Jesus’ Transfiguration
TRANSLATION
(1) And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. (2) There he was transfigured in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as the light. (3) And behold, there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. (4) And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you desire, I will build three temporary shelters (tabernacles), one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (5) He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud declared, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (6) And when the disciples heard it, they fell down on their faces and were terrified. (7) Then Jesus came and touched them saying, “Get up, and don’t be afraid.” (8) And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus by himself.
(8) And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them: “Do not tell anyone the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” (10) His disciples then asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?” (11) And he answered, “Elijah indeed is coming and will restore all things. (12) However, I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” (13) Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
OBSERVATIONS
For just a brief moment, the three disciples closest to Jesus were permitted a glimpse of his unveiled glory. Proper names were the words most repeated in this segment: “Jesus” five times (vss. 1, 4, 7, 8, & 9), “Peter” twice (vss. 1 & 4), “Moses” twice (vss. 3 & 4), “Elijah” five times (vss. 3, 4, 10, 11, & 12), “Son” and “Son of Man” (vss. 5, 9, & 12). “Cloud” was also repeated (vs. 5) as were “come/coming” three times (vss. 10, 11, & 12) and “disciples” twice (vss. 10 & 13). Along with Jesus’ baptism, the transfiguration was the only instance in the Gospel record when the Father spoke from heaven declaring, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” (cf. Mt. 3:17).
OUTLINE
I. During his transfiguration, Peter, James, and John witnessed the unveiled glory of Christ. (1-8)
II. Afterward, Jesus explained to his disciples how Elijah’s promised coming had been and would be fulfilled. (9-13)
IDEA STATEMENT
In Jesus’ transfiguration and brief consultation with Moses and Elijah, his deity as well as his messianic mission were both on display.
APPLICATION
What was the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing and conferring with Jesus during his transfiguration? For one thing, this demonstrated that Old Testament saints, although having physically died, were still very much alive. As Jesus would later tell the Sadducees, “And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mt. 22:31 & 32). This established the truth that our existence does not cease when we die physically.
In addition, each patriarch embodied a major segment of the Old Testament revelation. Moses, the author of the Pentateuch, represented the Law while Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, represented the rest of the Old Testament, the historical accounts, the prophetic books, and the wisdom literature. By their combined presence at the Transfiguration, they affirmed Jesus’ identity as the Messiah who in his life and ministry fulfilled all that the Old Testament had anticipated. This truth was even more firmly established by the declaration of the Father, “This is my beloved Son…listen to him!”
The final prophecy found in the last Old Testament book, Malachi, also sheds light on the Transfiguration. In this passage which looked forward to the future Kingdom of God, we find references to both Moses and Elijah: “Remember the Law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Mal. 4:4 & 5). It should not come as a surprise that the disciples questioned Jesus regarding how the appearance of Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration accorded to what Malachi had prophesied. Jesus did not refuse to answer but rather affirmed that Elijah had already come in the person of John the Baptist for those who had faith to believe his message. However, just as John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod, so would the Son of Man, the Messiah, likewise be executed by those who opposed his ministry.