(Luke 9:28-36) And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. (KJV)
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During the time of His ministry, Jesus developed the habit of retreating from the public eye to rest and to have a time for prayer. Before the events recorded in the text of this chapter, Jesus had undergone some very trying times. He had reached the end of His ministry in the region of Galilee.
He had pronounced His coming death to His followers, He had declared His Messiahship to the disciples, and had given them instructions on discipleship. He had fed the five thousand and taught them. Even before that He had sent out the twelve in the region of Galilee. He had already withdrawn Himself from the multitudes and the disciples to pray, and had, at the conclusion of that prayer, asked the disciples Who He was. He had been rejected, misunderstood, and even doubted to the point that there was no doubt that His soul was very heavy and grieved.
…The disheartening protest of the disciples against His position and in favor of the common Jewish idea of an earthly kingdom, would naturally so depress the humanity of Jesus that He Himself would need some marvelous encouragement from heaven and would seek it in prayer…From the same sad cause, it would be necessary that some compensating revelation of future glory must be shown to the disciples in order to make them bear up under the hard condition of present discipleship, and under the awful thought of separation from Him by death.1
Thus, Jesus again retreated to a mountain to pray. He had a good reason for retreating for a time of prayer.
Christ prayed not only to maintain His communion with God, and to obtain guidance and power from God, but also to perfect His Manhood. Thus, the Transfiguration was not only the outflashing of our Lord’s inherent glory and majesty, but the witness of the perfection of His humanity. He was perfect in creation, perfect in probation, and was not ready to be perfected in glory.2
Again, it is difficult to completely examine the prayer that Jesus prayed on the mount of transfiguration. This prayer is not recorded but the result of the prayer is. Three things happened as the result of His prayer. First, as He was praying, His countenance was changed. In consideration of this, the translation of verse twenty-nine is given from the Greek text: And it came to pass in his praying, the external appearance of his countenance (became) different….
The word “countenance” is defined as “the face, including look or expression and cast of features; esp. sum total of these as expressing mental or moral qualities: the mental or emotional state shown by expression of features.” The Scripture does not inform us just exactly what the change was, only that a radical change in Christ’s features took place. It is my opinion that His face took on the quality that it would have when He would again ascent to His Father and be with Him again. No doubt this was of great encouragement to Jesus. He had given up that state of such quality when He came to this ear to be born in human flesh. To know that once again He would have this heavenly state was very uplifting to His Spirit after having undergone the distress of the previous days.
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This change came about while He was still praying. He did not have to wait for an answer to His prayer. It is not known just exactly was He was praying, but if this first result is any indication, His prayer must have been beyond human comprehension.
Second, as he was praying, His “…raiment was white and glistering.” The translation from the Greek language for this part of verse twenty-nine reads as follows: “…and his clothing (became) bright while glistering.” The word “glister” means to shine, gleam, or twinkle. Putting all of these together, Jesus must have radiated a bright, shining light that came from within. Jesus was transfigured into His heavenly body once again. What an encouragement this must have been to the Only Begotten Son of God! It is beyond the human understanding how He could pray with such power and harmony with the Father.
Third, as He was praying, two men appeared unto Him. These two men were Moses and Elijah.
These two men talked with Jesus about the things that lay ahead of Him. Those things were concerning the death of Christ on the cross, the road to the cross, the agony He was to bear and undertake, the suffering He was to endure, and the glorious end result, His resurrection from the dead in three days and nights. What a conversation that must have been! The three apostles had been drowsy before this time, but now they became wide awake. The sight before them was a scene they would never forget. Their Lord and Master was talking Moses, who represented the Law which was the schoolmaster that point the way to Christ, and Elijah, who represented the prophets that foretold all about Christ. Such a result to the prayer of Christ is beyond any human examination.
…In all reverence we may feel that one reason for the visit of these blessed spirits on that solemn night was the strengthening of the sinless Sufferer himself. The vista which lay immediately before Jesus, of rejection, desertion, the death of agony, and the dreadful sufferings which preceded it, --all this had been very present before him lately. He had dwelt upon these things, we know, to his own.
He had pondered over them, no doubt, often when alone. It was not only in Gethsemane that His “soul was sorrowful even unto death.” As in the garden-agony
“appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him,” so here on the mount came to him these glorified spirits for the same blessed purpose of ministering.
And…it was to help the three disciples. Their wavering faith would surely be strengthened if the words which they heard from those heavenly visitants dwelt with reverent awe and admiration on the circumstances of their Master’s self-sacrificing career of agony and suffering. It must be remembered that a few days earlier they had listened to him, when he spoke to them of these things, with shrinking terror and incredulous amazement. They would now know what was thought of all this in the courts of heaven.3
To conclude this chapter, this following quotation is given: As to the nature of that transfiguring prayer Jesus prayed, Dr. C. J. Vaughan asks—
“Was it a prayer for such a sign of His Sonship as should write once for all upon the hearts of those witnesses the conviction of the good confession? Was it for the 32
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presence of those holy men of old time who might receive the interpretation of their life’s work and carry back with them into Paradise of their rest and their preparation? Was it that He Himself might be refreshed and comforted by some visible and audible proof of the Father’s love and Father’s presence, such as might send Him back into his toilsome life and speed Him toward His suffering death, the stronger and the braver and the more resolute?”4
We may never know the correct answers to these questions and others, but it is known that the prayer of Christ on the mount of transfiguration was the most dramatic of any and all the prayers He ever prayed.
1
B. H. Carroll, The Four Gospels, Vol 2 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1947), p. 38.
2
Lockyer, p. 214, 215.
3
H. D. M. Spence, editor, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 16 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1050), p. 239.
4
Lockyer, p. 215.
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