The Transfiguration: An Exposition of Matthew 17:1-9
We have come to Transfiguration Sunday, which is observed the Sunday before the season of Lent. It serves as a transition from the season of Epiphany which precedes it. Epiphany is a season in which we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus to the entire world. It translates a Greek word which means “shining” or “revealing.” Transfiguration represents the ultimate revelation of Jesus, as we shall see. If one looks at the Transfiguration accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke, we see that it occurs at a transition point in Jesus’ ministry. Mark places this at the chiastic center of his Gospel, which serves as the central theme of the book in this form of construction. The gospel centers around this divine manifestation of Jesus Christ. Luke also holds this central idea, although there is more in the Gospel after the Transfiguration than before. Luke and Acts, according to Dr. Warren Gage are epic in form as well as being chiastically arranged. The repeated Ascension account serves the purpose that Mark uses the Transfiguration. It is about the Kingdom of God coming in glory with the return of King Jesus.
Matthew’s account, like Mark and Luke, occurs after Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ at Caesarea Philippi. This confession was made in Gentile territory and not Israel. This was an epiphany to Peter, although He did not understand the implications of this confession. To Peter, this confession was more in tune with the Jewish Messianic expectation of a king who would immediately overthrow the Romans at set himself up as an earthly king in Jerusalem. As Caesarea Philippi is where Herod Philip had his palace, it might seem tempting to start cleaning house there. Jesus begins at this point to reveal that His kingdom was not at all according to Peter and the other disciple’s expectations. He told them that instead of being received as Messiah in Jerusalem, he was instead going to be rejected and crucified. Then, He would arise again on the third day. He also told them that in their ministry, they would also be rejected, like he was. This was not at all what they wanted to hear.
At the same time, Jesus told them that some of those standing there would not taste death until they had seen the Kingdom of God come in power. This has created much difficulty in the church since this time. Many theologians contend that the Apostles fully expected Jesus to return in their earthly lifetimes. Of course, the return of Jesus as prophesied at the ascension has obviously not occurred even to this day. We, too, hold unto the expectation of the Lord’s return. Peter later writes that some were growing discouraged at the delay of the Lord’s return. We are all impatient. So whatever Jesus meant by this statement was different.
Mark and Matthew follow up this statement with the Transfiguration. It becomes obvious that the Transfiguration is the demonstration of the Kingdom in power, and that only some of them, namely Peter, James and John saw this. They saw in the Transfiguration, the Kingdom of God come in power in a type of the final return of Jesus. So they saw this before all of them long ago tasted death in this world.
Matthew and Mark both place the Transfiguration at a high point within the context of suffering. Jesus had told them of His coming rejection as we have noted. But it is also seem in the disciples questions about John the Baptist’s relation to Elijah. Luke places the suffering motif in the Transfiguration account itself when it is mentioned that Moses and Elijah were talking about His “decease” (actually Exodus in Greek) that He would accomplish in Jerusalem.
Jesus took the three up the mountain for this revelation. It is similar to Moses going up to Sinai to receive the tablets of the Law. We remember that Moses saw the glory of the LORD passing by, after the LORD had covered Moses in the cleft of the rock. These three would now see a fuller picture of God’s glory than Moses was able to see. They saw the glory of God break forth from the veil of human flesh for just a moment. All of the sudden this veil was lifted, and Jesus’s countenance and clothing became glistening white. Moses and Elijah appeared also to them. This was too much for them. Luke mentions that they became heavy with sleep. What did they see that would make them heavy with sleep? One would think that such a spectacle would make them wide awake. To answer this, one must look at Scriptural passages of what happens when humans are confronted by the vision of God. We remember Isaiah 6 where Isaiah feels utterly undone when He saw the LORD high and lifted up in the Temple. Daniel falls as dead before the LORD. In the Book of Revelation, John falls as dead before the glorious vision of the LORD. So did the disciples see the LORD when they saw Jesus?
Peter shows just how undone he was by the experience. He wanted to build three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Elijah and one for Moses. The Scripture says that he did not know what he was saying. Jesus may have been spatially between Moses and Elijah, but He was far superior to both. John in His prologue mentions that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. He is the true Tabernacle. The Old Testament Tabernacle was in the center of the camp of Israel. This is where the symbol of God’s real presence was. The LORD tabernacled in the midst of His people. Moses and Elijah were two of the most important persons in Israelite history. They represent Israel. And Jesus is the presence of the LORD in the midst of His people. God shares His glory with us, but it is His glory and not ours. There is no room for or need of any other tabernacles.
The voice of the Father now sounded forth and approved of Jesus. He called the disciples for hear and obey Him. The Father Himself remains unseen directly but is seen in the glory of the Son.
Then as suddenly as it had happened, Moses and Elijah left and Jesus’ appearance returned to normal. There would be no visible afterglow on Jesus or even on like the disciples as had happened to Moses every time he had left the Tabernacle. Jesus was back within His earthly veil. But He was as glorious as He was before. Now it was time to continue the journey to the cross. He charges them not to reveal what Peter, James and John had seen until after the Resurrection. It is amazing that they did. We see so many people brag about their experiences, which is really to glorify themselves and not God. There needs to be a holiness in experience. Some things are not to be shared. Paul saw things he could not speak about. And here, the disciples were not ready to relate this experience because they were still prideful. They still had a competition who would have the chief seats in the kingdom, even unto the Lord’s Supper which is supposed to be our visible sign of unity to the world.
Jesus and the three disciples would return to the “real” world with its problems. There was a man with a lunatic son who needed Jesus’ help. There were lepers, demoniac, blind and sinners. It was good on this road to Cavalry for them to see the real picture behind the veil. But Jesus was as much God in His humanness as he was on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was headed for His decease in Jerusalem. Instead of being in dazzling white between Moses and Elijah, He would hang in the dark between two robbers. His throne that day would be a cross. On the night before, the same James, John and Peter would see His human agony in the garden. And they would fall asleep. They had had a theophany of God in the suffering humanness of Jesus. There is a theology of glory as well as the theology of the cross. But it is the same Jesus, the Son of God, approved of the Father. But this would not be the end. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead. He showed his humanity by eating with them. He could be touched. Then on the 40th day, His disciples would see Him ascend back to the Father in glory. Out of death had come victory, not Just for Jesus, not just for the Apostles, but to all who will believe in Him.
This same Jesus promised God, the Holy Spirit would come. The presence of God still is in the midst of His people. Jesus is ascended at the right hand of the Father, but we do not journey through the wilderness of this world alone. We have one greater than Moses to guide us. The second Joshua (Jesus) leads us to a greater promised land. We have the pillar of fire in our hearts. “Guide us now, O great Jehovah!” We shall some day sit down at table with Jesus our risen Lord. Let this hope guide us on our journey.
We now descend into the season of Lent. The cross that Jesus calls us compels us forward. There is much mundane work to do, work which is made holy by the one who is Lord of all. During this season we remember this holiness of mundaneness when we give up something to concentrate upon our holy calling. We still do our bounden Christian duty. But we remember that vocation is holy. We are just as much Christians in the ordinary times as we are in those times when we feel the fire of the Spirit in our lives. So let us do our called tasks with joy. It might seem as the Lord has delayed His coming, but Peter says this is because the Lord is not willing that anyone perish. Let us arm ourselves with this same attitude. Let it be sufficient as it was for Peter to see a glimpse of the more excellent glory.
