马太福音 17
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
改变形象
17 过了六天，耶稣带着彼得、雅各和雅各的兄弟约翰暗暗地上了高山， 2 就在他们面前变了形象，脸面明亮如日头，衣裳洁白如光。 3 忽然，有摩西、以利亚向他们显现，同耶稣说话。 4 彼得对耶稣说：“主啊，我们在这里真好！你若愿意，我就在这里搭三座棚：一座为你，一座为摩西，一座为以利亚。” 5 说话之间，忽然有一朵光明的云彩遮盖他们，且有声音从云彩里出来说：“这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的，你们要听他！” 6 门徒听见，就俯伏在地，极其害怕。 7 耶稣进前来，摸他们说：“起来，不要害怕！” 8 他们举目不见一人，只见耶稣在那里。
以约翰譬以利亚
9 下山的时候，耶稣吩咐他们说：“人子还没有从死里复活，你们不要将所看见的告诉人。” 10 门徒问耶稣说：“文士为什么说以利亚必须先来？” 11 耶稣回答说：“以利亚固然先来，并要复兴万事。 12 只是我告诉你们：以利亚已经来了，人却不认识他，竟任意待他。人子也将要这样受他们的害。” 13 门徒这才明白耶稣所说的是指着施洗的约翰。
害癫痫病的孩子
14 耶稣和门徒到了众人那里，有一个人来见耶稣，跪下， 15 说：“主啊，怜悯我的儿子！他害癫痫的病很苦，屡次跌在火里，屡次跌在水里。 16 我带他到你门徒那里，他们却不能医治他。” 17 耶稣说：“唉！这又不信又悖谬的世代啊，我在你们这里要到几时呢？我忍耐你们要到几时呢？把他带到我这里来吧！” 18 耶稣斥责那鬼，鬼就出来，从此孩子就痊愈了。
信心的能力
19 门徒暗暗地到耶稣跟前说：“我们为什么不能赶出那鬼呢？” 20 耶稣说：“是因你们的信心小。我实在告诉你们：你们若有信心像一粒芥菜种，就是对这座山说：‘你从这边挪到那边！’，它也必挪去；并且你们没有一件不能做的事了。 21 至于这一类的鬼，若不祷告、禁食，他就不出来[a]。”
22 他们还住在加利利的时候，耶稣对门徒说：“人子将要被交在人手里， 23 他们要杀害他，第三日他要复活。”门徒就大大地忧愁。
从鱼口得税银
24 到了迦百农，有收丁税的人来见彼得，说：“你们的先生不纳丁税[b]吗？” 25 彼得说：“纳。”他进了屋子，耶稣先向他说：“西门，你的意思如何？世上的君王向谁征收关税、丁税？是向自己的儿子呢，是向外人呢？” 26 彼得说：“是向外人。”耶稣说：“既然如此，儿子就可以免税了。 27 但恐怕触犯[c]他们，你且往海边去钓鱼，把先钓上来的鱼拿起来，开了它的口，必得一块钱，可以拿去给他们，做你我的税银。”
Footnotes
- 马太福音 17:21 或作：不能赶他出来。
- 马太福音 17:24 丁税约有半块钱。
- 马太福音 17:27 “触犯”原文作“绊倒”。
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.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.