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The Transfiguration Of Christ

Luke 9:21-36

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount
28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.
33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.
35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

The transfiguration of Christ was a glorious event in the life of Jesus in which His appearance was radiantly transformed. It is recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36) and also in 2 Peter 1:16-18.

The Greek word for "transfigure" is "metamorpho." It means to transform, literally or figuratively to metamorphose, or to change. "Meta" means "change" and "morphe" means "form." To transfigure means to change into another form. It also means to change the outside to match the inside.

In the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, the outside was changed to match what was inside. His outward appearance was transformed because of His inward reality. Jesus' divine nature was veiled in human form but in His transfiguration, a glimpse of His divinity was revealed, displaying the Shekinah glory of God.

Before the transfiguration of Christ, Jesus spoke something to His disciples. He foretold to them about His death and resurrection, and commanded them to deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Him. About eight days after those sayings, He took Peter, John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. There and then Jesus was transfigured on the high mountain.

Interestingly, the Bible didn't mention about the name of the mountain. It was a high mountain. Several geographical locations, such as Mount Hermon, Mount Carmel and Mount Tabor, have been suggested as the mount. It seemed like the Biblical writers of this account, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke and Peter, were not overly concerned about the outward location of where this event exactly took place. They were more concerned with what really took place that transformed their hearts inwardly.

God Himself declared and spoke, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” The audible voice of God verified and confirmed the truth that Jesus is truly the Son of God. This was the second time God's voice was heard by the disciples of Jesus. The first time occurred at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist before His public ministry.

Why did Jesus reveal His glory to His disciples? The answer is found in what He shared with them before His transfiguration.

The transfiguration of Jesus Christ was a distinctive revelation of His divine character and a glimpse of His glory before He came to earth in human form. This truth is highlighted in Philippians 2:5-11:

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form (morphe) of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form (morphe) of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth in the form of man to be the true Servant of God and to give the greatest gift of everlasting love and life to mankind. His transfiguration was a visible reality and truth of His divinity and glory in the presence of reliable witnesses.

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 Peter 1:16-18
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.

In the Old Testament, there was a law concerning the validity of witnesses:

Deuteronomy 19:15
One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

The account of the transfiguration of Jesus was witnessed by Peter, John and James, who accompanied Him to the high mountain. They stood as witnesses on earth to validate the Sonship of Christ. There were also three heavenly witnesses, Moses, Elijah and God Himself. Therefore, the Old Testament law of three witnesses required to verify and prove any fact was satisfied both in heaven and on earth.

About a week after Jesus told His disciples that He would suffer, be killed and be resurrected, He took Peter, James and John up a mountain to pray.

While praying, Jesus was transfigured into a glorified form. His clothing became glisteningly white. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus about His coming death. Peter, being very fearful, did not know what he was saying. He offered to put up three tabernacles or booths for them. Peter even expressed his desire to stay and remain on that mountain.

But God spoke, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him.” Then suddenly they looked around and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them. As they descended the mountain, Jesus told them not to mention what they had seen until after He had risen from the dead. So they kept it to themselves, but often talked about it, and wondered what He meant by the rising from the dead.

Mark 9:7-10
7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

Undoubtedly, the purpose of the transfiguration of Christ was to give the inner circle of His disciples a better and greater understanding of who Jesus truly was and what He from heaven came to do on earth. He was preparing them for His death and resurrection. In doing so, He was also showing them how to deny themselves, carry their cross daily and follow Him!

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus came from heaven to earth to become a servant. He did not remain on the Mount of Transfiguration. He came down from glory to serve us and give us eternal life.

The Mount of Transfiguration is where we get a glimpse of His glory and for us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him all the days of our lives. The mountain is not for us to set up high places of worship just like the pagans do. They love to erect their altars at these high places to pray and sacrifice to their idols and gods. On the slopes and the summits of mountains, they carry out and conduct their religious ceremonies and rituals.

The glory of God is not manipulated or fabricated by the trickery of men through smoke machines, special sound effects and lightings, feathers, gold dust, oil, crystal stones and such. It is not for self-indulgence and self-exaltation. It is not the outside trying to change the inside. It is the inside shining through the outside, bringing light to others. When we shine for Jesus, others will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

When we truly have encountered the divine glory of God and are truly being transformed, we too will have the same mind of Christ!

Philippians 2:5-8
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

What happened to the disciples of Jesus eventually?

  • Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:5)
  • James the son of Zebedee was executed by Herod about 44 AD (Acts 12:2).
  • Peter was crucified upside down. This was done upon his request as he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as His Lord.
  • Paul was martyred and beheaded in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero.
  • Andrew preached in Asia Minor, and in Greece, where he was said to have been crucified.
  • Thomas preached the gospel in India. The Christians there claimed that he was pierced to death by the spears of four soldiers.
  • Philip had a powerful ministry in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation, the proconsul arrested Philip and put him to a cruel death.
  • Matthew ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some reports said that he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.
  • Bartholomew went to India with Thomas. Various sources said he died as a martyr for the gospel.
  • James, the son of Alpheus, ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and eventually clubbed to death.
  • Simon the Zealot ministered in Persia. He was put to death after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
  • Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. He was burnt to death while preaching in Syria.
  • John was the only disciple to die of a natural death from old age. He was exiled to the island of Patmos.

The disciples of Jesus had endured the sufferings of their earthly life because those trials and tribulations were not worthy to be compared with the glory which was revealed to them.

The glory of God gave them strength to run with endurance the race that was set before them. The glory of God also helped them to carry the cross and follow Christ! Even to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

If we truly have encountered and experienced the true glory of God, we will be able to do likewise.


Written on: 21 February 2018