Matthew 17:14-27: Jesus Dispels the Demon, Predicts his Death, and Pays the Temple Tax

Descending the Mountain, Jesus Dispels the Demon the Disciples Didn’t (vv. 14-21)

Jesus comes down the mountain of transfiguration to find an epileptic boy. However, this is not the disease that we call epilepsy. Literally, the child is ‘moonstruck’, ‘affected by the moon’. In other words, the child is a lunatic. Verse 18 makes it clear the poor child is demon possessed, but the demon possession clearly had physical side-affects that required ‘healing’.

Matthew’s focus is on the unbelief of the disciples. The disciples have been given authority to heal, but it seems that they have a lack of faith to use that authority. In their lack of faith in Jesus, the disciples are representative of the whole generation. Verse 17:

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” (NIV)

So everyone has trouble trusting Jesus, even the disciples who follow him. And Jesus is noticeably frustrated. “How long will I have to put up with this lack of faith? Why don’t you trust me?” The disciples are unable to heal because of their little faith. Verse 20:

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (NIV)

The disciples’ failure stands in stark contrast with the authority of Jesus. Their ability to heal is based on Christ’s, but their lack of faith gets in the way.

I wonder what things we cannot do because of our lack of faith? “You do not have because you do not ask”, says James. Mark says that “this type can only come out by prayer”. It seems that God has so arranged his world that he does things in response to our requests. This is not to say that we should not also pray “not my will, but yours”, or that one of our first petitions should not be

“your will be done on earth”. But it does ask us to look at our lack of faith, and our prayerlessness. Even a mustard seed faith can move mountains.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection (vv. 22-23)

But Jesus must turn his face to Jerusalem, for his mission is to “save his people from their sin” (Matt 1:21).

²²When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. ²³They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. (NIV)

In this part of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus continually emphasizes a new teaching, that he must be killed and raised on the third day. Jesus brings his death and resurrection front and center, and the disciples were greatly distressed, not understanding why this is the case. But nevertheless, Jesus will focus on the work he must do in Jerusalem—his death and resurrection according to Scripture.

People today also get greatly distressed at the news that Jesus has to die. Muslim people get distressed when you speak of Jesus being crucified. For them, it is shameful to think that Jesus was crucified. Surely God will not allow his holy prophet and Messiah to be so abominably treated. For Islam rules, it is never ruled, and so it cannot cope with a suffering and dying Messiah.

Muslim people say Jesus was the Messiah, and therefore wasn’t crucified. Jewish people say that Jesus was crucified, and therefore wasn’t the Messiah. It is only Christianity that says that Jesus is the Messiah, and that the Messiah had to be crucified.

Jesus Pays the Temple Tax (vv. 24-27)

Then Jesus and the disciples arrive at Capernaum, probably at Peter’s house—perhaps the house where Jesus healed the paralysed man. And perhaps the door bell rings, and the collectors of the double drachma temple tax have come. This tax was paid for the worship at the temple, and was paid by most adult Jews. Paying it was seen as a matter of patriotic pride. The tax, though payable according to the law of Moses (Exod 30:11-16), was not meant to be a regular tax. Rabbis were exempt, as were priests. Would Jesus claim the exemption? Verses 24 and 25:

²⁴After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” ²⁵“Yes, he does,” he replied. (NIV)

And so we should probably see that Peter is again speaking before he thinks. Does Jesus pay the double drachma tax? Yes, of course he does!

But Peter should not have assumed that. It was typical for rulers to tax foreigners, and not their families. Certainly, Herod was a foreigner. But if this tax was for the temple, it is God’s tax. And Jesus is God’s Son, so on the same basis, Jesus is not bound to pay it. After all, he is God’s family, and no earthly tax is ever imposed on the ruler’s family.

²⁵[…] When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” ²⁶“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. (NIV)

The implication of this is that Jesus, as the Son of God, is not bound to pay the tax for the House of God, according to the rule that the children are exempt.

But Jesus doesn’t wish to be needlessly offensive. So he actually does decide to pay the temple tax, even though he is not bound to do so. Verse 27:

But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (NIV)

Jesus pays the tax so as to avoid a scandal that would prejudice his mission. So as not to scandalize, Jesus says to Peter, fish, catch, give and pay. Of course it is a miraculous provision. It is certainly unusual. It pays the exact amount of the tax. This fact shows Jesus’ prescience, his omnipotence, his sovereignty over the created order, but the fact that he does this to pay the tax shows he is the humble Son of God who submits to the created order.

Jesus is prepared to pay it, and God is prepared to provide what is necessary.

What is our attitude to things that don’t matter? We have many things that don’t matter in church life like styles of music, times and days of meeting, clothes to wear, or types of food to eat. Paul gives us principles when we too are called to submit to something which we are not bound to do so.

¹⁹Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Cor 9:19-24 NIV)