Six days after promising some of them would see the Son of man coming in His kingdom before they tasted death, Jesus takes three disciples up a mountain and shows them exactly that — then leads them straight back down into a valley where His own disciples have just been publicly humiliated by a demon they could not cast out.
A study in Matthew 17 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 27 min read
This Is My Beloved Son; Hear Ye Him
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.”
Matthew 17:1-3
This site’s own study of Matthew 16 left off with a promise the disciples could not yet decode — some of them would see the Son of man coming in His kingdom before they tasted death. Six days pass, and the promise comes due on a mountainside where Jesus has gone to pray.
“His prayer is heard. While He is bowed in lowliness upon the stony ground, suddenly the heavens open, the golden gates of the city of God are thrown wide, and holy radiance descends upon the mount, enshrouding the Saviour’s form. Divinity from within flashes through humanity, and meets the glory coming from above. Arising from His prostrate position, Christ stands in godlike majesty. The soul agony is gone. His countenance now shines ‘as the sun,’ and His garments are ‘white as the light.’”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 421
Moses and Elijah are not chosen at random. One died and was raised by Christ Himself before Satan could claim his body forever; the other never saw death at all, translated bodily to heaven in a chariot of fire.
“Moses upon the mount of transfiguration was a witness to Christ’s victory over sin and death. He represented those who shall come forth from the grave at the resurrection of the just. Elijah, who had been translated to heaven without seeing death, represented those who will be living upon the earth at Christ’s second coming, and who will be ‘changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;’ when ‘this mortal must put on immortality,’ and ‘this corruptible must put on incorruption.’”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 421
Every believer who will ever be saved falls into one of exactly those two categories — raised from a grave, or translated without seeing death — and both stood together on that mountain as living proof, before either had actually happened yet.
“Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
Matthew 17:4-5
“But before the crown must come the cross. Not the inauguration of Christ as king, but the decease to be accomplished at Jerusalem, is the subject of their conference with Jesus.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 422
Peter wants to build three tabernacles and stay; the conversation he has just interrupted was about Calvary, not about staying anywhere. The Father’s own voice settles the matter before Peter can finish making his offer.
“While they were still gazing on the scene upon the mount, ‘a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.’ As they beheld the cloud of glory, brighter than that which went before the tribes of Israel in the wilderness; as they heard the voice of God speak in awful majesty that caused the mountain to tremble, the disciples fell smitten to the earth.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 425
“And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.”
Matthew 17:6-8
“Hear ye him” is the whole point of the vision. Moses had the law, Elijah had the prophets, and both stood silent on that mountain while the Father pointed His disciples to His Son alone — the same instruction, in miniature, that governs every one of these studies.
Elias Is Come Already
“And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.”
Matthew 17:9-11
“The revelation made to the disciples was to be pondered in their own hearts, not to be published abroad. To relate it to the multitudes would excite only ridicule or idle wonder. And even the nine apostles would not understand the scene until after Christ had risen from the dead.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 426
The scribes taught, correctly, that Malachi’s prophecy of an Elijah to come before the Messiah had to be fulfilled first. Jesus’s answer identifies exactly who that was, and this site’s own study of Matthew 11 and study of Matthew 14 have already told his story in full.
“But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”
Matthew 17:12-13
John came “in the spirit and power of Elias” — not a reincarnation, but the same calling and the same rejection, right down to a violent death at the hands of the very people he had come to prepare. Jesus’s own closing words, “likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them,” make the pattern explicit before it repeats a third time.
If Ye Have Faith As A Grain Of Mustard Seed
“And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.”
Matthew 17:14-16
While three disciples were on the mountain watching Jesus glorified, the other nine were at the foot of it, failing publicly at the very authority He had given them back in Matthew 10.
“Now in the name of Christ they commanded the torturing spirit to leave his victim; but the demon only mocked them by a fresh display of his power. The disciples, unable to account for their defeat, felt that they were bringing dishonor upon themselves and their Master. And in the crowd there were scribes who made the most of this opportunity to humiliate them. Pressing around the disciples, they plied them with questions, seeking to prove that they and their Master were deceivers. Here, the rabbis triumphantly declared, was an evil spirit that neither the disciples nor Christ Himself could conquer. The people were inclined to side with the scribes, and a feeling of contempt and scorn pervaded the crowd.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 427
“Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.”
Matthew 17:17-18
Mark’s own fuller account of this same scene preserves the father’s raw, half-believing cry, and White brings it forward here as the real hinge of the healing.
“‘If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.’ … Jesus answers, ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ There is no lack of power on the part of Christ; the healing of the son depends upon the father’s faith. With a burst of tears, realizing his own weakness, the father casts himself upon Christ’s mercy, with the cry, ‘Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.’”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 428
The father’s faith was real and imperfect at the same time — enough to bring his son to Jesus, not yet enough to feel certain of the outcome — and Jesus healed the boy anyway. The nine disciples want to know what they lacked that the father, in his own halting way, apparently had.
“Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:19-21
“Though the grain of mustard seed is so small, it contains that same mysterious life principle which produces growth in the loftiest tree. When the mustard seed is cast into the ground, the tiny germ lays hold of every element that God has provided for its nutriment, and it speedily develops a sturdy growth. If you have faith like this, you will lay hold upon God’s word, and upon all the helpful agencies He has appointed. Thus your faith will strengthen, and will bring to your aid the power of heaven. The obstacles that are piled by Satan across your path, though apparently as insurmountable as the eternal hills, shall disappear before the demand of faith.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 431
The size of the seed was never the point of this site’s own Matthew 13 study of that same parable, and it isn’t the point here either — a small amount of real, living faith outperforms a large amount of anxious effort every time.
The Son Of Man Shall Be Betrayed
“And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.”
Matthew 17:22-23
This is the second time in three chapters Jesus states His coming death plainly, and the word “betrayed” sharpens it further — not simply killed by enemies, but handed over by someone close enough to do the handing.
“The disciples did not even now comprehend His words. Although the shadow of a great sorrow fell upon them, a spirit of rivalry found a place in their hearts. They disputed among themselves which should be accounted greatest in the kingdom. This strife they thought to conceal from Jesus, and they did not, as usual, press close to His side, but loitered behind, so that He was in advance of them as they entered Capernaum.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 432
Grief over their Lord’s coming death and ambition for their own coming greatness occupied the disciples’ hearts at the very same time, on the very same road — a quarrel this site’s own next study will find Jesus addressing directly.
Give Unto Them For Me And Thee
“And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?”
Matthew 17:24-25
The temple tax was not a Roman tax but a religious one, owed annually by every Jewish man for the temple’s upkeep — and behind the collector’s ordinary-sounding question sat a real trap.
“In the days of Christ the priests and Levites were still regarded as especially devoted to the temple, and were not required to make the annual contribution for its support. Prophets also were exempted from this payment. In requiring the tribute from Jesus, the rabbis were setting aside His claim as a prophet or teacher, and were dealing with Him as with any commonplace person. A refusal on His part to pay the tribute would be represented as disloyalty to the temple; while, on the other hand, the payment of it would be taken as justifying their rejection of Him as a prophet.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 433
Peter had already answered for Him, without asking, that Jesus would pay — a well-meant answer that, unless corrected, would have quietly conceded the trap’s entire premise. Jesus corrects it before Peter ever repeats it to Him.
“Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”
Matthew 17:26-27
“While the people of a country are taxed for the maintenance of their king, the monarch’s own children are exempt. So Israel, the professed people of God, were required to maintain His service; but Jesus, the Son of God, was under no such obligation.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 433
“If Jesus had paid the tribute without a protest, He would virtually have acknowledged the justice of the claim, and would thus have denied His divinity. But while He saw good to meet the demand, He denied the claim upon which it was based. In providing for the payment of the tribute He gave evidence of His divine character.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 434
The coin that turns up in a fish’s mouth is a small, almost playful miracle to close a chapter that opened with unveiled glory on a mountaintop — but both scenes make exactly the same claim. The One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and commands every fish in the sea has no debt to pay a temple that is, by rights, His own Father’s house.
