Jesus showcased His power and authority through many miracles and teachings that no one had heard before. But there is one moment where Jesus gave a tiny glimpse of His true glory before His resurrection: the transfiguration. Jesus took His three closest disciples – Peter, James, and John – to a mountain, and there He transformed before them into His glorified form. He was still recognizable, but He was no longer in a mere physical body, and with Him were Elijah and Moses. How Peter recognized Elijah and Moses is not given, because it’s not like they had physical pictures of them. Peter, good old foot-in-mouth Peter, had no idea what to say or do, and so he offered to build tents, one for each. Instead, he heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!” Then it all ended.
Why this? And why with only three witnesses? Weren’t only two needed? Actually, one reason Jesus brought three witnesses was because He knew that James, one of these three, would be the first to be executed. That left Peter and John for several decades to write their letters in which both referenced this very moment, saying: “What we have seen and heard, this we proclaim to you.” John cites this moment among his accounts so that the church of Ephesus could partake in the joy he had in Christ. John, who received Revelation, recognized Jesus’ glorified form and fell before Him as though he were dead. I am certain he recalled the moment of the transfiguration at that point, too. Peter cites this moment to show that he is not making anything up and even goes on to say that, even above his witness of the transfiguration, the prophecy of Scripture is more sure, more solid, than anything we can experience. If there was any doubt about who Jesus was among these three, the transfiguration sealed it.
So why didn’t Jesus show this to the rest of the disciples, let alone go public with it? As I have mentioned in this series, Jesus was not going for a show. He was not going for crowds. He was not seeking anyone’s acceptance except that of the Father. I imagine Jesus knew there would be too much infighting among the disciples if they all saw it, AND among the twelve was the betrayer. Jesus knew Judas’ heart, and if Jesus invited all twelve to see this moment, Judas would have seen it, which very well could have altered how prophecy would have been fulfilled. I am not sure whether Judas would have truly surrendered to the Lord or if he would have shrieked away, but his heart was wrong the entire time. I do believe Jesus kept Judas from seeing several specific miracles, not just this one, because of that.
Moses and Elijah showed up with Jesus. Moses had died, and his body was actually disputed over between Satan and Michael. Moses was never buried on Mt Nebo. We just know he died. God buried him, but no one knows where. Elijah was one of only two men recorded not to die; he was taken to heaven on a chariot before Elisha’s eyes. Why these two men? Why not David or Abraham? The answer is simple: these two men, unlike any others, represented the Old Testament Scriptures. Moses is the figure for the Law, the first five books of the Old Testament, and the history of the establishment of God’s people. Elijah is the face of the prophets. Though he was not the first prophet, nor the last, nor did he even witness to the southern kingdom of Judah, Elijah is the most well-known. Elijah and Elisha were the only two prophets to be able to perform miracles. More time is given to Elijah and Elisha than to any other prophet in the history books of the Old Testament. Along with Moses, these two were the only people in the Old Testament whom God used to perform miracles. No one did them before, no one did them in between, and no one did them after until Jesus showed up.
The Father’s message to Peter, James, and John identified Jesus as the Son, and to hear Him. Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, speak of Jesus. All of the Law was to showcase the necessity of absolute perfection to be with God and to show that man both could not and did not meet such standards. Moses showed from the Fall of Man forward the need for a Savior and the need for a holy, perfect substitute. The prophets, through the rest of the Old Testament history, and the prophecies showcase more pictures and snapshots of who the Messiah would be, centuries before it would happen, so no one would ever be able to manufacture it. And all pointed to Jesus, the one whom they all wrote about and longed to see and to meet. And here the Father said, “Hear Him!” Moses said to listen to the prophet who would come after him. The prophets, of whom Elijah was the “head,” said we would recognize the Messiah with these features and characteristics and actions. And here Jesus came, actually doing it.
Peter, James, and John had no idea what to make of this, and they did not need to at the time. When the resurrection and then Pentecost happened, everything clicked, and thus the New Testament era, the Church era, was born. Instead of looking forward to the Messiah as Moses and Elijah did, now we look back to what He did and is still doing and will continue to do until all things are completed. One day, we will get to see Jesus in His glorified form as well. That will be the sight of all sights to behold.
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