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The Gospel of Matthew

The Transfiguration of Messiah

Chapter 17: 1-13

About a week after the Lord Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection to the disciples, and declared that among those who stood there some would not prove death until they saw the Son of Man in His Kingdom, He took three of them to the top of a mountain to pray. It was possibly Mount Hermon, the highest on that location at the North of the country, but no one can be sure.

The three were:

1. "Peter” (Simon son of Jonah): his father probably died while he was a child and he, with his younger brother Andrew, were brought up by Zebedee and Salome. Andrew introduced him to the Messiah, and then both left their occupation of fishermen to be His disciples, then were chosen to be apostles (“sent in person as messengers”). Interestingly, the Lord always called him Simon, although He gave him the nickname Peter.

2. James: son of Zebedee and Salome, was an associate of Peter in fishery, and left his profession to follow the Lord Jesus, also being appointed His apostle. He was the first among the apostles to die, being beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa in the year 44 A.D. (Acts 12:1-2).

3. John: younger brother of James who was, together with him, called "Boanerges" ("son of Thunder") perhaps because of their courage and energy. He was a fisherman but also a scholar, a disciple of John the Baptist. The latter introduced him to the Messiah, whom he followed and by Whom he was also chosen to be an apostle. John gave his personal testimony in his Gospel, has three letters included in the Bible, and received the final revelation of the Lord Jesus concerning the future which became the last book of the Bible. 

The Lord Jesus chose them to witness this and some other special events. Much later, Peter declared, “we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain." (2 Peter 1:16 -18). With this statement, he confirmed the fulfillment of the above prophecy above made by the Lord Jesus.

Though John, the second witness, omits this episode from his Gospel, all the three other Gospel writers describe it in very similar terms. Luke tells us that, “As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,  who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9:29-32).

Matthew explains, "His face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light" (Matthew 17:2).  The transformation would have been terrifying. This was not the divine being presenting Himself with His glory in the form of the man who He had introduced in the world, but the man, Son of God, for a few moments manifesting His glorified body, as it will be seen on His second coming to this world to take charge of His Kingdom on Earth. It was what He had promised a week ago to His disciples.

John wrote: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John  3:2). If we are children of God, He at that time was a resemblance of what we will be, one day, when we come back with Him to take over His Kingdom.

Then two notable figures of antiquity came to Him: Moses, the leader of the people of Israel who delivered them from Egypt and through whom they received the Law of God, and Elijah the faithful prophet in times of apostasy and persecution that did not die, but was raised to heaven in a whirlwind. Both the Law and the Prophecies speak to us of the Messiah, representing the Gospel of the grace of God. Luke informs us that they spoke about His death, which would take place in Jerusalem.

The three apostles were tired and falling asleep, waking only when Moses and Elijah were leaving, Luke tells us. So we do not have an account of the conversation they had but, knowing the content, is to be assumed that it would have been for the comfort of the Lord Jesus, Who would soon leave for Jerusalem and there suffer the expected terrible punishment for our sins.

When they woke up, seeing Moses and Elijah were about to go, Peter intervened, amazed, and proposed to make three tents, two for them and one for the Lord Jesus, because it was so good to have the three together with them. He spoke in his ignorance, not knowing what he said, according to Luke.

Moses was, and continues to be among the Jews, the most important figure in the history of the Israelites, having been the instrument of God to take the Hebrews out of extreme misery, the slavery in Egypt, and make of it an organized, respected people, owner of the best land in the Middle East.

Elijah was a fighter for the cause of God, He is His spokesman to call His people to return to Him, and has not yet gone through death but will be coming back to be the Herald of the Messiah when He comes into His Kingdom.

However, both Moses as Elijah were men only, subject to weaknesses and sins that are part of human life. The do not compare in any way to the Messiah, the Son of God that exists from eternity to eternity, and only took human form in order to redeem His people.

In his hasty suggestion, Peter was placing Moses and Elijah on the same plane as the Messiah, suggesting making a tent for each one! As the feast of Tabernacles was approaching, maybe the idea crossed the mind of Peter not to go to Jerusalem, but to stay up there on the mountain celebrating the feast with all three?

Immediately a luminous cloud covered them (they were on top of a high mountain where the passage of clouds is common, but they darken – these were luminous) and a voice came out of the cloud, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" It was the voice of the Father, the Almighty God! A rebuke to Peter, and a warning to us.

This is the testimony given by God the Father about His Son, Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is the Supreme authority in teaching, and in the revelation of all that pertains to God. Moses, Elijah, the prophets, said and taught that which proceeded from God. However, here was Someone who spoke for Himself, for He was the beloved Son of God. As the author of the book of Hebrews wrote: " God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…" He is the last Word of God! (chapter 1:1-2).

The disciples fell on the ground, terrified, but the Lord Jesus touched them and told them not to be afraid. Moses and Elijah were no longer there, and He had returned to His normal physical appearance.

The Lord commanded His disciples not to tell the vision to anyone until after His resurrection from the dead. The vision and His words should give them courage to face the harrowing days before His death until His resurrection.

They still had problems with relation to the prophecy of Malachi 4:5, according to which Elijah would come first, before the Messiah as taught the scribes of their time. How then could the Lord Jesus, as the Messiah, have come first? They had seen Elijah now alive, but he had not come back to the world as expected.

The Lord Jesus then explained that Elijah really will come first and will restore all things (on his future return to the world). John the Baptist also was Elijah (in the sense of having done the role of Elijah), preparing the people for His arrival, but he had not been respected or recognized in his function, and ended up dying at the hands of their enemies among the people (Herod Antipas).

 

R David Jones  

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1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

 

 

 

 

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

 

 

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."
8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.
12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."
13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Gospel of Mattherw, chapter 17, verses 1 to 13