Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Matthew
Chapter 17: This Is My Beloved Son; Hear Ye Him
Matthew 17 opens with a mountaintop glimpse of glory. Six days after Peter's confession and the first word of the cross, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain and is transfigured before them, His face shining as the sun. Moses and Elijah appear, the law and the prophets, and a bright cloud overshadows all as the voice of God declares, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.' When it is over, they see 'Jesus only.' Coming down, He heals a boy the disciples could not, teaching that unbelief is the barrier and faith the smallest as a grain of mustard seed moves mountains. He foretells His death and rising a second time, and provides the temple tribute from the mouth of a fish. The chapter lifts the eyes to the glory and deity of Christ, the Son to whom Moses and Elijah give way, and calls His people to a faith that takes Him at His word.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Matthew chapter 17. For each section you will find the KJV text, word studies that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus is transfigured in glory, heals a boy His disciples could not, and pays the temple tribute in a wondrous way. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Transfigured in Light
On the mountain Jesus' hidden glory breaks out, His face shining as the sun.
Hear Ye Him
Moses and Elijah give way as the voice of God points all to His beloved Son.
As a Grain of Mustard Seed
Unbelief left the disciples powerless; even small true faith moves mountains.
A Coin in the Fish
The Lord of the temple provides the tax from the mouth of a fish.
His Face Did Shine as the Sun (Matthew 17:1-13)
On the mountain the veiled glory of Christ shines out, Moses and Elijah appear, and the Father's voice commands the world to hear His Son.
Jesus Only
"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. 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. 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. 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. 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."
Word Study
"was transfigured," Greek metemorphothe (μετεμορφώθη). The word means to be changed in form from within; it is the source of our word "metamorphosis." This was not a light shining on Jesus from outside but His own glory breaking out from within, "his face did shine as the sun." For a moment the veil of His flesh was drawn back and the disciples beheld the glory of God shining through the man Christ Jesus, "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person" (Hebrews 1:3). The One who "made himself of no reputation" let His true glory be seen.
Explanation
On the mountain the veil is drawn back for a moment: Jesus' face shines like the sun and His garments blaze white, the hidden glory of Deity shining out through the flesh it indwells. Moses and Elijah -- the Law and the Prophets -- appear and then vanish, leaving "Jesus only," for they were servants pointing to Him. The Father's voice repeats the word of the baptism, "This is my beloved Son... hear ye him": the same one God who witnesses from heaven is the God who dwells in the transfigured Man. The glory Peter, James, and John behold is not borrowed but native -- "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14).
Gospel Focus
The Transfiguration is a mountaintop unveiling of who Jesus is. Just after He had spoken of His coming death, God gave three witnesses a glimpse of the glory that lay beneath the veil of His flesh: "his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." Moses and Elijah, the great representatives of the law and the prophets, appear and talk with Him, for all the law and the prophets pointed to Christ and find their meaning in Him. Peter, overwhelmed, wants to build "three tabernacles", one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, as though the three stood on equal footing. Heaven corrects him at once. "A bright cloud overshadowed them", the cloud of God's presence, the same glory that filled the tabernacle, and "a voice out of the cloud" declares, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." The Father's voice puts Jesus in a place all His own. Then, when the disciples look up, they see "no man, save Jesus only." Moses fades, Elijah fades; the law and the prophets have done their work of pointing forward, and now the fulfillment stands alone. This is the great lesson of the mount: Jesus only. Not Jesus and the law, not Jesus and the prophets, not Jesus and any other, but Jesus alone, the beloved Son to whom we must listen. For the Apostolic believer this seals the truth of who He is. The glory that shone from His face is the glory of the one true God, veiled in flesh; the voice from heaven bears witness to Him as the beloved Son; and the command "hear ye him" makes Christ the final word. When everything else clears away and you are left with "Jesus only," you have all you need.
If Ye Have Faith as a Grain of Mustard Seed (Matthew 17:14-21)
Coming down from glory to need, Jesus heals a boy the disciples could not, and traces their failure to unbelief.
Because of Your Unbelief
"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. 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. 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."
Word Study
"unbelief," Greek apistia (ἀπιστία). The word is simply the negative of pistis, faith, "no-faith." The disciples had been given power to cast out devils (10:1), yet here "they could not cure him." Jesus names the cause: their apistia. It was not that God's power had failed or that this demon was too strong, but that their faith had grown small and cold. The remedy He gives is not greater technique but greater faith, "faith as a grain of mustard seed," and the discipline of "prayer and fasting" that keeps faith alive and strong.
Explanation
Descending from glory, Jesus meets failure: the disciples could not cast the demon from a suffering boy. He traces it to "unbelief," and teaches that faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains -- not because faith is a force but because it lays hold of the God for whom nothing is impossible. "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" points to a dependence deepened in secret communion with God. The mountaintop and the valley belong together: the vision of Christ's glory is meant to send the disciple back into the world's misery with faith to act.
Gospel Focus
From the mountain of glory Jesus descends straight into a valley of need: a desperate father, a tormented boy, and disciples who "could not cure him." The contrast is deliberate. Glory is real, but so is the battle below, and the Lord meets both. The father's cry is honest, "Lord, have mercy on my son", and Jesus, grieved at the "faithless and perverse generation," heals the child instantly: "the child was cured from that very hour." When the disciples ask privately why they had failed, Jesus does not spare them: "Because of your unbelief." Then comes one of His great sayings on faith: "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." The point is not the size of the faith but its reality and its object. A mustard seed is tiny, but it is living; a little genuine faith in the living God accomplishes what mountains of self-confidence cannot. The disciples' problem was not too little skill but too little trust. And Jesus adds, "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting", some victories come only to those who have kept their souls near to God in disciplined prayer and self-denial. There is a lesson here for every believer who has known spiritual defeat. When we cannot do what God has called us to do, the answer is not to abandon the calling but to return to the source: to strengthen a shrunken faith, to draw near again in prayer and fasting, to fix our trust on the God for whom "nothing shall be impossible." The same Jesus who healed the boy still says, "bring him hither to me."
Then Are the Children Free (Matthew 17:22-27)
Jesus foretells His death a second time, and provides the temple tribute from a fish, yielding His right rather than giving needless offence.
A Piece of Money in the Fish's Mouth
"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. 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? 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."
Word Study
"tribute," Greek didrachma (δίδραχμα). This was not a Roman tax but the half-shekel temple tribute every Israelite paid for the service of the house of God (Exodus 30:13). The question Jesus raises is pointed: earthly kings tax "strangers," not "their own children." Since the temple is His Father's house, the Son is rightly exempt, "then are the children free." Yet He pays it anyway, "lest we should offend them." The Son of God, Lord of the temple, humbly submits rather than cause a needless stumbling-block, and provides the coin by a quiet miracle.
Explanation
Jesus foretells His death and resurrection a second time, and the disciples are "exceeding sorry" -- they are beginning, slowly, to hear. Then comes the strange, gentle sign of the temple tax: as God's own Son, Jesus is free from the temple's levy, yet He pays it "lest we should offend them," providing the coin miraculously from a fish's mouth. The Lord of the temple submits to its tax rather than cause needless stumbling -- a lesson in laying down rightful freedom for love's sake. The King who owns all things stoops to pay, teaching His servants when to insist on liberty and when to yield it.
Gospel Focus
Between the glory of the mount and the events of Jerusalem, Jesus tells His disciples a second time of His coming death: "The Son of man shall be betrayed... and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again." They were "exceeding sorry", they grieved the death but had not yet grasped the resurrection. Then comes the tender scene of the temple tribute. The collectors ask Peter whether his Master pays the half-shekel, and Jesus, who "prevented" (anticipated) Peter before he could even raise it, teaches a quiet lesson in His identity and His humility. As kings do not tax their own children, so the Son is free in His Father's house, "then are the children free." Here is a gentle claim to deity: the temple is His Father's house, and He is the Son. Yet He will not stand on His rights when yielding them serves the gospel: "Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them," He pays. And He provides in a way that displays His lordship over creation, a coin found in the mouth of the first fish Peter catches, exactly enough "for me and thee." Two truths shine here. First, the greatness and grace of Christ: He is Lord of the temple and Master of the sea, providing even a tax coin by His word, yet He humbly submits to avoid giving needless offence. Second, a pattern for His people: though we are free in Christ, love will often lay down its liberty rather than put a stumbling-block before others. The King who could have claimed exemption paid the tribute, and He would soon pay a far greater price to set His people free.
Chapter 17 in Review
Matthew 17 moves from glory to service. On the high mountain Jesus is "transfigured", His hidden glory shining out, "his face did shine as the sun", while Moses and Elijah appear and then give way. The Father's voice from the bright cloud declares, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him," and the disciples are left seeing "Jesus only." Coming down, He heals a boy the disciples could not, tracing their failure to "unbelief" and teaching that "faith as a grain of mustard seed" moves mountains, and that "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." He foretells His death and rising a second time, and provides the temple tribute from the mouth of a fish, yielding His rights "lest we should offend them."
For the Apostolic reader the mountain is the heart of the chapter. The glory that broke from the face of Jesus is the glory of the one true God veiled in flesh; the voice from heaven bears witness to Him as the beloved Son; and the command "hear ye him," with the vanishing of Moses and Elijah, leaves the church with Christ alone as the final word, the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. From that height the chapter descends to teach that the same Lord meets us in the valley, healing what unbelief cannot, calling us to a small but living faith and to lives kept near God in prayer and fasting. And in the tribute money He shows both His deity, the free Son in His Father's house, and His humility, laying down His liberty rather than stumble others. The message of the mount is the message of the whole chapter: Jesus only, worthy to be heard, worthy to be trusted, worthy to be followed to His cross.
- The Transfiguration unveils the glory of God shining through the man Christ Jesus (17:2; Hebrews 1:3).
- Moses and Elijah give way; the church is left with "Jesus only," the final word (17:8; 17:5).
- The Father's voice commands, "This is my beloved Son... hear ye him" (17:5).
- Spiritual failure is traced to unbelief; small, living faith moves mountains (17:20).
- Some victories come only through prayer and fasting (17:21).
- The free Son pays the tribute rather than needlessly offend, and provides it by His power (17:26-27).
Questions for Reflection
- When the noise clears, are you left content with "Jesus only"?
- Are you truly listening to the Son the Father told us to hear?
- Where has unbelief left you powerless, and how might prayer and fasting restore your faith?
- Are you willing, like Christ, to lay down a rightful liberty for the sake of others?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The glory and image of God in Christ: Hebrews 1:3; John 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16-18. The half-shekel temple tribute: Exodus 30:11-16. Elijah and John the Baptist: Malachi 4:5-6; Matthew 11:14; Luke 1:17. Christ our liberty laid down in love: 1 Corinthians 9:19-22; Romans 14:13. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The Transfiguration and the Father's voice: Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36; 2 Peter 1:16-18.
- The healing of the lunatic son and faith as a grain of mustard seed: Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43.
- The second passion prediction and the tribute money: Matthew 17:22-27; Mark 9:30-32; Exodus 30:11-16.