#37 The Greatest "Mountaintop Experience” Ever! Series

Imagine what a stunning display this scene presented to the disciples! It’s dark up on that lonely mountain and Jesus goes a little ahead of them. Suddenly they experience a dazzling display of Jesus in His Shekinah Glory. And then Moses and Elijah appear. Wow!—It was like the greatest fireworks show in history!

When I read this, I thought not only of the remarkable display they saw, but also of what Jesus must have seen in the reflected light of the disciples faces.

Illus. – When our kids were little, we’d go to July Fourth fireworks displays. I loved to look up and watch the spectacular show we would get every year. The kids would say excitedly, “Look Daddy, look at that one” or “That one’s AWESOME!” But I’ll tell you what I loved even more: I just loved seeing the faces of my sons, eyes big as silver dollars and full of expectancy, with their skin reflecting the changing hues of the fireworks display. None of the gospel writers indicate that Jesus took notice of the disciples’ faces at the transfiguration, but I can’t help but think that He did.

The three disciples are witnessing this stunning spectacle, and in true fashion, Peter sticks his foot in his mouth in verse 5-6: “And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ 6 For he wist not (or “knew not”) what to say; for they were sore afraid.”

R. Kent Hughes says that Peter was “a man who always had something to say when there was nothing to be said.” The three disciples are awestruck, and maybe Peter just utters what comes to his mind in the moment.

But Bible scholars see something deeper. Recall that in chapter 8 Jesus had revealed to the disciples that God’s plan for Jesus must be the path of suffering, rejection, death and resurrection. This isn’t ANYTHING like what they had learned from the rabbis, and they just couldn’t wrap their heads around it. And then Jesus laid down the terms of discipleship THEY should expect: suffering for Jesus’ sake, cross-bearing, rejection by this world.

Tabernacles places where God would meet with mankind The Tabernacle was a meeting place with God; the Temple was a tabernacle of stone. But in Messiah’s Appearing in the Last Day, God will dwell with mankind on earth eternally. So here in the transfiguration, Peter was thinking, Hey, there’s Moses, and there’s Elijah, the forerunner of Messiah. Let’s forget this talk about suffering and death; let’s get to the good stuff—conquering Israel’s enemies, setting up the kingdom, making Jerusalem the capital of the world—NOW!

Verse 7 continues: “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son; hear him.’”

Jesus doesn’t answer Peter; Peter’s being rude and talking during the movie. The show’s not even over yet and anyway, Peter doesn’t get the plot at all…so Jesus just ignores him and doesn’t even bother to reply to him.

Then suddenly a cloud overshadowed them. This recalls several instances in the Old Testament where, when God met with people, He did so in an overshadowing cloud.