Sunday, 15 February 2026
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; Matthew 17:1
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“And after six days, Jesus, He takes with – Peter, and James and John his brother, and them, He uphefts into a high mountain off alone” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus finished up Chapter 16, noting that there were some standing there with Him who would not taste death till they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Chapter 17 now begins, saying, “And after six days.” Mark says the same. Luke says, “about eight days.” Of this somewhat indeterminate time, “Jesus, He takes with – Peter, and James and John his brother.”
These selected men are, at times, referred to as the inner circle. This is because this is not the only time they are selected to come separately with Jesus. Rather, there are several such instances in the gospels. Of this group accompanying Jesus, it next says, “and them, He uphefts into a high mountain off alone.”
A new word is seen here, anapheró. It is derived from ana, up, and pheró, to bring, bear, or carry. The ten uses of the word combine to give a sense not found in any single English word. It refers to leading others up a mountain, being carried up into heaven, offering up sacrifices, carrying the sins of others, etc.
In each case, there is upward motion and the sense of bearing or leading a mass that has weight. A single word, that now exists as of the typing of this commentary, and which can describe all of these various thoughts understandably, is “upheft.” With a right click of the mouse, the red line under the word has disappeared, and it is now entered into the computer’s dictionary.
As for the mountain Jesus uphefted the men to, there are various views. A later tradition identifies it as Mount Tabor. However, it is known that a fortress was on top of Tabor at the time. Further, its location is not conducive to the surrounding narrative as well.
A good candidate is Mount Hermon. It is the snowcapped mountain bordering Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. In typology, it is used in the Old Testament to symbolize heaven from which the Jordan (the Descender) then flows, picturing Jesus descending from heaven.
This seems like the likely mountain to accommodate what will next take place, but because it is not named, this remains speculation. This account, however, is a good contrast to what was said in Matthew 4 –
“Again, the traducer, he takes Him to a mountain – exceedingly high – and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.” Matthew 4:8
“And after six days, Jesus, He takes with – Peter, and James and John his brother, and them – He takes up into a high mountain off alone.” Matthew 17:1
Life application: It was noted above that Matthew and Mark say, “after six days,” while Luke says, “about eight days.” There is no contradiction in that. The word after means “after.” The word about means “about.” Seven is after six, and a general ending of seven is about eight. The indeterminate wording allows people to speak and write in their natural way without there being a contradiction.
Depending on the time reference of a person’s statement, such things happen all the time. If one reckons the time after the day of an event, the timing would be –
Monday – Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday.
If one reckons from the day of an event, it would be –
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday – Monday.
Thus, the first is six days after the first day, while the second is about eight days. We do the same type of reckoning all the time. If you arrive in Florida on a plane at 11:30 pm on 11 April, during a later conversation, you might still say you were in Florida on that day. If you left Wednesday morning at 5 am, you might say you were there that day also. Thus, you have been at the location three days, despite your total time there being about thirty-six hours.
When you are reading the Bible, be sure to consider such things. Luke uses a different perspective to say exactly the same thing as Matthew and Mark did. This is to be expected from a chronicler who is from outside of Israel as he sits and counts days. The timing provided by those inside Israel would be from their personal experience and how that aligns with culturally accepted norms.
When considering these things in their proper light, it is evident that no contradiction exists. Instead, the accounts are reliable and actually support the veracity of what is stated.
Lord God Almighty, You have given us a word which is challenging to our minds, and yet understandable when it is properly and carefully evaluated. Thank You that we will get out of Your word just what effort we put into it. Thank You for such a wonderful gift to guide and instruct us. Amen.