Matthew 17

The Transfiguration of Jesus

· Matthew 17:1 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. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 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.” While he was 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!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Understanding the Transfiguration

It represents a unique scene in the gospels. Jesus did not announce that it would happen, it certainly wasn’t anticipated by the disciples, and it was not repeated. There is no obvious Old Testament prophesy connected to the event, and it is not connected with any of the great discourses of Jesus.

On first glance, one may view it as a random event (enigmatic event?), but to study it would suggest it was anything but random and indeed was connected with Jesus’ mission (and our salvation).

The Context

Defining who Jesus was – the public response (Mt 16:14) – one of the great prophets returned Jesus’ phases of training for the disciples:

Identification - observation of Jesus’ teachings, powers – designed to identify Jesus as Son of God (confirmed in Mt 16:16)

Understanding – teach the disciples what it meant to say Jesus was Son of God (correct the understanding of the Promised Messiah from the popular idea of a militaristic figure to the biblical one).

The Transfiguration

Thus, it is in this ‘context of confusion” among the disciples that the Transfiguration occurs.

· Jesus took Peter, James and John up “to a high mountain” (sod level of understanding?)

· Jesus was glorified before their eyes

· Then, there appeared Moses, the great lawgiver, and Elijah, the great prophet

Similarities: both had seen an appearance of God (Shekinah) in their lifetimes (Exodus 33:17, 1Kings 19:9) and both had occurred on a mountain.

Symbolic significance: Moses and Elijah represent Torah and the Prophets and their recognition and conversation with Jesus symbolizes how Jesus fulfills “the law and the prophets” (Mt 5:17)

Midrash Tehillim 39a – At the time of the Kingdom, the Holy One will bring together Mount Sinai, Tabor and Carmel, and will place the New Jerusalem on top of them, and this is what is meant by Isaiah 2:2 : “The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains”.

Heavenly voice (Bat-kol)) speaking the same words heard at Jesus’ baptism (Mt 3:17) – Hear Him!

Note that the heavenly voice speaks as Peter suggests building the three tabernacles. Peter wanted to give Jesus, Moses, and Elijah equal treatment; the divine voice corrects him.

The Meaning

· It was a lesson about who Jesus was. The disciples had confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, although they had a mistaken idea of what that meant. It confirmed Peter’s confession (Mt 16:6) – Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel.

· The scene demanded that men hear Jesus as one who had authority to speak to them. Matthew 7:29 – for He taught them as one having authority, and not as one of the scribes. 2 Peter 1:16-21 – the word of Jesus is sure and confirmed. The Transfiguration was a statement concerning the authority of Jesus. Moses (The Torah) and Elijah (the Prophets) served only a partial purpose in the plan of God. Romans 3:21 – But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.

· The Transfiguration confirmed that the Kingdom of the Messiah would be characterized by glory. Jesus was indeed the glorified Son of God.

· The scene is the key to understanding the Cross of Jesus and His commitment to it. The Transfiguration was meant to be interpreted in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus tells the disciples not to discuss what they had seen until after his resurrection (Mt 17:9). Jesus wanted his disciples to know that he would be glorified, but that it would come through his death and resurrection.

“Thus, with the Transfiguration began phase two of the disciples’ training. The Transfiguration was not a random event, but was a precisely timed and executed manifestation of glory that was to serve as a lesson to the disciples about what kind of Messiah Jesus was, and how he would attain his greatness. It was the first lesson in Jesus’ attempt to get them to understand his Messiahship and what it entailed. They had to unlearn the physical, worldly notions of their day and come to terms with the biblical concept of the Messiah that Jesus would fulfill in the days ahead of them.”

-David McClister