Mathew 17:1-13

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Introduction

The Transfiguration

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

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As we move into chapter 17 I want us to keep in mind what’s already happen thus far, to keep in mind what’s happened leading up to Jesus’ transfiguration here in chapter 17. While there’s a chapter division here, which is not inspired, the flow of thought that started back in chapter 16, verse 13 hasn’t ended. While, obviously, the entire book builds upon itself from chapter 1 to through 28, I want us to see that there’s a specific continuity of thought between 16:13 to 17:13. All of these events and conversations, I think, are intended to build upon one another and I don’t want us to miss that. There’s a lot of what theologians call christology revealed in these verses. Christology is just a fancy word for the study of the person, the nature and the role of Christ. So before we unpack these verses in chapter 17, I want us to briefly recall the events and conversations that have come before it.

Who am I? The Christ, the Son of the Living God

There’s a lot of what theologians call christology revealed in these verses. Christology is just a fancy word for the study of the person, the nature and the role of Christ.
Back in 16:13-20 Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter famously answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We get this big, climactic moment where Peter and the disciples confess that Jesus is the Christ, that he’s the Son of the living God. We’re given great clarity to the person and the role of Jesus, he’s God’s Son and Israel’s Messiah.
So before we unpack these verses in chapter 17, I want us to briefly recall the events and conversations that have come before it.

What Christ must do - suffer and die

Then in verses 21-23 Jesus begins to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and to be killed. He brings clarity to his mission and how his role as Messiah will play out, but the disciples are shocked. They can’t comprehend Jesus as a suffering servant, they can’t imagine the Messiah being killed, so Peter says, “This shall never happen to you!” And Jesus rebukes Peter harshly and says, “Get behind me Satan, you’re a hindrance to me! You’re not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
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Pick up your cross and follow me

And then Jesus goes on in verses 24-28 to tell his disciples that not only will he suffer and die, but those who desire to come after him must be ready to pickup their cross and follow him. All of Christ’s disciples must be ready to lose their lives for Christ’s sake, in order that they might gain their lives. So Jesus is not only teaching them his role as Israel’s Messiah to suffer and die, but he’s telling them that they must be willing to follow in his footsteps. He’s telling us that we must we willing to follow in his footsteps, we must be willing to suffer for his sake, even if it means our own earthly lives. Jesus is completely reorienting the the way they had imagined the Messiah to be. They hadn’t imagined a triumphant Messiah suffering and being killed, and, no doubt, they couldn’t have imagined that they would be told to follow to possibly the same end. This is a major paradigm shift for the disciples.

Transfiguration

And by the time we get to the transfiguration in chapter 17 what we see is essentially a big exclamation point to all of this. Jesus’ preincarnate glory is unveiled, Moses and Elijah show up, and then God says from heaven out of a bright cloud, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The transfiguration is a massive proof and assurance of Jesus’ identity and his mission. This is why Matthew reiterates in verse 12 of chapter 17, that Jesus’ mission is to suffer at the hands of the leaders in Jerusalem.
This entire block of recorded events and conversations are intended to emphatically establish Jesus’ identity and his mission, even if his disciples don’t yet understand why it must happen this way. They are receiving a major lesson on christology, learning about the person, nature and role of Christ.

Up a high mountain to pray

And what’s remarkable to see later is Peter’s later recounting of this transfiguration event, and to see how it later impacted him after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven. Turn with me to 2 Peter 16,
And what’s remarkable to see later on is Peter’s recounting of this transfiguration event, and to see how it later impacted him after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven. Turn with me to 2 Peter 16,
With that in mind let’s begin there in verse 1 of chapter 17,

16 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 were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

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Now, if you recall the setting at the end of chapter 16 Jesus and his disciples were somewhere near the Gentile city of Caesarea Philippi, probably some 15-20 miles north of Capernaum and the district of Galilee. Matthew tells us that the transfiguration took place only six days after the end of chapter 16, probably to indicate how soon it took place after his previous interactions with the disciples.
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Jesus then leads Peter, James and John (only three of his disciples) up a high mountain, and in Luke’s parallel account he tells us that Jesus initially led them up the mountain to pray. Now, it impossible to know what mountain they climbed, but church tradition indicates it may have been Mount Tabor about 6 miles east of Nazareth in the district of Galilee. Some have also proposed Mount Hermon which next to Caesarea Philippi to the north. My guess is that it wasn’t Mount Hermon only because in Mark’s account of the transfiguration we’re told that when Jesus and his three disciples came down the mountain they were immediately met by a crowd and Jewish scribes, which seems to indicate this mountain probably wasn’t in Gentile lands.

Transfiguration intended for the disciples

I also want you to notice, as we make our way through this story, how Matthew emphasizes that this event is intended specifically for Peter, James and John. In other words, Matthew seems to indicate that Jesus has led his three disciples up this mountain with the primary intention of them witnessing his transfiguration. We see this in how Matthew describes the event from beginning to end. We’re told that Jesus took his disciples with him, rather than his disciples following him, he’s leading them up a mountain. Matthew goes on to describe every step of the narrative in this same way, “[Jesus] was transfigured before them,” we’re told that Moses and Elijah appeared to them, then the bright cloud appears and overshadows them, the voice that comes out of the cloud speaks to them, and when they fall on their faces in terror Jesus comes and touches them, saying “Rise, and have no fear.” So as we walk through these texts remember that Jesus’ transfiguration is intended for his disciples. Jesus will not only teach them through this experience but this experience is ultimately intended to serve a purpose in the disciple’s lives after his earthly ministry is over, the transfiguration is intended to be for their benefit, as we’ll see more clearly later on.

Transfiguration

And then suddenly while Jesus was praying (as tells us) he was transfigured before them. We read there in verse 2,

2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

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Mark’s Gospel (in chapter 9) describes it like this,

he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

Luke says that his face was “altered” and that “his clothing became dazzling white” like a flash of lightning.

Moses’ shining face

And if you’re at all familiar with the OT this ought to conjure up all kinds of imagery. Matthew describes Jesus’ face as shinning like the sun, which would have undoubtedly reminded any Jewish person of how Moses’ face shone with light after returning from his encounter with God on Mount Sinai.
In the Book of Exodus chapter 33, verse 18 we read that Moses asked God,
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“Please show me your glory.”

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And God responded and said,

“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’

But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

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Then in chapter 34, starting in verse 29 we read,

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

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The glory of God was such that it made Moses’ face radiate with light, and it terrified the people, so until is face no longer glowed he would wear a veil before the people.

Jesus’ face shining like the sun

Now Moses was certainly a type, someone who’s life and ministry pointed ahead to Christ, but he was not the Christ, and Jesus was not just another Moses. The glow of Moses’ face was not caused by his own glory, but the glory of another, his face only reflected the glory of God, like the moon reflects the sun, whereas Jesus’ face shown like the sun. He did not merely reflect the glory of another, instead he is the glory of God. The writer of Hebrews (in chapter 1, verse 3) describes Jesus as the radiance of the glory of God, or the brightness of the glory of God, “and the exact imprint of his nature,” who “upholds the universe by the word of his power ... through whom God also created the [entire] world.” Moses’ radiance was derivative, in other words, it was derived from outside of himself, whereas Jesus’ radiance was essential, it was essential to his being.
The Apostle John in his Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ describes Jesus as,
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one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

This is the same John who was with Jesus on the mountain here in .
When Jesus was transfigured it was like pulling back the veil of his humanity and revealing the glory of his divine nature. The Apostle John also wrote in of a heavenly city, he said,
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I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

In John’s Gospel, when describing Jesus as the Word of God made flesh, he writes,

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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Moses and Elijah

And while Jesus is transfigured, he isn’t alone, in verse 3 we read,
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3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

And the Gospel of Mark adds that, for Peter,

did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

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Many have postulated what the presence of these men signified. Why would Jesus be accompanied by Moses and Elijah? They were undoubtedly intended to communicate something about the nature of Jesus’ messianic mission. I think we can know this because of , when he tells us that these two men, who appeared in glory, “spoke of [Jesus’] departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” The subject at hand was not only about Jesus’ departure to Jerusalem but also his departure in death. It as the eschatological mission Jesus that stood at the heart of their discussion.
And probably the most popular view about these two men is that Moses represented the Law and that Elijah represented the Prophets, while not an unbiblical conclusion, I don’t think the Jews would have though of these men in quite the same way as we might be inclined to. For instance, there no historical evidence that Elijah would have been a representative figure of the prophets to the Jews, especially considering Elijah didn’t write anything himself.
And probably the most popular view is that Moses represented the Law and that Elijah represented the Prophets, while not an unbiblical conclusion, I don’t think the Jews would have though of these men in quite the same way as we might be inclined to. For instance, there no historical evidence that Elijah would have been a representative figure of the prophets to the Jews, especially considering Elijah didn’t write anything himself.
So I think their presence represented something more eschatological, that they both represented figures who were associated with the coming of the Messiah. Moses was a type of Christ, and said about himself in that,

15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

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Jesus was, of course, that prophet of whom Moses spoke about. Therefore, this prophecy linked him directly to the future Messiah, of whom he was a type.
The prophet Elijah never saw death and was seen as the preeminent person who would hasten the arrival of the Messiah.
The prophet Elijah never saw death, he was carried into heaven on a chariot of fire, and was seen as the one who would hasten the arrival of the Messiah at his return. And I think this is precisely why the disciples ask the question that they do about Elijah later in verse 10, because of his great eschatological significance, and his association with the arrival of Israel’s Messiah. So both Elijah and Moses were figures who the Jews closely associated with the Messiah and his coming.

Shekinah Glory

And this whole experience has the disciples terrified and overwhelmed, so not knowing what to say, Peter offers to build them each a shelter for accommodations, but while he’s still speaking,

behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

If Jesus’ transfiguration isn’t enough God’s glory overshadows them in what you might literally call a glory cloud. This is what many scholars have called the Shekinah glory, the glory that engulfed Moses on Mount Sinai and that filled the Temple in Jerusalem during the days of Solomon. Luke records that they were afraid as they entered the cloud, and then Matthew tells us that when the voice from heaven spoke that they became exceedingly afraid, that they were, again, terrified.

Confirming Peter’s confession

And the just as we saw with Jesus’ baptism, back in chapter 3, God the Father speaks from heaven and says,

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;

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Jesus’ identity is affirmed in the most incredible of ways. And I believe it’s here that we find the purpose of this event, to confirm the disciple’s newfound understanding of Jesus and his identity. To confirm Peter’s confession that Jesus, is indeed, the Christ, the Son of the living God. A confession that was undoubtedly tested when Jesus, afterward, told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer, and be killed. And to emphasize this very point, this voice from heaven also says, “listen to him.” Do you remember what we read back in Deuteronomy 18:15, when Moses said,
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15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

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If there’s any kind of application that we can take from this, it’s this, to take heed of God’s Son, and to listen to him. Great crowds followed Jesus, but so few listened to him. May it not be so of us, I pray we would learn to heed his voice to a greater degree every day.

Consolation

Now, in this moment of fear, we’re told that Jesus comes to his disciples and touches them, he comforts them, and says,

“Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

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Prayer

Prayer

Thank you for the assurance we have to know that you are God’s only begotten Son, and help us to listen to him.
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