Several times, Jesus had told his disciples about his death. He said he must go to Jerusalem to suffer, be killed, and then be raised on the third day. (see Matthew 16:21, 17:22,23, 26:11, Luke 18: 31-34, Luke 13:33) But they still didn’t really understand that this was going to happen or why. Jesus took his friends, the Apostles Peter, James and John, to a high mountain to pray. Once there, Jesus’ features and clothing were “transfigured” (meaning, transformed or changed).His face shone like the sun and his clothes turned to a dazzling white. (see Matthew 17:2) Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared, (see Matthew 17:3) talking with Jesus about his predicted death in Jerusalem. (see Luke 9:31) But the REAL Moses and Elijah had died hundreds of years before.A bright cloud covered them and they heard God’s voice saying, “This is My beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5, English Standard Version) The apostles fell on their faces, terrified! (see Matthew 17:6) Jesus told them to get up and not be afraid. When they looked up, Jesus was alone and the vision was over. Jesus told them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until after he was resurrected.In the vision, Jesus was the main focus. As he grew up, Jesus learned and understood that he was the Messiah who had come to save the world. He learned about his mission by reading about himself in the Scriptures, often referred to by the Jewish people as “the Law and the Prophets.”“The Law” here referred to the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses. “The Prophets” referred to the rest of the books of the Old Testament, written primarily by prophets God chose to deliver His messages.In the vision, we understand that Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the Prophets. So, the Law and the Prophets – the Scriptures – pointed to Jesus as being the central part of God’s plan for all of mankind. In the vision, Moses and Elijah were speaking of Jesus’ coming sacrifice on the cross, which had been prophesied long before. This vision would have given Jesus great assurance that everything was going according to God’s plan. Jesus’ shining face and bright clothing was a picture of himself glorified in heaven, after his death and resurrection. (See 2 Peter 1:16-18) Years later, after Jesus was crucified, Peter spoke about what he, James and John had seen with their own eyes. In 2 Peter, he said, “…we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16,18 NLT; 2 Peter 1:17, Berean Standard Bible)So, what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration? God provided a vision that accomplished several purposes:1. To prepare and encourage Jesus – and his apostles – for the difficult events ahead. 2. For God to publicly announce He was pleased with Jesus and that the apostles should listen to him. 3. To strengthen the disciples’ faith after Jesus died. It proved that even though he had died and it might APPEAR as though all hope had been lost, Jesus truly WAS God’s son, and through him, God’s kingdom WOULD be established.The vision teaches us that Jesus WAS and IS the central part of God’s plan for all of mankind. Because Jesus carried out his mission perfectly, there will be great blessings for ALL people in God’s future kingdom!
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