马太福音 17
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
在山上改变形象(A)
17 过了六天，耶稣带着彼得、雅各和雅各的弟弟约翰，领他们悄悄地上了高山。 2 耶稣在他们面前改变了形象，脸好象太阳一样照耀，衣服洁白像光。 3 忽然，摩西和以利亚向他们显现，跟耶稣谈话。 4 彼得对耶稣说：“主啊，我们在这里真好。如果你愿意，我就在这里搭三个帐棚，一个为你，一个为摩西，一个为以利亚。” 5 彼得还说话的时候，有一朵明亮的云彩笼罩他们，云中有声音说：“这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的，你们要听他。” 6 门徒听见了，就俯伏在地上，非常害怕。 7 耶稣前来，摸着他们说：“起来，不用怕。” 8 他们抬起头来，看见只有耶稣自己，没有别的人。
9 他们下山的时候，耶稣吩咐他们：“人子从死人中复活以前，你们不要把所看见的异象告诉人。” 10 门徒就问他：“那么经学家为甚么说，以利亚必须先来呢？” 11 他回答：“以利亚当然要来，并且复兴一切。 12 但我告诉你们，以利亚已经来了，可是人们却不认识他，反而任意待他。照样，人子也要这样被他们苦待。” 13 这时门徒才领悟，耶稣是指着施洗的约翰说的。
治好癫痫病的小孩(B)
14 耶稣和门徒来到群众那里，有一个人前来，跪下对耶稣说： 15 “主啊，可怜我的儿子吧，他患了癫痫病，非常痛苦，好几次掉进火里和水中。 16 我带他去见你的门徒，他们却不能医好他。” 17 耶稣说：“唉！这又不信又乖谬的世代啊！我要跟你们在一起到几时呢？我要忍受你们到几时呢？把孩子带到我这里来吧。” 18 耶稣斥责那鬼，鬼就从孩子身上出来；从那时起，孩子就好了。 19 门徒悄悄地前来问耶稣：“为甚么我们不能把鬼赶出去呢？” 20 他说：“因为你们的信心太小了。我实在告诉你们，只要你们的信心像一粒芥菜种，就是对这山说：‘从这里移到那里’，它也必移开。没有甚么是你们不能作的。”（有些抄本有第21节：“这一类的鬼，如果不靠祷告和禁食，是赶不出来的。”）
第二次预言受难及复活(C)
22 他们聚集在加利利的时候，耶稣对门徒说：“人子将要被交在人的手里， 23 他们要杀害他，第三天他要复活。”他们就很忧愁。
缴纳殿税
24 他们来到迦百农，收殿税的人前来对彼得说：“你们的老师不纳税吗？” 25 他说：“纳。”他进到屋子里，耶稣先问他：“西门，你认为怎样？地上的君王向谁征收关税和丁税？向自己的儿子还是外人呢？” 26 他回答：“外人。”耶稣对他说：“这样，儿子就可以免税了。 27 但为了避免触犯他们，你要到海边去钓鱼；把第一条钓上来的鱼拿起来，打开鱼的嘴，你就会找到一个大银币。你可以拿去交给他们作你我的殿税。”
Matthew 17
The Voice
Jesus is providing an entirely different perspective on success and happiness. The new Kingdom is breaking in, and the new community is coming together. This is the logic of that Kingdom and that community: to inhabit God’s story, this is what must be done. To accrue fame and comfort and riches is counter to this new community. In the economics of this new community, real success is marked by a willingness to sacrifice one’s very life to God, and the promised rewards are immense.
17 Six days later, Jesus went up to the top of a high mountain with Peter, James, and John. 2 There, something spectacular happened: Jesus’ face began to glow and gleam and shine like the morning sun. His clothes gleamed too—bright white, like sunlight mirroring off a snowfall. He was, in a word, transfigured. 3 Suddenly there at the top of the mountain were Moses and Elijah, those icons of the faith, beloved of God. And they talked to Jesus.
Peter: 4 Lord, how amazing that we are here to see these heroes of our faith, these men through whom God spoke. Should I quickly build some shelter, three small tabernacles, for You, for Moses, and for Elijah?
5 As Peter spoke, a bright cloud enveloped all of them.
Voice from the Cloud: This is My beloved Son. With Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.
This is but an echo of the Voice that spoke at Jesus’ ritual cleansing in baptism. It is an echo of what God said through Moses during his final sermon on the mount. God promised that although Moses could not enter the promised land, He would send His people another prophet. Moses’ very last wish for his beloved people was that they would listen to this new prophet when He would come.
6 This voice from heaven terrified the three disciples, and they fell prostrate on the ground. 7 But Jesus—who was, by this time, used to His disciples being plagued by fear—touched them.
Jesus: Get up. Don’t be afraid.
8 And when the disciples got up, they saw they were alone with their Lord.
9 The four men hiked back down the mountain, and Jesus told His disciples to stay silent.
Jesus: Don’t tell anyone what happened here, not until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
Why does Jesus often instruct His disciples to keep secrets? In this case, perhaps He does because He realizes they will not understand the meaning of the transfiguration until they live through that other hilltop event, the death of Jesus on the cross. Believers, like the disciples, will better understand this bath of light and revelation when they, too, come to Golgotha and the cross.
Disciples: 10 Master, why do the scribes teach that the prophet Elijah must come first?
Jesus: 11 Scripture tells us clearly that indeed Elijah will come to restore all things. 12 But see this: Elijah has come already. No one recognized him for who he was, so he was arrested and killed. That is part of the preparation of which our Scripture speaks: for the Son of Man, too, will be arrested and killed at the hands of people who do not see Him for who He is.
13 And then the disciples realized the man they knew as John the Baptist[a] was the one Jesus was speaking of.
14 They had come down from the mountain, and as they headed toward town, they came to a crowd. As they approached the crowd, a man rushed up to Jesus and knelt before Him.
Man from the Crowd: 15 Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures. Sometimes when they come on, my son falls into the fire or into a pond. We are very concerned for him. 16 I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.
Jesus: 17 This generation is no better than the generation who wandered in the desert, who lost faith and bowed down to golden idols as soon as Moses disappeared upon Mount Sinai! How long will I have to shepherd these unbelieving sheep? (turning to the man) Bring the boy to Me.
18 The man did, and Jesus castigated the demon who had taken up residence in the boy. And the demon fled the boy’s body at the sound of Jesus’ voice, and the boy was healed from that moment on. No more shaking. No more falling into fires.
19 Later, when they were away from the crowds, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t been able to drive out the demon themselves.
Jesus: 20 Because you have so little faith. I tell you this: if you had even a faint spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If you had just a sliver of faith, you would find nothing impossible. [21 But this kind is not realized except through much prayer and fasting.][b]
22 Jesus and the disciples came to Galilee.
Jesus: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill Him, and on the third day, He will be resurrected, vindicated, newly alive.
The disciples were filled with grief.
24 Then Jesus and His disciples went toward Capernaum, and when they arrived there, some people who had collected the two-drachma tax that went for the upkeep of the temple came up to Peter.
Temple Tax Collectors: Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?
Peter: 25 He does pay the tax.
Jesus knows that He and His followers are the true temple, and yet Jesus is canny. It is not quite time to shake the foundations of the temple or of the old way of doing things. And so He pays the tax and bides His time.
So when Peter came into the house where they were staying, Jesus explored the subject.
Jesus: Simon, what do you think? When kings collect taxes and duties and tolls, from whom do they collect? Do they levy taxes on their own people or on strangers and foreigners?
Peter: 26 The foreigners, my Lord.
Jesus: Well, then, we children of the King should be exempt from this two-drachma tax. 27 But all in all, it’s better not to make any waves; we’d better go on and pay the tax. So do this: go out to the lake and throw out your line. And when you catch a fish, open its jaws and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take this to the tax collectors, and pay your taxes and Mine.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.