Matthew chapter 17 recounts the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, the importance of faith in His disciples, the foretelling of His death and resurrection, and the performance of a miracle.
Summary of Matthew 17
Matthew 17 opens with Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up a mountain for a transformative experience. There, Jesus is transfigured, revealing His divine glory to His disciples.
Jesus’ appearance becomes radiant, and the prophets Moses and Elijah appear, talking with Him. Peter suggests building shelters for them, but a voice from heaven declares Jesus as the Son of God and instructs the disciples to listen to Him.
Descending the mountain, Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy whom the disciples couldn’t heal themselves. He then explains to them the importance of faith in performing miracles. He says that having faith as small as a mustard seed will allow his disciples to move mountains; meaning nothing will be impossible for them.
Finally, Jesus foretells His coming death and resurrection, a difficult concept for the disciples to grasp. He also performs a miracle to pay the temple tax in Capernaum by asking Peter to go fishing and open the mouth of the first catch. Inside was a four-drachma coin to pay the tax.
Matthew 17 Themes
- Glory of Jesus: The transfiguration reveals Jesus’ divine nature and foreshadows His future resurrection.
- Importance of faith: Faith is necessary for following Jesus and for His disciples to perform miracles.
- Coming Messiah: Jesus predicts His suffering and death a second time, a core theme of the Gospel.
- Following Christ: True discipleship involves following Jesus’ teachings and accepting His message, even when challenging.
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