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the transfiguration
life of christ: matthew 17.1-13
the transfiguration
introduction
We saw the previous episode as the watershed of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Prior to Peter�s confession at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had been performing miracles, teaching with great authority, and living life in general in the presence of His disciples. All these different actions begged an answer to the question, "Just who is this Jesus who raises the dead, controls nature, teaches with authority, and lives a life of grace?" At Caesarea Philippi Jesus brought them to the confession that He was the Messiah, God the Son. He was the one the OT had prophesied God would send to usher in His kingdom and reign as the king in God�s kingdom.
After leading the disciples to this confession though, Jesus launched a grenade right in the middle of the apostles. Since the time they could remember hearing about the Messiah, the disciples had been taught that He would emerge on the scene, raise an army, and then destroy all those nations who would oppress Israel. In fact, He would establish His capital in Jerusalem from where He would rule over the rest of the world. Jesus though contradicted this view when He claimed that He was going to Jerusalem not to be crowned but to suffer death at the hands of His enemies. This pronouncement sent the disciples into a tailspin. They never really understood what Jesus was talking about until after He had been crucified and raised from the dead (John 12:16; 13:7). Only then did they understand what kind of Messiah He was going to be.
In order to understand this next major section in the life of Jesus, you need to appreciate the mindset not only of the disciples but also of the Jews about the Messiah. The same attitude you see in the NT the Jews have towards the Messiah exists even today among the Jews. They are simply hostile towards the idea of a suffering Messiah. For the Jews, the term suffering Messiah is a contradiction in terms. The Messiah simply cannot suffer. The Jews of today would put Jesus to death just as quickly as the Jews of Jesus� day did. In the minds of the Jews during Jesus� day either Jesus was the Messiah or He was One who suffered; He could not be both. Their views about the Messiah precluded that from happening.
There are OT stories and OT figures which are similar to the episode of the Transfiguration. Two OT saints in particular are often thought of in terms of their relationship with a mountain. Elijah, fleeing from the wrath of Jezebel and her weak husband Ahab, fled to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai) where God appeared to him not in the earthquake, mighty wind, or flaming fire but in a soft voice. Moses also is thought of in terms of his relationship with Mt. Sinai. After delivering the Israelites from the Egyptians, he led them to Mt. Sinai where God appeared to him in His glory by allowing Moses to see His back. The glory of the Lord affected Moses to the extent that Moses� face shone with God�s glory when he came down from the mountain. He had to a put a veil over it though because the people became depressed when they saw the glory fading from his face. Both of these stories and figures play a role in Jesus� transfiguration.
the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8)
According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this incident occurred approximately one week after Peter�s confession at Caesarea Philippi and after Jesus had predicted His own sufferings. This is one of the rare instances in the NT when we see such precise chronological dating of an event. The 3 gospel writers are basically linking this event with the one preceding it, Peter�s confession and Jesus� predictions about His death. However else you understand the Transfiguration, you must interpret it in light of these 2 prior events in order to understand it correctly.
Jesus and His inner circle of disciples (Peter, James, and John) ascend with Jesus up to the top of a high mountain located between the Sea of Galilee and Caesarea Philippi. (Why these 3? It is only natural that some of the disciples should be closer to Jesus than the others.) While Jesus is praying, His body undergoes a transformation. Mark says that His body and clothes turned a shade of white which no launderer on earth could match. Luke�s description is much more graphic. He says that Jesus was white like lightning. It was like Jesus was lightning in the form of a man.
What was happening here? When Jesus came to earth, although He became man, He did not cease to be God. The rest of the time Jesus appeared to be a man just like everybody else, this incident though proves that Jesus was more than man. He was God who became man. Here we see His deity shining through. Notice that Jesus did not dispense with the body. The body gave Him shape; however, at the Transfiguration Jesus� spiritual side dominated His physical side. (Notice also the difference between Jesus� transfiguration and Moses� transfiguration. Moses� face shone because God�s glory from the outside shone upon him. In this instance Jesus shone because His glory shone from the inside out. Moses� glory was external because it came from Somebody else; Jesus� glory was internal because it came from Him).
Why did God want Jesus to undergo this transfiguration before the disciples? To reconfirm to the disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, God�s Son. This experience relates to Peter�s confession. (Remember I told you to understand this in light of Peter�s confession).
As if Jesus turning into light was not enough for the disciples to handle, they next see the two OT figures of Elijah and Moses appearing and beginning to converse with Jesus. None of the gospel writers indicate how the 3 disciples knew who these 2 were; however, they are quite definite in their identification of the 2 men speaking with Jesus. Notice also what Jesus and the OT saints are talking about. They are talking about Jesus� up-coming exodus (which our versions translate as "departure"). Exodus may refer simply to Jesus� departure through His death; however, more likely, it refers to the great deliverance from sin that Jesus� death and resurrection would bring for God�s people. Although God had delivered His people in a great way through Moses, He was going to effect even a greater deliverance through His Son Jesus.
At this point Peter does not know quite what to do or say, although that doesn�t keep him from saying anything. What he says next comes from both fear and exhaustion because it is late at night. Peter reminds me of my son and one of my nephews who talk fast when they get nervous. Talking is just a way to process fear. Peter tells Jesus it is good that he and the other 2 disciples are there. Next, he asks if he should build a tabernacle for the 3 heavenly beings.
This last statement betrays Peter�s misunderstanding of what is happening. He may have proposed this because he thinks that Moses and Elijah are going to be around a lot longer and will need a place to stay. In his eyes it is quite evident that the end of all history has come. He deduces this because first Jesus has been transfigured and entered His glorious existence and second Elijah and Moses have come down from heaven. The Jews believed that Elijah would definitely appear before the Messiah came to establish God�s kingdom. Well, here�s Elijah, and what�s even better, here�s Moses! Now all that is left is for Jesus to be crowned in Jerusalem, drive out the Romans, and reign supreme from Jerusalem all over the world. On the other hand, Peter might have thought that standing before him were 3 exalted beings who deserved a tabernacle each. The word rendered "hut" is the same word from which we get "tabernacle," the dwelling place of God in the OT. In Peter�s mind these 3 heavenly beings deserved worship and praise.
No matter which of these 2 reasons were driving Peter, both were wrong. At this point Jesus was not consummating the kingdom of God; He was just inaugurating it. What was happening here was that Jesus was giving the disciples a preview, a foreshadowing of what is yet to come. We see this same technique in literature. In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy has Anna witness a young lady who was killed by an oncoming train. This foreshadows the end of the book when Anna herself throws herself down in front of a train in order to commit suicide. Jesus� radical transformation here foreshadows the day when He ascends to heaven and sits at God�s right hand. That day had not yet come.
The second reason is just as spurious as the first. By wanting to build 3 tabernacles instead of one, Peter was putting Jesus on the same plane as the other 2. As the story develops, we see that God was not putting the 2 OT saints on the level of Jesus. As great as Moses and Elijah are, they don�t even begin to compare with Jesus who is God�s Son.
At this point a cloud descends from heaven and most likely overshadows just Jesus and the 2 OT saints. The cloud represents the presence of God (remember how God lived in the cloud during the wilderness wanderings). While the cloud is overshadowing Jesus and the 2 OT saints, the 3 disciples hear God�s voice: "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" With this statement we hear God repeating the formula He spoke over Jesus at His baptism.
This formula combines 2 different OT verses and also 2 different OT themes. The first clause, "This is My beloved Son," comes from Ps. 2:7, a coronation psalm the Jews would sing as they crowned their new king. They believed that their king �s relationship with God was as special as that between a father and his son. As time passed though, the Jews recognized the absurdity of singing this over their kings, such as, Ahab, Manasseh, and countless others who led Israel into idolatry. The Jews came to see in this verse a prophecy of their king, the Messiah, who would truly be God�s Son. The second clause in this formula comes from Isaiah 42:1, the first of the Suffering Servant songs of Isaiah. This Servant of the Lord will suffer for the sins of God�s people. By combining these 2 clauses, God is reconfirming what Jesus said earlier after Caesarea Philippi; He is the Messiah who will usher in God�s kingdom by His suffering on the cross.
God adds another clause though to the one used at the baptism: "Listen to Him!" In other words, pay close attention to what Jesus is saying about Himself, especially about being a king who suffers for His people.
After God repeats the baptism formula, the cloud dissipates, the 2 OT saints disappear and the 3 disciples look up to see just Jesus. The Greek says this last statement in such a way to impress upon us the importance and singularity of Jesus. They saw "Him Jesus alone." Matthew repeats the idea of there being only Jesus because when it is all said and done, all that matters is that Jesus is with them.
significance of the transfiguration
The Transfiguration has several different meanings. First, it gives a preview of what Jesus was going to be like after His ascension. The episodes of Jesus appearing to His disciples after the resurrection occurred before His ascension. Jesus during those 40 days is basically in a state of transition. His body is in the process of undergoing a radical transformation which would be completed only after His ascension. That is the reason we see a much different picture of Jesus in Rev. 1:12-20 than we see here. In Rev. 1 Jesus� hair is as white as wool and snow; His eyes are like a flame of fire. The reason is that in Rev. 1 Jesus has already completed His transformation.
Next, this episode addresses a major issue for the Jews. Today they still reject Jesus because they claim His Messiahship and kingdom contradict what the OT said would be true about Jesus and His kingdom. If you notice though in this episode, Elijah and Moses, the great representatives of the OT Law and Prophets, are conversing with Jesus about His approaching death. Apparently what was about to happen to Jesus did not surprise them! Their presence there with Jesus shows that they affirmed Jesus in what He was doing. The problem was not between Jesus and the OT; the problem was between Jesus and the way the Jews interpreted the OT. Jesus harmonized with the OT, not with their interpretation of it. Jesus had Elijah and Moses to support His interpretation.
This episode also encourages us to place our focus on Jesus. First, notice that of the 3 exalted figures, only Jesus is transformed so that light shines forth from Him. Second, when Elijah and Moses are speaking with Jesus, they are not speaking about Moses� great experiences in the wilderness, nor are they speaking about Elijah�s encounter with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Rather they are talking about Jesus and His approaching death. To Moses and Elijah what was important was not them and their past but Jesus and His future. Third, when God addresses the disciples, He instructs them to listen to Jesus. Again, the command is to focus on Jesus. Finally, when it is all said and done, all that remains is Jesus.
Jesus is the essence of life. Just before this episode Jesus turned to the 12 disciples and asked them if they wanted to abandon Him along with all the other disciples who had just abandoned Jesus (John 6:66-70). Peter�s response should be the motto for every Christian. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." Not out jobs, not our homes, not our relationships, not our health or physique. Jesus is the essence of life. Many of us are frustrated because of our lack of time. We have no time. It�s because Jesus is not the Lord of our time. Instead of us spending quality time with Him each day as we should, He is lucky if we show up for Bible study and worship twice a month. It seems like we have holes in our pockets. Why? Because Jesus is not Lord of our finances. The same applies with our relationships and every other area of our lives. It�s sad, but in many cases Jesus is just something we tack onto our lives without actually being our life itself.
Finally, this episode also gives us a true taste of our own future and our own potential at the present moment. When we became Christians, Jesus Himself came to live in us along with His Spirit. Well, the same Jesus who assumed a luminous form also lives in us. We too shall experience the same kind of existence Jesus is experiencing in this passage. Jesus predicted this at the end of the Parable of the Tares and Wheat when He claimed that His followers would shine like the sun.
This passage though also has ramifications for the present. This same Jesus we see on the Mount of Transfiguration lives in us right now to produce a life of glory in us right now. Although our bodies will not be transformed until Jesus returns, He has definitely begun the process of transforming our inner hearts and souls. The same Jesus we see on the Mount of Transfiguration also wants to shine through me. All it requires is that I obey Him and allow Him to live His life through me.
elijah has already come (Matt. 17:9-13)
The next day as the disciples are descending the mountain with Jesus, the disciples begin to discuss the meaning of Elijah�s coming. (This is only natural in light of the fact that they had just seen Elijah). The scribes had taught them that Elijah would return before the Messiah emerged on the scene. The scribes claimed that since Elijah had not returned, Jesus Himself could not be the Messiah. Moreover, in the teachings of the scribes, a suffering Messiah was a contradiction in terms.
Jesus affirms at least the first part of what the scribes claimed to be true. In light of Malachi 4:5, Elijah did have to return before the emergence of the Messiah. Contrary to what the scribes thought, Elijah had returned, not as they had expected but in the person of John the Baptist. Again, the scribes did not recognize John to be Elijah though because they believed (1) he did not restore all things like Malachi had prophesied and (2) he suffered and died.
First, John did conduct a ministry of restoration, just not the kind of restoration the scribes thought he should have conducted. The scribes believed that Elijah would restore the nation by defeating the Romans and installing the Messiah upon the throne of David; however, that is not what Malachi taught. He taught that Elijah would restore the nation by turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. By preaching a gospel of repentance John the Baptist was doing just what Malachi had predicted. Restoring the nation of Israel to a position of international dominance was not nearly as important as restoring the hearts of the nation. Second, John�s persecution and martyrdom prove that he was Elijah returned. Look at the life of Elijah. He was a prophet who dressed in many ways like John and who was persecuted by a conniving queen with the permission of her weak husband, just like John was persecuted by the conniving Queen Herodias who had the weak King Herod under her thumb. Instead of disqualifying him from being Elijah, John�s suffering and martyrdom qualified him to be Elijah.
Finally, the fact that Jesus was about to suffer did not disqualify Him from being the Messiah. The persecution and death of John as Elijah foreshadowed the future persecution and death of the One whose way he came to prepare. If the forerunner of the Messiah suffered persecution and suffering, then it is only natural that the Messiah Himself suffer the same. Once again, Jesus is the Messiah who has come to usher in God�s kingdom by means of His suffering, death, and resurrection.