1 And
after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth
them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto
them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it
is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles;
one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which
said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it,
they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them,
and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their
eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus
charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man,
until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. (Matt
17:1-9)
This event (Transfiguration) is filled with both mystery and symbolism. It is a
physical manifestation of a divine and spiritual truth. We note that the
chapter begins, “And after six days…” – six days after what? It was six
days since, in Chapter 16, Jesus had rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan…” when Peter rebuked
Christ for his plan to go to Jerusalem and be offered up. Peter spoke out of
pure ignorance of the necessity of the event. Christ was not comparing Peter to
Satan, but charging that Satan was speaking through Peter. Six days after
sharing the terrible news of His coming Passion, the Lord now invites His
trusted three witnesses to a mountaintop experience on the peaks of Mount
Hermon.
These three were the close disciples of Christ. Is there a significance in the
three (and not four, or five, or six) being invited? Three witnesses sealed the
certainty for the sake of proven testimony in both the Old and New Testament
periods. Jesus was about to present a proof of His resurrection before it ever
happened. He had just predicted His crucifixion in Chapter 16, now He will
lighten the hearts of His disciples with this wonderful observance of His
glorified body. The witnesses will stand to testify of the event following the
crucifixion. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he
that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he
shall not be put to death.” (Deut 17:6) “Moreover
if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between
thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if
he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth
of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” (Matt
18:15-16)
Though this event reveals the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a
prophecy as well to the transfiguration of all who are the Elect of Christ.
Those who belong to Christ will likewise be transformed at the Last Day into
glorious bodies of light. “Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears
to hear, let him hear.” (Matt
13:43) This mystery
cannot be understood by all, for Christ adds the familiar qualification, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Either at the moment of Daeth, or at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
shall also be transformed. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory? (1 Cor 15:51-55)
The high mountain probably relates to the snow clad Mount Hermon, the highest
in all the region. This was a confidential sharing in His glory as a witness to
His coming resurrection. He took the disciples apart to show them. Sometimes,
He takes you and I apart from the crowd to speak to us of things the greater
number of disciples may not yet comprehend. But He never reveals anything to us
that is not clearly laid out in His Word.
“And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and
his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
Moses and Elias talking with him.” Moses had been buried for
more than 1400 years, and Elias (Elijah) had been translated without the pains
of death more than 900 years earlier. One (Moses) had suffered death; the other
(Elias) did not die but saw the coming of the Lord. That represents all to whom
Christ now speaks. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
Moses also represented the law, and Elijah represents the prophets – all
written in the Law and Prophets fulfilled on that mountaintop experience. The
lonely grave of Moses somewhere on Mount Nebo lies empty tonight as I pen this
devotion. Someday, your grave will likewise lie empty. The Christian, like
Christ, needs only a borrowed tomb; and the Christian, like Christ, will
someday be changed and transformed into a glorious appearance of light.
Perhaps out of senseless amazement at this sight, Peter impetuously says: “. .
. Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.”
Moses and Elijah are here by the power of God, not by their own power or
righteousness. Sometimes, men begin to worship their preachers instead of the
One who is being preached. They build altars of elaborate buildings for them
and forget the Lord whom they profess to worship. They wish to build memorials
to fallible men and not Temples to the infallible God.
God will settle that issue promptly, but reveal another mystery in the process.
“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold
a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him.” This is perhaps the same Glory Cloud that
receives Christ at His ascension. It is a Holy Presence that enshrouds and then
reveals. God spake from the cloud. He will have no intermediary between Himself
and man, except His Son, Christ Jesus. “Hear ye Him!” We may
stand in the best of company of ministers and Christian family, but in the end,
we all face the Lord Jesus Christ alone. “And when the disciples heard
it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched
them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.”
When His people are fearful, Jesus always touches us and says, “Be not afraid.” “And when they had
lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” Moses
represents the Law and could not offer help. Neither could the prophets
represented in Elijah – only Christ came and died for our sins! These three
disciples were just like the woman taken in adultery who, after all the charges
of her soul’s enemies, stole a glance up and saw no one but Jesus.
“And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen
again from the dead.” This was a mystery reserved, temporarily,
only for His trusted disciples – Peter, James, and John. For some reason not
revealed to us, the Lord desired that no man knew of this until His offering
was accomplished. Perhaps such general knowledge of this event would have
stirred up so much opposition to His crucifixion that it would have been
difficult to see it through.
We know from this event that there remain mysteries for which the time is not
appropriate for revealing their full meaning to us. There are many mysteries in
the Bible that have not been fathomed by the most scholarly of theologians
notwithstanding their incessant claims to have grasped it all. One thing we
know for certain: Christ was transfigured on the mountain in the presence of
three witnesses. He appeared with the Lawgiver, Moses, and the prophet, Elijah.
Both the Law and the Prophets were represented. To fully know Christ, we must
know all of that which prefigures Him in the Law and the Prophets. And in the
final analysis, He is the fulfillment of all that is in the Law and the
Prophets. He is the Purpose of those two. We know, too, that all whose names
are written in the Book of Life shall be likewise transformed into glistering
garments of light at His appearing.
Have you checked your wardrobe lately?
