Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
a. Jesus took Peter, James, and John: Jesus did not invite all the disciples, but only these three. Perhaps Jesus did this to prevent the account of this amazing miracle being told of before the time was right (Matthew 17:9). Others have suggested that He did it because these three needed closer supervision than the others.
i. After six days: “Luke’s ‘about eight days after Jesus said this’ (Luke 9:28) is based on a Greek way of speaking and means ‘about a week later’.” (Carson)
b. Led them up on a high mountain: There have been several suggestions for the location of the Mount of Transfiguration.
· Mount Tabor (about 1,900 ft 580 mters); but it isn’t high, and isn’t on the way from Caesearea Philippi to Capernaum.
· Mount Hermon (about 9,300 feet, 2,835 meters) is high; but perhaps too high and too cold p Capernaum. Carson favors this location.
He was transfigured before them: The word transfigured speaks of a transformation, not merely a change in outward appearance. The effect was extremely striking; Jesus became so bright in appearance that He was even difficult to look at (like the sun).
i. “The verb metamorphoo (‘transfigure,’ ‘transform,’ ‘change in form’) suggests a change of inmost nature that may be outwardly visible.” (Carson) It may be that this glory shone forth in the Garden of Gethsemane, when those who arrested Him fell back when Jesus said, “I am.” (John 18:6).
ii. Essentially this was not a new miracle, but the temporary cessation of an ongoing one. The real miracle was that Jesus, most of the time, could keep from displaying this glory. Yet John said, We beheld His glory. Peter wrote, We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
iii. “For Christ to be glorious was almost a less matter than for him to restrain or hide his glory. It is forever his glory that he concealed his glory; and that, though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor.” (Spurgeon)
iv. This happened as a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:28. We should remember that chapter and verse divisions were certainly not in the original writings of the apostles, and did not come until the 16th Century.
d. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light: It was His face that did shine as the sun. He wasn’t transformed into another being with another body; it was His own face that shone.
i. Jesus has His disciples with Him when He shines in His glory. He is not glorified apart from them, because they share in His glory. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me. (John 17:24)
ii. “Another thing which we may learn from our Lord Jesus Christ having shown himself to his apostles thus robed in brightness is, that we are scarcely aware of the glory of which the human body is capable.” (Spurgeon)
- (3) Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
a. Moses and Elijah: Remarkably, these two Old Testament persons appeared and spoke with the transfigured Jesus. Moses had lived some 1400 years before; Elijah some 900 years before; yet they were alive and in some sort of resurrected, glorified state.
i. It is fair to think that these two particular persons from the Old Testament appeared because they represent the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The sum of Old Testament revelation came to meet with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.
ii. We can also say that Moses and Elijah represent those who are caught up to God (Moses at Jude 9 and Elijah at 2 Kings 2:11). More specifically, Moses represents those who die and go to glory, and Elijah represents those who are caught up to heaven without death (as in the rapture described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
iii. From this we see: “Saints long departed still alive;