To glorify God His Father and make possible our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ left heaven and came down to this sin-stricken world where He was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Is 53.3). He became a man, but not a mere man, for He never ceased to be what He is eternally, and that is God. He was "God with us" (Mt 1.23), "God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim 3.16).
Transfigured
While He was on earth, the Lord's intrinsic glory, majesty, and splendour were veiled by His flesh. There came a time, however, when He was transfigured, that is, His appearance changed (Mt 17.1-8; Mk 9.2-10; Lk 9.28-36; 2 Pet 1.16-18). In the Gospel written by John we read much of the moral and other glories of the Lord (Jn 2.11), but he may well have been referring not only to the Lord's moral and other glories but also to His transfiguration when he wrote that "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth" (Jn 1.14, RV).
The Lord took Peter, James, and John up into a mountain which many believe was Mount Hermon. Six days before, the Lord had said to His disciples, "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Mt 16.28). Luke tells us that "about an eight days after" he took the three disciples "up into a mountain to pray" (Lk 9.28). It would seem that Luke includes the two days they spent on the mountain.
We read that the Lord "was transfigured before them". His intrinsic glory shone forth. His face shone like the sun and His "raiment was white as the light" (Mt 17.2). The disciples were privileged to see their Lord and Saviour, not only as they had seen Him during His time with them, but as He will appear in glory when, with His saints, He comes to set up His Kingdom on earth at the beginning of the Millennium, when a new era of peace and righteousness will begin.
Peter, James, and John were privileged to be with the Lord when He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Lk 8.51-56). They were also with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, where they fell asleep (Mk 14.32-42), as they did on the Mount of Transfiguration. In the Garden they witnessed His suffering, but on the Mountain they witnessed His glory.
Moses and Elias
The transfiguration was unprecedented. It was one of the most remarkable events that had occurred since the creation of the world. Moses and Elias (Elijah) appeared and talked with the Lord (Lk 9.30,31). They were recognized by the disciples, and so it seems certain that we shall know everyone in heaven. The two men spoke with the Lord about His soon coming crucifixion and death at Jerusalem. They spoke of His departure and exodus from this world, which He would accomplish. He had come into the world to do His Father's will and to glorify Him. By suffering, bleeding and dying on the Cross as our Substitute, taking the penalty for our sin and paying the price of our redemption, He gained a glorious victory over sin, death and hell and over Satan and the powers of evil.
The transfiguration might well have taken place at night, for it was when they were "awake" that they saw the Lord's glory and Moses and Elias (Lk 9.32). The glory, brightness of uncreated light, and dazzling whiteness seen by the disciples emanated from within the Lord Himself, it was intrinsic to the Lord. His glory was concealed when, to glorify His Father and make possible our salvation, He took upon Himself "the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Phil 2.7). His glory was not a reflected glory as was that of Moses whose face shone after he had been with God on Mount Sinai (Ex 34.29,30,35).
The privileged disciples heard the conversation between the Lord, Moses and Elias and this would The disciples were afraid as the cloud enveloped them and they heard a voice saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Mt 17.5). The Father's delight in His Son was declared at the beginning of His public ministry (Mt 3.17), and was declared again on the Mount of Transfiguration. God's delight is eternally in His Holy, beloved, obedient Son who could say that He always did the things that pleased His Father (Jn 8.29). The disciples fell on their faces when they heard the voice, but the Lord graciously touched them and said, "Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only" (Mt 17.7,8). The Lord only is to be worshipped and not any man, no matter how great he is or how well he has served God.
The Lord told the disciples that they were not to tell anyone what they had seen until after He had risen from the dead (Mk 9.9). They were curious as to what the Lord meant when He spoke of rising from the dead (Mk 9.10). He was referring to the fact that He would rise from among the dead after He had completed the work His Father had given Him to do. He would be the firstfruits of the harvest which would follow (1 Cor 15.20,23).
What the disciples saw and heard on the mountain would have meant little or nothing to unbelievers at the time of the transfiguration. However, to those of us who have been saved by grace through our God-given faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 2.8), the transfiguration tells us more than we can fully understand of the beauties, glories, majesty, splendour, omnipotence, and omniscience of our Lord and Saviour. It shows us His pre-eminence, centrality, and supremacy. The Lord's transfiguration is a delight on which to meditate, and fills believers with gratitude, joy, praise, thanks and a desire to worship. In this present life we can learn of Him as we meditate on the written Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can seek to serve Him in loving obedience, knowing that "when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3.2).
Concluded.
