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chapter 17
1. Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya‘akov and his brother Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately.
2. As they watched, he began to change form — his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light.
3. Then they looked and saw Moshe and Eliyahu speaking with him.
In what is known as the Transfiguration, Yeshua's face shown like the sun, and his clothing became white as light. Why? So that his glory would not be less than that of Moshe and Eliyahu, who were speaking with him. According to Deuteronomy Rabbah 11:10. when God sent the angel Samma'el (see Yd 9N) at the end of Moshe's life to fetch his soul, he "saw Moshe sitting and writing down the Unutterable Name of God, and how the radiance of his appearance was like that of the sun." This is an aggadic extension of what the Tanakh itself says about him, "that the skin of his face shone" (Exodus 34:29-35; the New Covenant makes its own midrash on this passage at 2C 3:7-18&NN).

4. Kefa said to Yeshua, “It’s good that we’re here, Lord. I’ll put up three shelters if you want — one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu.”
5. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them; and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
Another bai-kot; see 3:17&N.
Listen to him! because he is the "prophet like Moshe" (Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Ac 3:22-23&N), whom you have just seen.

6. When the talmidim heard this, they were so frightened that they fell face down on the ground.
7. But Yeshua came and touched them. “Get up!” he said, “Don’t be afraid.”
8. So they opened their eyes, looked up and saw only Yeshua by himself.
9. As they came down the mountain, Yeshua ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
The Transfiguration confirmed Yeshua's "coming in his kingdom" (16:28) to these three lalmidim, but without the more public confirmation which followed his resurrection (see 1С 15:5-6), the testimony would have been of little value in proving Yeshua's identity and would have raised more questions than it answered. Hence Yeshua advised closedmouthedness for the time being.

10. The talmidim asked him, “Then why do the Torah-teachers say that Eliyahu must come first?”
The Torah-teachers say Eliyahu must come first. This teaching is based on Malachi 3:1 and 3:23-24 (4:5-6), and it is kept alive in Judaism every Passover, at the Seder meal, when ал extra place is set for Eliyahu HaNavi ("Elijah the prophet"),, and the door is opened to welcome him, should he be there. Three points: (I) Yochanan the Immerser, "if you are willing to accept it," was Eliyahu (11:10-14&N), (2) Eliyahin himself had in fact "come first" by appearing there on the mountain (v. 3), and (3) Eliyahu may yet appear before Yeshua's second coming (see Rv 11:3-6&N).

11. He answered, “On the one hand, Eliyahu is coming and will restore all things;
12. on the other hand, I tell you that Eliyahu has come already, and people did not recognize him but did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way, the Son of Man too is about to suffer at their hands.”
13. Then the talmidim understood that he was talking to them about Yochanan the Immerser.
14. As they came up to the crowd, a man approached Yeshua, kneeled down in front of him,
15. and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and has such terrible fits that he often falls into the fire or into the water.
16. I brought him to your talmidim, but they couldn’t heal him.”
17. Yeshua answered, “Perverted people, without any trust! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!”
18. Yeshua rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, so that from that moment he was healed.
19. Then the talmidim went to him privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20. He said to them, “Because you have such little trust! Yes! I tell you that if you have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there!’ and it will move; indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!”
The manuscripts which add v. 21 probably borrowed it from Mk 9:29.

22. As they were going about together in the Galil, Yeshua said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of people
23. who will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were filled with sadness.
24. When they came to K’far-Nachum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Kefa and said, “Doesn’t your rabbi pay the Temple tax?”
A per-capita tax of one half-shekel to support the activities of the cohanim is specified! in Exodus 30:11-16, 38:26. This was equivalent to one or two days' wages for an] average worker.

25. “Of course he does,” said Kefa. When he arrived home, Yeshua spoke first. “Shim‘on, what’s your opinion? The kings of the earth — from whom do they collect duties and taxes? From their sons or from others?”
26. “From others,” he answered. “Then,” said Yeshua, “The sons are exempt.
27. But to avoid offending them — go to the lake, throw out a line, and take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them for me and for you.”