Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Commentary

Skeptics, scoffers, doubters, atheists, etc., often claim that Jesus was just an ordinary man. That He never claimed to be God. It’s their excuse to dismiss his divinity and thus his spiritual authority over their lives. The transfiguration of Jesus, however, demonstrates without question that Jesus is no ordinary man. How many times have you seen a person’s face become as bright as the sun and his clothing become as white as light? He may be fully man, but he is also fully God.

…Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

Verse 3

Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

Commentary

It should be noted here that Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the prophets. Recall from Matthew 5 that Jesus came to fulfill the law and prophets.

For most of my Christian life, I assumed that these were the spirits of Moses and Elijah because at this point Moses had been deceased for a thousand years. However, I recently heard someone suggest that Peter, James, and John are seeing Moses and Elijah during the time of their earthly lives. The suggestion was that perhaps God was doing something miraculous with time; merging three different points in time as well as different geographic locations into one.

In the book of Exodus, when Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, he was perhaps, at that time, speaking with Jesus during this present time of transfiguration. Likewise, when Elijah went up on Mount Horeb to speak with God, he too may have been conversing with Jesus during this present moment of transfiguration. If this was the case, were Moses and Elijah aware of one another? Perhaps not. The accounts in Exodus and 1 Kings don’t seem to suggest that. Furthermore, I am by no means suggesting that this is the correct interpretation. I’m merely speculating. However, because nothing is impossible for God, his ability to manipulate both time and space in a miraculous way is certainly plausible. God resides outside of time and is therefore not bound by it. You can praise God at the realization that he already knows the entire timeline of your life and is already present in your future times of need. When you have problems in this life, don’t think you have to wait for God to show up. He’s already there.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)

Verse 4

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters —one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Commentary

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say. (Mark 9:5-6)

I think Peter is very likely just running his mouth, speaking nonsense and not really knowing what to say. In the next verse, we see that God interrupts Peter and stops him from speaking any further, which is why I’ve concluded that Peter’s words are likely not important and he probably shouldn’t have been speaking at all.

But if that’s the case, why include his statement in the Bible? We know that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Therefore, there must be at least some significance to what Peter is saying, but what could it be?

By requesting to build three shelters, one for each of them, Peter is inadvertently reducing the value of Jesus by making him equal to the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). This is an error because both the law and the prophets were meant to point to Jesus.

The law in particular was never meant to be a to-do list for salvation. From the very beginning, the law was meant to show us that we are all sinners in need of a savior, namely the Messiah, Jesus.

Verses 5-8

While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down in terror. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Commentary

A cloud enveloped Jesus, and Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophets). A voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples next looked up, they saw only Jesus. What is the implication? Recall when Jesus was walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about himself (Luke 24:27).

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. God instructs us to listen to him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

By looking up and seeing only Jesus, the disciples (as well as us, the readers of God’s Word) are being shown that Jesus is all we need. Again, Jesus is not negating the law and prophets; he is the fulfillment of them.

God said, “Listen to him.” After his resurrection, Jesus is going to inform the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).

The one who has all authority should be listened to. If the one who has all authority says go, we should go. And if he says, “Remain where you are,” we should remain. This is why faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26b). If you claim to love Jesus Christ but are unwilling to do anything he asks, your love for him is not sincere.

“Listen to him!” is God’s advice to us. Putting your faith in Jesus Christ means that you fully trust him. You listen to him and believe what he said is true. Therefore, as an example, when Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” having faith means you trust this to be good advice, and you’re willing to follow it. You don’t question it; you don’t need someone to prove its value to you. You simply trust.

Remember there are two ways to reject Jesus Christ. The first is unbelief. Those who reject his claim of authority declare that Jesus was merely a good teacher, a nice man, an ordinary person (i.e., not the Savior). Such people are rejecting his authority. Also, people who say that Christianity is not the only path to salvation are rejecting Christ’s authority.

The second way to reject Jesus Christ is to not do what he said. Many people claim to be Christians and claim to believe. They may even go to church every Sunday, yet by their lifestyle they reject everything Jesus taught. Here’s an extreme example to illustrate my point: a bank robber can claim he has faith in Jesus Christ, but the act of robbing banks is a rejection of Jesus Christ because Jesus said, “You shall not steal” (Matthew 19:18) and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). By robbing banks, he is robbing his neighbors and has thus rejected the teachings of Jesus Christ. By his actions, the bank robber demonstrates he has rejected Jesus. You cannot reject Christ’s teachings without rejecting Jesus himself. We can conclude, therefore, that there is a discrepancy between the robber’s claim of faith in Christ and his present behavior. Everyone stumbles into sin, like a cuss word uttered when one slips and falls on an icy sidewalk, but bank robbery is not something a person merely stumbles into. It’s a sin meticulously planned.

Verse 9

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Commentary

Jesus needed the disciples to remain alive until they could establish the church and begin spreading the gospel. Had they gone about telling everyone in Jerusalem about the transfiguration they had just witnessed, they likely would have been crucified right alongside Jesus.

Verses 10-13

The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Commentary

Having now seen Moses and Elijah and the transfiguration of Jesus, these disciples are trying to understand the meaning of it all. They ask Jesus, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

“Elijah does indeed come and he will restore all things” Jesus said. “But”, He continues, “Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him…” The disciples then understood that He was talking about John the Baptist.

Verses 14-20

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Commentary

It appears that Jesus is becoming exasperated when he says, “How long must I put up with you?”

I doubt very much that Jesus’s exasperation is directed toward the boy’s father, who very understandably would be desperate to help his son. But this man, when explaining the situation to Jesus, stated that the nine disciples were unable to cast out the demon. This, despite the fact that Jesus gave them authority to do so (Matthew chapter 10). It means that they were doubting what Jesus said. He gave them authority to cast out demons, yet their own doubts and lack of faith prevented them from helping this man’s son. Jesus then promptly cast out the demon and healed the boy.

Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered, “Because you have so little faith.”

Faith in what? Their own abilities to cast out demons? No. The lack of faith that they are displaying is in not believing what Jesus told them. They doubt Jesus. Again, Jesus gave them authority to cast out demons, but by doubting Jesus’s words (i.e., the word of God), they are unable to perform the task.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

Think of your Bible (the Word) as being a part of God. It is the words that came out of his mouth. It is a record of what God has said. Thus, if you want to put faith in Jesus Christ (which is how we are saved), you must therefore believe that what God said is true. Likewise, if you believe that what God said is true, you will desire to do what he said.

Let it not be that Jesus becomes exasperated with you. Instead, walk in faith.

Jesus continues, “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

When I was in elementary school, my family and I lived in Colorado. I recall my parents visiting an elderly woman who lived in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. While at her house, I looked out her back door at the mountain rising steeply in front of me. Looking at it, I recalled this Bible verse and wondered if I said to that mountain, “Move,” would it move.

But remember, the doubt that Jesus is exasperated with is not that the disciples doubted themselves, but that they were doubting what Jesus had told them. Thus, to properly interpret this verse about moving mountains, we have to conclude that if Jesus sent you to move a mountain, and you had faith that what Jesus said is true, you could then say to the mountain, “Move,” and it would do so. The emphasis is not upon your will, but God’s. No matter how much faith you put in yourself, you cannot move a mountain unless God sends you to move it.

Also, I want to point out that many people have attempted to explain away this verse by suggesting that the mountain is merely an analogy to some type of obstacle one might have in life, but is not referring to an actual mountain. But I must sharply disagree and would be willing to point my finger at such people and say to them, “For how long must he put up with you?” because nothing is impossible for God. He created the Rocky Mountains by simply speaking to them. If God spoke from heaven and said to you, “Go to the Rocky Mountains, and tell them to move from there to here,” you could actually say to the mountains, “Move,” and God would move them according to his will.

Looking at the pictures below, do you believe that God could make the landscape on the left look like the landscape on the right? If your answer is yes, you have faith the size of a mustard seed. If you said no, keep asking the Lord to help you have more faith.

Verse 21

If you are reading from any of the following Bible translations, you might notice that your Bible does not include verse 21 in Matthew chapter 17, but rather skips it:

• Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
• English Standard Version (ESV)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New Living Translation (NLT)
• Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
• New American Standard Bible (NASB) – 2020 Edition

Many people have pointed to this as “proof” that all of these Bible translations are corrupted. But the reality is quite the opposite. Verse 21 does not appear at all in the oldest and most reliable copies of the Bible that exist. Rather, it was added at some point later. All of the above Bible translations were derived from the oldest and most reliable manuscripts and therefore do not include verse 21. Each of these Bible translations had over 100 Bible scholars work on them. I am confident in their findings and conclusion that verse 21 does not belong; therefore, I am choosing to skip it in this commentary.

Verses 22-23

When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved.

Commentary

The Son of Man is of course referring to Jesus and comes from the book of Daniel chapter 7. What he’s describing is the atonement for sin which will save all of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He’s going to be killed on the cross, a sinless, perfect sacrifice which takes upon himself all of our sins. By rising again on the third day, Jesus will conquer death on our behalf. Those who put their faith in Jesus will:

1. Have their sins forgiven: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

2. Enter into eternity to live forever with Christ: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

This is the reason why Jesus is the only path to salvation. Who else died for your sins? No one. Who else conquered death? No one. Jesus Christ is the only path by which we can enter into eternal life.

Verses 24-27

After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?” “Yes,” he answered.

When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

Commentary

First, I reject the interpretation that this verse teaches any exemption from taxation. Jesus is not saying that he’s not paying the tax, or that Peter does not need to pay taxes, or that Christians are exempt from paying taxes. The point Jesus is making is not about taxation but rather that Jesus is once again declaring who he is: the Son of God, the Messiah, He is divine.

And if one sought to question that claim, Jesus then performs this miracle of having a fish bring them their tax in its mouth.

When reading these verses, I picture the following scenario: a person, perhaps a Roman soldier, went to the beach at the Sea of Galilee, and while walking in the water he was struck by a wave and it knocked a four-drachma coin from his pocket. That coin could have lain there in shallow water for a day, a month, or a year, but on this particular day, God sent a fish to go pick it up. With the coin in his mouth, God then sent that fish to go bite Peter’s hook.

I enjoy metal detecting on the beach. When a person walks into the water and then gets slammed by a big wave, it can easily knock their jewelry right off their fingers, wrist, ears, and even from around their neck. So it’s not uncommon, using a quality metal detector, to find gold and silver at the beach.

This passage shows the miraculous ways in which God can provide. Furthermore, the fact that Jesus knew of said coin and fish and accurately predicted that Peter would catch the fish is just another example that Jesus Christ is much more than merely a man.