In the Life of Christ
“There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2 NIV)
When Peter looked back on the day he climbed the mountain with Jesus, he remembered the voice. He had seen Christ’s face shine like the sun, yet in his second letter he wanted his readers to know that he and the others had heard the Father speak (2 Peter 1:16–18). I find that striking. If I had been there, I might have spent the rest of my life trying to describe the light. Peter remembered whose glory they had seen and whose voice they were called to trust.
Matthew says Jesus was metemorphōthē (μετεμορφώθη), “transfigured,” before Peter, James, and John. They saw a change in the appearance of the man they had walked with day after day. His face shone, and His clothes became bright as light. Psalm 104:2 gives us a way to read that scene. The psalm pictures the Lord wrapping Himself in ’ôr (אוֹר), the Hebrew word for “light,” as one would put on a garment. The NET Bible notes describe what the disciples saw as “a private preview of the great glory” that would follow Jesus’ exaltation. John Calvin calls it a “temporary exhibition of his glory.” The glimpse was brief. The glory belonged to Jesus all along.
I’m especially drawn to what Moses and Elijah were talking about. Luke says they spoke with Jesus about the departure He would bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). The word Luke uses is exodos, a word that recalls Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Only days earlier, Jesus had told His disciples that He would suffer, die, and be raised. Peter had tried to talk Him out of it (Matthew 16:21–23). Now, on the mountain, the Father tells the disciples, “Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5 NIV). I wonder what it was like for Peter to hear that command so soon after telling Jesus what ought to happen. I recognize the impulse. I can be eager to hear Christ’s voice until He asks me to follow Him somewhere I had hoped to avoid. The glory on the mountain gives us reason to trust Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.
Then comes the moment I would most like to have seen. The disciples are facedown, terrified. Jesus walks over and touches them before He tells them to get up. Matthew could have moved straight from their fear to His words, but he gives us that small detail. Imagine how much it must have meant to feel a familiar hand when they were afraid to look up. The same Jesus who had just shone with a brightness they could scarcely bear came close enough to touch them. The holiness that sends the disciples to their knees belongs to the Savior who stoops to raise them.
The Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1–8 reveals the glory of Jesus Christ, identifies Him as the Father’s beloved Son, and prepares the disciples for His suffering and resurrection. If you have a few quiet minutes today, read the passage twice. On the first reading, linger over the Father’s command to listen. Is there a word of Jesus you already know that deserves more attention in a decision you are facing? On the second reading, pause when Jesus touches the disciples. Let that gesture shape your prayer. You can tell Him where you are afraid and ask Him to help you take the next faithful step.
Pastor Hogg
When fear makes the next step hard to take, spend a few minutes with The Battle and bring that struggle before Christ.
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