1   Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain where they were alone; 2   and in their presence he was transfigured; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light. 3   And they saw Moses and Elijah appear, conversing with him. 4   Then Peter spoke: ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘how good it is that we are here! If you wish it, I will make three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ 5   While he was still speaking, a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed them, and a voice called from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, ^note on whom my favour rests; listen to him.’ 6   At the sound of the voice the disciples fell on their faces in terror. 7   Jesus then came up to them, touched them, and said, ‘Stand up; do not be afraid.’ 8   And when they raised their eyes they saw no one, but only Jesus.

9   On their way down the mountain, Jesus enjoined them not to tell anyone of the vision until the Son of Man had been raised from the dead. 10   The disciples put a question to him: ‘Why then do our

Jesus and his disciples teachers say that Elijah must come first?’ 11   He replied, ‘Yes, Elijah will come and set everything right. 12   But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they failed to recognize him, and worked their will upon him; and in the same way the Son of Man is to suffer at their hands.’ 13   Then the disciples understood that he meant John the Baptist.

14   When they returned to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, fell on his knees before him, and said, ‘Have pity, sir, on my son: 15   he is an epileptic and has bad fits, and he keeps falling about, often into the fire, often into water. 16   I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ 17   Jesus answered, ‘What an unbelieving and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you? How long must I endure you? 18   Bring him here to me.’ Jesus then spoke sternly to the boy; the devil left him, and from that moment he was cured.

19   Afterwards the disciples came to Jesus and asked him privately, ‘Why could not we cast it out?’ 20   He answered, ‘Your faith is too small. I tell you this: if you have faith no bigger even than a mustard-seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there!”, and it will move; nothing will prove impossible for you.’ ^note

22   They were going about together in Galilee when Jesus said to them, 23   ‘The Son of Man is to be given up into the power of men, and they will kill him; then on the third day he will be raised again.’ And they were filled with grief.

24   On their arrival at Capernaum the collectors of the temple-tax came up to Peter and asked, ‘Does your master not pay temple-tax?’ 25   ‘He does’, said Peter. When he went indoors Jesus forestalled him by asking, ‘What do you think about this, Simon? From whom do earthly monarchs collect tax or toll? From their own people, or from aliens?’ 26   ‘From aliens’, said Peter. ‘Why then,’ said Jesus, ‘their own people are exempt! 27   But as we do not want to cause offence, go and cast a line in the lake; take the first fish that comes to the hook, open its mouth, and you will find a silver coin; take that and pay it in; it will meet the tax for us both.’

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