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Matthew 17

Jesus reveals his glory as God’s Son while teaching his disciples about faith, his coming suffering, and his freedom as Son.

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where his appearance changes and Moses and Elijah speak with him. A voice from the cloud declares him God’s beloved Son and commands the disciples to listen. Coming down, Jesus connects Elijah’s coming with John the Baptizer. He then heals a boy his disciples could not cure, foretells his death and resurrection, and directs Peter to find a coin in a fish’s mouth to pay the temple tax.

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1After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.
2He was changed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.
3Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.
4Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
6When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid.
7Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid.”
8Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone.
9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
10His disciples asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11Jesus answered them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things;
12but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them.”
14When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him and saying,
15“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.
16So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him.”
17Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.”
18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?”
20He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
22While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men,
23and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.” They were exceedingly sorry.
24When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the didrachma?”
25He 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 receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?”
26Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt.
27But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Matthew 17:5The voice from the cloud identifies Jesus as God’s beloved Son and makes listening to him the disciples’ command.
Matthew 17:20Jesus names the disciples’ unbelief as the reason for their failure and describes what even mustard-seed faith can accomplish.
Matthew 17:2Jesus’ shining face and garments reveal his glory before he speaks again about suffering and death.
Where this chapter reaches

Mark and Luke recount the transfiguration and the healing of the afflicted boy, sharing Matthew’s movement from revealed glory to the disciples’ failure and Jesus’ authority. 2 Peter recalls the voice declaring Jesus the beloved Son on the mountain, grounding its witness in that event.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out when you read Jesus’ shining appearance alongside his prediction of suffering and resurrection?

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How does Jesus’ response to the disciples’ failure shape what you want to bring to him in prayer?

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Questions people ask about Matthew 17

What is the transfiguration in Matthew 17?

The transfiguration is the change in Jesus’ appearance witnessed by Peter, James, and John: his face shines like the sun, and his garments become white as light. Moses and Elijah appear with him, and the voice identifies him as God’s beloved Son. Matthew does not name the mountain.

What does faith like a mustard seed mean in Matthew 17:20?

Jesus uses a tiny seed to describe faith capable of moving a mountain. The saying answers the disciples’ question about their failure to cast out the demon. Its force rests on God’s power, and the context concerns dependence on him. It gives no basis for treating faith as control over every desired outcome.

Does Matthew 17 teach that epilepsy is caused by demons?

The father describes his son as epileptic, and Matthew reports that Jesus casts a demon out of this particular boy. The account does not offer a general explanation of epilepsy or identify all seizures with demons. It gives no grounds for diagnosing someone today as demon-possessed or withholding medical care.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).