(Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36)
Matthew 17:1-9 1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if
thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
Mark 9:2-10 2And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to 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. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
Luke 9:28-36 28And 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. 29And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.32But 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. 33And 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. 34While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 36And 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.
It is believed by many scholars that Jesus led Peter, James, and John up the slopes of Mt. Hermon. It was here, as He was praying, that He was transfigured in their presence. It is after the sixth day as mentioned previously; most likely, according to Luke it was on the eight day. You notice that the others say AFTER the sixth day. They are not precise as Luke is. There is no discrepancy here.
The following is taken from my book, The Prayers of Jesus, published by International Missionary Baptist Ministries Publishing in 2020.
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.
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 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 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.
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*********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.
After things returned to “normal,” Peter, ever the one to say something whether it was needed or not, said, “Lord, let us build three tabernacles here, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” This was not something that Peter should have said. He really did not know what he was saying. As soon as he said this, there was a cloud that came over them and out of that cloud came a voice of God the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear Him.” Peter, James, and John were so afraid that they fell to the ground on their face. They were too afraid to look up and did not look up and around until Jesus touched them and told them not to fear. I submit to you that this was another manifestation of the Trinity, Jesus the Son being present with them, the cloud representing the Holy Spirit, and the voice of God the Father. The Holy Spirit has be seen in the form of a cloud several times in the Scriptures.
When Peter suggested that three booths be made, he was lowering Jesus to the same level as Moses and Elijah. I think that is why the cloud descended on them and the voice of God the Father spoke what He did.
He wanted to remind them that Jesus was His Son and not at the same level as Moses and Elijah.
Mark tells us that as they were coming down off the mountain, Jesus told the three not to say anything about what had just happened until He was risen from the dead. So, they kept it to themselves but often wondering just what Jesus had meant by saying the “rising from the dead.”
(Matthew 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 9:28-36)
Matthew 17:10-13 10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Mark 9:11-13 11And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
Luke 9:28-36 28And 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.
29And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32But 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.
33And 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.
34While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 36And 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.
As they are coming down the mountain, they ask Jesus why the scribes say that Elijah must come first. Jesus’ answer is that it was true that Elijah must come first to restore all things. He tells them that Elijah has already come, and they then understand that He is speaking of John the Baptist. John the Baptist came first, preparing the material for his cousin, Jesus, to build His church. Jesus began that when He called Peter, James, and John on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
(Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43)
Matthew 17:14-21 14And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Mark 9:14-29 14And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22And ofttimes it hath cast him
into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Luke 9:37-43 37And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. 38And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 39And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 40And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. 41And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 42And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 43And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
As they were descending, Luke says it was the next day, they find a large crowd surrounding the disciples who had remained behind. One man broke out of the crowd when he saw Jesus and exclaimed to Him that his son was demon possessed. He emphasized that the disciples could not cast the demon out of the boy. Before Jesus could even get to the boy, the demon spirit caused him to go into violent convulsions. Jesus cast the demon out and healed the boy. When they were away from the crowd, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to cast the demon out of the boy. Jesus’ reply was that it could only come through prayer and fasting. It was because of their unbelief that they were powerless in the situation.
All of this probably happened in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi. We are not told exactly where it happened.
Travel to Galilee
(Matthew 17:22, 23)
Matthew 17:22, 23 23And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: 23And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
The Scriptures do not give us the exact location, but while they were in this area of Galilee, Jesus tells the disciples the second time that He would be betrayed and killed. He also tells them He would rise again.
Capernaum
(Matthew 17:24-27)
Matthew 17:24-27 24And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Upon their arrival in Capernaum, Peter was approached by tribute collectors. He was questioned concerning the payment of tribute money by Jesus. Most scholars believe this was a temple tax. Peter answers that Jesus did pay tribute.
When Jesus was told by Peter concerning the tribute money, He instructs Peter to go to the sea, remember Capernaum is located on the Sea of Galilee, and catch a fish and in its mouth he will find the money to pay the tribute.
