Matthew 16-17

 

Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees and Sadducees ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus’ first comment is that they should be looking at the signs of the times, and are wicked because instead they wanted a miracle. In our day and age, how many of us seek the miracle rather than reading the signs of the times and seeking the one who carries the good news. Jesus repeated His teaching to the Pharisees (the same ones?) from Matthew 12:39-41. Jonah’s preaching didn’t sound like good news (Jonah 3:4), but the good news was that they repented and God relented (Jonah 3:10).

Matthew 16:6-12 After they cross the lake, Jesus uses a discussion by the disciples about bread as a metaphor for bad teaching. Yeast was previously used as a metaphor for the kingdom of God (13:33). The key property of yeast is that it is initially almost insignificant in size, but when it is energized in bread it causes the bread to expand by a volume far greater than the yeast initially. This is true whether the yeast is the kingdom of God or the bad teaching of the Pharisees. He reminded them of how a few loaves of bread & fish had fed thousands of people on two occasions. Bad doctrine can destroy a church, a denomination, or a nation.

Matthew 16:13- 20 Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus makes the famous statement  “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” Whether Jesus meant that He would build His church on Peter himself, or on the confession of Him as the Messiah and Son of God, has been debated for centuries. Less often discussed is the specific authority Jesus conferred on His church. It would prevail against the gates of hell, and has the authority to loose and bind heavenly (i.e. spiritual) power. We see this displayed in the book of Acts when the disciples cast out demons in Jesus’ name and impart the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers cannot do this because it comes from authority, not a formula. (Acts 19:13-16)

Matthew 16:21-23 Jesus warns the disciples about His upcoming death, Peter confronts Him, and is corrected. When God is revealed in power, Satan is not far behind to challenge human response. Spiritual warfare can attack even the most devoted followers of Jesus. As a rule of thumb, we should never challenge what God tells us. We may seek to understand it better, but we can’t tell God that He is wrong. The most aggressive we can be is to plea to God to change His mind about judgment and ask for mercy.  (Exodus 32:7-14)

Matthew 16:24-28 Jesus explains the cost of following Hm. Divine authority and earthly success both carry the huge risk of deception, to make that the end goal of life. True reward in eternity will come from God and be in a different dimension than earthly riches and success. The authority that Jesus conveys in 16:19 is for the purpose of building His kingdom, not ours. Even if we tithe faithfully and God blesses us with abundance in this life, it is for His kingdom purposes. As clearly stated in 16:21&24, both Jesus and His disciples must carry crosses as part of their (our) calling.

Matthew 17

Matthew 17:1-13 Jesus’ transfiguration on the Mount

Matthew 17:2 God veiled in flesh is a mystery beyond our comprehension, but the point is that we believe it. Transfigured is the Greek word metamorphosis, but this is really the spiritual reality of who Jesus is unveiled in our world, the clothing torn off to reveal the true Person.

Matthew 17:5 The Father repeated what He had said at Jesus’ baptism (3:17). Do we really listen to Jesus? This could point to His teachings recorded in Scripture, or to His voice in our spirit speaking to us ‘this is the path, walk in it’. (Jeremiah 6:16) 

Matthew 17:6 Will we be joyous or terrified when our spiritual reality is unveiled? 

Matthew 17:10 This teaching of the law was probably based on Malachi 3:1-2 which did not explicitly name Elijah as the prophet. Apparently Elijah’s return was widely believed because of his transportation to heaven while still alive (2 Kings 2:11), and, as seen above (17:3), he did return, just not as expected by the teachers.

Matthew 17:11-13 Identifying John the Baptist with Elijah was not Jesus’ primary point, but did show fulfillment of prophecy (Malachi 3:1 says a prophet). Jesus’ focus was on how the world treats God’s messengers; He would soon follow John in being executed by the state. (14:1-12)

Matthew 17:14-21 Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy. The disciples could not expel it despite the commission given to them earlier. (10:1) Jesus was disappointed in their lack of faith, which needed only to be the size of a mustard seed (13:31), typically 1-2 mm in length. Why are demons even able to afflict people? Probably a range of contributing factors (an open door, deliberate sin, lack of a spiritual covering, etc.) all traceable to Satan’s rebellion and Adam’s fall. The authority of Jesus trumps all other considerations: a believer in Him empowered by the Holy Spirit has the authority Jesus gave in Matthew 10:1, along with the instructions in 10:5-8.

Matthew 17:22-23 Jesus predicts His death and resurrection again, repeating Matthew 16:21. This time Peter did not try to correct Him.

Matthew 17:24-27 Jesus has Peter pay the temple tax.

Matthew 17:24 The temple tax is likely based on Exodus 30:13, a half shekel to be laid before the altar of incense, as part of the census (pun intended). This offerings that Moses was told to collect were for the Israelites to continue on to the promised land. Perhaps a one-time offering. It is unclear how often the temple tax was collected in Jesus’ day.

Matthew 17:25-26 Peter was wrong, but Jesus paid it anyway. The king pays for his sons’ upkeep, doesn’t expect them to pay him back in kind (he expects far more), so sons are legally exempt.

Matthew 17 :27  One drachma = 1 day’s wage for a skilled worker, 4.3 grams of silver, worth about $6 in 2025. By contrast, the average daily wage for a skilled worker in the U.S. in 2025 is in the range $160-185, roughly 30 times the value of a 4.3 gram silver coin.  The daily wage of $6 seems in line with third-world or fourth-world countries today, consistent with pre-industrial, pre-agricultural revolution economies. This tax would be a huge burden to the average worker.