The Transfiguration
Matthew 17After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. And suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.
Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, it is beautiful for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. Jesus came and touched them and said, “Y’all get up. And don’t y’all be afraid.” Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Y’all must not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Humanity has risen from the dead.”
His disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus answered them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things. But I tell y’all that Elijah has come already, and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Humanity will also suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptizer.
Jesus Does What the Disciples Could Not
When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and suffers miserably. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I stay with y’all? How long will I put up with y’all? Bring him here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of him, and the boy was cured from at once.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?”
He said to them, “Because y’all have so little faith. For truly I tell y’all, if y’all have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed, y’all can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for y’all.” +17:20 Some manuscripts include verse 21 “But this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus Explains His Death Again
While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Humanity is about to be delivered up into the hands of men. They will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.”
They were deeply grieved.
Taxes and Tribute
When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t y’all’s teacher pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.”
When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes? From their children or from strangers?”
Peter said to him, “From strangers.”
Jesus said to him, “Then the children are exempt. But so that we don’t offend them, go to the sea and throw out a hook. Take up the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”