The Transfiguration of Jesus

Take Every Passage to Prayer - Volume 2, The Gospels
^{Saturday August 03, 2024}

Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36

Father, it is so easy to think of Jesus as a man. However, He is the Son of God. His visible glory, holiness, and righteousness is so bright that it is blinding to our mortal eyes. One day I will see Him for who He really is - my almighty God, my royal King, and my sovereign Lord who has made all things right. Father, please help me to model for others that I serve such a glorious Savior and that I have surrendered my life to Him. Father, help me to never be deceived - there was no better solution for the world than for Jesus Christ to have suffered and died on the cross for our sin and then to have been raised from the dead on the third day. Amen.
Father, it is as natural as the law of gravity – in every group there are leaders. There are leaders in government. There are leaders in businesses. There are leaders in organizations. There are leaders in local communities. There are leaders on sports teams. There are leaders even within families. Therefore, there must have also been leaders among Jesus’ disciples.
I believe that Peter, James, and John were the de facto leaders of Jesus’ disciples. The other disciples looked up to these three men for direction and understanding. If these three men embraced Jesus as the Son of God, the other disciples would follow in kind. If these three men rejected Jesus as the Son of God, the faith of the other disciples would falter as well.
It has been six days since Jesus disclosed that He will soon suffer and die in Jerusalem. It is believed that Jesus had led His disciples to Mt. Nebo , about 90 to 100 miles south of Caesarea Philippi. The disciples were shocked and dismayed that Jesus was taking them to a place of great sadness and persecution. While that was bad enough, Jesus had also told the disciples that they must surrender their lives to Jesus, giving up all human pursuit in order to advance His Kingdom through hardship. This was not a message for anyone who preferred comfort and security.
It is likely that there were whispers among the disciples of abandoning Jesus. It is likely that Peter, James, and John had sympathies for such talk. They too were dismayed by what Jesus had said. If Peter, James, and John walked away, so would the other disciples. It became imperative for Jesus to solidify and strengthen the faith of Peter, James, and John so that these three men would encourage the other disciples to remain faithful to Jesus.
Father, it had become Jesus’ routine to go up onto a high mountain to spend time alone with You in prayer. While there is no text in the Bible to support my assertion, I suspect that Jesus was routinely transfigured when He was in Your presence. A meeting between God the Father and God the Son would certainly be glorious. Jesus’ face would shine as bright as the sun, or as a bolt of lightning, and His clothes would become dazzling white.
Father, I believe it is also possible that Jesus routinely met with Moses and Elijah when He was alone on a mountain.

1. Moses represented the law. Jesus would perfectly fulfill the law of Moses for all who believe in Him. Moses would encourage the Son of Man, the human Jesus, to complete His mission and, therefore, satisfy the demands of the law.
2. Elijah represented the prophets. Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy about a Messiah who would save the world from its sin. Elijah would encourage the Son of Man, the human Jesus, to fulfill Old Testament prophecy and shed His blood on the cross to save the world from sin.

Father, Jesus must have been discouraged by the weak faith and spiritual immaturity of His disciples. Quite frankly, they were of no help to Him when Jesus was tired and dejected. It is understandable that Jesus would often want to be alone on a mountain, away from the naysayers, to be encouraged and inspired by being with You and Old Testament patriarchs who encouraged Him to stay the course. Father, I believe Jesus invited Peter, John, and James to witness what He regularly experienced when He went up high on a mountain.
What were the disciples thinking as they followed up Jesus up the mountain? Were they thinking about an intervention, that Jesus had to stop talking like He did, or He would lose His disciples? Were they wondering how long they could continue following Him?
Jesus and the three disciples arrived at the place where Jesus wanted to pray. As the disciples watched Jesus’ praying, fighting off sleep, they witnessed His transfiguration. His face shined like the sun and His clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor and talked with Jesus. According to Luke, they talked with Jesus about His destiny to die on the cross in Jerusalem and then to depart into eternal glory. Essentially, they encouraged Jesus to “hang in there” because of the glory He will return to once He sacrifices His life for the salvation of humanity.
Peter was impressed. He saw a side of Jesus he had not seen before. In an attempt to encourage Jesus, Peter said it was good that the three disciples had witnessed Jesus’ glory. I can imagine Peter saying, “It’s ok, Jesus. We are back on board believing You are from above.” This seems to underscore that even Peter, John, and James were having doubts before the transfiguration about following Jesus any longer.
Peter came up with what he thought was a great idea. I imagine it went something like this:
“Jesus, I’ve got a perfect solution. Let’s forget all about this dying-on-the-cross thing. Why don’t You stay up here on the mountain and hang out with Moses and Elijah? We will build temples for all three of you up here. People can be brought up to see you in all of this amazing glory.”
Not only was Peter rejecting the gospel message, but he was also tempting Jesus with fame and celebrity. I can imagine Peter thought of the lucrative business that could be generated leading fee-paying people up to these temples to see Jesus, Moses, and Elijah in all of their glory. Peter was also denigrating Jesus, ascribing to Jesus equal stature with Moses and Elijah who were mere men.
This was not one of Peter’s finest moments.
A bright cloud surrounded all of them and a voice within the cloud said:
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! (NIV)”
Father, Peter, James, and John heard Your voice. They became terrified and fell to their feet. Father, You made the following things very clear to them:

1. Jesus is no mere man. He is the Son of God.
2. Jesus is loved by You, the Father. Therefore, it would be wise for us to love Him too.
3. Jesus is doing and saying exactly what You want Him to do. We must respect and honor Him.
4. We must listen to what Jesus says. It is a command that You will hold us accountable for.

The three disciples have been humbled. They have been set straight. A compassionate Jesus walked over to them and gently touched them on the shoulder. He told them to get up and to not be afraid. Jesus didn’t gloat. There was no “see I told you so.” While Jesus was talking to them, the cloud, Moses, and Elijah disappeared. Jesus’ countenance returned to normal. It was time for the four men to go back down the mountain.
Jesus told Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone what they experienced until Jesus had been risen from the dead. Why would Jesus say this?

1. Immature disciples would insist Jesus stop His journey that was leading to the cross and, instead, glorify Himself at the top of a mountain. Resistance to Jesus’ ministry of suffering and persecution would intensify.
2. The purpose of the transfiguration had been accomplished without need for further disclosure. The three leaders of the disciples had their faith renewed and strengthened. Peter, James, and John would now encourage their fellow disciples to stay the course and see Jesus all the way to the cross.

As the four walked down the mountain, there was discussion about what “rising from the dead” meant. The text does not share with us the details of the discussion; whether Jesus contributed to it or just listened; or what Jesus may have said. It is possible that Jesus spelled out in detail the events of His last week so that the three leaders of the disciples would be prepared for it.
Father, Malachi 4:4-6 reads:
Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.(NIV)”
The Old Testament ends with the prophecy that Elijah will come before the Messiah restores families with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The disciples know of this prophecy because it was taught to them by the teachers of the law in the synagogues.
Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah and He is speaking of His death and resurrection. The disciples ask a logical question, “Where then is Elijah? He’s supposed to come first. But You did.”
Jesus confirms the teachings of the teachers of the law.
Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands (NIV).”
How can it be true that Elijah has come but He will also come in the future just before the Messiah?

1. The text tells us that Jesus is referring to John the Baptist who had already come.  His disciples understood that John the Baptist was ignored, and horrible things were done to him, just like the prophecy in Malachi predicted.
2. Many Bible scholars believe that the two witnesses described in Revelation 11 refer to Moses and Elijah. They believe Elijah will once again display supernatural power just prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ (Messiah) who will restore all things.

It is clear that Jesus understood His ministry extends from ancient days in the Old Testament through to future days when He will come again and have victory over sin and death. However, this information is too much for spiritually immature disciples to understand. Jesus commands Peter, James, and John to keep silent about the transfiguration and not share about it until after Jesus has ascended into heaven after His resurrection. Amen.