Smoodock's Blog

Matthew 17:1 is one of those scriptures that reveals a lot more information, if and when it is compared with the other Gospel narratives. Both Matthew and Mark indicate that what was about to occur happened six days after Jesus statements at the end of the 16^th chapter in his narrative (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2). Nevertheless, Luke tells us that Jesus and three of his disciples went up the mount about eight days later (Luke 9:28). How should we understand this comparison, which seems to unveil a glaring contradiction, if scripture cannot be broken (John 10 35)?

If we can conclude that Peter’s statement in John 6:69 is the same as his confession in Matthew 16:16, then we can place his confession in Matthew near the time of the Feast of Tabernacles (cp. John 7:2). At this particular season, Jesus went up to the feast in secret (John 7:10), because the Jewish authorities had been seeking an opportunity to have him slain (John 7:1). Pilgrims would begin to go up to the feast during the sixth month in time to celebrate all the feast days that occurred in the seventh month, which included not only Tabernacles, but Trumpets[1] and Atonement,[2] as well. If we place Jesus’ statement to “pull up stakes” (Matthew 16:24) at the closing of the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (15^th day of the 7^th month), then we are able to see that Jesus was taking in the well know elements of the season to make his point. The stakes would be those that held the tent or tabernacle in place, pulling up those stakes would mean leaving one area and journeying to another, or in other words, following Jesus.

Moreover, if we conclude that Matthew and Mark were giving a more general count of the six days after what Jesus claimed in Matthew 16:24-28, this would take us to the end of the seventh day of the feast (not admitting the close of the first day in the count). Additionally, if we also allow Luke to give the more accurate count, so that the partial first day, and the partial last day are taken into the count, as though they were full days, then the afternoon of the first day of the Feast would, ending at sundown, would be day one. Adding the six days mentioned by Matthew and Mark would take us to the end of the seventh day. However, Luke also adds the beginning or evening portion of the last day of the feast, vis-à-vis what occurred immediately after sundown. This would be when Jesus and the disciples ascended the mount, vis-à-vis it was the eighth day. An eighth day was added to the end of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles and was called the Last Great Day (Leviticus 23:33-36; cp. John 7:37). Therefore, if this interpretation of the Synoptic differences is logical and true, then Matthew’s and Mark’s 6 days are included in Luke’s eight days. However, Luke’s first and last days included in his count aren’t full days, as the six days are in Matthew and Mark. Nevertheless, including the partial days with the full days and placing them in the context of John’s Feast of Tabernacles (John 7), shows us that whatever occurred in Matthew 17:1-13, happened during the Feast of Tabernacles, on the last day of the Feast, which was also a Sabbath.        [EB1] 

[1] The Feast of Trumpets occurred on the first day of the seventh month. This was also referred to as the Jewish New Year, vis-à-vis the fiscal year.

[2] The Day of Atonement occurred on the 10^th day of the month. It was the National Day of Repentance, the day of the Fast, the holiest day of the year.