1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,”he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
This passage can be divided into three sections. The first is simply the transfiguration. A lot more is going on then just Jesus changing, or transforming into this glorious thing, take a look:
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Two guys showed up, Moses and Elijah. They reason that these guys show up at this moment is because Moses and Elijah were kind of always expected to return to the People of Israel, and here they were. Moses represented the Old Testament Law and Elijah represented the Prophets, and here they both are, appearing with Jesus.
Peter is stoked!!! He is so excited, he wants to prolong this situation. He thinks that they have come back to be with Jesus and assist him in overthrowing the Romans, so he wants to toss up three tents to house them, possibly one tent even being a battle plan tent. Yet, like what happens a lot with Peter, he spoke without thinking. Last time he did this, the passage before, Jesus interrupted him. Remember, Peter didn't like the fact that Jesus said he was going to die, so Jesus interrupted him and said, "Get behind me Satan", but this time, God interrupts him. Look what happens.
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,”he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
God came and said the exact words he said about Jesus at his baptism in Mt. 3.17, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." At Jesus' Baptism, God was affirming that Jesus was who he said he was, and that he was giving his stamp of approval on Jesus' ministry. At this moment, God is affirming Jesus' identity and his mission, to suffer and die. That is why God adds, "Listen to him!!!" God is trying to tell these disciples, "Jesus is going to the cross, and when he does, don't abandon him, but follow him and listen to him."
And look at what happens when they look up...Moses and Elijah are gone. This is symbolic that the Old Testament Law and Prophets are going to be fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus, they are no longer needed. This is why the disciples asked, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" It was prophesied in Malachi 4.5-6:
Yet Jesus said that John the Baptist was Elijah (Mt. 11), yet John the Baptists' Ministry did not accomplish this prophecy from Malachi. He did not bring all of the Israelites to repentance. So what did he accomplish? And what is the connection between his ministry and Jesus'? The key is found in the rest of Malachi 4.6:
5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
John the Baptist's ministry failed in the sense that the entire nation of Israel did not repent. This is why God said in Malachi, "if they don't repent, I will strike their land with a curse." And even with Jesus' ministry, death and resurrection, all of Israel does not repent. So what happens? God comes and strikes the land with a curse, by destroying the temple in AD 70.
So how is John the Baptists' ministry a forerunner to Jesus? Look at all the similarities:
| John the Baptist | Jesus |
| Everybody did not Repent | Everybody did not Repent |
| Preached Against the Jewish Leaders | Preached Against the Jewish Leaders |
| Was Arrested and Killed | Was arrested and Killed |
And Jesus references these similarities, specifically the last one, by saying:
"In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death, and the first thing that happens on the road to the cross, is he reveals to the inner three that his death on the cross was foreshadowed by John the Baptist's ministry, fulfills the Law and the Prophets, and is affirmed by God.
Yet...when Jesus is arrested in the garden, these three still desert him.
Following Jesus, always leads to a cross. Will you desert him when he asks you to carry one as well?
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