NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Part V

When the father runs to Jesus for help, he uses a unique term to identify his son’s dilemma. The Greek word used here is “selēniazomai” and basically means, “moon struck,” or by the more familiar term “lunatic.” This was a common belief in those days. In ancient writings we find this explanation of what became known as “epilepsy.” The explanation is complicated, but nonetheless was accepted by many as a real diagnosis:

“In most cases those are epileptic in whose birth the moon and Mercury are unrelated to each other or to the eastern horizon, while Saturn by day or Mars by night is angular. They are violently insane when, again under the same conditions, Saturn by night and Mars by day rules the position, particularly in Cancer, Virgo, or Pisces. They are afflicted by demons and have water on the brain when these harmful planets are in this position and control the moon in phase, Saturn when she is aligned. Mars when she is full, and particularly in Sagittarius and Pisces. When the harmful planets are by themselves and rule the configuration in the manner stated, the diseases of the rational part of the soul which we have mentioned as being caused by them are, to be sure, incurable, but latent and obscure. When the harmful planets themselves are angular in the east and the helpful planets are setting, the diseases which they cause are both incurable, the subject of talk, and conspicuous; in epilepsy they involve the victims in continuous attacks, notoriety, and deadly peril; in madness and seizures, they cause instability, alienation of friends, tearing off clothes, abusive language, and the like; in demonic seizures, or water on the brain, possession, confession, torments, and similar manifestations. In detail, of the places that possess the configuration, those of the sun and Mars aid in causing madness, those of Jupiter and Mercury, epilepsy; those of Venus, divine possession and public confession; and those of Saturn and the moon, gatherings of water and demonic seizures.”¹

But Jesus gave no credence to such astrological thinking. He had a number of encounters with demonic oppression and knew exactly what to do. But what surprised Him was the lack of faith on the part of His own disciples, who up to that point were unable to cast the demon out. Our Lord points out the power of faith, and how little it takes to do big things. We are told that faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things yet unseen.² The word “substance” in Greek refers to the foundation on which something else is established. There are various ways to see this, but the one that applies here is the quality or nature of a thing. The Greeks used this complicated teaching of Aristotle to define substance:

“Let us state what kind of thing substance should be said to be, taking once more another starting- point; for perhaps from this we shall get a clear view also of that substance which exists apart from reasonable substances. Since, then, substance is a principle and a cause, let us pursue it from this starting-point. The ‘why’ is always sought in this form — ‘why does one thing attach to some other?’ Plainly we are seeking the cause. And this is the essence (to speak abstractly), which in some cases is the end, e.g. perhaps in the case of a house or a bed, and in some cases is the first mover; for this also is a cause. But while the efficient cause is sought in the case of genesis and destruction, the final cause is sought in the case of being also.”³

In other words, it involves the principle of a cause. So the principle here is the fact that God has the power to do anything He pleases. The cause is when faith is exercised to promote His will and bring honor and glory to Him and His name. It is not an Aladdin’s lamp or blarney stone to be used at will for one’s own purpose and benefit. For instance, often those who pray for healing do not do so to use their health for the glory of God and His will, but for their own purpose. Some pray for healing just to get rid of the pain, not to serve God more efficiently. Then they wonder why their prayers are not answered.

Once again our Lord invokes the metaphor of the mustard seed. Earlier, He used it to describe the Kingdom of Heaven, ⁴ and now He applies it to the operation of faith. To the Jewish mind, in many cases, anything the size of a mustard seed represented the whole amount. As one Jewish Rabbi put it: “If, however, one eats an entire forbidden creature by itself, one is liable for lashes according to Scriptural Law even if what he ate is smaller than a mustard seed.”⁵ Furthermore: “Even the slightest amount of liquid can contract ritual impurity and impart ritual impurity. Even a drop of an impure liquid the size of a mustard seed that touched foods, vessels, or other liquids causes them to become impure.”⁶

Even Muhammad used this in his teachings. He was quoted as saying: “And we place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is even the weight of a mustard seed, We will expose it. And sufficient are we as an accountant.”⁷ The Qu’ran goes on to say: “O my son, indeed, if wrong should be the weight of a mustard seed and should be within a rock or [anywhere] in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will expose it. Indeed, Allah is Subtle and Acquainted.”⁸ Therefore, our Lord’s use of the mustard seed as a standard, fit well into the thinking of His time. This should have made His teachings that much easier to understand and comprehend for the people listening to Him.

Verse 22: Later, in a meeting Jesus and His followers held in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to the control of other men, who will kill Him.”

These words must have struck hard in the hearts of His disciples. If there was anything that the Jews despised, it was a betrayal. As one venerable Jewish Rabbi commented: “It is forbidden to inform about a colleague to the gentiles and endanger his physical person or his property. This applies even when the person concerned is a wicked person who commits sins, and even if he causes one irritation and discomfort. Anyone who actually informs about a Jew and endangers his person or his property to the gentiles will not receive a portion in the world to come.”⁹

They were so opposed to such betrayal, this same Rabbi goes on to say: “It is permissible to kill an informer in any country, even in the present age, when the court no longer metes out capital punishment. It is permitted to kill him before he informs. When he says: ‘I will inform on so and so and endanger his person and/or his property’ – even property of minimal value – he has made it permissible for others to kill him. He should be warned and told: ‘Do not inform.’ If he says brazenly, ‘No. I will inform about him,’ it is a commandment to kill him, and whoever kills him receives merit.”¹⁰

Chrysostom preached on this text and had the following to say: “In case they say ‘Why do we delay here so long?’ again He tells them about His Passion. Hearing of it, they did not even want to see Jerusalem.… Peter had been rebuked, those around Moses and Elijah had spoken with Him and had called the thing glory, and … the Father had spoken from above; after so many miracles had taken place and the resurrection was close by (for He said that He would not long remain in death but would rise on the third day)—not even then could they endure it. But ‘they were distressed,’ and not simply ‘distressed’ but ‘greatly distressed.’ This happened because they did not yet recognize the power of what He said. But Mark and Luke imply it; the former saying that ‘they did not understand the saying and they were afraid to ask;’¹¹ the latter saying that ‘it was concealed from them that they should not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.’¹² Yet if they did not know it, why were they distressed? Because they were not totally ignorant. They knew that He would die, having heard it continually. But as yet they did not know clearly what kind of death this was to be, or that there would be a speedy release from it, or that it would work innumerable blessings, or what this resurrection might be. They did not know it, and so they were distressed, for they greatly adored their Master.”¹³

Jerome gives us his thoughts on what Jesus is saying here. He writes: “Whenever the Lord speaks of future disaster, He always teaches its close relation with the happiness of redemption, so that when disasters suddenly come they do not terrify the apostles but may be borne by hearts that have premeditated them. If it saddens them because he is going to be killed, it ought to make them rejoice that it says, ‘On the third day He will arise again.’ Further, their distress, in fact, their great distress, does not come from lack of faith—elsewhere also they knew that Peter had been rebuked because he did not consider what belonged to God but what belonged to men—but because their love of their Master does not let them hear anything ominous or humiliating.”¹⁴

We are not told where in Galilee Jesus held a meeting with His disciples, but we know from verse 24 that it was outside His headquarters town of Capernaum. So it must have taken place between there and Mount Hermon.

Verse 23: But on the third day He will be raised from death. The followers were dismayed to hear that Jesus would be killed.

It was important to inform them of what would soon take place. Jesus would have to remind His followers of what He told them here in order to keep them from quitting in despair.¹⁵ But this should not have come as a surprise to them. After all, the prophet Isaiah had spoken of this, “But the Lord was pleased with this humble servant who suffered such pain. Even after giving himself as an offering for sin, he will see his descendants and enjoy a long life. He will succeed in doing what the Lord wanted. After his suffering, he will see the light, and he will be satisfied with what he experienced.”¹⁶

Cyril of Alexandria, an Early Church writer, makes this point: “Therefore, Jesus brought the disciples to the mountain and showed them the glory with which He will shine on the universe in the future. Then coming down from the mountain He freed a person from a violent and evil spirit. It was altogether necessary for Him to undergo His saving Passion for us and to suffer the violence of the Jews. When this happened, it was quite likely that the disciples would be alarmed and would ponder it and say among themselves: ‘He has raised so many from the dead by divine power, He commands the seas and winds, He overwhelms Satan with His words—how has He now been taken and fallen to the noose of His murderers? Then maybe we were deceived when we thought that He was God?’ So that they should know the future fully and completely, therefore, He foretells to them the mystery of the Passion.”¹⁷

No doubt after this meeting was over, the disciples discussed this among themselves. It would not surprise me if a couple of them raised the question of whether or not it would make any sense for them to continue following Him since now they knew He would die. But certainly, there must have been enough of the stronger ones to dissuade them from leaving because He did say He would come back to life within three days. So it then became a matter of faith as to whether or not they stayed on as His followers.

Origen offers this: “I think we have an obligation to examine this, too: that Jesus was delivered into the hands of men, not by men into the hands of men but by powers to whom the Father delivered His Son on behalf of us all. In the very act of being delivered and coming under the power of those to whom He was delivered, He ‘destroyed him who had the power of death.’ For ‘through death He destroyed him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and delivered all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.’¹⁸”¹⁹

One way to understand this despair on the part of the disciples when Jesus announced His pending death and resurrection, can be found within the Jews traditional teaching on the Messiah that showed Him as the victor, the deliverer; triumphant over all the enemies of the Jews in His quest to reestablish the throne of David in a new Jerusalem. So even though He assured them He would be resurrected, they saw no need for Him to go through such suffering and humility. Not because it would cause Him so much pain, but because it would cause them so much grief in losing the ideology of who they believed the Messiah to be and what He would come to do. What they didn’t seem to realize was that the greatest enemy to the Kingdom of God was death. That was the victory Jesus intended to win at all cost. And thank God He did, because His promise of everlasting life to all who believe was now confirmed and a certain reality.