My Father" (Luke 2:49). Can the Son be subject to the obligation to pay the tax that was collected on His Father's house?

However, Jesus said they would pay, not because the law required it, but out of a higher duty. He said that the tax must be paid "so that we do not tempt them." In the New Testament verb seduce (skandalisane) and noun temptation (scandal) are always used in a special sense. This verb never means to insult, or annoy someone, or humiliate, but always has meaning to be a stumbling block in someone's path, cause someone to stray from the true path and fall. And so Jesus says this:

"We must pay so as not to set a bad example for others. We must not only do our duty, but we must go beyond what duty commands us to do in order to set a good example for others." Jesus did not allow Himself anything that would cause others to disregard the daily responsibilities of life. Sometimes we can claim to be the exception to the rule, sometimes we can afford to do something, but we should not allow ourselves to do this and not pretend to do anything that may turn out to be a bad example for others.

We can ask the question, why did they convey this story? Just before the Gospel of Matthew was written, between 80 and 90, Jews and Jewish Christians were confronted with a real and important problem. We have already seen that every male Jew 20 years of age or older had to pay a temple tax; but in 70 the Temple was completely destroyed and could not be rebuilt. After the destruction of the Temple, the Roman Emperor Vespasian decreed that they pay a temple tax of half a shekel to the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome.

The problem was that many Jews and Jewish Christians were very inclined to rebel against this decree. Such opposition would have disastrous consequences, for it would be immediately and brutally suppressed, and would bring upon both Jews and Christians the reputation of infidels and disaffected citizens.

That is why the story was included in the Gospels, to show Christians, and especially Jewish Christians, that no matter how unpleasant the responsibilities of citizenship may be, they must be taken upon their shoulders. This story tells us that Christianity is inextricably linked to civic duty. A Christian who ignores the duty of citizenship sets a negative example.

Commentary (introduction) to the entire book of Matthew

Comments on Chapter 17

In the grandeur of the concept and the force with which the mass of material is subordinated to great ideas, no Scripture of the New or Old Testaments dealing with historical subjects can be compared with the Gospel of Matthew.

Theodore Zahn

Introduction

I. SPECIAL POSITION IN THE CANON

The Gospel of Matthew is an excellent bridge between the Old and New Testaments. From the very first words we return to the forefather of the Old Testament people of God Abraham and to the first great King David of Israel. Due to its emotionality, strong Jewish flavor, many quotations from the Jewish Scriptures and position at the head of all books of the New Testament. Matthew represents the logical place from which the Christian message to the world begins its journey.

That Matthew the Publican, also called Levi, wrote the first Gospel, is ancient and universal opinion.

Since he was not a regular member of the apostolic group, it would seem strange if the first Gospel was attributed to him when he had nothing to do with it.

Except for the ancient document known as the Didache ("Teaching of the Twelve Apostles"), Justin Martyr, Dionysius of Corinth, Theophilus of Antioch and Athenagoras the Athenian regard the Gospel as reliable. Eusebius, the church historian, quotes Papias, who stated that "Matthew wrote "Logic" in the Hebrew language, and each one interprets it as he can." Irenaeus, Pantaine and Origen generally agree on this. It is widely believed that "Hebrew" is a dialect of Aramaic used by the Jews in the time of our Lord, as this word occurs in the NT. But what is “logic”? Usually this Greek word means “revelations”, because in the OT there are. revelations God's. In Papias's statement it cannot have such a meaning. There are three main points of view on his statement: (1) it refers to Gospel from Matthew as such. That is, Matthew wrote the Aramaic version of his Gospel specifically in order to win Jews to Christ and instruct Jewish Christians, and only later did the Greek version appear; (2) it only applies to statements Jesus, which were later transferred to his Gospel; (3) it refers to "testimony", i.e. quotes from Old Testament Scriptures to show that Jesus is the Messiah. The first and second opinions are more likely.

Matthew's Greek does not read as an explicit translation; but such a widespread tradition (in the absence of early disagreements) must have a factual basis. Tradition says that Matthew preached in Palestine for fifteen years, and then went to evangelize foreign countries. It is possible that around 45 AD. he left to the Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah the first draft of his Gospel (or simply lectures about Christ) in Aramaic, and later made Greek final version for universal use. Joseph, a contemporary of Matthew, did the same. This Jewish historian made the first draft of his "Jewish War" in Aramaic , and then finalized the book in Greek.

Internal evidence The first Gospels are very suitable for a pious Jew who loved the OT and was a gifted writer and editor. As a civil servant of Rome, Matthew had to be fluent in both languages: his people (Aramaic) and those in power. (The Romans used Greek, not Latin, in the East.) The details of numbers, parables involving money, financial terms, and an expressive, regular style were all perfectly suited to his profession as a tax collector. The highly educated, non-conservative scholar accepts Matthew as the author of this Gospel in part and under the influence of his compelling internal evidence.

Despite such universal external and corresponding internal evidence, most scientists reject The traditional opinion is that this book was written by the publican Matthew. They justify this for two reasons.

First: if count, that Ev. Mark was the first written Gospel (referred to in many circles today as "gospel truth"), why would the apostle and eyewitness use so much of Mark's material? (93% of Mark's Gospels are also in the other Gospels.) In answer to this question, first of all we will say: not proven that Ev. Mark was written first. Ancient evidence says that the first was Ev. from Matthew, and since the first Christians were almost all Jews, this makes a lot of sense. But even if we agree with the so-called “Markian Majority” (and many conservatives do), Matthew might concede that much of Mark’s work was influenced by the energetic Simon Peter, Matthew’s co-apostle, as early church traditions claim (see “Introduction”) "to Ev. from Mark).

The second argument against the book being written by Matthew (or another eyewitness) is the lack of vivid details. Mark, whom no one considers a witness to the ministry of Christ, has colorful details from which it can be assumed that he himself was present at this. How could an eyewitness write so dryly? Probably, the very characteristics of the tax collector’s character explain this very well. To give more space to our Lord's speeches, Levi had to give less space to unnecessary details. The same would have happened with Mark if he had written first, and Matthew had seen the traits inherent directly in Peter.

III. WRITING TIME

If the widespread belief that Matthew first wrote the Aramaic version of the Gospel (or at least the sayings of Jesus) is correct, then the date of writing is 45 AD. e., fifteen years after the ascension, completely coincides with ancient legends. He probably completed his more complete, canonical Gospel in Greek in 50-55, and perhaps later.

The view that the Gospel there must be written after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD), is based, rather, on disbelief in the ability of Christ to predict future events in detail and other rationalistic theories that ignore or reject inspiration.

IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND TOPIC

Matthew was a young man when Jesus called him. A Jew by birth and a publican by profession, he left everything in order to follow Christ. One of his many rewards was that he was one of the twelve apostles. Another is his election to be the author of the work that we know as the first Gospel. It is usually believed that Matthew and Levi are one person (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27).

In his Gospel, Matthew sets out to show that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the only legitimate contender for the throne of David.

The book does not purport to be a complete account of the life of Christ. It begins with His genealogy and childhood, then moves on to the beginning of His public ministry, when He was about thirty years of age. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Matthew selects those aspects of the Savior's life and ministry that testify to Him as Anointed God (which is what the word “Messiah” or “Christ” means). The book takes us to the culmination of events: the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus.

And in this culmination, of course, lies the basis for human salvation.

That is why the book is called "The Gospel" - not so much because it paves the way for sinners to receive salvation, but because it describes the sacrificial ministry of Christ, thanks to which this salvation was made possible.

Bible Commentaries for Christians does not aim to be exhaustive or technical, but rather to inspire personal reflection and study of the Word. And most of all, they are aimed at creating in the reader’s heart a strong desire for the return of the King.

"And even I, with my heart burning more and more,
And even I, nourishing sweet hope,
I sigh heavily, my Christ,
About the hour when you return,
Losing courage at the sight
Burning steps of Your coming."

F. W. G. Mayer ("St. Paul")

Plan

GENEALOGY AND BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH-KING (CHAPTER 1)

THE EARLY YEARS OF THE MESSIAH KING (CHAPTER 2)

PREPARATION FOR THE MESSIANIC MINISTRY AND ITS BEGINNING (CHAP. 3-4)

ORDER OF THE KINGDOM (CHAP. 5-7)

MIRACLES OF GRACE AND POWERS CREATED BY THE MESSIAH AND DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO THEM (8.1 - 9.34)

GROWING OPPOSITION AND REJECTION OF THE MESSIAH (CHAP. 11-12)

THE KING REJECTED BY ISRAEL DECLARES A NEW, INTERMEDIATE FORM OF THE KINGDOM (CHAPTER 13)

THE MESSIAH'S TIRESLESS GRACE MEETS INCREASING HOSTILITY (14:1 - 16:12)

THE KING PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES (16.13 - 17.27)

THE KING GIVES INSTRUCTION TO HIS DISCIPLES (CHAP. 18-20)

INTRODUCTION AND REJECTION OF THE KING (CHAP. 21-23)

THE KING'S SPEECH ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES (CHAP. 24-25)

SUFFERING AND DEATH OF THE KING (CHAP. 26-27)

TRIUMPH OF THE KING (CHAPTER 28)

D. Preparing Disciples for Glory: Transfiguration (17:1-8)

17,1 -2 Later six days after the event that took place in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain, located somewhere in Galilee. Many commentators attach significance to these six days. Gabelin, in particular, says: “Six is ​​a human number, a number meaning days of labor. After six days - after labor and the human day are over, the day of the Lord, the Kingdom, will come.”

When Luke says that the transfiguration took place "after eight days" (9:28), he obviously includes both the day on which Jesus predicted it to His disciples and the day of the transfiguration. Since eight is the number of resurrection and a new beginning, the Kingdom can well be compared to the beginning, as Luke does.

To Peter, James and John, who were obviously especially close to the Savior, He granted the privilege of seeing Him transfigured. Until now, His glory was covered by a fleshly body. But now His face And clothes became shining like a sun, and amazingly snow-white - a visible manifestation of His Divinity, just as the cloud of glory, or shekinah, in the OT symbolized the presence of God. This scene foreshadowed the image that the Lord Jesus would have when He appeared again to establish His Kingdom. He will appear another time not as a Lamb led to the slaughter, but as a Lion of the tribe of Judah. All who see Him will immediately recognize Him as the Son of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

17,3 Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain and talked with Him about His upcoming death in Jerusalem (Luke 9:30-31). Moses and Elijah may represent the Old Testament saints. Or, if we consider Moses to be the representative of the law and Elijah to be the representative of the prophets, then we will see both parts of the OT pointing to the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. The third assumption is that Moses, who went to heaven through death, symbolizes all who will rise from the dead on the eve of the Millennial Kingdom; and Elijah being taken into heaven alive represents those who will attain the kingdom by being raptured into heaven alive.

The disciples - Peter, James and John - can generally represent all the New Testament saints. They may also be a type of the faithful Jewish remnant who will survive at the second coming and enter the kingdom with Christ.

The people at the foot of the mountain (cf. Luke 9:37) are compared to the pagan nations who will share in the blessings of Christ's Millennial reign.

17,4-5 Peter was very excited by what had happened, he understood the real significance of this event. Wanting to stop this magnificent vision, he immediately proposed to build three memorial tabernacles, or tabernacles: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. He was right to put Jesus first, but wrong to not emphasize His superiority over them.

Jesus is not one among equals, He is Lord of all. To teach this lesson, God the Father covered them with a shining cloud, then announced: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him." In the Kingdom, Christ will be the incomparable sovereign Monarch, whose word will have final authority. This is how it should be in the hearts of His followers at this time.

17,6-8 Amazed by this cloud of glory and the voice of God, the disciples fell on their faces. But Jesus told them to stand up and Do not be scared. When they got up, they They saw no one except Jesus. So it will be in the Kingdom - the Lord will be "all the glory of the land of Immanuel."

D. About the forerunner (17.9-13)

17,9 Descending from the mountain, Jesus commanded disciples to remain silent about what they saw while He will not rise from the dead. The Jews, too anxious to find someone who could free them from the Roman yoke, would have gladly welcomed Jesus as the savior from Rome, but they did not want Him as the Savior from sin. For practical purposes, Israel rejected their Messiah, so it was useless to tell the Jews about the vision of messianic glory. After the resurrection, this news will spread throughout the world.

17,10-13 The disciples had just had a preview of Christ coming in power and glory. But His forerunner had not yet appeared. Malachi prophesied that Elijah must come before the return of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5-6), therefore the students asked Jesus about this. The Lord agreed with them that, indeed, Elijah should come before, as a reformer to arrange everything, but explained that Elijah has already arrived. It's clear what He meant John the Baptist(see art. 13). John was not Elijah (John 1:21), but came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). If Israel had accepted John and his message, he would have fulfilled everything that was prophesied about Elijah (Matthew 11:14), but the people did not understand the importance of John's mission and treated him as they pleased. John's death clearly foreshadowed what they would do to the Son of Man. They rejected the forerunner, they will also reject the King. When Jesus explained this to the disciples, they realized that He was talking to them about John the Baptist.

This is also a reason to believe that before the second coming of Christ a prophet will arise to prepare Israel for the coming King. Whether it will be Elijah or someone else performing a similar service, it is almost impossible to say.

E. Preparation for service through fasting and prayer (17:14-21)

Life brings us not only the joy of conquering mountain peaks. After moments of spiritual uplift come hours and days of hard work and expense. The time comes when we must come down from the peak to minister in the valley of human need.

17,14-15 At the foot of the mountain, a father distraught with grief was waiting for the Savior. Kneeling before Him, he poured out his urgent need for the healing of his son, who was possessed by a demon. The son suffered from a severe form epilepsy, which is often threw his into fire and often into water, so that his already miserable condition was complicated by burns and the danger of drowning. He was a classic example of the suffering caused by Satan - a master of all the cruelest deeds.

17,16 This father asked for help to the students but I learned that “human help is in vain.” They did not have the power to perform this healing.

17,17 “Oh, unfaithful and corrupt generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?”- addressed to the students. They did not have the faith to heal an epileptic, but that was the condition of most of the people of Israel in those days - faithless and stubborn.

17,18 As soon as the epileptic was brought to Him, Jesus rebuked the demon and the sufferer was immediately healed

17,19 -20 Puzzled by their helplessness, students privately asked Jesus to explain to them the reason for their failure. His answer was direct: disbelief. If they had faith at least with a mustard seed(the smallest of all seeds), they could command grief plunge into the sea, and it would become so. Of course, you need to understand that true faith must be based on some command or promise of God. Expecting to perform some artistic trick to satisfy your own whim is not faith, but arrogance. But if God guides the believer in a certain direction or gives a certain command, then the Christian can have absolute confidence that even if difficulties the size of a mountain arise, they will be miraculously eliminated. Nothing is impossible for a believer.

17,21 “This same generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting.”- is omitted from most modern Bibles because this verse is missing from many early manuscripts. However, it can be found in most manuscripts and fits the context without causing too many problems.

G. Jesus will be betrayed (17:22-23)

Again, without drama or fanfare, the Lord Jesus warned His disciples that He would be betrayed to death.

And again the word of support and victory sounded: He will rise again on the third day. If He had not told them about this in advance, they would have been completely disappointed when it happened.

Death from shame and suffering did not live up to their hopes for the Messiah. However, they were very upset that He was going to leave them and that He would be killed. They heard His warnings about suffering, but seemed to miss the promise of His resurrection.

Z. Peter and his Teacher pay taxes (17.24-27)

17,24-25 In Capernaum, temple tax collectors asked Peter if His Teacher would pay half a shekel, which was used to support the expensive temple service. Peter replied: "Yes". Perhaps the confused disciple wanted to save the Savior from a difficult situation.

The Lord's omniscience is evident from what happened next. When Peter arrived home, Jesus spoke to him before Peter had a chance to tell what had happened. “What do you think, Simon? Who do the kings of the earth take duties or taxes from? From their own sons, or from strangers?” This question may be clear in the light of the customs of those days. The ruler imposed taxes on his subjects to support his family and his kingdom, but his family was not subject to taxes. In our form of government, everyone must pay taxes, including the ruler and his family.

17,26 Peter answered correctly that rulers take taxes from strangers. Then Jesus said that sons are free. The fact is that this temple was the House of God. For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paying taxes for temple expenses would be tantamount to paying taxes to Himself.

17,27 However, instead of being outraged by this offense, the Lord agreed to pay the tax. But where could He get the money? It was never written that Jesus carried money on him. He sent Peter to sea Galilean and ordered him to bring the first fish he caught. In the mouth of this fish was coin, satyr, to whom Peter paid taxes, half for the Lord Jesus and half for himself.

This amazing miracle, recorded very briefly, clearly demonstrates the omniscience of Christ. He knew which of all the fish in the Sea of ​​Galilee had a statir in its mouth. He knew the location of this particular fish. And He knew that Peter would catch her first.

If there had not been a Divine principle at work, Jesus would not have made the payment. The moral side of this matter was indifferent to Him, and He wished to pay rather than be a violator. We, as believers, are free from the law. But still, in non-moral cases, we must respect the conscience of others and not commit any violations.

. and He was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.

He takes them to a high mountain, showing that whoever does not rise is not worthy of such contemplations. Christ does this especially because He used to perform His greatest miracles in secret, so that, visible to many as God, He would not be considered by them as a man, like a ghost. When you hear about the transfiguration, do not think that He then rejected His body: His body remained in its form, for you hear about His face and about His clothes. He became lighter when His Divinity showed some of its rays, and this is as much as could be seen. That is why he earlier called the transfiguration the Kingdom of God, since it revealed the ineffable nature of His power and taught that He is the true Son of the Father, and showed the glory of His second coming by the ineffable illumination of the face of Jesus.

. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

What were they talking about? “About the exodus,” says Luke, which He had to accomplish in Jerusalem, that is, about the cross. Why did Moses and Elijah become visible? To show that He is the Lord of the law and the prophets, living and dead, for Elijah was a prophet, his prophecy still lived, but Moses was a lawgiver and died. In addition, and in order to show that he is not an opponent of the law and not an enemy of God. Otherwise, Moses would not have conversed with him, just as he would not have conversed with the one who opposed him, and Elijah, the zealot, would not have endured His presence if He had been the enemy of God. Also in order to destroy the suspicion of those who considered Him Elijah or one of the prophets. How did the disciples know that it was Moses and Elijah? Not from images, because making images of people was then considered illegal. Apparently they recognized them by the words they spoke. Moses may have said: You are the One whose suffering I depicted in advance by slaughtering the lamb and celebrating the Passover; Elijah: You are the one whose resurrection I depicted in advance by raising the widow’s son, and so on. By showing them to his disciples, the Lord teaches them to imitate them, that is, like Moses, to be meek and accessible to everyone, and like Elijah, to be zealous and unyielding when necessary, and like them, ready to expose themselves to dangers for the truth.

. At this Peter said to Jesus: Lord! It’s good for us to be here; If you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Peter, out of much love for Christ, wanting Him not to suffer, says: “It is good to be here,” not to leave and not to be killed, for even if someone came here, we have Moses and Elijah as our helpers; Moses defeated the Egyptians, but Elijah brought down fire from heaven; they will be the same when the enemies come here. He spoke this out of great fear, as Luke notes, not knowing what he was saying. For the unusualness struck him, or he really did not know what he was saying, wanting Jesus to remain on the mountain and not leave, and not suffer for us. But, afraid of seeming capricious, he says: “if you want.”

. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him.

You, Peter, desire that there should be tabernacles made with hands; The Father, having surrounded Me with another tabernacle, a cloud not made with hands, shows that just as He, God, appeared to the ancients in the cloud, so did His Son. Here the cloud is light, and not dark, as in ancient times; because He did not want to frighten, but to teach. The voice came from the cloud to show that He was from God. The words “in which I am well pleased” - instead of the words: “in which I rest and which is pleasing to Me.” With the words: “Listen to Him,” he teaches: do not resist Him, even if He wanted to be crucified.

. And when the disciples heard, they fell on their faces and were very afraid.

. But Jesus came and touched them and said: Arise and do not be afraid.

. Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus.

Unable to bear the cloudy light and voice, the disciples fell on their faces. Their eyes were heavy with sleep. Sleep means fainting from a vision. So that fear, remaining for a long time, does not destroy the memory of what they saw, Jesus awakens them and encourages them, but it turns out to be only so that you do not think that the voice was about Moses and Elijah, and not about Him: for He is the Son.

. And when they came down from the mountain, Jesus rebuked them, saying: Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead.

Out of humility, he commands not to tell anyone, and at the same time so that, having heard about this, they would not be tempted when they later see Him crucified. For they could have taken Him for a deceiver who was ghostly doing what was right for God. Pay attention to the fact that the contemplation of God occurred after six days, that is, after the world was created in six days. For if you do not go beyond the world and climb the mountain, you will not see the light: neither the face of Jesus, I mean His Divinity, nor the clothing of the flesh. You will then be able to see Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus, for the law, the prophets, and Jesus say the same thing and agree with each other. When you find someone who clearly interprets the thought of Scripture, then know that he clearly sees the face of Jesus; if he also explains the figures of speech, then he sees the white clothes of Jesus, for the expressions of thought are her clothes. But do not say like Peter: “It is good for us to be here,” because we must always succeed and not stop at one degree of virtue and contemplation, but move on to others.

. And His disciples asked Him, “How come the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Deceiving the people, the scribes said that He was not the Christ, for if He were such, then Elijah would have come in advance. They did not distinguish between the two comings of Christ: the first of them was the forerunner of John, the second of Elijah. This is what Christ explains to his disciples. Because listen!

. Jesus answered and said to them: It is true that Elijah must come first and arrange everything;

. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted, and so the Son of Man will suffer from them.

. Then the disciples realized that He was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Saying: “truth, Elijah must come first,” shows that he has not yet come, but will come as the forerunner of the second coming, and will establish in faith in Christ all the Jews who turn out to be obedient, establishing them, as it were, in the paternal inheritance of whom they long ago lost. Saying: “Elijah has already come,” hints at John the Baptist. They did with him what they wanted, killing him, for, having allowed Herod to kill him, although they had the opportunity to prevent him, they themselves killed. Then the disciples, becoming more thoughtful, realized that the Lord called John Elijah, because he was the forerunner of the first, just as Elijah will be the forerunner of His second coming.

. When they came to the people, a man came up to Him and, kneeling before Him,

. said: Lord! have mercy on my son; he's on the new moon rages and suffers grievously, for he is often thrown into fire, and often into water,

This man, apparently, was very unbelieving, judging by the fact that Christ says to him: “Oh, faithless generation,” as well as by the fact that he accuses the disciples. The cause of his son's illness was not the moon, but the demon; he lay in wait for the full moon and then attacked the sick person so that God’s creation would be blasphemed as evil. You must understand that every madman changes, according to Scripture, like the moon, sometimes being great in virtue, sometimes small and insignificant. So, he becomes a sleepwalker and throws himself first into the fire of anger and passion, then into the water - into the waves of numerous everyday worries in which Leviathan dwells - that is, the king over the waters. Aren't waves the constant worry of the rich?

. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him.

. Jesus answered and said: O faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you! How long will I tolerate you? bring him here to Me.

. And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him; and the boy was healed at that hour.

You see this man placing his unbelief on the disciples because they were not able to heal. And so, the Lord, shaming him for accusing the disciples, says: “Oh, unfaithful generation,” that is, the sin of their weakness is not as great as the sin of your unbelief, for it, being great, defeated their corresponding strength. By reproaching this person, the Lord reproaches all non-believers and those present. Saying: “as long as I am with you,” indicates that He strongly desires the suffering of the cross and removal from them. How long will I live with offenders and unbelievers? “And Jesus rebuked him.” To whom? Sleepwalker. From this it is clear that he, being an unbeliever, himself, thanks to his unbelief, gave the demon the opportunity to enter him.

. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive him out?”

. Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief; For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you;

. this race is driven out only by prayer and fasting.

The apostles were afraid that they had lost the power given to them over demons? Therefore, in private, worried, they asked. The Lord, reproaching them as still far from perfection, says: “because of your unbelief”; if you had warm, ardent faith, then it, even if it seemed small, would accomplish great things. Where the apostles moved mountains, nothing is written about this. But it is likely that they rearranged, although it is not written, since not everything is written down. Otherwise: circumstances did not require it, so the apostles did not rearrange, but did much more. Pay attention to what the Lord said: “Say to this mountain: move from here,” that is, when you say it, then it will move. But the apostles did not say this, because time did not demand and there was no need, and therefore they did not cross the mountains. Tell them, they would move on. “This same race,” that is, the race of demons, “is driven out only by prayer and fasting.” For those who are in the power of demons and those who intend to heal from them should especially fast. Prayer is true when it is combined not with drunkenness, but with fasting. Pay attention to the fact that every faith is a mustard seed. It is considered insignificant due to the violence of preaching, but if good earth happens, it develops into a tree on which the birds of the air build their nests, that is, thoughts soaring upward. Therefore, anyone who has warm faith can say to this mountain: move over, that is, to the demon. For the Lord showed the demon coming.

. While they were in Galilee, Jesus said to them: The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men,

. and they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again. And they were very sad.

He often tells them about suffering in advance, so that they do not think that He is suffering against his will, and at the same time so that they become accustomed and are not embarrassed by the unexpected event when it occurs. However, the sad thing is also joined with the joyful thing, namely, that He will rise again.

. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of didrachms approached Peter and said: Will your teacher give didrachms?

He says yes.

It pleased God that instead of the firstborn of the Jews, the tribe of Levi should be dedicated to Him. The tribe of Levi was numbered twenty-two thousand, and the firstborn were twenty-two thousand and seventy-three. Instead of these firstborns, who were above the tribe of Levi, he determined that the didrachm be given to the priests. This is where the custom arose of paying all first-born children a didrachm, that is, five shekels or two hundred ovols. But since the Lord was the firstborn, He also paid this tax to the priests. Ashamed, perhaps, of Christ because of his miracles, they do not ask Him, but Peter, or rather do it with an insidious purpose, that is, as if saying: “Your teacher is an opponent of the law; will he really want to pay didrachms?

And when he entered the house, Jesus warned him and said: What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take duties or taxes? from your own sons, or from strangers?

. Peter says to Him; from strangers. Jesus said to him: So the sons are free;

As God, although He did not hear, He knew what they were talking about with Peter. Therefore, he warned him, saying: if the kings of the earth do not take taxes from their sons, but from strangers, then how will the King of Heaven take the didrachma from Me, His Son? For this didrachm, as was said earlier, was intended for the temple and the priests. So, if the sons of earthly kings are free, that is, they do not pay anything, then how much more am I.

. but so that we don’t tempt them, go to the sea, throw a fishing rod and the first fish that comes across, take it, and when you open its mouth, you will find a statir; take it and give it to them for Me and for yourself.

So that, he says, we are not considered proud and prone to contempt and so that we do not seduce them, give a tax, for I give it not because I have to give, but in order to correct their weakness. From here we learn that we should not serve as a temptation where there is no harm to us. Where there is harm to us from any action, there should not be concern for those who are foolishly tempted. To show that He is God and owns the sea, Christ sends Peter to get a stater from a fish, and at the same time we learn a certain sacrament. For our nature is also a fish, immersed in the depths of unbelief, but the apostolic word brought us out and found in our mouths the statir, that is, the words of the Lord and the confession of Christ. For whoever confesses Christ has in his mouth a statir consisting of two didrachms. And Christ, as God and as man, has two natures. So, this statir, Christ, was betrayed for people of two kinds - for pagans and Jews, for the righteous and sinners. If you see any money-lover who has nothing in his mouth except silver and gold, consider that he, too, is a fish that swims in the sea of ​​life. But if there were any teacher like Peter, he would catch him and extract gold and silver from his mouth. By statir, some mean a valuable stone that is found in Syria, while others mean a fourth share of gold.

Jesus Christ, Moses and Elijah gave the keys of the priesthood to Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. Coming down from the mountain, Jesus cast out the demon from the boy. While in Capernaum, Jesus miraculously found money to pay taxes.

Guidelines

Matthew 17:1–13

Moses and Elias appear to Peter, James and John

Show the class your driver's license or have one student who has a driver's license show it to the class.

What powers does having a driving license give a person?

Show your car keys or a picture of them.

Why is it so important to have car keys in addition to your license?

What do having a license and car keys to drive have in common with authority and priesthood keys to manage God's work? (Many men have priesthood authority, like those who have a driver's license and the right to drive a car. However, just as car keys allow the driver to operate only a specific vehicle, priesthood keys give a man the authority to direct or direct the work of God in certain limits. The President of the Church holds the keys of the priesthood to preside over and direct all of the Lord's work on earth.)

Remind students that in Matthew 16:19 we read that the Lord promised to give Peter the keys of the kingdom, which is the authority to direct God's work on earth. At that time, Peter and each of the Apostles had already received priesthood authority, but they had not yet been given the keys of the kingdom.

Invite students to note as they study the scriptures today that Peter received the keys of the kingdom, and these keys were later given to Joseph Smith and other men today.

Invite a student to read Matthew 17:1–2 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for where the Savior went with Peter, James, and John to prepare them to receive priesthood keys. If you wish, you can say that the Savior most likely took Peter, James, and John with Him because they were destined to serve in the First Presidency of the Church after the Savior's Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven (see Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. , 3:152).

Where did Jesus go with Peter, James and John?

What happened to the Savior on the mountain?

What does it mean to be “transformed”?

Help students understand what transformation refers to “the state of people who have been temporarily changed in appearance and physical characteristics, that is, who have been raised to a higher spiritual level so that they can endure the presence and glory of celestial beings” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Transfiguration,” scriptures.site ). At that time, Peter, James, and John were also transfigured (see D&C 67:11–12).

Write the following headings on the board: Personalities who were on the Mount of Transfiguration. Below the headings write: Jesus Christ, Peter, James And John.

Who appeared on the mountain? (Explain that Or me- This is a prophet of the Old Testament.)

Add to the list on the board: Moses And Or me.

To help students understand why Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain, have a student read aloud the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“The Savior, Moses and Elias [Elijah] gave the keys to Peter, James and John on the mountain, when they were transfigured before Him” ( , ).

Why did Joseph Smith say Elijah and Moses appeared on the mountain? (To give the keys of the priesthood to Peter, James, and John. It may also be explained that Moses and Elijah appeared at the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, to restore the keys of the priesthood: Moses restored the keys of the gathering of Israel [see D&C 110:11] , and Elijah are the keys associated with the power of sealing [see D&C 110:13–16]. These appearances at Kirtland show an order that helps to understand what happened at the Mount of Transfiguration.)

Explain that the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible states that John the Baptist, who was killed by Herod, also appeared on the mountain (see Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 9:3; see also Guide to the Scriptures, Elias). Add to the list on the board: John the Baptist.

Invite several students to take turns reading Matthew 17:4–9 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for who else was present at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Who else was present on the Mount of Transfiguration? (Add to the list on the board: Heavenly Father.)

Briefly remind students that the gospel dispensation is the period of time in which Heavenly Father imparts priesthood authority, ordinances, and knowledge of His plan of salvation to people on earth through His authorized servants. Invite a student to come to the board and place a star next to each of the figures on the board who appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith in our dispensation. (Students must place a star next to each bullet point on the board.)

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Appear to Joseph Smith

John the Baptist restores the Aaronic Priesthood

Peter, James and John restore the Melchizedek Priesthood

Elijah Restoring the Sealing Keys at the Kirtland Temple

Ask the class to explain when and why these events occurred. (While listening to students' explanations, you can show the following illustrations: ; ; ; and also [ book "The Gospel in Art"(2009), nos. 90, 93, 94, 95; see also website ])

What truth about the conferring of priesthood keys in each dispensation can be learned from these events? (Students may use different words, but help them identify the following truth: In every dispensation, God gives the keys of the priesthood to His chosen servants to direct His work on earth.)

Why is it important to know that the same order of transmission of priesthood keys that existed in the time of Jesus Christ was manifested in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith?

Do today's prophets and apostles hold the same priesthood keys that the Prophet Joseph Smith received? (Yes.) How did they get these keys? (These keys were passed down from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young and subsequent prophets.)

Matthew 17:14–23

Jesus casts out a demon from a boy

Summarize Matthew 17:14–23, explaining that a father brought his son to be healed by the Savior. After healing the child, Jesus taught His disciples that some blessings can only be obtained through prayer and fasting. He also prophesied about His death and Resurrection. ( Note: These events will be considered in more detail within the framework of one of the methodological recommendations to the Gospel of Mark 9:14–29.)

Matthew 17:24–27

Jesus miraculously finds money to pay taxes for Himself and Peter

As you study Matthew 17:24–27, invite students to look for truths that can help us understand how our example affects those around us.

To help students understand the context of this passage, explain that the Law of Moses required all male Israelites 20 years of age or older to pay an annual tax called offering(See Exodus 30:13–16). This money was used for the expenses of maintaining the temple. Some priests and rabbis of their number were exempted by the ruling council from having to pay this tax.

What question did the tax collectors ask Peter? What did Peter answer?

What question did Jesus ask Peter? What did Peter answer?

Explain what the word is outsiders in this passage refers to all the inhabitants of the kingdom, with the exception of the king's children. "Outsiders" are required to pay taxes, while the king's children are exempt from taxes. Jesus taught Peter that since He was the Son of God and the temple was His Father's house (see Matthew 17:25–26; John 2:16), He did not have to pay this tax and could easily accept it not to do. However, the tax collectors expected Jesus to pay the tax because they did not understand who He was.

What did the Savior tell Peter to do?

Why did Jesus, in His own words, decide to pay the tax?

Write the word on the board seduce and explain that in this context the phrase “lest we cause them to stumble” most likely refers to the fact that the Savior did not want to do anything that would lead people into spiritual error. (If He had not paid the tax, some Jews might have disapproved of Him and His followers and become less receptive to the message of the gospel.)

What principle can we learn from the Savior's example? (Although students may use different words, they should identify the following principle: We can follow the Savior's example by avoiding actions that may lead others into spiritual error. Write this principle on the board.)

Give some examples of situations in which this principle can help us make the right decision.

How have you been blessed as you have tried to follow the Savior's example and avoid actions that could cause others to become spiritually deceived?

Ask Questions that Encourage Sharing of Feelings and Testimony

After students understand a doctrine or principle taught in the scriptures, ask questions to help students reflect on lived spiritual experiences related to that doctrine or principle. Questions such as these can help students gain a deeper sense of the truth and importance of this gospel truth in their lives. Often these feelings awaken a strong desire to live a particular gospel principle with greater devotion.

As you close the lesson, invite students to write in their workbooks or scripture study notebooks what they will do to more consistently live the principle they just discovered.

Overview of Mastery Poems

By learning to easily find the mastery passages they need, students will have greater confidence in independently studying the gospel, applying its principles to their lives, and teaching from the scriptures.

Scripture mastery review activities are found throughout this manual and use a variety of techniques to help students review scripture passages regularly. Additional review activities can be found in the appendix to this manual.

Quizzes can help students remember what they have learned previously and evaluate their knowledge. Have students read the three mastery passages already covered in this manual. There are a few additional passages you could include here. (You might want to invite students to mark these passages in their scriptures.) When students have finished reading, test their knowledge by identifying a key word from the passage or reading a phrase from the seminary bookmark. Then ask students to look for the passage in their scriptures.

Comments and additional information

Matthew 17:1–5. Transfiguration and Restoration of the Gospel in the Last Days

“The individuals present at the Mount of Transfiguration [God the Father, Jesus Christ, Peter, James, John, John the Baptist, Moses and Elijah] played a prominent role in the Restoration of the gospel in the last days. This helps us understand that the same priesthood authority and keys that existed in previous dispensations were restored in the last dispensation" ( New Testament Student Manual , ).

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized this truth:

“I invite each of you to consider how you would answer the following question that President David O. McKay asked all members of the Church many years ago: 'If each of you were asked right now to state in one sentence or in one phrase the most distinctive feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what would be your answer? ("The Mission of the Church and Its Members," Improvement Era, Nov. 1956, 781).

President McKay himself gave this answer to his own question: The “divine authority” of the priesthood. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands apart from other churches that claim their authority to be derived from historical succession, scripture, or theological teaching. In contrast, we declare that priesthood authority was conferred by the laying on of hands directly from heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith" ( Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, p. 48).

Matthew 17:1–5. Priesthood Keys

God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so that they can act in His name to save His children. The keys of the priesthood are the presiding rights, or authorities, given to a person by God to rule and administer the Kingdom of God on earth (see Matthew 16:15–19). Those holding the keys of the priesthood are authorized to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation. All who serve in the Church receive their callings under the direction of a person who holds priesthood keys. Thus they are given authority and are entitled to the strength necessary to serve and discharge the duties of their calling. (See Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, pp. 49–52.)

Matthew 17:1–13. Mount of Transfiguration

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles summarized what we know happened on the Mount of Transfiguration:

“(1) Jesus singled out Peter, James and John from all the Twelve, led them to a nameless mountain, there He was transfigured before them, and they beheld His glory... [Peter] said that they were 'eyewitnesses of His majesty' (2nd Peter 1:16).

(2) Peter, James and John were also ‘transfigured before Him’ [ Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith(2007), ]... thereby gaining the right to communicate with angels, see visions and comprehend the works of God...

(3) Moses and Elijah - the two ancient Prophets, transformed and taken into heaven without tasting death, in order to return in a tangible body just now, on the occasion preceding the day of resurrection - appeared on the mountain; they and Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter, James and John [see Teachings: Joseph Smith, ].

(4) John the Baptist, previously beheaded by Herod, appears to have also been present there...

(5) Peter, James and John saw in vision the transformation of the earth, that is, they saw it renewed and restored to its paradise state - this event is destined to occur at the Second Coming, when the advent of the Millennium era will be proclaimed [D. and Z. 63:20–21].

(6) Peter, James, and John appear to have received personal endowments while on the mountain. [Cm. Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. (1954–56), 2:165.]… Moreover, it appears that it was on the mountain that they received the surest prophetic word: it was revealed to them that they were sealed to eternal life (2 Peter 1:16–19; . and Z. 131:5).

(7) Jesus Himself apparently received encouragement and encouragement from Moses and Elijah to better prepare for the endless suffering and agony that awaited Him in connection with the fulfillment of the infinite and eternal Atonement. [Cm. James E. Talmage Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. (1916), 373.] …

(8) Of course, the three chosen Apostles received direct instructions ‘concerning His death and also His resurrection’ [Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 9:31]…

(9) Moreover, they seem to have been expressly given to understand that the old dispensations of former times had passed away, that the law (symbolically associated with Moses) and the prophets (of which Elijah served as a typical representative) had submitted to Him whom they were now commanded to listen to. .

(10) Obviously, on the mountain, hidden by a cloud, was God the Father" ( 3 vols. , 1:399–401).

The Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 9:3 indicates that John the Baptist, who suffered death and was not yet resurrected, also appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave one possible reason for John the Baptist's presence:

“It should not be thought that John the Baptist was Elias, who appeared with Moses for the purpose of transferring keys and authority to those who at that time held the Melchizedek Priesthood - the highest priesthood, which already included and implied all the authority and power that John and which he resorted to during his ministry. No, for some reason unknown to us - due to the fragmentary record of what happened - John played a different role in the glorious appearance given to mortal men. Perhaps he was there as the last eligible minister of the Old Testament, symbolizing that the law was fulfilled and all that was old had passed away, and thereby emphasizing the difference between his role and the role of Peter, James and John, who at that time were becoming the 'first' eligible ministers of the New Kingdom » ( Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. , 1:404).

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1 And when six days had passed, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up to a high mountain alone,

2 And he was transfigured before them: and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Transfiguration. Artist Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-1311.

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

4 At this Peter said to Jesus: Lord! It’s good for us to be here; If you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him.

6 And when the disciples heard, they fell on their faces and were very afraid.

7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Rise up and do not be afraid.”

8 Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus.

Transfiguration. Artist Y. Sh von KAROLSFELD

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus rebuked them, saying, Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead.

10 And His disciples asked Him, “How then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 Jesus answered and said to them, “It is true that Elijah must come first and arrange everything;

12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted; so the Son of Man will suffer from them.

13 Then the disciples realized that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

14 When they came to the people, a man came to Him and, kneeling before Him,

15 said: Lord! have mercy on my son; On new moons he goes berserk and suffers greatly, for he often throws himself into fire and often into water,

16 I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him.

17 Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I tolerate you? bring him here to Me.

Healing a demon-possessed youth. Artist G. Dore

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast him out?”

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you;

21 This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting.

22 While they were in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men,

23 And they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again. And they were very sad.

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of didrachms came to Peter and said: Will your teacher give didrachms?

Collecting tribute. The artist Masaccio 1425

25 He says: Yes. And when he entered the house, Jesus warned him and said: What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take duties or taxes? from your own sons, or from strangers?

26 Peter saith unto him, From strangers. Jesus said to him: So the sons are free;

27 But so that we do not tempt them, go to the sea, throw a fishing rod, and take the first fish that comes across, and when you open its mouth, you will find a statir; take it and give it to them for Me and for yourself.

17:1-6 Scene of the Transfiguration of Christ.
And when six days had passed, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up to a high mountain alone,
2 and transformed (metamorpho/w ) before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
4 At this Peter said to Jesus: Lord! It’s good for us to be here; If you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him.
6 And when the disciples heard, they fell on their faces and were very afraid.
Word metamorpho/w stands for - to be transformed, to undergo transformation or transfiguration. That is, Jesus, at a certain point in time, in the presence of Peter, James and John, changed his appearance, began to look different and unusual. Before this, he said that some disciples would see him COMING in his Kingdom, that is, they would see him at the moment when Jesus seemed to be in his Kingdom, outside the world of earth, in a period of time when he would be the heavenly king over the Earth.

This is one of the scenes of Christ in the unearthly sphere, so unusually he will look THERE - as if he is all woven from light and permeated with it. There are several interesting points here:

1) What was it? Did Christ's disciples see a literal picture of the future Christ or a vision (like a dream)? Will Jesus look like this in heaven?
No one knows what spirits look like, but at that time it was important for the disciples to understand that in the future Jesus will not remain as they knew him now (powerless and neglected by everyone): THERE he will be different, bright, shining, transmitting light (flesh does not transmit light, does not glow). THERE is no darkness and “black robes” characteristic of the earth, immersed in spiritual darkness. This picture was not in reality, not in literal terms, but as if in a dream vision, for the disciples were burdened with sleep - Luke 9:32.

2) Christ will talk with Moses and Elijah - in the future, THERE in heaven? No, Elijah and Moses from the vision spoke prophetically with him not in the future and not in heaven, but at the moment of Christ’s transfiguration on earth, warning him about the imminent end of his earthly journey (Luke 9:31). This means that from this scene it is not at all necessary to draw a conclusion about the presence of Moses and Elijah in heaven, to which Christ himself will go in due time. In addition, Christ made it CLEAR to everyone that NONE of people ascended to heaven - BEFORE Christ, at least - John 3:13. This means that the vision of Moses and Elijah was shown to the disciples for some other purpose (not to show them that these two were already in heaven)

3) How did the disciples know that it was Elijah and Moses, and not Isaiah or Jonah, for example?? After all, they had never seen these prophets before so that they could be recognized? Moses and Elijah were the great prophets of the Old Testament, evoking the coming of the Messiah: the Jews firmly believed that Elijah would literally be the forerunner and messenger of the Messiah, and Moses would accompany the Messiah, as some of the teachers of Israel taught. The disciples could guess that it was them either by the action of the holy spirit, or the way and what these two said reminded them of the words of Moses and Elijah from Scripture.

4) What was this vision for? To strengthen the disciples' faith in the Messiahship of Jesus and that the future with Christ is amazing. Peter had never felt so good before, even if this moment lasted forever for him: he was ready to go into eternity and live next to the tabernacles of Christ, Moses and Elijah, completely forgetting about everything else that he had at that time .

However, the voice of God in confirmation of the Messiahship of Christ and the overshadowing cloud brought them out of the state of spiritual sleep, they woke up and awakened from the vision, returning to reality.

5) Only three disciples were taken to the mountain to demonstrate the transfiguration, and not all 12 apostles. One could decide that Jesus acts unfairly, why not everyone? Why was Jesus not afraid to offend others by having, as it were, “favorites”?

He chose those who had to endure the most in the future: after all, not all the apostles had the same trials, and the amount of work and responsibility were not the same. Peter was crucified, and he had many very difficult and responsible tasks. According to historians, James the Apostle was thrown from the parapet of the temple and beaten to death. John was exiled to Patmos and continued his ministry even after all the apostles died.

It is also interesting that Paul at one time distinguished himself by receiving a revelation and this strengthened him for his career.

It can be considered that SO, through revelation, God supported everyone who had to work most in the field of God and for the cause of His Kingdom - to suffer more than anyone: whoever was given the most blessings will be asked the most, and will endure and endure the most. you have to work hard.

17:7,8 But Jesus came and touched them and said: Arise and do not be afraid.
8 Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus.
So, the blissful sleep of “eternity” ended for the apostles, an awakening from glorious oblivion began and the harsh everyday life of objective reality began: these three no longer saw anyone but Jesus, everything returned to its normal earthly course, the life of Christ’s apostles continued.

17:9 And when they came down from the mountain, Jesus rebuked them, saying: Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead.
Jesus forbids them to disseminate the information of the vision PREMATURE, before his resurrection: even the most truthful, verified and reliable information is good for its time, otherwise its value may be irretrievably lost, wasted and wasted without benefit. They should have understood from the words of Jesus that the three of them had dreamed something after all. One could only remember the contents of the dream and reflect on why, in fact, all this was shown to them.

17:10 And His disciples asked Him, “How come the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
And they thought, replaying in their heads the vision and description of the coming of the Messiah promised by the prophets, and therefore the question arose in them: “how can it be that the Messiah has already come if Elijah has not yet existed, and he must appear BEFORE Christ?”

The question contains not doubts regarding the Messiahship of Christ, but a misunderstanding regarding the promised coming of Elijah: “after all, he has not come yet,” the disciples thought.

As we see, these apostles were well versed in Scripture and had a tenacious mind that did not want to believe everything without convincing arguments. And without this, it is impossible to carry out God’s orders: you need to be hungry and thirsty in the desire to comprehend the truth of God.

17:11-13 Jesus answered and said to them, “It is true that Elijah must come first and arrange everything;
12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted; so the Son of Man will suffer from them.
Jesus filled in the gaps in their Bible knowledge and explained the prophecy of Elijah the prophet preparing the way for the Lord Christ. Without Christ’s explanations, they would not have understood that John the Baptist was the prophesied Elijah; it was simply not predicted in the prophecy that he would not be recognized and would be killed in addition.

Although the disciples and scribes had correct knowledge about the prophecy of Elijah and even many knew it by heart, this knowledge alone did not help them to know the fulfillment of the prophecy itself.

13 Then the disciples realized that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
As we see, to understand many prophecies, having all the knowledge about prophecies, and even being hungry and thirsty, is not enough, although it is necessary to begin with. Then - you need to turn to Christ for clarification, without the clarification of Christ or his assistant - the Comforter from above - you cannot do it, no matter how hard you try - but you yourself will not understand, for the prophecies were always pronounced under the influence of the holy spirit, therefore, it is possible to reveal them only with the help the same influence from above - 2 Peter 1:20,21. There is no influence from above - and understanding does not come. And who to influence and who not, only God can know about this, sending the gift of the holy spirit to understand the prophecies on His anointed ones.

17:14-20 One of the few cases in Scripture that shows that Jesus sometimes expressed his emotions quite violently, and the words that he used at this moment could even seem offensive to someone:
14 When they came to the people, a man came to Him and, kneeling before Him,
15 said: Lord! have mercy on my son; He [goes berserk] during the new moon and suffers greatly, for he often throws himself into fire and often into water,
16 I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him.
17 Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I tolerate you? bring him here to Me.
18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him; and the boy was healed at that hour.
Jesus on earth was a man and inevitably tired of human oddities and unbelief, although he was perfect. Yes, and our heavenly Father sometimes expressed his feelings in the same way and even got angry with Moses when he was stubborn and said absurd things (Ex. 4:13, 14)

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast him out?”
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you;
So, the disciples of Jesus turned out to be of little faith, and therefore they could not drive demons out of the sick man. What does this mean?
The ability of believers to move mountains should not be taken literally: here is a hyperbole about the power of faith in the urgent need to do this or that deed. If a person really needs something and believes that he cannot do without it, in order to achieve his goal, he will be able to go through all the obstacles and achieve his goal (figuratively, he will move a mountain). The same thing applies to the strength of the believer’s faith that God will help achieve the exorcism of demons: the disciples of Christ did not have enough faith in this.

17:21 this race is driven out only by prayer and fasting.
This text is missing from most of the most widely circulated manuscripts.

17:22,23 While they were in Galilee, Jesus said to them: The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men,
23 And they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again. And they were very sad.
Jesus warns for the second time about his imminent suffering on the cross, but the disciples do not yet feel the depth of what Christ said, and he does not insist that attention be paid to his warnings.

His one-time and episodic warnings, made in the course of other matters, were supposed to have the effect of “frame 25”: just be imprinted in the minds of the students, and only in due time, under certain conditions, float to the forefront of the overall picture and reveal themselves. Before certain events, it was difficult for the disciples to comprehend what Jesus meant when he spoke about his suffering on the cross: the messiahship of the king of Israel and suffering did not connect with them at all.

17:24-27 Tribute to the temple :
When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of didrachms approached Peter and said: Will your teacher give didrachms?
25 He says: Yes. And when he entered the house, Jesus warned him and said: What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take duties or taxes? from your own sons, or from strangers?
26 Peter saith unto him, From strangers. Jesus said to him: So the sons are free;
27 But so that we do not tempt them, go to the sea, throw a fishing rod, and take the first fish that comes across, and when you open its mouth, you will find a statir; take it and give it to them for Me and for yourself.
The temple tribute (offering to the Lord) was established by God for those wishing to visit the temple - Ex. 30.13.
This was not a requirement of the “traditions of the elders,” which is why Jesus ordered Peter to give up the statir so as not to offend the collectors of didrachmas: in refusal they would see a violation of God’s law.
Although as the son and heir of God - Jesus had the freedom not to pay temple tax, for it is one thing when a stranger wants to visit the temple from time to time, and a completely different thing if you live in the Father’s house, being His son.
Jesus could publicly declare that I am the son of God and have every right not to pay for what is mine. But he paid the tax, and only told Peter about his rights as a son, and even then, not with the goal of taking advantage of them and evading paying the tax. And with the purpose of finding out whether Peter correctly understands the principles of God.

Meditation on Scripture exempts Christians from certain "temple taxes." Many come to the conclusion that God considers all those redeemed by Christ to be His children. But then there is every reason to imitate God’s firstborn, and not become a stumbling block for those who do not yet have such freedom of adoption and try to adhere to many regulations and instructions - “observes the days and eats only vegetables.” Paying your “temple tax”, yielding to a fellow believer in something that does not violate God’s principles, without trumpeting that we have reason not to do this - this is according to Christ. A Christian should not cause anyone to stumble in any way (1 Cor. 8:9)

There is another interesting idea in these texts: Jesus paid what was due, and for Peter too. Another time he said to give to Caesar - Caesar's. And yet he was later accused of forbidding the payment of taxes - Luke 23:1,2. Anyone looking for a reason to accuse someone of something will certainly find it even when there is no reason.