Mosaic at Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor.
Transfiguration 101
The Transfiguration is the experience where Christ went to the top of the Mountain of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John. Jesus met with Moses and Elijah and the clothes of Jesus became very bright as did his face. The Transfiguration is reported in Matthew 17:1-3, Mark 9:2-13 and Luke 9: 28-36. The account in each passage is slightly different. For our purposes I am using the passage in Luke 9 because this passage reveals the topic which was discussed by Moses, Elijah and Jesus on the Mountain.
Below is Luke 9:28-36:
Now about eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up to the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered and his clothes became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Jesus, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my son, my Chosen One, listen to him.” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
The above passage is important in many respects. First, the encounter with Moses and Elijah was not immediate but happened after Jesus engaged in prayer. The passage is also very important because it reveals the topic of discussion which was Jesus’ departure or crucifixion and resurrection.
The account’s importance is evident because it appears in all three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (the “Synoptic Gospels”). Why does it not appear in John? Some commentators say because the Gospel of John was written later and generally only included things left out of the first three gospels. Others say that John did allude to this experience in John 1:14 where he wrote “…and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” I am somewhat inclined to believe that this verse may have been referring to The Transfiguration in John 1:14.
God interrupts Peter
It is not every day that someone gets interrupted by God. Peter had an idea that he would make a shelter or tabernacle for Jesus, Elijah and Moses. The Greek word is “skenas” in Matt. 17:4 which can mean “tents, tabernacles, dwellings or habitations.” How often it is that we decide to commemorate the movements of God by building edifices or monuments or shelters for God. However, as Peter is talking, God interrupts Peter and proclaims Jesus was the “beloved son” and as “The Chosen One” and that the Apostles are commanded “to listen to him.” I think all of us can identify with Peter. We fill up silences with good plans while God is moving. God has to tell us sometimes to shut up so that we can hear what God has to say.
The experience on The Mount of Transfiguration certainly made a great impression upon Peter. His impressions are set forth in 2 Peter 1:16-18 which states:
“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”
What is This Stuff about Shining Face and Clothes and a Cloud
The Synoptic Gospels mention that the face of Jesus and the clothing of Jesus were “dazzling white.” Although this is literally true, there was precedent for both of these things in the Old Testament. When Moses came into the presence of God , his face shone. After Moses spoke with God, he spoke to the people and they could see the brightness of his face. Moses would then place a veil over his face so the people would not see the brightness fade away. (See Ex. 34:29-35 and 2 Cor. 3:7-8).
The accounts also mention the brightness of the garments that Jesus was wearing. I suspect that this brightness of garments were a reflection of the glory of God on his person. That being said, there may also be a connection to the garments that the High Priest would wear on the Day of Atonement. The garments were called “The White Garments” and illustrated the holiness of the High Priest of God. (See Leviticus 6:4).
Another reference in The Transfiguration passages relates to the fact that the Apostles entered into a cloud and a voice came out of the cloud. A cloud is often associated with the presence of God in the Old Testament. Here are a few verses”
“It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.” (Nu. 16:42; See also Ex. 16:10).
“It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.””
A Two-Sided Coin
To some extent, the Transfiguration is a two-sided coin.
The top side is that the Transfiguration is the divine side. The transfiguration was primarily for the benefit of Jesus Christ prior to his crucifixion. As Jesus is facing the last weeks of his life and a crucifixion which he knew was coming, The Transfiguration was an experience whereby Christ was able to experience the glory which he had with the Father prior to his incarnation. In addition, Christ was able to commune with Moses and Elijah regarding his upcoming experience. It is also evidence that the Law and the Prophets were going to be superseded by the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God and the period of grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The Transfiguration is a linking of the New Testament message of atoning sacrifice and grace with the Law and the Prophets.
At the same time there is a human side to the Transfiguration. The three disciples, Peter, James and John were able to experience the divine, hear the literal voice of God and come to know that Christ was indeed the Messiah and that the Law and the Prophets were subject to him. God directly revealed Jesus as being his Son and that Jesus is God’s Chosen One or the Messiah whom the Jews had waited for.
The Two Book Ends Around The Transfiguration
To understand the context of the Transfiguration, one needs to appreciate the teachings of Jesus immediately before and after The Transfiguration. I call these markers “book ends”. They frame The Transfiguration. An examination of the Scriptures evidence that Jesus was talking about his suffering in Jerusalem, crucifixion, death and resurrection both immediately before and immediately after The Transfiguaration. For further study, below I set forth the accounts of The Transfiguration in the Synoptic Gospels and the verses regarding his suffering, death and resurrection which were discussed by him immediately before and after The Transfiguration.
Elijah will Come First
The Jews were very well aware that prior to the coming of the Messiah, Elijah would appear first. At various times, questions were addressed about Elijah’s coming. In fact just prior to The Transfiguration, Jesus had asked his disciples who people said that he was. The disciples replied at Matt. 16:14: “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Moreover, at every Passover meal a vacant place was left for Elijah in case that he came and at Passover there was a cup of wine for Elijah.
I find it interesting that the topic after The Transfiguration turned to Elijah. The apostles wanted to know when Elijah would come. It would have been easy for Jesus to have responded that Elijah had already come. After all, hadn’t they just seen him on the mountain? However, that was not the response of Jesus. Below is the response of Jesus at Matt. 17:10-13:
“And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will suffer at their hands”. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.”
Now Exactly Which Mountain is the Mount of Transfiguration?
One would think that we could easily identify which mountain was the Mount of Transfiguration. Early church authorities believed it was Mount Tabor. Today, some theologians believe it might be Mount Harmon. Below is little information about both mountains.
Mount Tabor
Mt. Tabor is marked in red.
Mount Tabor is located in the Jezreel Valley about eleven miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It is about 1,886 feet high. Christian tradition has identified this mountain as the Mount of Transfiguration although the exact mountain is not identified in the Bible. Origin in the third century A.D. believed that Mount Tabor was the correct mountain and Origen’s identification was followed by St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. Jerome in the fourth century.
The Franciscan Church of Transfiguration is built on the mountain and is built on the ruins of a Byzantine Church from the fifth or sixth century. Also on the mountain is a Catholic monastery and an Eastern Orthodox monastery.
Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor. (Also note the view.)
Although one cannot be absolutely certain, I favor Mount Tabor as the Mount of Transfiguration.
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is marked in Red and is located in the top Northeast Quadrant of the the Map.
Mount Hermon is considerably North of Mt. Tabor and is on the border between Syria and Lebanon near the Golan Heights. It is considerably higher than Mt. Tabor and is 9,232 feet high.
Mount Hermon in Winter
Some religious writers and scholars believe that the Mount Herman might be the Mount of Transfiguration. Matt. 17:1 refers to the Mount of Transfiguration as being “a high mountain” and Mt. Hermon is clearly the highest mountain in Israel. Moreover it is located near Caesarea Philippi where some of the events in Jesus’ ministry occurred (Matt. 16:3). Various scholars have suggested Mt. Hermon as being The Mount of Transfiguration including J. Lightfoot (1602-1675) and R. H. Fuller (1915-2007).
Conclusion-What is God trying to Tell Us.
For a moment in history, the veil is pulled back and we see reality clearly. This is a rare event. In this experience we see Jesus as the only begotten Son of God and as the Lord over both the Law and the Prophets. For a moment, we see the heavenly Jesus instead of the earthly Jesus. We also see Jesus with the glory He had with the Father before the beginning of the world. We further see Jesus as the Lamb of God, prepared to be sacrificed on the cross for us and as the Son of Man and Son of God who will be resurrected.
On the Mount of Transfiguration we see a snapshot of the message of the Bible. We see Jesus Christ as the Son of God prepared to give himself as the Chosen One so that we may have eternal life. We also for a second have a view of God’s eternal plan to redeem mankind and a picture of resurrection to come in the form of Moses and Elijah.