Jesus Glorified with Moses and Elijah on the MountBible World
17:2Matthew 17:2
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
On a high mountain apart, six days after promising that some standing there would see the Son of man coming in His kingdom, Jesus took Peter, James and John and was transfigured before them, His face shining as the sun and His clothing becoming white as light. His divinity shining through His humanity revealed the glory He had with the Father before the world was, as much as human beings can bear, with glory from within meeting glory descending from opened heaven. The manifestation was given to strengthen both Christ for His coming betrayal and crucifixion and the disciples for His anguish, humiliation and death, assuring them He is of a surety the Son of God and that His shameful death belongs to the divine plan of redemption. It fulfilled His promise in miniature, revealing the kingdom of Christ with Moses representing those raised from the dead at His second coming and Elijah representing those changed without dying. From the bright cloud the Father declared Him His beloved Son to be heard, confirming His majesty and Messiahship and calling all to behold His beauty until radiant, then go down to carry His light to those in the valley needing deliverance.
Mountain Setting and Prayer
Six days after the promise that some standing there would not taste death till they saw the Son of man coming in His kingdom, Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain apart and was transfigured before them. His face shone as the sun and His raiment became white as the light, with Moses and Elijah appearing talking with Him and a bright cloud overshadowing them with the Father's voice declaring Jesus His beloved Son to be heard. The transfiguration revealed His future glory in His kingdom and revealed much concerning Christ and the character of the Father manifested through the Son.
At sunset after a whole day of traveling and teaching the people and healing the sick, weary and fatigued, He led His three most devoted disciples out of the noisy town across the fields and up a steep mountain to find retirement from the crowds for meditation and prayer. He sought solitude in the mountains as before important work or trial, and the transfiguration was one such occasion following a night spent in prayer and communion with the Father. Prayer prepared Him for this great event.
On the high mountain at night He stepped apart from Peter, James and John and prayed hour after hour into the night with strong crying and tears, bowed down with heavy dew upon Him amid thick darkness. He prayed in anguish with tears and importunity for strength to bear afflictions and the test for humanity, and for grace for His disciples that their faith would not fail in the hour of darkness and in the terrible trials ahead. His prayer was heard and answered by a manifestation of His divinity and of the glory He had with the Father before the world was, divine glory within Him shining through His humanity and meeting glory descending from heaven to reveal His kingdom to human eyes.
He brought the disciples to watch and pray with Him, and they joined Him at first in sincere devotion but were overcome by weariness and loss of sleep and fell asleep. Because they slept instead of watching and praying they heard little of what passed and lost that light and blessing. Peter, James and John were chosen for this privilege as those brought into the closest relationship with Jesus, and James and John with Peter were permitted to witness Him glorified and became chief witnesses after His death. These same three were later taken into Gethsemane, while Judas was not included and his jealousy was aroused by being left out.
Visible Divine Glory
His face shone as the sun and His raiment became white as the light, white and glistening like the noon-day sun. His divinity, clothed with humanity, shone forth through His humanity in all its glorious brightness, revealing the glory He had with the Father before the world was. It was His humanity hidden for a time by His divinity, showing as much of His glory as human beings can bear. His person was clothed with inexpressible glory, radiant and emitting beams of light like the sun.
Divine glory within Him met glory descending from heaven in holy radiance from opened heavens and the golden gates of the City of God. Angels were prepared to minister while that heavenly glory was brought to Him. The light was so bright that human eyes could not endure it and the disciples had to shield their eyes with their hands. After only a brief space it passed away, leaving Him alone on the mount in His ordinary appearance.
The change was from weariness, bowing lowliness, tears, soul-agony and coarse soiled garments to standing in serene, radiant, God-like majesty with garments white and glittering like the noon-day sun. In contrast to the humble garments He wore while walking the hills and valleys of Palestine, He appeared on the mount in bright shining raiment. He still comes to people in both forms.
A wonderful light surrounded Christ in glorious manifestation that overpowered the disciples so they knew not where they were and heaven seemed to be on earth. The place was made holy by the touch of heaven, so the disciples would gladly linger. But at sunrise work for the people called them down from the mountain. He descended to free a child from demonic power, the Divine One stooping from the Father's glory to save the lost, making the scene an object lesson of redemption.
Strength and Witness for Disciples
The shining on the mount was given to strengthen the disciples for the anguish, humiliation, crucifixion and death that lay before Him, after their grief and perplexity at hearing of it. It lightened their grief with assurance that their faith was not in vain, and was meant to sustain them through trial and in the hour of His supreme agony. They were to remember it in His hour of agony and, after His resurrection, to bear testimony of what they had seen so the faith of the others might also be strengthened.
It assured them of a surety that He is the Son of God and that His shameful death belongs to the divine plan of redemption. It gave them knowledge of His sufferings and the glory that should follow, so that sharing His self-sacrifice they would have hope to sustain faith when He died on the cross. His death was necessary for His glory and the Father's glory and that humanity could share it.
It gave the three chosen disciples visible and audible additional proof of His Messiahship, Sonship and divinity. That heavenly testimony, with God's voice declaring His divinity and Moses and Elijah paying Him homage, was to remove unbelief and lingering doubts forever and establish them firmly. It stood as a visible token and symbol of His kingdom to help them understand His mission, and after His resurrection the witnesses were to testify to what they had seen, strengthening the disciples to endure His humiliation and crucifixion and not abandon confidence in the sorrow and disappointment ahead.
The glory also strengthened Christ Himself, glorified by His Father before His betrayal and crucifixion to prepare Him for His final dreadful sufferings. Moses and Elijah were sent from the Father to the Son as bearers of light and glory to speak with Him about the completion of His mission and especially His sufferings and death at Jerusalem and the redemption accomplished through His sacrifice, bringing Him comfort. They were chosen above all hosts because as men who had lived on earth they knew human sorrow and suffering and could sympathize. Moses had led Israel in Christ's place and talked with God face to face amid Sinai's thunder and lightnings, and Elijah had been translated without seeing death and had represented Christ in similar prophetic work.
Because they were overcome with sleep instead of watching and praying they heard little of what passed between Christ and the heavenly messengers and lost that light and blessing. Being slow of heart to believe, they failed to endure when brought over the ground of test and trial, Peter denying his Lord before His enemies, where watching would have kept their faith from failing amid the gloom of that terrible hour.
Foretaste of Kingdom Glory
The transfiguration fulfilled the promise made six days before that some standing there would not taste death till they saw the Son of man coming in His kingdom and the kingdom of God come with power. It revealed the kingdom of Christ in miniature, giving the three disciples a glimpse of the future glory of the Saviour in His kingdom and displaying His excellent majesty with face shining as the sun and raiment white and glistening as the light. The scene was given to strengthen their faith for the trying scenes of His humiliation and crucifixion.
Moses and Elijah appeared with Him as co-laborers who shared His longing for the salvation of souls, making the mount a miniature view of the kingdom of the redeemed. Moses represented those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming and second appearing, and Elijah represented those then living who will be changed from mortal to immortal and taken to heaven without dying and without seeing death. The disciples beheld this majesty with fear and astonishment under the overshadowing cloud while the Father's voice proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God.
Moses stood there with Elijah, who had been translated, both sent from the Father to the Son as bearers of light and glory. His presence fulfilled his long-ago prayer, for he stood in the inheritance of his people bearing witness to the One in whom all Israel's promises centered.
The same brightness shows how Christ will appear at His near second coming. He will not come again as the suffering man insulted and derided and crowned with thorns in an old kingly robe, but in glory with His face shining brighter than the noonday sun and with a robe whiter than any earthly fuller can whiten, wearing a crown within a crown, His beauty and glory exceeding what words can describe. That same glory marks His presence with the redeemed in the holy city, where those who keep God's commandments enter through the gates, have right and access to the tree of life, and remain and live in His presence. To be acknowledged by Him then, cleansed and made immortal, believers must now become like Him, form right character, put on robes of righteousness, and make peace with God by doing His commandments.
The shining face also points to God's faithful people in their final conflict. As they approach their last conflict, the time of Jacob's trouble, growing up into Christ and partaking largely of His spirit, the same pattern by which the Father glorified the Son before betrayal and crucifixion to strengthen Him for His last dreadful sufferings will hold for the members of His body. As the third angel's message swells to a loud cry and great power and glory attend the closing work, the faithful will partake of that glory, revived and strengthened by the latter rain to pass through the time of trouble, and their faces will shine with the glory of the light that attends the third angel.
Father's Testimony and Harmony
A bright cloud overshadowed those on the mount, and from the excellent glory the Father's voice declared Jesus to be His beloved Son, to be heard, confirming His identity, divinity, majesty and Messiahship. This was the second time God's voice publicly testified to Jesus in His ministry, the other being His baptism. Its command to hear Him summons every son and daughter of Adam for their eternal interest to give attention, every word Jesus utters to be obeyed as law and as life. The disciples beheld this majesty with fear and astonishment under the overshadowing cloud while hearing the voice of God in terrible majesty, and Moses and Elijah paid Him homage.
The honor and glory He received from God the Father on the holy mount, heard by those with Him, stands as eyewitness evidence of Christ's majesty and of the power and coming of the Lord. It gives a more sure word of prophecy to be heeded as a light shining in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in hearts. No prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation, for prophecy came not by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as moved by the Holy Ghost.
The presence of Moses and Elijah with the transfigured Christ means the teachings of the Old Testament, the law and the prophets, are not done away by the preaching of the gospel of Christ but are fully in accord with the New, and the new dispensation embraces the Old.
The scene reveals much concerning Christ and the character of the Father manifested through the Son. Christ stands pre-eminent above every teacher and authority in the world, revealing God to the disciples in brightness and glory. That revelation did a special work in their hearts, and the same work is what He wants to do in hearts now.
Call to Follow and Shine
The brightness seen on the mount lays a claim on every person to give close attention to the life of Christ for the sake of eternal interests, to study that life, to walk in His footsteps, and to reveal that character in daily living. He stands pre-eminent above every teacher and authority, revealing God and the character of the Father through the Son, and every word He speaks is to be obeyed as law and as life. The same inward work once done in the hearts of the disciples is the work He seeks to do in hearts now. To lose sight of that brightness and glory is to dwell too largely on theory and to miss the living power of His example.
Beholding Him as altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand makes the soul radiant, until the glory of the Lord rises upon it. That light carries the charge to arise and shine. The one who has stood with Him on the mount must go down again into the plain, carrying His light and the word of faith and prayer to those in the valley who wait for deliverance, to souls enslaved by Satan that they may be set free. The call to ascend to that height of divine glory belongs to a life of strength, endurance, learning, love, toil, self-sacrifice, and devotion to God. Nearness to Christ on the mount is measured by drinking deeply of His self-sacrificing love, a love that lives and labors and sacrifices even unto death for the saving of humanity.
He still comes to people in two forms, both in the humble garments He wore while walking the hills and valleys and in transfiguration brightness with shining raiment. When He comes in that brightness He is to be received by faith with delight. That meeting fills the heart with light and grace and joy, and quickens spiritual energy and strength to do the will of God. He will not return as the suffering man insulted and derided and crowned with thorns in an old kingly robe, but in glory with face shining brighter than the noonday sun, with a robe whiter than any earthly fuller can whiten, and with a crown within a crown. The same glory marks His presence with the redeemed in the holy city, where His countenance shines brighter than the noonday sun in beauty and glory beyond words.
To be acknowledged by Him then, to be cleansed and made immortal, believers must now become like Him, form right character, put on robes of righteousness, and make peace with God by doing His commandments. That obedience gives entrance through the gates into the city, a right to the tree of life, and continuance in His presence. On the mount the disciples saw Him glorified and exalted and honored in the presence of Moses and Elijah, whom they recognized as favored heavenly messengers, with His face shining like the sun and His person clothed in radiant glory so bright they had to shield their eyes. That glory and the voice from the cloud were remembered when heavenly light again surrounded Him in His agony, in Gethsemane and in the temple. Its return reassured them that God had taken Him in charge and was caring for Him, and that an angel was present to protect Him.
On a high mountain apart, six days after promising that some standing there would see the Son of man coming in His kingdom, Jesus took Peter, James and John and was transfigured before them, His face shining as the sun and His clothing becoming white as light. His divinity shining through His humanity revealed the glory He had with the Father before the world was, as much as human beings can bear, with glory from within meeting glory descending from opened heaven. The manifestation was given to strengthen both Christ for His coming betrayal and crucifixion and the disciples for His anguish, humiliation and death, assuring them He is of a surety the Son of God and that His shameful death belongs to the divine plan of redemption. It fulfilled His promise in miniature, revealing the kingdom of Christ with Moses representing those raised from the dead at His second coming and Elijah representing those changed without dying. From the bright cloud the Father declared Him His beloved Son to be heard, confirming His majesty and Messiahship and calling all to behold His beauty until radiant, then go down to carry His light to those in the valley needing deliverance.
Mountain Setting and Prayer
Six days after the promise that some standing there would not taste death till they saw the Son of man coming in His kingdom, Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain apart and was transfigured before them. His face shone as the sun and His raiment became white as the light, with Moses and Elijah appearing talking with Him and a bright cloud overshadowing them with the Father's voice declaring Jesus His beloved Son to be heard. The transfiguration revealed His future glory in His kingdom and revealed much concerning Christ and the character of the Father manifested through the Son.
At sunset after a whole day of traveling and teaching the people and healing the sick, weary and fatigued, He led His three most devoted disciples out of the noisy town across the fields and up a steep mountain to find retirement from the crowds for meditation and prayer. He sought solitude in the mountains as before important work or trial, and the transfiguration was one such occasion following a night spent in prayer and communion with the Father. Prayer prepared Him for this great event.
On the high mountain at night He stepped apart from Peter, James and John and prayed hour after hour into the night with strong crying and tears, bowed down with heavy dew upon Him amid thick darkness. He prayed in anguish with tears and importunity for strength to bear afflictions and the test for humanity, and for grace for His disciples that their faith would not fail in the hour of darkness and in the terrible trials ahead. His prayer was heard and answered by a manifestation of His divinity and of the glory He had with the Father before the world was, divine glory within Him shining through His humanity and meeting glory descending from heaven to reveal His kingdom to human eyes.
He brought the disciples to watch and pray with Him, and they joined Him at first in sincere devotion but were overcome by weariness and loss of sleep and fell asleep. Because they slept instead of watching and praying they heard little of what passed and lost that light and blessing. Peter, James and John were chosen for this privilege as those brought into the closest relationship with Jesus, and James and John with Peter were permitted to witness Him glorified and became chief witnesses after His death. These same three were later taken into Gethsemane, while Judas was not included and his jealousy was aroused by being left out.
Visible Divine Glory
His face shone as the sun and His raiment became white as the light, white and glistening like the noon-day sun. His divinity, clothed with humanity, shone forth through His humanity in all its glorious brightness, revealing the glory He had with the Father before the world was. It was His humanity hidden for a time by His divinity, showing as much of His glory as human beings can bear. His person was clothed with inexpressible glory, radiant and emitting beams of light like the sun.
Divine glory within Him met glory descending from heaven in holy radiance from opened heavens and the golden gates of the City of God. Angels were prepared to minister while that heavenly glory was brought to Him. The light was so bright that human eyes could not endure it and the disciples had to shield their eyes with their hands. After only a brief space it passed away, leaving Him alone on the mount in His ordinary appearance.
The change was from weariness, bowing lowliness, tears, soul-agony and coarse soiled garments to standing in serene, radiant, God-like majesty with garments white and glittering like the noon-day sun. In contrast to the humble garments He wore while walking the hills and valleys of Palestine, He appeared on the mount in bright shining raiment. He still comes to people in both forms.
A wonderful light surrounded Christ in glorious manifestation that overpowered the disciples so they knew not where they were and heaven seemed to be on earth. The place was made holy by the touch of heaven, so the disciples would gladly linger. But at sunrise work for the people called them down from the mountain. He descended to free a child from demonic power, the Divine One stooping from the Father's glory to save the lost, making the scene an object lesson of redemption.
Strength and Witness for Disciples
The shining on the mount was given to strengthen the disciples for the anguish, humiliation, crucifixion and death that lay before Him, after their grief and perplexity at hearing of it. It lightened their grief with assurance that their faith was not in vain, and was meant to sustain them through trial and in the hour of His supreme agony. They were to remember it in His hour of agony and, after His resurrection, to bear testimony of what they had seen so the faith of the others might also be strengthened.
It assured them of a surety that He is the Son of God and that His shameful death belongs to the divine plan of redemption. It gave them knowledge of His sufferings and the glory that should follow, so that sharing His self-sacrifice they would have hope to sustain faith when He died on the cross. His death was necessary for His glory and the Father's glory and that humanity could share it.
It gave the three chosen disciples visible and audible additional proof of His Messiahship, Sonship and divinity. That heavenly testimony, with God's voice declaring His divinity and Moses and Elijah paying Him homage, was to remove unbelief and lingering doubts forever and establish them firmly. It stood as a visible token and symbol of His kingdom to help them understand His mission, and after His resurrection the witnesses were to testify to what they had seen, strengthening the disciples to endure His humiliation and crucifixion and not abandon confidence in the sorrow and disappointment ahead.
The glory also strengthened Christ Himself, glorified by His Father before His betrayal and crucifixion to prepare Him for His final dreadful sufferings. Moses and Elijah were sent from the Father to the Son as bearers of light and glory to speak with Him about the completion of His mission and especially His sufferings and death at Jerusalem and the redemption accomplished through His sacrifice, bringing Him comfort. They were chosen above all hosts because as men who had lived on earth they knew human sorrow and suffering and could sympathize. Moses had led Israel in Christ's place and talked with God face to face amid Sinai's thunder and lightnings, and Elijah had been translated without seeing death and had represented Christ in similar prophetic work.
Because they were overcome with sleep instead of watching and praying they heard little of what passed between Christ and the heavenly messengers and lost that light and blessing. Being slow of heart to believe, they failed to endure when brought over the ground of test and trial, Peter denying his Lord before His enemies, where watching would have kept their faith from failing amid the gloom of that terrible hour.
Foretaste of Kingdom Glory
The transfiguration fulfilled the promise made six days before that some standing there would not taste death till they saw the Son of man coming in His kingdom and the kingdom of God come with power. It revealed the kingdom of Christ in miniature, giving the three disciples a glimpse of the future glory of the Saviour in His kingdom and displaying His excellent majesty with face shining as the sun and raiment white and glistening as the light. The scene was given to strengthen their faith for the trying scenes of His humiliation and crucifixion.
Moses and Elijah appeared with Him as co-laborers who shared His longing for the salvation of souls, making the mount a miniature view of the kingdom of the redeemed. Moses represented those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming and second appearing, and Elijah represented those then living who will be changed from mortal to immortal and taken to heaven without dying and without seeing death. The disciples beheld this majesty with fear and astonishment under the overshadowing cloud while the Father's voice proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God.
Moses stood there with Elijah, who had been translated, both sent from the Father to the Son as bearers of light and glory. His presence fulfilled his long-ago prayer, for he stood in the inheritance of his people bearing witness to the One in whom all Israel's promises centered.
The same brightness shows how Christ will appear at His near second coming. He will not come again as the suffering man insulted and derided and crowned with thorns in an old kingly robe, but in glory with His face shining brighter than the noonday sun and with a robe whiter than any earthly fuller can whiten, wearing a crown within a crown, His beauty and glory exceeding what words can describe. That same glory marks His presence with the redeemed in the holy city, where those who keep God's commandments enter through the gates, have right and access to the tree of life, and remain and live in His presence. To be acknowledged by Him then, cleansed and made immortal, believers must now become like Him, form right character, put on robes of righteousness, and make peace with God by doing His commandments.
The shining face also points to God's faithful people in their final conflict. As they approach their last conflict, the time of Jacob's trouble, growing up into Christ and partaking largely of His spirit, the same pattern by which the Father glorified the Son before betrayal and crucifixion to strengthen Him for His last dreadful sufferings will hold for the members of His body. As the third angel's message swells to a loud cry and great power and glory attend the closing work, the faithful will partake of that glory, revived and strengthened by the latter rain to pass through the time of trouble, and their faces will shine with the glory of the light that attends the third angel.
Father's Testimony and Harmony
A bright cloud overshadowed those on the mount, and from the excellent glory the Father's voice declared Jesus to be His beloved Son, to be heard, confirming His identity, divinity, majesty and Messiahship. This was the second time God's voice publicly testified to Jesus in His ministry, the other being His baptism. Its command to hear Him summons every son and daughter of Adam for their eternal interest to give attention, every word Jesus utters to be obeyed as law and as life. The disciples beheld this majesty with fear and astonishment under the overshadowing cloud while hearing the voice of God in terrible majesty, and Moses and Elijah paid Him homage.
The honor and glory He received from God the Father on the holy mount, heard by those with Him, stands as eyewitness evidence of Christ's majesty and of the power and coming of the Lord. It gives a more sure word of prophecy to be heeded as a light shining in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in hearts. No prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation, for prophecy came not by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as moved by the Holy Ghost.
The presence of Moses and Elijah with the transfigured Christ means the teachings of the Old Testament, the law and the prophets, are not done away by the preaching of the gospel of Christ but are fully in accord with the New, and the new dispensation embraces the Old.
The scene reveals much concerning Christ and the character of the Father manifested through the Son. Christ stands pre-eminent above every teacher and authority in the world, revealing God to the disciples in brightness and glory. That revelation did a special work in their hearts, and the same work is what He wants to do in hearts now.
Call to Follow and Shine
The brightness seen on the mount lays a claim on every person to give close attention to the life of Christ for the sake of eternal interests, to study that life, to walk in His footsteps, and to reveal that character in daily living. He stands pre-eminent above every teacher and authority, revealing God and the character of the Father through the Son, and every word He speaks is to be obeyed as law and as life. The same inward work once done in the hearts of the disciples is the work He seeks to do in hearts now. To lose sight of that brightness and glory is to dwell too largely on theory and to miss the living power of His example.
Beholding Him as altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand makes the soul radiant, until the glory of the Lord rises upon it. That light carries the charge to arise and shine. The one who has stood with Him on the mount must go down again into the plain, carrying His light and the word of faith and prayer to those in the valley who wait for deliverance, to souls enslaved by Satan that they may be set free. The call to ascend to that height of divine glory belongs to a life of strength, endurance, learning, love, toil, self-sacrifice, and devotion to God. Nearness to Christ on the mount is measured by drinking deeply of His self-sacrificing love, a love that lives and labors and sacrifices even unto death for the saving of humanity.
He still comes to people in two forms, both in the humble garments He wore while walking the hills and valleys and in transfiguration brightness with shining raiment. When He comes in that brightness He is to be received by faith with delight. That meeting fills the heart with light and grace and joy, and quickens spiritual energy and strength to do the will of God. He will not return as the suffering man insulted and derided and crowned with thorns in an old kingly robe, but in glory with face shining brighter than the noonday sun, with a robe whiter than any earthly fuller can whiten, and with a crown within a crown. The same glory marks His presence with the redeemed in the holy city, where His countenance shines brighter than the noonday sun in beauty and glory beyond words.
To be acknowledged by Him then, to be cleansed and made immortal, believers must now become like Him, form right character, put on robes of righteousness, and make peace with God by doing His commandments. That obedience gives entrance through the gates into the city, a right to the tree of life, and continuance in His presence. On the mount the disciples saw Him glorified and exalted and honored in the presence of Moses and Elijah, whom they recognized as favored heavenly messengers, with His face shining like the sun and His person clothed in radiant glory so bright they had to shield their eyes. That glory and the voice from the cloud were remembered when heavenly light again surrounded Him in His agony, in Gethsemane and in the temple. Its return reassured them that God had taken Him in charge and was caring for Him, and that an angel was present to protect Him.