Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 17 - English Standard Version (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point of Matthew chapter 17? ›

The events of the chapter take place in various locations such as a high mountain, a site where the crowd was gathered to wait for Jesus, Galilee, Capernaum, and a house in Capernaum. The chapter's main points are the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus and Jesus telling the disciples about His death and resurrection.

They take the approach that oldest must be nearest to the original and therefore the most reliable. The oldest manuscripts do not include Matthew 17:21 (and omit “fasting” in the parallel verse at Mark 9:29). So English translations based on the oldest Greek manuscripts follow suite.

We are told that at the transfiguration Jesus' face “shone like the sun.” That happens when you know that God has gone before you.

ESV He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

Understanding the text

The word 'transfiguration' means a change of form or appearance. In this passage Jesus' appearance changes so a glimpse is given of his full heavenly glory, “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light”.

It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people (the Jews) but is rejected by them and how, after his resurrection, he sends the disciples to the gentiles instead. Matthew wishes to emphasize that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church that was increasingly becoming gentile.

Matthew 17:21

KJV: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Reason: The verse closely resembles Mark 9:29, but it is lacking in Matthew in א (original handwriting), B, θ, some Italic, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopic manuscripts.

The English King James Version or "Authorized Version", published in 1611, has been one of the most debated English versions.

So even though Matthew 18:11 wasn't written by Matthew, we are stuck with that chapter and verse designation. So modern English translations like the NIV removed it from the main body of the text and made it a footnote. So that's why when you're reading Matthew 18, you jump from verse 10 to verse 12.

The seed soon sprouted, but when the sun came up it burnt the young plants. The seed on the rocky ground represents people who respond with initial enthusiasm, but the word of God does not sink in deep. When persecution or hard times (represented by the sun) come along they give up at once.

What does the sun with a face symbolize? ›

Sunface is the sacred Sun Father. It is symbol of life and is omnipresent in Zuni's culture and craftsmanship. The Zuni are a Native American tribe from the Southwestern part of the United States and they are known for their incredible inlaid jewelry, on which Sunface is very often represented.

In The Sun Does Shine, the sun symbolizes Ray's persistent hope for a better life—a life where he is proven innocent and released from prison. Ray first introduces the sun when he and the other death-row inmates in his book club discuss Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Jesus is saying that a small amount of faith can accomplish great things! He is saying that with God's help, even a small amount of faith can accomplish things that are beyond our wildest thoughts and dreams! In short, Jesus is saying that there are no limits to God's power and what He is able to do.

It is not that Matthew 17:21 is “missing” but that it appears not to have been original to the gospel. It is not present in the oldest and best manuscripts, including Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. On those grounds, some modern Bibles omit the words: Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

So yes, the mustard seed is tiny but grows into a huge plant. And that's why Jesus used it for this parable. God's kingdom starts small, but it will grow surprisingly large. The Parable of the Mustard Seed teaches that God's Word, though small in appearance, has incredible transformative power.

In this parable, the Savior taught us how to prepare for His Second Coming. In these last days, the Lord has said, “Be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom” (D&C 33:17).

Matt 17:24-27 (NIV)

The tribute demanded of Jesus in our verses for today was not a civil payment to the Roman powers rather a temple tax – monies collected and used to defray the expenses of worship. Peter was the one approached by the collectors to help support the public worship rather than Christ.

Matthew 17:1–13 follows Jesus' prediction that some of the disciples won't die before seeing Him coming in His kingdom (Matthew 16:28). Peter, James, and John see Jesus transfigured—radiating the glory of God––while talking with Moses and Elijah. Peter blunders in his attempt to contribute to the moment.