"THE TRANSFIGURATION"

Matthew 17:1–13 NASB95

1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of 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 face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

Parallel passages -

Mark 9:2–8 NASB95

2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; 3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” 8 All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

Luke 9:28–36 NASB95

28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. 33 And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.

Harmony of the Gospels Sec. 85: The Transfiguration

Mt 17:1 high mountain: Tradition names Mt. Tabor as the scene of the Transfiguration, but that is debatable because the summit of Tabor was occupied by a fortress. It was more likely Mt. Hermon, a snow-capped mountain near Caesarea Philippi.

Mt 17:2 transformed: Our word metamorphosis comes from the Greek word used here. The scene was a preview of what the Lord Jesus will be like when He comes back to establish His visible kingdom.

Mt 17:4 tabernacles: “Booths,” shelters formed from branches of trees such as the people customarily made for the Feast of Tabernacles.

Mt 17:5 voice: A voice from heaven spoke to Jesus on two other occasions (see Mt 3:17 and Jn 12:28). The words spoken here are the same as at His baptism, with the addition of Listen to Him!

Mk 9:2 After six days: No other time reference in Mark’s Gospel (outside of the passion narrative in chapters 14–16) is so precise as this one. The effect is to link the transfiguration account in Mark 9:2–8 with Jesus’ prediction in 9:1. The phrase “after six days” in both Matthew and Mark may also be a deliberate echo of Exodus 24:16, where Moses goes up Mount Sinai after six days in response to the voice of God speaking to him from out of the cloud that had overshadowed the mountain (Mt 17:1; Mk 9:1). Instead of “after six days,” Luke’s Gospel has “about eight days after,” which was probably an equivalent expression to “about a week later” (Lk 9:28).

Mk 9:2–12 Both the dazzling light and the cloud are reminiscent of OT theophanies, visible manifestations of God’s presence. The words “This is My beloved Son” are reminiscent of Psalm 2 and thus probably depict the inauguration of Jesus’ reign. The statement supports seeing the transfiguration as a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in Mark 9:1.

Lk 9:29 His face changed: This scene involves Jesus’ giving some of the disciples a glimpse of His glory and receiving a commendation from a heavenly voice that shows He is God’s unique Son. The voice repeats what was said at Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist with one addition, the call to listen to Him (Dt 18:15).

Lk 9:33 three tabernacles: Peter’s response to the scene is a desire to celebrate in a manner that honors Jesus as an equal to Moses and Elijah, a compliment to be sure, but not quite a correct assessment. Tabernacles celebrated God’s deliverance of the nation under Moses, and Elijah represents either the prophets or the promise of God’s coming one. The heavenly voice makes it clear that Jesus is unique and that the disciples need to listen carefully to His teaching.