The opening of chapter seventeen begins with Jesus leading three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, up to a mountain (17.1). If one has been following not only the story of Jesus in Matthew but has been connecting it with the Old Testament story as well, there is a significance in God’s revelation of his glory, will, and power as well as a major transition in the biblical story in the setting of a mountain top. The giving of the law took place on a mountain, Mount Sinai, a place where, as mentioned previously, God’s glory dwelled and was on display. While on Sinai, Moses asked God to reveal his glory to him, to which God gave him a limited glimpse of such (Ex 33.18-23). When Moses came down from the mountain, his physical appearance was altered (Ex 34.29-33), reflecting the glory of God, although in a veiled depiction because no could see God and live (Ex 33.20). Another example that ties into what is taking place in Matthew 17 can be found with the prophet Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel (1 Kings 18). God’s glory was revealed over the false gods that were being worshipped by God’s people as fire came down from heaven and consumed the offering. Even after this event, when Elijah flees to Mount Horeb upon the threats of Queen Jezebel, Elijah is strengthened and encouraged by the glory of God once more, as a scene of fire, wind, and earthquake ensues (1 Kings 19.9-18). With this background, Jesus and his inner circle disciples going up on a mountain top is setting the stage. Matthew then tells us in verse 2 that Jesus was “…transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light…”. The word Matthew uses here for “transfigured” is the word “metamorphoo/μεταμορφόω (Strong 3339).[1] Thayer defines this word as changing “…into another form, to transform…”[2]. God himself is described as wrapped in “light as with a garment” (Ps 104.2). With such powerful imagery on display through the OT scriptures in demonstration of God’s glory, what the disciples are witnessing here is Jesus’ glory revealed. However, he’s not just displaying God’s glory, but he embodies it. It demonstrates his eternal nature showing that Jesus was in fact God in human form. It also further confirms not only what Peter had declared just the chapter prior, but to the reader everything Matthew has been putting together from the opening verses of his account. The glory that is shown in the stories of Elijah and Moses weren’t in and of themselves, but rather they were derivative of God’s majesty. Jesus’ glory is essential to himself because he is divine (c.f. Jn 1.14,18; 17.5; Phil 2.6-7; 2 Pet 1.16-18; Rev 1.16). Jesus shines from within himself as he is the light.
In verse two, amidst this already powerful scene, Moses and Elijah appear and hold court with Jesus. There is a cultural significance these two individuals hold in Jewish history. Moses, the lawgiver, reflected the divine glory of God. Elijah, the prophet, had revealed divine glory, but Jesus perfectly radiated divine glory. Their conversation with Jesus and attention to him shows he is the climax to their role in God’s plan for humanity (cf. Luke 9.31; Mal 4.4-6). Moses, 1500 years before had asked God to show him his glory (Ex 33.18), and at this moment even he got an even better glimpse than he did in the cleft of the rock because he was witnessing Jesus. Their appearance there and engagement with Jesus shows that the law and the prophets were testimony of Jesus as the Messiah. Verse four then shows us Peter’s response to this situation. Peter speaks on behalf of the other present disciples and says, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah…” (Matt 17.4). What does Peter’s response suggest about his perception of the scene, especially considering what he declared Jesus to be in Matthew 16:16 and his misconception of what that meant in 16:22. Peter believed Jesus to be the Messiah, but from the previous chapter it seems that he didn’t really understand what the Messiah’s purpose was (i.e., to suffer, die, resurrect). Earlier, Peter stood in opposition to Jesus’ mentioning his death (16.22ff) and in his response to the transfiguration, it seems he didn’t really understand what the nature of the Messiah was. It appears that he understood the Messiah as being equal with Moses and Elijah and deserving of the same adoration as these two major Old Testament figures. To Peter’s credit, putting them on equal footing, if the Messiah was just another Jew, was a major honor. Also, Peter’s response shows sincerity in his desire to not just be a spectator, but to actively engage with what he saw before him. However, Jesus isn’t just anyone. What Peter needs to know is the same thing that Matthew wants his readers to know; Jesus is the culmination of the entire Old Testament story. He’s not some figure that dwells in the parenthesis of Judaism like other Old Testament heroes…Judaism was all about Jesus. Its existence, its worship, its laws, its priesthood, its distinctiveness was all pointing forward to Jesus.
Next, there’s an interruption to Peter’s comment when, “…a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him…’” (Matt 17.5). There is an obvious connection and significance with this scene and the baptismal scene in Matthew 3 as it serves as a transitional moment in the Messiah’s life and ministry. The baptism marked the beginning of his ministry as Son of God, as Messiah. The transfiguration serves as a transition from his ministry to the cross, his death, burial, and resurrection. It was the will of the Father that the Messiah would begin his ministry, and in chapter 17 it is the will of the Father that the Messiah dies. The cloud in both situations would also give an image to a student of the Old Testament (i.e., Matthew’s Jewish readers) a connection to previous events of God’s glory on display. As was discussed earlier, in the OT, the presence of God in a wilderness setting is usually in the form of a cloud. It also connects what Isaiah wrote about the Branch of the Lord bringing restoration, as the cloud of glory shelters Zion (Isaiah 4.1-6). In the intertestamental period and noncanonical writings, it was believed by the Jews that at the time when the Messiah would gather his people, the cloud of glory would appear (2 Macc 2.7-8). Jesus’ identity as the Son of God as first declared from heaven in 3:17. Reinforces the idea of what Jesus the Messiah’s true purpose must be in the context of what is going to take place in the rest of the book of Matthew; the Messiah must die and suffer. Michael J. Wilkins wrote in his commentary on Matthew, “…combining elements prophesied in Psalm 2:7 (‘This is my Son’) and Isaiah 42:1 (‘With whom I am well pleased’) indicating that Jesus is both Son and Suffering Servant…” (Wilkins 872).[3] This pronouncement has an application for the disciples. Amid all the mixed messages from the different audiences, accusations from the scribes, pharisees, their own preconceived ideas of the Messiah, the Father silences them all and places emphasis on Jesus and commands the disciples to “listen to him”. This also echoes back to what Moses prophesied about Jesus in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—”. This passage in the days of Jesus and the writing of Matthew would have been widely understood to refer to the Messiah (Young 209-11).[4] Matthew is showing his readers that Jesus is that prophet. And not another prophet like Moses and Elijah, that he is God’s Son, the exact imprint of Divinity, Holiness, and worthy of all praise. The disciples reaction immediately following this is the appropriate response to the awesome presence of God, Matthew tells us, “…they fell on their faces and were terrified…” (Matt 17.6).
When Israel witnessed God’s glory on Mount Sinai and Moses’ transformation, they too fell in fear and trembling (Ex 19.16; 34.29-32). When the people witnessed the fear come down from heaven and consume the offering on Mount Carmel, they also fell on their faces and glorified God (1 Kgs 18.39). Later, Elijah on Mount Horeb witnesses a God’s majesty in wind, fire, and an earthquake and he concealed his face upon hearing the Lord’s voice (1 Kgs 19.13). What the disciples of Jesus are witnessing in Matthew 17 is also an experience of God’s awesome presence. Jesus comforts them in this moment saying, “Rise, and have no fear…” (Matt 17.7), a demonstration of his relational proximity; He is Lord, sovereign, and Almighty God in the flesh, but he is also their comforter, their savior, a servant, their friend. Peter, James, and John are blessed with an opportunity to see Jesus in this authoritative, majestic manner before his death, burial, and resurrection. In verse 8, Moses and Elijah disappear, shifting the attention solely on Jesus, which was always the purpose of their ministries in the OT. This wasn’t some apparition, but an actual divine, revelation, to see Jesus the way God sees him. Jesus would then command them to “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead…” (Matt 17.9). This further strengthens Jesus foretelling his death and resurrection earlier in 16:21-23, 28. Any misconceptions that the three disciples had, especially Peter, should further diminish with Jesus, the glorified, sole new lawgiver declared by the Father. But why does Jesus tell them to keep what they witnessed a secret until his resurrection? This is echoes back to his command back in 16:20 to tell no one that he was the Messiah. The true purpose of the Messiah is to go to the cross, resurrect from the dead to usher in his kingdom, and offer salvation to all who will follow him. what people did not need was to be distracted and confuse these events as a confirmation of their presuppositions and turn their focus away from the mission of the cross. After his resurrection, people couldn’t confuse his mission with political aspirations, and the apostles would be there to give the account of everything to affirm what the Messiah was all about.
[1] Strong, James. “μεταμορφόω” Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Hendrickson Publishers, 2007.
[2] Thayer, Joseph Henry, and James Strong. Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
[3] Wilkins, Michael. Niv Application Commentary: Matthew. Zondervan, 2003.
[4] Young, Brad H., et al. Jesus the Jewish Theologian. Baker Academic, 2011.