| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Matthew Chapter
Seventeen
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Pre-manifestation of the Kingdom and Its
Application in Real Life
I. The vision on the
II. The Lord’s instructions and teachings (v.9-13)
------tell no one what they had seen because men did not know.
III. The Lord cast out the demon and healed the
epileptic (v.14-21) ------one has to use the power of the kingdom by faith.
IV. The Lord foretold His death and resurrection
(v.22-23) ------we have to enter into the
V. Peter got a piece of money to pay the tax by
fishing (v.24-27) ------on one hand citizens of the kingdom should hear the
Lord and on the other we should not offend against the earthly authority.
II. Verse by Verse commentary
Matt. 17:1 “Now after six days Jesus
took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by
themselves;”
YLT: “And after six days
Jesus taketh Peter, and James, and John his brother, and doth bring them up to
a high mount by themselves,”
Literal Meaning: “after six days”
There were six days (See Mark. 9:2) between the day on which Peter confessed
Jesus as Christ (See Matt. 16:16) and the day on which they climbed the
mountain. In the Gospel of Luke, the beginning and last must have been counted
and therefore it is recorded “about eight days” (See Luke. 9:28).
“Led them up on a high mountain.” At
that time, they were in
the region of Caesarea Philippi (See Matt. 16:13)
and therefore a high mountain may be “the
Spiritual Meaning: “after six days,”
the old creation was created in six days (See Gen. 1) and therefore “after six
days” symbolize in the new creation.
“Peter, James, and John his brother,”
they represent overcomers in the believers of the New Testament.
“Led them up on a high mountain by themselves” “by
themselves” symbolize that only the overcomers are able to see the glory of the
kingdom of heaven; “a high mountain” symbolizes the heavenly realm.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We have to live in the new creation (“after six
days”) and in the heavenly realm (“up on a high mountain”). Then we are able to
see the manifestation of the Lord’s glory (v.2).
2) Only few people who love the Lord with pure
hearts (Peter, James and John) and enter into the “chamber” to live before the
Father who is in secret (See Matt. 6:6) will be led by Him secretly (“led…up on
a high mountain by themselves”) and they are able to partake in the glory of
the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 17:2 “and He was transfigured
before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as
the light.”
YLT: “and he was
transfigured before them, and his face shone as the sun, and his garments did
become white as the light,”
Literal Meaning: “He was transfigured
before them.” They were clear-headed and saw the Lord being transfigured with
eyes instead of in dream (See 2Pet. 1:16, 1John. 1:1).
Spiritual Meaning: this verse indicates
that when the Lord comes back, His image of glory (See 2Cor. 3:18) will be
fully manifested in the hidden and lowly flesh. His being (“face”) is the
effulgence of God’s glory (See Heb. 1:3) and His deeds (“clothes”) are as while
as the light.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) One day, we will be transformed according to the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2Cor. 3:18).
2) When the Lord comes, He shall come to be gloried
in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (2Thess. 1:10).
Matt. 17:3 “And behold, Moses and
Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”
YLT: “and lo, appear to
them did Moses and Elijah, talking together with him.”
The
Background: Elijah went up into
heaven without the experience of death (See 2Kings. 2:11). Though Moses died in
the
Literal Meaning: “talking with Him”
They were talking about that He was about to be killed in
Spiritual Meaning: “Moses and Elijah,”
“Moses” here represents the Law that is the words written by God; “Elijah” here
is the type of prophets who speak for God. The Law and prophets both bear witness
to Christ.
Because “Moses” had died, he represents
overcomers who died and rose again. “Elijah” had not died and therefore he
represents overcomers who are caught up when they live.
Matt. 17:4 “Then Peter answered and
said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to
be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.’”
YLT: “And Peter answering
said to Jesus, `Sir, it is good to us to be here; if thou wilt, we may make
here three booths for thee one, and for Moses one, and one for Elijah.’”
Literal Meaning: “it is good for us
to be here” shows that Peter deeply expected to stay in the vision and the
realm of the kingdom for long.
“One for you, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah” Peter said so because he thought the Lord Jesus, Moses and Elijah were
equal.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Let us make here three tabernacles” shows that
Peter not only wanted to keep “Christ” but also wanted to keep the persons and
things that were related to Christ. He had held them high even to the same
position with Christ. This is the mistake Christians usually make.
2) “Let us make here three tabernacles” also shows
that someone only wants to stay in the state of glory and blessing on the
mountain and does not want to go down the mountain to face sufferings and take
up his cross. However, through many tribulations, we must enter into the
3) The Law and prophets existed to guide men to
know Christ. Though they were very important, they cannot be treated equal with
Christ because they were only a shadow and the body is Christ (See Col. 2:17).
4) In the
5) Though Moses and Elijah were the most respected
persons by
6) Work and labor (which Moses stands for), and
faith and power (which Elijah stands for) cannot share glory with the Lord. We
should let Him have the first place in all things (Col. 1:18).
Matt. 17:5 “While he was still
speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came
out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’”
YLT: “While he is yet
speaking, lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and lo, a voice out of the
cloud, saying, `This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I did delight; hear him.’”
Literal Meaning: “a voice came out of
the cloud” It is the voice of God. God Himself broke the words of Peter with a
voice and corrected his wrong concept.
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased.” It shows the Father’s praise to Jesus. When Jesus was baptized,
the Father said the same word (See Matt. 3:17) and praised His “behaviors” of
thirty years that satisfied the will of the Father. Here He praised His “works”
of three years that also satisfied the will of the Father.
Spiritual Meaning: “a bright cloud
overshadowed them” It is the glory of God (See Exod. 24:16).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Sometimes our life on earth is unavoidably full
of black clouds. However, in the heavenly kingdom in future, every cloud is
bright.
2) The Father praised Jesus two times, “this is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It shows that the Father likes the two
models of His beloved Son: He humbles Himself and becomes obedient even unto
death; He is held high and full of honor and glory; on one hand He is the Lamb
which has been slain and on the other He is the lion which of the tribe of
Judah (See Rev. 5:5-6).
3) Only the Lord is the only-begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father (John. 1:18). Only He deeply knows the will of the
Father and therefore we should “hear Him”.
4) In the time of the New Testament, we should not
hear outward regulations and traditions (the Law) or spiritual giants (the
prophets). We should hear the Lord who dwells in us.
5) Believers always like to “talk about” Him and
seldom “hear” Him.
Matt. 17:6 “And when the disciples
heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.”
YLT: “And the disciples having
heard, did fall upon their face, and were exceedingly afraid,”
Literal Meaning: “they were greatly
afraid” because the voice of God is so fearful (See Heb. 12:19-21).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men may be truly humble (“fell on their faces”)
only when they “heard” the voice of God.
2) Only spiritual revelations are able to overthrow
the silly fervency and make men truly fear God (“they were greatly afraid”).
Matt. 17:7 “But Jesus came and
touched them and said, ‘Arise, and do not be
afraid.’”
YLT: “and Jesus having
come near, touched them, and said, `Rise, be not afraid,’”
Enlightenment in the Word: From v.6-7, we saw God’s goodness and severity (See
Rom. 11:22). When believers hear God’s words, our original concepts are
overthrown first and then we greatly feared and next we will receive heavenly
comfort, joy and strength.
Matt. 17:8 “When they had lifted up
their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”
YLT: “and having lifted
up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus only.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every spiritual persons and things only help us
to find Christ and they themselves do not have everlasting value.
2) Those who truly have spiritual sights “see no
one but Jesus only”.
3) Spiritual progress depends on our eyes which may
be gradually turned away from persons and things that are besides the Lord and
be fixed steadfastly on Him.
Matt. 17:9 “Now as they came down
from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell
the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.’”
YLT: “And as they are
coming down from the mount, Jesus charged them, saying, `Say to no one the
vision, till the Son of Man out of the dead may rise.’”
Spiritual Meaning: we should not tell
the vision on the mountain to others randomly at the foot of the mountain (i.e.
this time) because firstly the time has not come and secondly only those who
have received the Lord’s living life are able to understand, talk about and
enter into the reality of the vision (See 1Cor. 2:10-15).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should not tell to the public randomly what
we have seen in secret until the right time.
2) Believers should learn from the example of the
Lord Jesus to speak and walk ------if the time is not come, we should say and
do nothing (See John. 7:6).
Matt. 17:10 “And His disciples asked
Him, saying, ‘Why then do the scribes say
that Elijah must come first?’”
YLT: “And his disciples
questioned him, saying, `Why then do the scribes say that Elijah it behoveth to
come first?’”
Literal Meaning: “why then do the
scribes say that Elijah must come first?” “The scribes” were familiar with the
Old Testament. According to the Bible, they concluded that in the end of the
world, Elijah will come before the Messiah comes (See Mal. 4:5).
The disciples asked this question
probably because they just saw Jesus being transfigured and they firmly
believed that He is the Messiah that shall come. Then they asked Him why Elijah
did not come before Jesus.
Matt. 17:11 “Jesus answered and said
to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.”
YLT: “And Jesus answering
said to them, `Elijah doth indeed come first, and shall restore all things,”
Literal Meaning: “indeed, Elijah is
coming first” “Indeed” means “for one side”. It shows that it is right for the
scribes to conclude that Elijah would come before the end of the world.
“And will restore all things.” It
indicates that he paved the way for the coming of the Messiah (See Mal. 4:5-6,
Rev. 11:3-4).
Matt. 17:12 “But I say to you that
Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they
wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.’”
YLT: “and I say to you
Elijah did already come, and they did not know him, but did with him whatever
they would, so also the Son of Man is about to suffer by them.’”
Literal Meaning: “but I say to you”
“but” means “for another side”.
“Elijah has come already.” The Lord here
meant that before the prophesy of the Old Testament that Elijah would come has
not been fully fulfilled, it has been partially fulfilled in John the Baptist.
And therefore the spirit and power of John the Baptist is identical with what
Elijah will do when he comes (See Matt. 11:14, Luke. 1:17).
“Likewise the Son of Man is also about
to suffer at their hands.” Just as the Jews treated John the Baptist whatever
they wished because they did not know him------the forerunner and witness of
the king of the kingdom of heaven. Because they did not know the Lord
Jesus------the king of the kingdom of heaven, they rejected and persecuted Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The more we know Christ, the more we will
respect Him and regard Him as excellent (See Pill. 3:8).
2) Anyone who lacks knowledge of spiritual things
often becomes inflictor of the Lord or the Lord’s witnesses.
Matt. 17:13 “Then the disciples
understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”
YLT: “Then understood the
disciples that concerning John the Baptist he spake to them.”
Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord did not speak of John the Baptist plainly
and the disciples understood that it was John the Baptist. Sometimes though the
Bible does not speak of something plainly, we should understand the will of the
Lord.
Matt. 17:14 “And when they had come to
the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,”
YLT: “And when they came
unto the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling down to him,”
Literal Meaning: “when they had come
to the multitude,” “The multitude” indicate other disciples of the Lord.
“Kneeling down” shows that someone asked
for help humbly.
Matt. 17:15 “‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic
and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the
water.”
YLT: “and saying, `Sir,
deal kindly with my son, for he is lunatic, and doth suffer miserably, for
often he doth fall into the fire, and often into the water,”
Meaning of Words: “epileptic”: crazy;
“suffers severely”: illness suffers.
Literal Meaning: “he is an epileptic
and suffers severely,” “epileptic” is the disease with periodic attack. However
it was caused because he was demon-possessed (See v.18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The epilepsy of the child was caused by the
demon (See v.18). The works of devil are to make men remittent and harm
themselves.
2) All our thoughts and deeds of arrogance,
conceitedness, pride (“falls into the fire”), self-dispraise, discouragement,
self-surrender and suicide (“often into the water”) are from the devil.
Matt. 17:16 “So I brought him to Your
disciples, but they could not cure him.’”
YLT: “and I brought him
near to thy disciples, and they were not able to heal him.’”
Literal Meaning: “but they could not
cure him.” Please note that the Lord had given them power against unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease (See Matt. 10:1).
Spiritual Meaning: “I brought him to
Your disciples,” “disciples” represent believers.
“But they could not cure him.”
Originally believers have heavenly power to cast out demons (See Mark. 16:17).
However, we always fail in real life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The reason why the disciples could not cast out
the devil is not the ineffectiveness of power given by the Lord but that they
were unable to use the power under the state at that time. If the spiritual
state of believers falls behind, the spiritual power will be restrained to use.
2) Many times, when men encounter difficulties,
they do not ask the Lord for help but spiritual men (“disciples”) and consequently
the difficulties still exist.
Matt. 17:17 “Then Jesus answered and
said, ‘O faithless and perverse
generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring
him here to Me.’”
YLT: “And Jesus answering
said, `O generation, unstedfast and perverse, till when shall I be with you?
till when shall I bear you? bring him to me hither;’”
Meaning of Words: “faithless”:
unbelief; “perverse”: distort, turn away.
Literal Meaning: “faithless and
perverse generation,” “Faithless” is towards the Lord’s power; “perverse” is
towards the Lord’s will.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What mostly hurts the Lord (“how long shall I
bear with you?”) is the evil heart of unbelief (See Heb. 3:12).
2) The Lord’s
signing words show that the reason why the disciples could not cure him is that
the Lord was not with them in the flesh and they forgot to draw the Lord’s
presence in spirit (See 1Cor. 5:3) and tried to cast out the demon, relying on
themselves and consequently it resulted in failure.
3) The generation was wicked and adulterous and it
therefore could not enjoy the goodness of the Lord’s presence. However, if one
is willing to be humble (“kneeling down”, See v.14) and came to the Lord
(“bring him here to Me”) and he will finally be cured.
Matt. 17:18 “And Jesus rebuked the
demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.”
YLT: “and Jesus rebuked
him, and the demon went out of him, and the lad was healed from that hour.”
Meaning of Words: “rebuke”: scold,
forbid.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When the Lord and the disciples were on the
mountain, everything is bright and white (See v.2). However, when they were in
real environments of life, they encountered the problem of the power of
darkness (the demon).
2) We should not be polite when dealing with the
demon. We should use the heavenly power and “rebuke” it and it would flee.
3) The sickness of that child was caused by the
demon and when the demon was cast out, he was cured. When we pray for the
healing of disease, we should have spiritual sight to discern whether the
reason of the disease is due to nature or super nature.
Matt. 17:19 “Then the disciples came
to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it
out?’”
YLT: “Then the disciples
having come to Jesus by himself, said, `Wherefore were we not able to cast him
out?’”
Literal Meaning: “the disciples came
to Jesus,” “secretly” means private asking.
“Why could we not cast it out?” The tone
stressed on “we” in original.
Matt. 17:20 “So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if
you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing
will be impossible for you.”
YLT: “And Jesus said to
them, `Through your want of faith; for verily I say to you, if ye may have
faith as a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this mount, Remove hence to yonder
place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you,”
Meaning of Words: “unbelief”: little
faith (it is different from “faithless” in v.17)
Literal Meaning: “because of your
unbelief” From the following text, we could know that the “unbelief” here does
not mean the “true and little faith” but the nature of their faith is so little
that it is equal to “unbelief”.
“If you have faith as a mustard seed,”
means: 1) though faith is as little as a mustard seed (See Matt. 13:32), it is
out of the question; 2) faith is able to grow
“as a mustard seed”. Whether someone’s faith is great or not does not matter and
what matters is whether someone has faith.
Spiritual Meaning: “this mountain”
indicates obstacles and difficulties that block believers on the way and they
seem to be too great to move.
“Move from here to there.” “Move the
spanning great mountain” shows overcoming great and firm difficulties.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All things are possible to him that believes
(Mark. 9:23); Faith is to rely on God and let Him do and nothing is too
wonderful for Jehovah (Gen. 18:14).
2) Because of unbelief believers are unable to be
united with the Lord and draw His power.
3) Though our faith is little, we could use the
power of the kingdom. Therefore all things are possible to him that believes
and none of the difficulties are unable to overcome.
Matt. 17:21 “However, this kind does
not go out except by prayer and fasting.’”
YLT: “and this kind doth
not go forth except in prayer and fasting.’”
Literal Meaning: “this kind does not
go out except by prayer and fasting.” “Prayer” is to rely on God; “fasting” is
to give up one’s reasonable rights and pay the price, showing one’s
determination to fully rely on God. The reason why “fasting” is effective is
not the deeds of fasting but the intention and attitude of fasting (See Matt.
6:16-18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Prayer and fasting are works of faith (James.
2:26). Believers usually gain the effectiveness of faith through this.
2) The secret of the power to deal with the enemy
is our faith (“prayer”) and self-denying (“fasting”).
Matt. 17:22 “Now while they were
staying in
YLT: “And while they are
living in
Literal Meaning: “while they were
staying in Galilee” indicates before the time when they was about to follow the
Lord to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The one who was manifested as the incomparably
glorious king in vision even “is about to be betrayed into the hands of men”,
showing that one has to suffer before gaining in the glory (See 1Pet. 5:1).
2) If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also
be gloried together (Rom. 8:17).
Matt. 17:23 “and they will kill Him,
and the third day He will be raised up.’
And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”
YLT: “and they shall kill
him, and the third day he shall rise,` and they were exceeding sorry.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Before the complete fulfillment of the glorious
vision, one has to go through the way of cross. Only those who have experienced
the cross will partake in the reality of the glorious vision.
2) Cross is that the Lord was put in dead place.
However He was not kept in dead place, He will be raised up. It is a faithful
saying: for if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him (2Tim. 2:11;
See 2Cor. 4:10-14).
3) The reason why the disciples were sorrowful is
that they only heard that the Lord will be killed and did not hear that He
would be raised up. Anyone who lacks the revelation of resurrection only has
hope in this life (See 1Cor. 15:19) and they do not have the heavenly hope and
therefore he is mortally afraid of death.
4) Anyone who does not have the hope of resurrection
is unable to receive the cross gladly and joyfully.
Matt. 17:24 “When they had come to
YLT: “And they having
come to
The
Background: “the temple tax” is
the proper noun for “half a shekel”; its origin: the ancient Jews who was above
20 years old had to offer half a shekel to make atonement for their lives, for
the service of the tabernacle or the Holy temple (See Exod. 30:12-16).
Therefore it was called “the temple tax”.
Matt. 17:25 “He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he had come into
the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, ‘What
do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes,
from their sons or from strangers?’”
YLT: “And when he came
into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, `What thinkest thou, Simon? the
kings of the earth from whom do they receive custom or poll-tax? from their
sons or from the strangers?’”
Literal Meaning: “Peter said, ‘Yes’”
Peter forgot what he had learned just now from the vision of the mountain (See
v.5): firstly, the Lord Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father and therefore He
did not need to pay the temple tax for Himself; secondly, the Father had asked
them to “hear Him”. But Peter did not ask the Lord and made bold to answer
them.
“Jesus anticipated him,” The Lord said
before Peter said anything, implying that it was not the time for you to “say”
but for you to “hear”.
“Customs or taxes”: taxes that are
levied especially for goods.
Spiritual Meaning: “he had come into
the house” symbolizes returning to the spirit and the Lord indeed lives in our
spirits.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When men live in their souls, they are easy to
speak freely. However, once they return to their spirits (“he had come into the
house”), they will meet the Lord and know that they are wrong.
2) “What do you think?” shows that: 1) the Lord
wants us to enter into His thinking; 2) the Lord’s words and deeds are
reasonable instead of unreasonable.
Matt. 17:26 “Peter said to Him, ‘From strangers.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free.”
YLT: “Peter saith to him,
`From the strangers.’ Jesus said to him, `Then are the sons free;”
Literal Meaning: “then the sons are
free,” Since the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, He could be free to pay God
taxes.
Matt. 17:27 “Nevertheless, lest we
offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up
first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take
that and give it to them for Me and you.’”
YLT: “but, that we may
not cause them to stumble, having gone to the sea, cast a hook, and the fish
that hath come up first take thou up, and having opened its mouth, thou shalt
find a stater, that having taken, give to them for me and thee.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord has the right to not pay taxes. However
He would rather abandon His right than offend others (See 1Cor. 8:13, 9:12).
2) Under the conditions that we do not deny the
Lord or offend against morality, believers should try our best to obey earthly
authorities, and should not “offend them”.
3) Here it shows that He is indeed the lord of all
and the glorious king, that even the fish and money obey Him. Moreover, His
words never fall and He is indeed the living prophet and the Elijah of today.
4) He is the one who says that He should not pay
the taxes and He is also the one who asks Peter to take and give the money to
them. The Lord is the living Law and Moses of today. If the Lord says that we
should do not something, we should not do that. If the Lord asks us to do
something, we should do that. The most important thing is to hear Him.
5) “Take the fish that comes up first,” shows that
the Lord is merciful in His chastening. The Lord, for our profit, chastens us
(Heb. 12:10) and His chastening stops where it should stop.
6) Every time we hear the Lord and do according to
His words, He is always concerned about our needs (“give it to them for Me and
you”).
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Vision and
Application of the Heavenly Kingdom
I. The vision of the heavenly kingdom:
A. The epitome of the heavenly kingdom:
1. The
overcomers of the New Testament will be manifested with Him in glory (v.1).
2. The
being of the Lord shines as the light and His deeds are as white as the light
(v.2).
3. The
overcomers of the Old Testament also partake in the kingdom (v.3).
B. In the heavenly kingdom, the Lord is solely respected:
1. Peter
put the Lord, the Law and the prophets to the equal standing by mistake (v.4).
2. God the
Father interrupted Peter and asked them to “hear Him” (v.5).
3. They
experienced God’s goodness and severity (v.6-7).
4. When
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only (v.8).
II. The witness and way of the vision of the
heavenly kingdom:
A. The witness of the vision:
1. Tell the vision to no one (v.9).
2. Men may treat them randomly because they did not know the witness
(John the Baptist) and the center (Christ) of the vision (v.10-13).
B. The way of the vision:
1. Before the complete fulfillment of the glorious vision, one has to
experience the cross (v.22-23a).
2. Those who know the death and do not know the resurrection are afraid
of the cross (v.23b).
III. The application in life of the vision
of the heavenly kingdom:
A. One has to use the power
of the kingdom by faith:
1. In real
life at the foot of the mountain, there was trouble of the power of darkness
(v.14-15).
2. Because
the disciples relied on themselves, they failed to cast out the demon
(v.16-18).
3. The
Lord said that the reason of the failure was their “unbelief” (v.19-20).
4. This
kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (v.21).
B. One has to hear Him in everything:
1. Peter
had not asked the Lord and answered them who received the temple tax “Yes”
(v.24-25a).
2. The
Lord asked Peter, “From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes,
from their sons?” (v.25b).
3. Then
the sons are free (v.26).
4. The
Lord asked Peter to take a fish and find a piece of money to pay the tax,
teaching him that he should learn to ask the Lord in everything and walk
according to His words (v.27).
The Revelation of
the Kingdom of A Thousand Years (v.1-8)
I. Christ gains glory and reigns (See Rev.
11:15).
II. Peter, James and John symbolize the
house of
III. Moses symbolizes believers who died and
rose up (See 1Cor. 15:52, 1Thess. 4:16).
IV. Elijah symbolizes believers who are
caught up when they live (See 1Thess. 4:17).
V. The men who were left at the foot of the
mountain symbolize nations (See Is. 11:10-12).
The Guidance of the
Lord
I. The Lord led the disciples up on a
mountain for devotions:
A. They saw the glory of the Lord
(v.1-4).
B. They heard the voice of God (v.5).
C. They were comforted by the Lord (v.6-7).
D. The end of their devotions------“they saw no one but Jesus only”
(v.8).
II. The Lord led the disciples down at the
foot of the mountain for practices:
A. Contacting with the world------tell what they saw to no one because
they may be treated randomly for lack of knowledge (v.9-13).
B. The problem of the demon-possessed men------they should pray and
fast, using the heavenly power by the deeds of faith (v. 14-21).
C. The Lord foretold them that He would encounter sufferings of cross
(v.22-23).
D. The problem of the temple tax------they should ask the Lord in
everything and walk according to His words (v.24-27).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren