The Transfiguration Of Jesus Christ

         The Transfiguration directs our attention to the suffering that Jesus Christ underwent on the Cross (Matthew 17:9; Luke 9:31). It shows that God had approved of Him as His designated appointee in atoning for our sin. The words of God being pleased with His Son are also echoed at the instance of Him getting baptized by John the Baptist. Their significance is one of divine favor. Christ played a foundational role in the redemptive plan of God and the same will be true in its consummation. It is from Him that all salvific blessing to man flow.

        The face of Christ was brimming with the radiance of divine glory. Matthew likened this display to the rays of light emitted from the sun (Matthew 17:2). Luke compared this incomprehensible flare to a flash of lightning (Luke 9:29). That Jesus is no other than God in the flesh plainly shines forth in this narrative. The glory of God that shone on the face of Moses when he descended from Mount Saini was only a shimmer of what Peter, James, and John saw when Christ Himself was illumined. Peter offered to make for them tabernacles, possibly because it was near the Feast of Tabernacles. What they got to see was but a limited preview of what Christ will be like when He returns again.

         The three disciples were terrified at what they saw because they had never seen anything of this likeness before. They also must have been perplexed at the sight of Moses and Elijah. Given that these two figures were heavily emphasized in Old Testament history, it would only make sense that Peter, James, and John would hold them in such high esteem. However, them prostrating themselves before Moses and Elijah was an improper sense of adoration, of which Jesus told them to stand up. God had uttered a message implying Christ's Messianic role and both men mysteriously vanquished.

         Jesus Christ communicated with Moses who had already been dead for thousands of years (Deuteronomy 34:5-7). He spoke with Elijah who was long before translated into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). The specific contents of their discussion we know nothing about. Christ was able to converse with men who departed into the next life. Only God Himself has that sort of command over life and death. The narrative also implies belief in the resurrection of the dead and the righteous being rewarded with newness of life. The New English Translation has this excerpt on the historical context of the transfiguration:

         "sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, it was believed that the righteous would be given new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (cf. 1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation meant that the righteous will share the glory of God. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration here recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34:28-35. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a private preview of the great glory that Jesus would have following his exaltation."

         How could Peter, James, and John know that the two mysterious figures were actually Moses and Elijah? They had never seen them in person before. Possibly, both appeared with Christ in a manner that the disciples could identify. Scripture itself does not supply us with a tome of information concerning the "mechanics" of the soul or the culture in which the apostles lived. An implication of Luke 16:19-31 is that our souls continue to remain conscious even after physical death and are recognizable to each other. If God has not definitively revealed something to us, then we ought not be dogmatic on the matter (Deuteronomy 29:29). 

         The point of the Transfiguration is to demonstrate the preeminence of Jesus Christ. The three disciples mistakenly gave the two guests excessive honor because they failed to understand that Christ was not merely the first among equals, but is Lord of all. Christ was more than a prophet. He was more than a lawgiver. What brightness the face of Moses had from being in the presence of God for an extended period of time, was on display in fuller measure in one which that glory was inherent to. Christ is not controlled or influenced by created beings. He addressed Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration while manifesting His divinity. As He did with other miraculous occasions, Christ had instructed Peter, James, and John to not report what they saw to other people.

         The appearance of these two men signifies Christ being the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. Moses was the recipient of the Ten Commandments. He laid the foundation for the laws of Israel. Elijah was from the line of prophetic tradition. He was known for his mighty acts and steadfast faith in God. Christ is the fulfillment of all these things. He is greater than the Law and the prophets, which only further evinces His deity. Jesus is the perfect and acceptable sacrifice for sin. He is the one who has, to borrow a postal sounding idiom, God's stamp of approval. Christ will restore peace and reign for eternity as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

         The Apostle Paul may very well have had this divine glory in mind when he spoke of believers being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christians become increasingly holy as God Himself is holy as they move forward in life. It is a gradual process in which we become more like Him in terms of character. Thus, the glory that shone on the face of Christ to the three disciples included both absolute power and unblemished holiness. The freedom that we have in Him and the glory that has been imparted to us are from the Spirit of the Lord. This is why the gospel can rightly be called the Gospel of Glory (2 Corinthians 4:4). God beckons with man from the skies to be reconciled to Him in Christ while there is still time.

          The Shekinah glory is said to have departed from the temple in Israel. A veil remains over the eyes of the Jews who read the Old Covenant. Hence, the shining glory of Christ has been concealed from them. They properly understand their writings in the light of His splendor (2 Corinthians 3:15-16). The point being made is that the Old Testament finds its culmination in Him. The light that Paul saw prior to his conversion may just have been that same glory that the three disciples themselves witnessed. Peter himself reminds us that, "By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).