The Transfiguration Unravelled.

Recap.

Let’s reminder ourselves of where we left off yesterday.

28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

(Matthew 16: 28)

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, [a]let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

(Matthew 17: 1-6)

I.        God Speaks.

What’s going on here, well that is obviously the voice of God and when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and they were terrified. Peter is still speaking, he’s probably still wanting to build these tabernacles, but then a voice comes out of heaven, out of the clouds. In the Old Testament God spoke out of the clouds led the children of Israel, but this time he says, “this is my beloved son”. Everything about this statement is messianic, “this is my beloved son”, that is a reference to Psalm 2 where the Messiah is called God’s beloved son. The statement, “In whom I am well pleased”, that’s a reference to Isaiah chapter 42. “Hear him”, or “Listen to him”, is a reference to Deuteronomy chapter 18, another messianic passage. God comes out of heaven and says, wait Peter, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased listen to what he says.

Again, this drives us back to what Jesus just said earlier in this passage by saying after six days this is what will happen. It mustn’t have registered because 6 days and they’ve already forgotten and they’re focusing on the wrong thing, or at least Peter is. What was it Jesus said that God the father felt compelled to say to Peter and now doubt the other disciples, “Listen” What did Peter miss?

Well, if you go back to the latter part of Matthew 16, what Jesus was trying to emphasize is I’m going to Jerusalem and I’m going to suffer many things I’m going to be killed and I’m going to come back from the dead and then he says and some of you are going to see me coming into my Kingdom before you die. So Jesus is not rejecting the idea that he’s coming in his Kingdom he just wants to emphasize that he’s going to die and it’s going to involve suffering. 

You might also remember that in that passage he said and if you follow me, you also are going to have to deny yourself take up your cross and follow me. Clearly indicated that involved hardship in this life and  being rewarded in the next. These are the things that God wants to impress upon them, listen  to what the Lord Jesus has to say, he’s going to suffer he’s going to die and if you follow him and you suffer but trust and obey and follow him then you will be rewarded in the Kingdom which I assure you is still coming. That’s what’s going on in this passage of scripture. I think it’s the dramatics that terrified them but at any rate the text then tells us.

7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

(Matthew 17: 7-8)

Jesus only Moses and Elijah disappeared and when they looked up all they could see was the Lord and that’s what God wanted them to see. Some have also suggested this indicates Jesus is now fulfilling the law and the prophets and they disappear so that we see only him. The text continues.

9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

(Matthew 16:9)

Because he did not want to get the public excited about the Kingdom part of this, he wanted them to focus on his death it was noy appropriate for them to tell what had happened. I am suggesting the flow of the passage indicates that what Jesus said, about some of the disciples seeing him in glory before they dies was fulfilled in the transfiguration. John, in the opening of his gospel account said we saw his glory. Let me confirm this further for you, keep one finger in Matthew 17, because I’m coming back to it but turn to Second Peter chapter one. Because I believe there was an occasion when he wrote about it.

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

(2 Peter 1: 16)

Peter says very specifically, look, I I’m telling you Jesus is coming back he’s going to come back in power and glory, and this is not a fable. I was on the mountain, and we saw Jesus in his full majesty and the glory. So, Peter says that’s the fulfilment of Matthew 16:28 was the transfiguration. In short Jesus was not mistaken about what he said, he fulfilled it 6 days later. Let’s go back to Matthew chapter 17 and pick up at verse 10.

10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

(Matthew 17: 11-?13

II.        The Coming of Elijah.

They are now coming down the mountain and they have just been told not to say anything. They've just seen the glory, they got the connection this has to do the second coming and that reminded them that the scribes and the Pharisees were objecting that Jesus was the Messiah because the Old Testament in promised that Elijah was going to come before the Messiah, and Elijah hasn’t come yet. Jesus answered and said to them indeed Elijah is coming first, and we’ll restore all things in other words Jesus said yes the scribes are right Elijah does have to come before the Messiah.

Jesus is saying in essence they’re right, and Elijah has appeared already, just now. Jesus is saying then but also remember John the Baptist came first in the Spirit of Elijah and they missed what that meant, but the disciples get that paart of it and it tells us so in the next verse. John the Baptist fulfilled the promise of the coming of Elijah prior to his revealing and it was always going to be a case of his coming to those who had “An ear to hear”. John the Baptist came preaching, “make straight the way of the Lord”, remember that. Preaching the Kingdom of heaven is a hand, it’s almost here, if you will receive it. Notice in verse 12, he said, “I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished likewise the son of man is about to suffer at their hands”.

In Matthew chapter 16 he’s saying to them, look, I am going to Jerusalem to suffer many things and be killed, and I want you to understand I am going to die. Remember, John the Baptist by this time had already been killed and says, you mentioned John the Baptist, well he was killed, and I’m going to be killed also. I’m going to Jerusalem; I am about to die it’s the thought that he constantly comes back to throughout this passage.

III.        Summary.

I think the sum of what I’ve said thus far is rather simple, the promise that some will not die before they saw him come in his Kingdom was fulfilled in the transfiguration where they saw the glory and the majesty  So Jesus was not mistaken in what he said about some of them not dying before he came in his Kingdom power and majesty. Don’t make the mistake of thinking Jesus made a mistake, he did not.

This event is really critical in the whole overall ministry of Christ because it demonstrates who he is, and what he’s about to do in the short term by dying as our savious, and in the long term by coming back and establishing the Kingdom of God.

Number one, it confirms Jesus is going to die, and that is critical, remember God also spoke from heaven and said this is how it was going to be.

Number two, the second thing is that throughout this passage there is this emphasis on but remember, I’m also coming back and when I do I’m going to establish the Kingdom.

One Bible teacher said, and I quote,

“The presence of Old Testament Saints on earth and he’s referring to Moses and Elijah with Christ in a glorified state is the greatest possible verification of the Kingdom promises of the Old Testament to the reality of this Kingdom coming on earth”.

(M Webster – Quoted in https://drivethruhistory.com)

Jesus, as the son of man was going to come one day to judge the world and establish his Kingdom and these few chosen disciples were permitted to see the son of the man in his Kingdom glory.

What the transfiguration does is that confirms that Jesus is going to die, and it confirms he is going to come back in his Kingdom. The transfiguration confirms one at the same time both of those events. Jesus was not mistaken in what he said, and we should not be mistaken in not understanding his death and not fully appreciating or understanding that he’s coming again in his power and majesty to establish the Kingdom. The great impact of this event is we should be given inspired to give and extra motivation to trust Christ to be our saviour and if you’ve done that already then you need to be about the business of serving the Lord and you’re following him and serving him so that you can be rewarded in the Kingdom to come, because the Kingdom is coming. These guys got a glimpse of what is coming with their own eyes so don’t make the mistake of missing out on this aspect of the teaching of the Bible. Live your life in the light of the fact that he’s coming to establish a Kingdom and we will be invited and involved.