2 Peter 1:16–21 & Matthew 17:1-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” This is the brightest and clearest epiphany yet. Jesus usually reveals His glory by way of a miracle that helps someone: water into wine, healing a leper with his touch, or calming a storm with only a word. In every miracle, Christ’s divine glory peaks out from under the weakness of His human nature. But in the transfiguration Christ’s divine glory is on full display. His face shines like the sun. His clothing became as white as the light. He no longer hides His divine glory under human weakness, but lets it glorify His true humanity.
Not only is Jesus transfigured before them, but Moses and Elijah appear in glory along with Christ, reminding Peter, James, and John that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him” (Lk 20:38). Moses, the lawgiver, who died and was buried by God Himself, signifies the law. Elijah, who did not die but was translated directly into heavenly glory by a whirlwind and chariots of fire, signifies the prophets. They are both called from heaven to attest to the fact that entire Scripture—the Law and the Prophets—bear witness to Christ, His work, and the benefits He earns for all mankind and gives to all who believe. Luke tells us these men talk with Jesus about this very thing, His departure, literally, His exodus (Lk 9:31), both His exodus from this world and the exodus He will lead from sin, death, and the power of the devil for all who believe in Him.
Then Peter speaks. “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Who can blame Peter for saying such a thing? Who wouldn’t want stay and bask in the divine glory of Christ at His transfiguration? Who wouldn’t want to remain with Moses, Elijah, and Christ in heavenly glory? But while He was still speaking, God the Father interrupts him. A bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” God the Father puts His seal of approval on His Son once again. He had already done this once, at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. There, the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). He repeats His previous words and adds, “Hear Him.” God the Father is well-pleased with His only begotten Son and wants these three disciples—in fact, all people—to hear Jesus, listen to Jesus, and abide in the word that Jesus speaks. Why? John tells us, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn 1:18).
Hearing God’s voice is too much for these men. They fell down, faces to the ground, greatly afraid, because that’s what one does when one actually hears the voice of God. When Israel heard God’s voice at Mt. Sinai as He gave the Ten Commandments, the people said, “Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die” (Deut 18:16). How much more afraid were these three disciples at hearing God’s voice from the bright cloud that overshadowed them all? Jesus comes to them, touches them, and tells them, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” This by itself is an amazing word of gospel. God the Father had just told them to hear Jesus, and what is the first thing that Jesus tells them afterwards? Do not be afraid. Why not? Because you are sons of God through faith in God’s only begotten Son, and for His sake you have gracious God. As long as you are in Christ, you have nothing to fear of God the Father. And as if to drive Father’s words further into their hearts, when they look up they saw no one but Jesus only. Hear Him and only Him.
On the way down the mountain Jesus commands the three men, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” Why would Jesus show them such a glorious sight only to tell them to keep it under wraps until after His resurrection? Because this vision—for now—is for them alone. This epiphany, like all the other revelations of His glory, is to help someone. It is to strengthen these disciples as they descend the mountain with Jesus into the valley of the shadow of death.
Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection serve as bookends to His transfiguration. Matthew begins his account of the transfiguration, “Now after six days.” Six days after what? Six days prior to this Peter had confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Six days prior to this Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day (Mt 16:21). On that day He taught them about His suffering, death, and resurrection and theirs as well. He told them, after rebuking Peter—who was unwittingly being in league with Satan for denying that Christ would suffer and die—that they, too, must take of their cross. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Mt 16:24-25). Not only must Jesus suffer greatly at the hands of those who hate Him and be crucified, but those who follow Him must bear their cross as well. A cross is any suffering that is specifically for the sake of confessing Christ and living according to His word. This is what these men—and anyone who desires to come after Him—must bear. They must deny themselves, not only their sinful desires, but they must deny themselves any thought of having glory in this life. They must lose their life in this world.
Jesus shows them this glorious vision of Himself to strengthen their confidence in Him, so that as they see Him betrayed by one their own, accused by false witnesses, condemned by godless hypocrites, they do not lose heart. Jesus shows them that everything He endures was foretold by Moses and the Prophets, in words and figures, so that when they see gentile solders pulling out His beard, punishing His flesh with cruel implements, and lifting Him up on a cross, they might not despair and turn from Him in unbelief. As Jesus takes up His cross, they are to remember that the one suffering such agony is God the Father’s beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And if this is how God the Father treats His only begotten Son with whom He is well pleased, then they, too, should rejoice when they suffer for Jesus’ sake, because that’s how God treats His sons. It is as Paul said in Acts 14:22, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” The same is true for you and for me. We must deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.
Jesus gives these three disciples this vision for our benefit as well. They were only to keep it to themselves until after His resurrection. Now it is proclaimed once again to you, to strengthen you in the midst of bearing your cross for Jesus’ sake, whatever it may be. There is suffering. There is cross. There is tribulation. All of it could be avoided by denying Christ by going along with the ways of the world. But the transfiguration reminds us that even as Christ’s glory was so often hidden under human weakness before His resurrection, so is the glory that is ours by baptism and faith—the glory of the children of God—is hidden under weakness, suffering, and cross in this life before the resurrection. Peter wants to instill such fortitude in us by writing about Christ’s transfiguration in today’s epistle. Peter, an eyewitness to Christ’s majesty at the transfiguration; Peter, who heard with his ears the voice of God the Father, tells you, “We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place.”
We do not have the vison of Christ’s glorious light at His transfiguration as Peter did. But we have the prophetic word—Moses the Prophets—confirmed by eyewitnesses, the apostles themselves. They testify to us of Christ’s glory, so that the writings of Scripture become the glorious light of Christ to us. We have the Moses and prophets, the apostles and evangelists, as a light which we heed, for the holy Scriptures are a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, showing us what we are to believe and how we are to live that faith. The Scriptures are our light in the dark place of this life because they are very words of God which show us Christ, God’s beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased. We have the prophetic word confirmed so that we might hear Him, and Him only, so that as we take up our cross and follow Him, we do not lose heart and despair, but look forward to that glory to be revealed in the sons of God when Christ returns, the glory of Christ’s transfiguration, glory not worth being compared to our current sufferings. Amen.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
