Matthew 17 | The Wolfe Notes

In 2025 we're working our way through the gospels and invite you to join us as we seek to learn from Jesus. Admittedly, I'm not keeping the pace. Matthew 17 was supposed to be completed in February. While I'm still committed to work my way through the gospels, I'm going to alter the pace beginning in April. At that point, I'll make two calendars, the one with the original pace, if that's been working for you, and one at a slower pace. Likely, we will continue this study in 2026. The download will still include a blank calendar so you can plan your own pace. 

Find all our notes, from this year and past years, at the Faith Food tab. Welcome, friends, we're so glad you're journeying with us. Let's grow together!


These Wolfe Notes Cover:

  1. Overview of Matthew 17
  2. Thoughts, Questions, and Connections
  3. Exploration Of the fish with the coin.
  4. Reflections On the wonder of God.
  5. Respond To the I AM.

Matthew 17

Overview

General Topic

Our identity, both ours and Jesus', is defined by God. Our job is to believe it.

Key Themes

Fulfillment. Identity. Faith. 

Summary

Matthew reemphasizes key ideas to proving Jesus is God, his main goal. In this chapter, Jesus reunites with the prophets Moses and Elijah; Jesus is again recognized by God; John's identity as Elijah is reaffirmed; Jesus remains frustrated by the lack of faith witnessed in the disciples; Jesus gives a second forewarning of His impending death and resurrection; and again identifies His followers as children of the Kingdom. 


Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. *R communicates that in-depth research follows.

Jesus' Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13)

  1. Jesus brought four disciples to a mountain peak where He shone like a light. 
    1. ? Why is the time frame of six days later provided?
    2. ? Why are these four - Peter, Andrew, James, and John - chosen? 
      1. Because they were the first disciples?
      2. *This account is obviously a retelling, because Matthew wasn't there.
    3. ! A mountain top experience (See more thoughts at this post.).
    4. ! Jesus shining like a light reminds me of when Moses shined in God's glory. (Exodus 34:29)
  2. Moses and Elijah joined them there.
    1. ? Why Moses and Elijah? Of all the Old Testament people, why these two?
  3. Peter offered to build shelters for each of them.
    1. ? What would the purpose of the shelters/tabernacles be? Did Peter assume they would be staying?
  4. Then, from a cloud, God identified Jesus, spoke of His love for Him, and implored the four to listen to Him.
    1. ! At Jesus' baptism, God’s voice comes from heaven (Matthew 3:17). God leads as a pillar of clouds in Exodus (13:21), and Jesus returns with the clouds (Revelation 1:7). 
    2. ? Are there other places that God appears with clouds? Do clouds represent God (Isaiah 18:4)? 
    3. God's words spoken over the gathering at the mountaintop echo Moses' farewell speech: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must listen to him. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 NIRV  (As noted in The Voice.)
  5. The four fell down in fear, but Jesus touched them, encouraged them to get back up, and to not fear.
    1. ! Fear is a common reaction to experiencing God's holiness. We see it when Moses reflected the glory of God (Exodus 34:30), when John saw Jesus in heaven (Revelation 1:12-18), and when Zechariah met the angel in the temple (Luke 1:11-13).
    2. ! The encounter of Jesus with John in Revelation is very similar to here (Revelation 1:17). Could it be so that John would remember this moment and know it was Jesus? (*While authorship of Revelation is contested, a strong argument is made for it being John the Apostle in this Got Questions article.)
    3. *Oh, how I need this sometimes. To know Jesus comes to me, places His hand on me, and says "Get up. Do not be afraid." Then again, how often does it happen and I just don't recognize it?
    4. 🎵Something happened and now I know / He touched me and made me whole.🎶 ("He Touched Me" performed by the Gaither Vocal Band)
  6. When they arose, only Jesus remained.
  7. As they descended, He told them to keep their experience a secret until He was resurrected.
    1. ? Why does Jesus keep referring to himself as the Son of Man?
  8. The disciples asked about Elijah coming first. Jesus confirmed it, said Elijah would bring restoration, and has already come - though he was not recognized and was mistreated. As Jesus would be.
    1. ? Did the disciples ask about the Elijah prophecy now because they had just seen him?
    2. ! If you are willing to accept it, John is the Elijah who was supposed to come. Matthew 11:14 NIRV
    3. ? Will there be two appearances of Elijah? Jesus says he is "supposed to come" as though he hasn't already, and that he "has already come". Will Elijah precede Jesus once again at the second coming? (Matthew 17:11-12 NIRV)
    4. ! Elijah will make "all things new again". 
      1. *With John, it might reference the new revelation. (Matthew 13:52. See our exploration of this topic.)
      2. ? With Elijah, would it be complete restoration for all creation? (Isaiah 43:19-20; 35:1-2; 65:17-29)
    5. ! Many people were shocked when they saw him. He was so scarred that he no longer looked like a person. His body was so twisted that he did not look like a human being anymore. Isaiah 52:14 NIRV
    6. ! He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3 KJV
  9. The disciples knew Jesus identified John the Baptist as Elijah.

Mustard Seed (Matthew 17:14-23)

  1. As they neared a crowd, a man approached asking for his son to be delivered from demonic possession because the disciples (the remaining 8?) were unsuccessful in their attempts.
  2. Jesus scolds their lack of faith, expresses extreme annoyance at being with them, and casts out the demon instantly.
    1. * Yet, Jesus did not seem to want to leave them either. 
    2. * When we love people, we still get annoyed with them from time to time.
  3. When the disciples asked why their attempts were unsuccessful, Jesus said it was because their faith was too small. 
    1. ! In the KJV, it says this type requires prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21), the Voice renders it: this kind [of faith] is not realized except through much prayer and fasting.
    2. ? Does that mean that they were stubbornly relying on their own power instead of turning to God for help, since prayer and fasting are ways we make our requests known to God? Or, is it saying that the reason they don't have the faith is because they haven't spent the time truly getting to know God?
  4. Jesus again forewarns the disciples of His impending death and resurrection. The 12 were filled with sorrow.
    1. *This reminds me of when our pastor was preparing to retire. Every sermon was packed full of tools, warnings, and hopes to empower us in leading a life for God. Like Jesus, our pastor knew he'd be leaving soon and felt the weight of teaching us as much as he could before he left. As, I believe, Jesus is doing here with His disciples. It also explains His frustration that their faith is still lacking.

Fish with a Coin (Matthew 17:24-27)

  1. Upon arrival in Capernaum, tax collectors descend upon Peter questioning whether or not Jesus will pay the temple tax. 
    1. *This connects with tithing for me. Some churches make a huge issue about it by putting pressure on those who do not tithe. Giving should be a heart response, not a forced duty. (See more thoughts about giving at our St. Nicholas post.)
  2. Peter assures them that He does.
  3. Through a discussion with Peter, Jesus makes the point that, as children of the Kingdom, they should not be taxed. 
    1. ! No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 54:17 KJV (See cross references of this verse.)
  4. Yet, so as not to be a stumbling block, Jesus provides the money for a tax by telling Peter to catch a fish that will have the money in its mouth.
    1. ? What is the meaning of catching a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax? *R


Exploration

On a fish with a coin in its mouth. (Matthew 17:27)

Symbolism

  • Fish = Provision and Abundance; Conversion and Faith; Discipleship and Evangelism; A sign of early membership to the church. They took the Greek word for fish, Ichthys, and turned it into an acrostic meaning Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. In every instance, an example of God + men. Behold! the divine partnership.
  • Coins = Symbols of victory and assertions of authority. They often have figures of rulers engraved upon them.
  • *Interpretation: Based on the symbolism, a fish with a coin in its mouth could show that any partnership with God is going to exceed any victory at the hands of man. Or simply, God > man.

Phrase-by-Phrase Examination

"But we don't want to make them angry..."

  • Technically, Jesus and Peter did not have to pay temple tax. They temple is God's and belongs to Him and His children.
  • But, Jesus pays it because it sets a good example and prevents stumbling blocks from witnesses. It prevents scandal.
    • It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Romans 14:21 KJV
    • And [a messenger - {John the Baptist}] shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. Isaiah 57:14 KJV [NIRV]{Matthew 3:3}
"...Go thou to the sea, and cast in an hook,..."

  •  A hook is not Peter's primary fishing tool, a net is.
  • But, catching a fish by the hook would make this miracle more striking, because you can only catch one at a time this way.
"...Take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth. There you will find the exact coin you need..."

  • The miracle is not that the coin was created; it is not unusual for fish, who bite at nearly anything, to be caught with coins in their mouths. The present age is the Sabbath of creation; Jesus never created anything as a human.
  • The miracle is that Jesus knew there was a fish nearby with a coin in its mouth (omniscience) and that He drew in the right fish to bite (omnipotence).
  • The miracle was necessary; they were poor and did not have the money between them to pay the tax. (Which recalls back to the feeding of the multitudes and not having food because of their poverty.) Jesus had to work a miracle to pay the tax.
"...Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

  • Peter lived in Capernaum, the setting of this story, so was required to pay taxes there. 
  • Jesus also resided in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13), perhaps even with Peter, so also was expected to pay the temple tax.
  • The other disciples did not live there, so would pay their taxes in their respective cities. 

*Thoughts: The story is simple. Upon arriving in Capernaum, the tax collectors requested payment from the two residents of the city: Jesus and Peter. Jesus first addresses the irony that the children of the King are expected to pay taxes. Then, having no money, devises a solution and pays the tax so there is no controversy. 

*Lessons:
  1. Don't let your position as child of the King entitle you to cause conflict unnecessarily.
  2. Trust God to provide.
  3. Though symbolic and interpretative, clearly true: Partnering with God triumphs over partnering with man.
Sources: 

Reflections

Imagine taking a hike with your Rabbi, reaching the summit, and seeing Him literally glow. While still trying to process what you are witnessing, two of the biggest heroes of faith appear alongside Him: Moses and Elijah. Then, God's voice resounds from a cloud reiterating what He proclaimed at Jesus' baptism and echoing Moses' farewell speech. Your whole being attunes to one truth: "This is the Son of God." 

Talk about an unforgettable moment. Moments don't get any more unforgettable.

Matthew thought so, too. Even though he wasn't there, the moment so impressed upon him, he had to document it. Matthew's goal was to prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Well this moment is jam-packed with evidence. In this story we witness:
  • The same glory of God that shined on Moses, shining on Jesus.
  • Moses and Elijah actually appearing and clearly knowing Jesus. Seemingly, they were already in conversation with Him.
  • God, Himself, referencing Jesus' baptism, "This is my beloved son..." and Moses' farewell speech "Listen to Him." 
Strong OLD (Eternal Law) and NEW (Revelation) evidence to prove Jesus' identity.

Resolute in your faith, you descend the hill and see your Rabbi annoyed by the lack of faith in the disciples who stayed behind. If only they could have witnessed what you witnessed, surely they would not doubt. But, alas, God knows when people are ready and when they are not.

Finally, you return to your Rabbi's city of residence, and unsurprisingly are challenged about your Rabbi's character: "Will He submit to our laws, or not?" Good-naturedly, your Rabbi, whom you just saw shine in God's glory, reminds you that you, too, are a child of His kingdom. Though the priests should not be asking you to pay taxes, He knows they don't understand, so works a miracle. His humility, provision, and loving inclusion, endear Him ever more to you.

Respond

Connect

God is the I AM. Who He was in the beginning, He is now and ever shall be. He was the God of Moses and Elijah. He was the God of Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He is the God of all the children in the Kingdom, and His goal, His desire, has always been for you to believe in the One He has sent.

Reflect

  1. Who is God to me? What do I believe about Him?
  2. Where would you place yourself on a faith scale compared to the other people who appear in this chapter? From Moses and Elijah; to Peter, Andrew, James, and John; to a faith-filled believer asking for healing; to a disciple with small faith; to an undecided observer; to a Pharisee or Sadducee determined to disprove Jesus? What steps can you take to grow your faith in Jesus?
  3. Think about God's identity: He is the I AM. Consider the fact that He is the same God that He has always been and will continue being the same God in every tomorrow. How might your level of faith in Him effect your response to this truth? How can reminding yourself that He is the I AM, the constant in every scenario, help you?

Act

"Arise, and be not afraid." (Matthew 17:7) 
Arise; remember He is the I am.

In Closing

Father God. God of the Universe. God of Creation. You are. There is power in the simplicity of that truth. When I don't know who I am or who I'm supposed to be, I rest in my identity in You. You are and I am Yours. My identity is secure. As everything changes around me and it feels like the only certainty is uncertainty, I remember You are and I find my stability in You. In each heart beat, in every inhale and exhale, I hear You say "I AM" and because You are, I can.

Ready for Matthew 18?

Sample these related posts:

Review our notes on Matthew 15 & 16. Includes research on feeding multitudes (with fish!) and an exploration of keys to the Kingdom. Reflects on storytelling and letting go of self.

Review background information on Matthew. Includes author information, purpose, and audience. Additional notes include research on naming of Jesus and thoughts on obedience.  

Explore mountains as a metaphor to our faith journeys. Includes mountain facts, scripture, quotes, and activity suggestions.

Spend more time pondering the I AM with these Isaiah notes. Includes thoughts on His supremacy and faithfulness, research on Cyrus the Great, and KJV/ERV version comparisons.

Join the Mr. as he recalls fishing at his grandparents' house as a child.


Interested in more faith-related blogs? Then you're looking for Faith Food. At Faith Food, you'll find links to all our faith-related blogs and a short description of each.

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