Matthew 17:1-14: Jesus' Transfiguration: A Glimpse of Who He Really Is

Have you ever caught a glimpse of greatness? Has any one every seen the Queen in the flesh? What about Elvis Presley? How close have you come to greatness? Who is the important person you have seen in the flesh?

In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Christ. The Father has revealed it to Peter. And Jesus has said that Peter, when he confesses properly, is the apostolic rock on which Jesus will build. And then Jesus has announced that he must go up to Jerusalem to die. So Peter stops confessing properly and starts correcting Jesus. And then Jesus calls Peter ‘Satan’.

Poor old Peter! From keys to the kingdom, to Satan, all in one breath! He has a way of putting his foot in it. And Jesus then told the disciples that they must follow him to the cross, because at the cross, and after three days, they will see the coming of the Son of Man. They will see the coming of the kingdom.

It’s all a bit much really. I guess the disciples have got brain overload. But Jesus is going to give them something more to think about. About a week passes, and Jesus took his inner circle—Peter, James, and John—up a high mountain. Only these three went up. And up on the mountain, amazing things happened. Those three watch and Jesus was metamorphosed. He was changed. His clothes were whitened. His face was brightened. (It sounds like a washing powder ad, so far.) But there was more, for Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus—the great lawgiver and the great prophet. They were talking with Jesus. Matthew doesn’t tell us what they were talking about, but Luke does.

They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31 NIV)

Jesus was about to leave, about to bring in a new exodus, to happen at Jerusalem, just like Jesus had told his disciples. And it was to happen by way of the cross. Moses and Elijah had looked forward to this in their earthly lives. And now, in this vision, they talked with Jesus about what they had so looked forward to.

But there was more, for they were surrounded by light. And this happened when a cloud overshadowed them. Now that is unusual. When clouds pass overhead, does it get lighter or darker? It usually gets darker, usually the clouds hide the sun. But in this example, the cloud is shining. In fact, Jesus’ face is shining like the sun, because there is another source of light—Jesus, and the cloud.

But there was still more, for a voice from the cloud spoke. The disciples could hear it. And they fell upon their faces at the sound. The voice said “This is my Son, whom I love. In him I am pleased. Listen to him.”

Well, I don’t think that the disciples enjoyed the experience. They caught a glimpse of the real Jesus. Peter has no idea what he is talking about. He is so frightened he talks about putting up little branch-and-leaf humpies for the three.

Don’t you love Peter? Always first to speak, even when he doesn’t think. He epitomizes enthusiasm without thought. But he was afraid, because he saw Jesus as he really is. Jesus is the beloved Son who pleases his Father. He is the one who shines a radiance exactly like God’s, for he is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s being. If you want to know what God is like, you look full into the face of Jesus. But that is like looking into the sun, for he is so glorious and bright, that you cannot bear to look at his face.

What is going on here? Peter, James, and John are seeing a glimpse of who Jesus really is. Jesus came as a human being, just like us, but in a way, Jesus being truly human hid the fact that he was fully God, a man in whom all the fullness of the deity dwelt. But the transfiguration was an unveiling—it showed the disciples Jesus’ glory.

Jesus told the disciples to keep what they saw at the so called ‘transfiguration’ quiet until the Son of Man was raised from the dead. That was perhaps because it was a foretaste of what would happen when Jesus rose from the dead. In other words, the events on the mountain top are a glimpse of who Jesus really is now. The transfigured Jesus on the mountain is an unveiling of the risen Jesus, who now dwells in heaven. John who was there on the mountain, got to see this glorious Jesus again, and he writes about it in the Book of Revelation.

¹²I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man", dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash round his chest. ¹⁴His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. ¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:12-18 NIV)

This is the true Jesus, though we do not see him this way now. We live by faith, and not by sight. This is OK, because the risen Jesus says, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing. And this leads us to the appropriate responses that we must have towards the Jesus about whom we have read.

First, we must believe in Jesus, and not be afraid. Sure, if you are his enemy, be afraid, but if you believe in him, if you trust him, don’t be afraid. For those who fall at his feet, he is the living one. He died for us. That is why he came as a human, and hid his majesty. And in doing so he defeated all the powers of death.

Second, we must listen to Jesus’ word, found in the Bible There he still speaks to us. “Listen to him” is a command we can still obey, for Jesus Christ speaks to us in his word, applied by his Spirit to our hearts.

And third, we must talk about Jesus this way, because he has now risen from the dead. Peter loved to talk, and once Jesus rose from the dead, he always talked about what he saw on the mountain that day. So we read 2 Peter 1:12-18:

¹²So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. ¹⁶We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (2 Peter 1:12-18 NIV)