Jesus is Transfigured—Luke 9:28-36

Please read today’s passage here: Luke 9:28-36

In this stretch of 3 or 4 chapters Luke is interleaving events which demonstrate the stupendous reality of Jesus’ divine origin and Messiahship with warnings to the disciples against trumpeting this fact abroad at this time.

The warnings also seek to prevent a feeling of “triumphalism”—the false confidence by the disciples that the road will be easy from this point on, and that they can expect no reverses, much less apparent disasters. Instead, they are cautioned that Jesus will be rejected by the leaders of his people, delivered to the authorities for trial, executed in the most shameful way (crucifixion)—but also, raised to life again within three days.

To us, looking at this from our Post-Easter perspective, we see nothing to be particularly discouraged about. In fact, the prospect of Jesus dying for our sins and then triumphantly rising from the dead seems positively exhilarating! But the disciples did not have this perspective. Seen through their eyes—to the extent that they were not so confused by these sayings and the flurry of spectacular miracles showing Jesus’ divine identity—for Jesus not to be accepted as God’s promised Savior and King was the worst possible scenario conceivable. Therefore Jesus had to caution them repeatedly, knowing that even with this preparation they would be utterly overwhelmed by the apparent disaster of his arrest, trial and death by crucifixion.

The section we study today describes another of the revelations of the divine nature of Jesus. In my title I wrote “Jesus is transfigured”. The word “transfigure” is not the same as “transform”. “Transform” can mean an inner as well as an outer change, which can result in a new identity. Jesus’ identity, however, was always the same: it did not change. He was always the Son of God, as since conception he was always a true human being. What changed briefly in this event was his external appearance. His true inner identity was allowed for a few minutes to shine through his humble exterior in a most glorious way. “Transfigure” is a better English word to describe such a change, and that is the meaning of the Greek phrase used by Luke: "the appearance of his face was altered".

Now let’s look at the details of Luke’s account. First, he tells us that—like the earlier scene when Jesus asked the disciples who they believed him to be—Jesus had been praying in private, but in the presence of his sleeping disciples (v. 28-29, 32). Suddenly his face changed its appearance, and his clothes became dazzling white. Not only Christians and Jews, but followers of many ancient Near Eastern religions (Babylonians, Egyptians, Hittites), associated brilliant light with Deity. Perhaps it was because the Sun, which was so crucial in the daily life of everyone, and which was regarded by pagans as a god, consisted of a blinding light. But frankly, we do not know for sure why brilliant light was a sign of Deity. But it was.

Next two other figures appeared in their midst and were talking with Jesus. These two—like Jesus—were emitting light (the text says literally, they were “in glory” [Greek ἐν δόξῃ]). When the disciples awoke, they saw and heard what was happening to Jesus and the two other figures. Although having just awakened and being a bit disoriented, somehow Peter recognized the two as Moses and Elijah (v. 33). Since no one living at that time had ever seen either of these two, unless God simply revealed their identity directly to Peter’s mind, the only way he could have known who they were was by hearing Jesus address them by name. The text tells us that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about his upcoming death and resurrection (v. 31). Perhaps when Peter awoke, he heard Jesus address the two by name.

Why were Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus about his death? The three gospels are completely silent about this, which is a pretty strong indication that this story was not invented by the early church. If it had been invented, the details would have been carefully explained. Since so much remains enigmatic, it bears all the marks of a genuine historical recollection of the three apostles, for which even they could not give a complete explanation.

Jesus had been praying at the time. What was he praying about? Strength and fortitude to carry out his mission? Later, in the garden of Gethsemane on the eve of his death he would indeed pray for courage and strength to carry out God's will through death. Did he now ask to be able to confer with these courageous figures from the early days of Israel’s history? Both had often faced death threats. Both had been greatly discouraged and pleaded with God to excuse them from their missions. So, maybe this could have been a reason for their appearance. But Jesus certainly did not need the advice of Moses or Elijah. It was they who would need to learn from him, not vice versa.

If we today were to try to give a reason for the conversation, we might suppose that Moses the Lawgiver and Elijah the Prophet represent the two divisions of the Jewish Scripture in those days: the law and the prophets. And that they represent the scriptural anticipation of the death of the Messiah: prophets to whom only a part of the event had been revealed and who were therefore all the more curious about how it might be fulfilled. The Apostle Peter later wrote about Old Testament prophets and their curiosity about what they were predicting:

1Pet. 1:10-12 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Even if we cannot explain the event in terms of Jesus’ own needs, we can see its value for the witnessing apostles. They needed to see that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). They needed to see that his glory exceeded that of the greatest figures of Israel’s history. And they needed to hear from the very mouths of Moses and Elijah the importance of the upcoming suffering and death of their Master. If Moses and Elijah knew that this suffering and death were the most important events of human history, the disciples should not try to dissuade Jesus from following this Divine Plan, even if it trashed all their own preconceived hopes for his winning the approval of the nation and its leaders.

Peter—who may in all fairness have been speaking just what James and John were also thinking—was ecstatic, not realizing what he was saying. He wanted the disciples to set up three booths there, one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. What in the world did that mean? Booths in the mind of ancient Jews spoke of the years after they left Egypt, in which they wandered in the deserts of the Sinai peninsula. Even the Ark of the Covenant, the outward symbol of God’s presence with Israel, was housed in a booth (“booth” is also another word for “tent” or “tabernacle”). We don’t need to try to figure out what Peter meant, since the text says that he himself didn’t know what he was saying (v. 33)!

As he spoke, the group was overshadowed by a cloud, reminding them of the cloud of glory in which God appeared to Israel in the desert wanderings. From the cloud came God’s own voice, saying: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” If ever there was an authentication of Jesus to mortals, it was this. Yet it was given not to a huge crowd of onlookers, but to three from Jesus’ inner circle: Peter, James and John.

The voice indicated that, as important as the Scripture (consisting at that time of the law of Moses and the Prophets) was to Israel, here was a person whose words would supersede that earlier revelation. Not contradict, but supersede. The three apostles represent the earliest form of the Church’s leadership. Paul would later refer to them as “the pillars”. To them, and through them to the Church throughout its history, God’s voice from Heaven underscores the supreme teaching authority of Jesus, his Son. We are above all else to hear him.

At the end of this revelation Luke says (v. 36) that “The disciples (i.e., the three) kept quiet, telling nothing of what they had seen at that time to anyone”. Much later, Peter did refer to the event in his Second Epistle to Christians in Asia Minor (read 2 Peter 1:12-19). But it was only until Easter that the disciples were intended to be silent about this event. After Easter the whole world must know.