Freedom, Responsibility, and Avoiding Needless Offense

¹After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.

²He was changed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.

³Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

⁴Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

⁶When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid.

⁷Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid.”

⁸Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

¹⁰His disciples asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹Jesus answered them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things;

¹²but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them.”

¹³Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer.

¹⁴When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him and saying,

¹⁵“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.

¹⁶So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him.”

¹⁷Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

¹⁸Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?”

²⁰He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

²¹But this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.”

²²While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men,

²³and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.” They were exceedingly sorry.

²⁴When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the didrachma?”

²⁵He said, “Yes.” When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?”

²⁶Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt.

²⁷But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”