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The Transfiguration
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John
the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His
face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as
the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and
Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.
If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one
for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them,
and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the
ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get
up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they
saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed
them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son
of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the
law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore
all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and
they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything
they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to
suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood
that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and
knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said.
“He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls
into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your
disciples, but they could not heal him.”
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.” 18 Jesus rebuked the
demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from
that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked,
“Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 [21] 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.”
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The
Son of Man is going to be delivered over to human hands. 23
He will be killed, and on the third day he will be raised to
life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
The Temple Tax
24 After 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. 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.
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.” |
Cults 
Why Did God Permit Sin?
