Theophylact Bulgarian. Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 17:10. And His disciples asked Him, How then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?
Deceiving the people, the scribes said that He was not Christ, for if He were such, then Elijah would have come in advance. They did not distinguish between the two comings of Christ: the first of them the forerunner John, the second - Elijah. This is what Christ explains to his disciples. For listen!
Matthew 17:11. Jesus answered them: it is true, Elijah must come first and arrange everything;
Matthew 17:12. but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted, so that the Son of Man will suffer from them.
Matthew 17:13. Then the disciples understood that He was telling them about John the Baptist.
Saying: 'The truth, Elijah must come first,' shows that he has not yet come, he will come, as the forerunner of the second coming, and will arrange in faith in Christ all the Jews who will be obedient, arranging them, as it were, into a fatherly inheritance, which they have long been deprived. Saying, 'Elijah has already come,' alludes to John the Baptist. They did what they wanted to him, killing Him, for by allowing Herod to kill him, although they had the opportunity to prevent him, they themselves killed. Then the disciples, becoming more thoughtful, understood that the Lord called John Elijah, because he was the forerunner of the first, as Elijah will be the forerunner of His second coming.
Matthew 17:14. When they came to the people, a man came up to Him and, kneeling before Him,
Matthew 17:15. said: Lord! have mercy on my son; he rages on the new moon and suffers grievously, for he often throws himself into fire, and often into water,
This man, apparently, was a very unbeliever, judging by what Christ says to him: 'Oh, unfaithful generation', as well as by the fact that he accuses the disciples. The cause of his son's illness was not the moon, but the demon; he lay in wait for the full moon and then attacked the patient so that God's creation would be blasphemed as harmful. You must understand that every insane person changes, according to the Scriptures, like the moon, being sometimes great in virtue, then small and insignificant. So, he becomes a sleepwalker and throws himself first into the fire of anger and passion, then into the water - into the waves of numerous everyday worries, in which the leviathan - the devil, that is, the king over the waters - dwells. Aren't the waves the constant worries of the rich?
Matthew 17:16. I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not heal him.
Matthew 17:17. And Jesus, answering, said: O unfaithful and perverse generation! as long as I will be with you! how long will I endure you? bring him here to Me.
Matthew 17:18. And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon went out of him; and the boy was healed at that hour.
You see that this a person places the sin of his unbelief on the disciples because they were not able to heal. And so, the Lord, shaming him because he accuses the disciples, says: 'Oh, unfaithful generation,' that is, the sin of their weakness is not so great as the sin of your unbelief, for it, being great, conquered their respective strength. While reproaching this person, the Lord reproaches in general all unbelievers and those present. Saying: “as long as I will be with you,” indicates that He strongly desires the suffering on the cross and removal from them. How long will I live with offenders and unbelievers? 'And Jesus forbade him.' To whom? Sleepwalker. From this it is clear that, being an unbeliever, he himself, thanks to his unbelief, gave the demon the opportunity to enter into him.
