As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 10 Then the disciples asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Coming down from the mountain after the transfiguration, Jesus tells the disciples to keep what they have just seen to themselves. He calls it a “vision,” because they have been given a glimpse of his true glory in a way that cannot yet be explained to others (v. 9). Jesus sets a clear time for when the meaning can be spoken plainly: after “the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” In other words, the transfiguration can only be understood rightly when it is read together with the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The disciples then raise a question that belongs to Israel’s expectation of the Messiah. They have heard the scribes teach that Elijah must come first (v. 10). This comes from the prophet Malachi, who foretold that Elijah would be sent before the day of the Lord to turn hearts back in the right direction (Mal. 3:23-24). The disciples are trying to connect what they have been taught with what they are now living through with Jesus. If the Messiah is present, where is Elijah?
Jesus answers in two steps. First, he confirms the promise: “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things” (v. 11). That word “restore” can easily be misunderstood. Many hoped for a national restoration with visible political change—political independence, peace and security in the land, and the renewal of Israel’s public life centered on Jerusalem and the temple. But the prophets often speak first about a deeper restoration: turning people back to God, repairing broken faithfulness, and calling the nation to repent so it can receive the Lord. Elijah’s work, as promised, is preparation. It is the work of renewal before the decisive saving action of God.
Then Jesus makes the key point: “Elijah has already come” (v. 12). The promise has been fulfilled, but in a way many did not recognize. Jesus is speaking about John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and pattern of Elijah: a prophet sent ahead, calling Israel to repentance, confronting sin plainly, and urging the people to get ready for the Lord’s arrival (see Lk. 1:16-17). John’s “restoring” work is not about building an earthly kingdom. It is about turning hearts back to God so that the people can recognize and receive the one who is already in their midst.
Jesus adds a sober detail: the people “did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased” (v. 12). John’s prophetic mission did not protect him from rejection. He suffered at the hands of rulers and was put to death (Mt. 14:1-12). Jesus then draws the straight line the disciples must learn to see: “So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” The same blindness that dismissed John will oppose Jesus. The same hardened resistance that silenced God’s messenger will move against the Lord himself. In this way, John’s fate becomes a sign pointing forward. It shows how the leaders’ refusal to listen to God’s prophet leads directly to their refusal to receive God’s Son.
Only after Jesus says this do the disciples fully understand what he means: he was speaking about John the Baptist (v. 13). Their understanding grows in stages. They have seen glory on the mountain, but Jesus is teaching them how to read that glory through the pattern of Scripture: promise, fulfillment, rejection, suffering, and ultimately vindication by God. The vision of glory is true, but it is not the whole story. Jesus insists that the resurrection is the moment when the whole story becomes clear, because it proves that suffering did not defeat him and that God’s saving plan has reached its decisive turning point.
Lord Jesus, give me a clear mind to understand your word. Help me to recognize the ways you fulfill your promises, even when they come in unexpected forms. Teach me to hold together your glory and your suffering, and to trust the Father’s plan made visible in your resurrection. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Matthew (Four Courts/Scepter).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
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