The account of the transfiguration is sandwiched between several passages that highlight the intense difficulty Jesus would face in Jerusalem. His followers were certainly disturbed by the news of Jesus’ imminent death.
They were probably puzzled by the idea that they would see him in his heavenly glory, as he told them that some would do.
“Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16.28).
Just as God gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai, Jesus led his disciples up a mountain to see the glory of God revealed in himself.
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light.
Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him (Matthew 17.1-3).
Jesus took the inner circle of his disciples as far away from humans as possible to privately reveal his glory.
God is to be praised, according to the Psalms, because He is clothed with honor and majesty.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment. (Psalm 104.1-2)
Imagine sitting around a campfire one day with Jesus and then the next day, seeing him wrapped in glory and exuding bright light.
I am sure the disciples had a hard time wrapping their minds around the fact that Jesus was going to be rejected, tortured, and murdered. But he was also in their presence, transfigured with such a brilliant picture.
Later in his life, Peter wrote about this experience and the impact it made on his service to the Lord.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain (2 Peter 1.16-18).
It was Peter’s words that elicited the statement from God out of heaven.
Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (Matthew 17.4-5).
Peter wasn’t willing to be a spectator; he wanted to be a participant in the event. God had another plan.
I sometimes wonder if I need a voice out of heaven to quiet my best thinking so I can hear from him?
The symbolism is too profound to miss. They are on a mountain like the times when Moses and Elijah met with God. The cloud which comes upon them was similar to what happened with Moses.
The disciples did what any human would do in the presence of God’s magnificent glory. They fell to the ground, overcome by fear. Jesus came and told them not to be afraid and to get up.
When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”
And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone (Matthew 7.6-8).
Meditation on the Transfiguration
If you are a regular reader of the Bible, you probably have spent time meditating on this passage like I have. A couple of things strike me.
One of them is that God lovingly involves human beings in His redemptive plan. At this crucial moment in history, two humans are invited into the conversation about what to do about coming events. The fact of God’s trust and love of humans amazes me.
On another note, we learn nothing about what Jesus thought about the event. The whole story is told from the perspective of the three intimate disciples.
Could it be that Jesus didn’t come to conquer the world through his heavenly glory, but rather he came to walk among humans and to show them God’s way in love, grace, forgiveness, and humility?
Once again, the amazing love of God is evident by the way he works with us.
You may have a different impression from reading about the Transfiguration than me. I’d encourage you to spend some time looking at it in the context of what took place both before and after this experience.
Take a few minutes and meditate on what God says to you about His wonderful love.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 