Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist.
All Commentaries on Matthew 17:13 Go To Matthew 17
Theophylact of Ochrid
AD 1107
By saying, "Elijah truly shall come," Christ shows that he has not yet come, but that he will appear as the forerunner of the second coming; and when he appears, he will restore all teachable Jews to faith in Christ, as if restoring them to their paternal inheritance which they had lost. But when Christ says, "Elijah is come already," He is speaking of John the Forerunner; for the Jews "did unto him whatsoever they desired" when they slew him; they slew him when they permitted Herod to slay John, though they could have prevented it. Then the disciples became keener in perception and understood that He was calling John Elijah, as John was the Forerunner of the first coming, just as Elijah would be the forerunner of the second coming.
