Teks -- Matthew 17:17 (NET)

17:17 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.”

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Mat 17:17 - Perverse

Perverse ( diestrammenē ).

Distorted, twisted in two, corrupt. Perfect passive participle of diastrephō .

Vincent: Mat 17:17 - Perverse

Perverse ( διεστραμμένη )

Wyc., wayward. Tynd., crooked; διά , throughout ; στερέφω , to twist. Warped.

Wesley: Mat 17:17 - O unbelieving and perverse generation

Our Lord speaks principally this to his disciples.

Wesley: Mat 17:17 - How long shall I be with you?

Before you steadfastly believe?

Clarke: Mat 17:17 - O faithless and perverse generation!

O faithless and perverse generation! - These and the following words may be considered as spoken

1.    To the disciples, because of their unbelief, Mat 17:20

2.    To the father of the possessed, who should have brought his son to Christ

3.    To the whole multitude, who were slow of heart to believe in him as the Messiah, notwithstanding the miracles which he wrought

See Kypke

Perverse, διεστραμμενη, signifies -

1.    Such as are influenced by perverse opinions, which hinder them from receiving the truth: and

2.    Such as are profligate in their manners

Kypke. This last expression could not have been addressed to the disciples, who were certainly saved from the corruption of the world, and whose minds had been lately divinely illuminated by what passed at and after the transfiguration: but at all times the expression was applicable to the Jewish people.

Calvin: Mat 17:17 - O unbelieving and rebellious nation

Mat 17:17.O unbelieving and rebellious nation Though Christ appears to direct his discourse to the father of the lunatic, yet there can be no doubt that he refers to the scribes, as I have lately explained; for it is certain that the reproof is directed, not against ignorant and weak persons, but against those who, through inveterate malice, obstinately resist God. This is the reason why Christ declares that they are no longer worthy to be endured, and threatens that ere long he will separate from them. But nothing worse could happen to them than that Christ should leave them, and it was no light reproach that they rejected so disdainfully the grace of their visitation. We must also observe here, that we ought to treat men in various ways, each according to his natural disposition. For, while our Lord attracts to him the teachable by the utmost mildness, supports the weak, and gently arouses even the sluggish, he does not spare those crooked serpents, on whom he perceives that no remedies can effect a cure.

TSK: Mat 17:17 - O faithless // how long shall I be

O faithless : Mat 6:30, Mat 8:26, Mat 13:58, Mat 16:8; Mar 9:19, Mar 16:14; Luk 9:41, Luk 24:25; Joh 20:27; Heb 3:16-19

how long shall I be : Exo 10:3, Exo 16:28; Num 14:11, Num 14:27; Psa 95:10; Pro 1:22, Pro 6:9; Jer 4:14; Act 13:18

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Mat 17:17-18 - Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief

Ver. 17,18. Mark relates this part of the history much more largely, Mar 9:19-27 , he answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And oft times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. Luke relates this shorter, but addeth nothing to what is in the other evangelists, Luk 9:41,42 . Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation. Christ here calls them so not with respect to justifying faith, but that faith which respected the Divine power as to working miracles. Every revelation of the Divine will is the object of faith; Christ had revealed to the Jews that he was sent of God, and furnished with such a power; this the Jews, and particularly the scribes, did not believe. The faith of the father of this child was but very weak in the case; no more, as we shall see afterwards, was the faith of the disciples; so as he may be understood to respect them all, though in different degrees. He calls them perverse, because they had so often seen and experienced his power of this nature, yet their faith was not clear and strong. He biddeth that the young man should be brought to him, and it was done. And when he saw him, ( saith Mark), straightway the spirit tare him, & c. Our Saviour could easily have prevented this, but probably he suffered it that the miracle might be more evident. However, it letteth us see how hardly the devil parteth with his possession in us in any degree, and how ready he is to run to the length of his line in doing us mischief. Christ asked his father how long he had been so vexed; his father tells him, from a child. By this also the miracle was more illustrious, which probably was the reason why Christ propounded the question. No evils are too inveterate for Christ to remove. The father renewth his request, and in it showeth the weakness of his faith: If (saith he) thou canst do any thing. His coming to Christ, and crying to him, argued that he believed he could do something; his saying if thou canst do any thing speaks the weakness of his faith. Christ tells him, if he could believe, all things are possible. Nothing ties God’ s hands but his creatures’ unbelief. It is said, that Christ could not in Capernaum do many mighty works because of their unbelief. Upon this the father cries out,

Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief Men may truly believe, and yet have a mixture of unbelief. God rewards a weak faith, to souls labouring under the sense of their weakness, and desiring an increase of strength. Christ rebukes the spirit (called a dumb and deaf spirit, because it made the person such that was thus affected with it). Christ commands the spirit out, and so to come out as never more to enter into him. The evil spirit roars, rends him, comes out, and leaveth him as one dead: which still confirmeth us in his malice to mankind; he will do what harm he can when he cannot do us the harm he would.

Lightfoot: Mat 17:17 - O faithless and perverse generation, etc.

Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me.   

[O faithless and perverse generation, etc.] the edge of these words is levelled especially against the scribes (see Mar 9:14); and yet the disciples escaped not altogether untouched.   

Christ and his three prime disciples being absent, this child is brought to the rest to be healed: they cannot heal him, partly, because the devil was really in him; partly, because this evil had adhered to him from his very birth. Upon this the scribes insult and scoff at them and their master. A faithless and perverse generation; which is neither overcome by miracles, when they are done, and vilify, when they are not done! The faith of the disciples (Mat 17:20) wavered by the plain difficulty of the thing, which seemed impossible to be overcome, when so many evils were digested into one, deafness, dumbness, phrensy, and possession of the devil: and all these from the cradle.

Gill: Mat 17:17 - Then Jesus answered and said // How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? // bring him hither to me

Then Jesus answered and said,.... Not to the disciples, but to the father of the child; see Mar 9:19 and those that were with him, and the Scribes that were present, disputing with the disciples, upbraiding them with their weakness, and triumphing over them: "O faithless and perverse generation"; a way of speaking, which is never used of the disciples, and indeed could not be properly said of them; for though they often appeared to be men of little faith, yet not faithless; nor were they so rebellious, stubborn, and perverse, as here represented, though there was a great deal of perverseness in them: but the characters better suit the body of the Jewish nation, who, on account of the incredulity of this man, and those that were present, being of the same temper with them, are exclaimed against in words, which were long ago spoken of their ancestors, Deu 32:5 and from whence they seem to be taken.

How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Upbraiding them with the length of time he had been with them, in which so many wonderful works had been done among them, and yet they remained unbelieving and incorrigible; and intimating, that his patience and longsuffering would not always continue; and that in a short time, he should be gone from them, and they should no longer enjoy the benefit of his ministry and miracles, but wrath should come upon them to the uttermost: but however, whilst he was with them, notwithstanding all their unbelief and obstinacy, he should go on to do good; and therefore says,

bring him hither to me, meaning the lunatic child. These words also are directed, not unto the disciples, but to the father of the child; for so it is said in Luk 9:41 "bring thy son hither"; and so the Syriac renders it here אתיהו, "bring thou him"; though, as expressed in the plural number, may very well be thought to intend him, and his friends.