Question 1

What is happening in the transfiguration on the high mountain?

Accepted Answer

On the mountain Jesus lets Peter, James, and John see who he really is in a way they had not seen before. His face shines like the sun and his clothes become white like light. Moses and Elijah appear and speak with him, showing that the Law and the Prophets point to him. A bright cloud covers them and a voice from the cloud says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” It is a short glimpse of Jesus’ divine glory before he goes on to suffer and die.

Question 2

Why did God say, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him"?

Accepted Answer

The voice from the cloud is God the Father clearly speaking about Jesus. By calling Jesus “my beloved Son” and saying he is well pleased with him, God shows that Jesus is not just another teacher or prophet, but his own Son in a unique way. The command “hear ye him” tells the disciples to listen to Jesus above all others. Moses and Elijah are there, but the focus is on Jesus. This shows that his words carry God’s full authority and must be obeyed.

Question 3

Why did Jesus tell the disciples not to talk about the vision until he rose from the dead?

Accepted Answer

Jesus tells the three disciples to keep quiet about what they saw until after he is raised from the dead. They had just seen his glory, but his path first goes through suffering and the cross. If they spoke too soon, people might chase only the glory and miss the need for his death for sinners. Waiting until after the resurrection would help them understand the whole picture better and then speak about the vision in the right way, as part of the story of his death and rising again.

Question 4

How is Elijah said to have come already, and what does this mean?

Accepted Answer

When the disciples ask about Elijah coming first, Jesus agrees that Elijah comes and restores all things, but then says Elijah has already come and was not recognized. He is pointing them to John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and work of Elijah, calling people to turn back to God. People rejected John and did to him whatever they wanted. Jesus uses this to show that he too will suffer from the same kind of people. So Elijah’s coming was fulfilled in John’s ministry and rejection.

Question 5

Why could the disciples not cast out the demon from the boy?

Accepted Answer

The disciples ask Jesus why they could not cast the demon out when he did so quickly. Jesus answers that it is because of their unbelief. They had been given authority before, but here their faith faltered. He tells them that even faith as small as a grain of mustard seed can move mountains, showing that the issue is not big faith but real trust in God. He also adds that this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting, pointing to a deeper, watchful dependence on God, not on their own strength.

Question 6

What does it mean to have faith as a grain of mustard seed?

Accepted Answer

Faith as a grain of mustard seed is a picture of a very small seed that can still produce big results. Jesus is not telling the disciples to work up huge feelings, but to truly trust God, even if their faith seems small. When faith looks to God, not to itself, great things can happen according to God’s will. Saying they could tell a mountain to move shows that nothing God calls his people to do is beyond his power when they rely on him, instead of on their own abilities or success.

Question 7

Why does Jesus say this kind of demon only goes out by prayer and fasting?

Accepted Answer

Jesus’ words about prayer and fasting show that some spiritual battles need a deeper kind of dependence on God. Prayer is turning to God for help. Fasting helps a person stay watchful and serious in seeking him. The disciples had tried to cast the demon out but seemed to lack this kind of focused, humble reliance. Jesus is teaching that ministry in hard cases is not about routines or past success, but about staying close to God in real prayer and self-denial, trusting him to act.

Question 8

What does this passage teach about Jesus’ suffering and resurrection?

Accepted Answer

In the same chapter where his glory shines on the mountain, Jesus plainly tells his disciples that the Son of man will be betrayed, killed, and raised the third day. The bright vision does not cancel the cross; it helps them face it. He also links John the Baptist’s suffering with his own. This teaches that Jesus goes to death knowingly and that his glory and his suffering belong together. The disciples are very sad, but the promise of being raised the third day is already given to comfort them.

Question 9

Why did Jesus pay the tribute money and what is the point of the fish with a coin?

Accepted Answer

When tax collectors ask Peter if his master pays the tribute, Jesus explains that kings do not usually tax their own children, but strangers. This hints that as God’s Son he is actually free from the temple tax. Yet he chooses to pay it so as not to offend. He sends Peter to the sea, and Peter finds a coin in the first fish’s mouth, enough for both of them. This shows Jesus’ humble obedience in outward matters and also his quiet power over creation, providing exactly what is needed.

Question 10

How can this passage help someone who struggles with fear and doubt?

Accepted Answer

In this passage the disciples fall on their faces in fear when they hear God’s voice, and Jesus touches them and says, “Arise, and be not afraid.” Later they fail in casting out a demon because of unbelief. Jesus corrects them, but he stays with them, teaches them, and shows them his glory and his patience. If you struggle with fear or doubt, this shows that Jesus knows your weakness yet calls you to trust him. He does not crush them for their fear, but lifts them up and keeps leading them.

Matthew 17:1

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

The Transfiguration

The Boy with a Demon

The Power of Faith

The Second Prediction of the Passion

The Temple Tax

The Transfiguration

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Matthew 17:1

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

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The Transfiguration

The Boy with a Demon

The Power of Faith

The Second Prediction of the Passion

The Temple Tax

The Transfiguration

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