After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. 11 Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He told them, “Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain (Luke adds “to pray” – Lk. 9:28). The phrase “After six days” may be the evangelist making a reference to Moses on Mt. Sinai, where he waited for six days before God called to him (Ex. 24:15-16). Similarly, Elijah also went up a mountain to meet God (1 Kgs. 19:8-9). In the Bible, a mountain is often a place where a supernatural revelation by God took place (Ex. 19:16-25). Some scholars suggest the mountain was Mount Tabor while others suggest Mount Hermon.
The transfiguration reveals Jesus’ divine nature giving the three disciples a glimpse of his glory and his eternal state after his resurrection (2 Cor. 3:18). The dazzling white clothes symbolize his purity and divine glory (Dan. 7:9). Moses in a glorified state represents the Law (Ex. 34:29), and Elijah in a glorified state (2 Kgs. 2:11) represents the Prophets. This affirmed that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets and the culmination of the Old Testament in Christ.
Peter, James, and John were afraid and in awe of the experience and offered to make three tents (booths), which could have been a reference to the feast of Tabernacles, a Jewish festival celebrating God's provision during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness (Lev. 23:33-43). The cloud represents God’s presence (Ex. 16:10; 40:34-38), and the divine voice from the cloud commanded the three disciples to listen to Jesus, echoing the divine affirmation at Jesus' baptism (Mark 1:11). The disappearance of Moses and Elijah signifies that Jesus is now the sole mediator between God and humanity, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus instructed the three disciples to keep the vision secret until after His resurrection. This was likely because the disciples could only understand the transfiguration after his resurrection when his mission was complete. Jewish belief was that the resurrection would occur at the end of time before the final judgment (Dan. 12:2; Jn. 11:24).
The scribes taught that Elijah must come first before the day of the Lord (Mal. 3:23-24) so the disciples were questioning how the Son of Man could rise from the dead since Elijah had not yet come. Jesus confirmed the prophecy about Elijah's return and told them that it was necessary for him to suffer as foretold in Isiah 53 and other scriptures. A suffering Messiah was not what the Jews expected. Jesus told them that Elijah had already come, identifying John the Baptist as the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy (Mt. 17:13). John’s ministry prepared the way for Jesus (Mk. 6:14-29) and his rejection and martyrdom foreshadowed Jesus’ suffering and death.
Almighty God, You revealed the divine glory of Your Son in the Transfiguration. Grant us the grace to see Jesus in his true light and to listen to him with open hearts. May Your grace transform our hearts and minds to discern Your will and what is good and pleasing to You. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Sources:
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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