Luke 9:27-36 Peter & the Transfiguration of Jesus

Bible Study Series: Peter the Apostle

Peter & the Transfiguration of Jesus Luke 9:27-36 

by Fraser Gordon

Hello saints! We are continuing our study into the life of Peter. Jesus is still in the same region of Caesarea Philippi and the passage we're looking at today is the Mount of Transfiguration. Three of the Gospels record this event, the only one not to is John. It's good to compare all three gospel accounts because each one will give a little bit more information which brings out the whole passage. 

Remember two messages ago, Jesus took His disciples on a journey to Caesarea Philippi and asked them who the crowds said that He was. Peter was called blessed because he realised that Jesus was the Christ. From there, which was the previous message, Peter took the Lord Jesus aside and said Jerusalem was not the place for Him to go. Jesus turned to him and rebuked Satan because what He saw behind Peter’s words was a satanic attempt to keep the Lord Jesus Christ from the cross. The previous two teachings on Peter are from the base of Mount Hermon and many believe that Jesus is still in this region.

Metamorphosis

Luke 9:27 "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

Seeing the kingdom of God is going to be partially fulfilled on the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples are going to get a glimpse of what the kingdom life is like. Jesus and the two other men are in glory so there is a partial fulfilment of this passage but not a full fulfilment. 

Luke 9:28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

Sometimes Jesus took all the disciples and at other times He just took His inner circle normally made up of Peter, John and James. The reason they went up the mountain was because it was a time of prayer. Mostly when the Lord Jesus took His disciples to pray He would then go away by Himself. This time He included His disciples. 

Luke 9:29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.

Matthew's version in Matthew 17.2 says “and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light”. The word transfigured means metamorphosis - to change form or structure. An example is a caterpillar changing to a butterfly. It says in Luke that “His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening”. Other versions say that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as though they had been laundered. 

A physical change came over the Lord Jesus Christ as He prayed. How many other times had Jesus gone alone up the mountain to pray? Was this physical change the case on other occasions or was it just here? This time the disciples saw the event. Light is beaming off His face, His clothes are shining and His whole form and structure has been changed so that light is shining through everything. In 1 Timothy 6.16 it says of Jesus, “who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light”.  

The only other person this has happened to is Moses. Remember when Moses went up the mountain for 40 days with God? When he came down he was unaware that his physical appearance had changed. His face shone so brightly that the children of Israel were afraid and he put a veil over his face. Here we have the same with the Lord Jesus Christ with one more thing added; Jesus’ clothing also shone and light came out of His whole being.

Two men 

Luke 9:30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah

In the Old Testament there are two aspects of revelation for God's people. The revelation that God gave through the Law and the revelation that God gave through the prophets. Both these men talking to Jesus are representatives; Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. Both had unusual deaths. When Moses died on top of Mount Nebo God took his body. We know from the book of Jude that there was a dispute about the body of Moses between Satan and Michael, so there's something unusual there. Elijah didn’t suffer a physical death, he was raptured, taken up to heaven in a chariot. Romans 3:21 says, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets”. The Mount of transfiguration is a partial fulfillment of this verse. Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets and are conversing with the Lord Jesus Christ who is now being revealed for who He is, “the righteousness of God apart from the law”. 

When Moses stood on Mount Nebo, he could look out over the Promised Land but was forbidden from entering it. There is a reason for that. Yes, he sinned in the wilderness, but he is also a picture of the law which cannot take you into the Promised Land. The nation of Israel needed a new leader and that was Joshua who is a type of Christ. Only he could take the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses could only go so far, just as the law only goes so far. He could look at it from a distance but was not allowed to enter into it. Now here in Luke we have Moses with Elijah in the promised land of Israel standing on the mountain with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

There are many types in this passage. Many believe this to be Mount Hermon and in Jewish tradition, such as in the Apocrypha books, it is the place where the fallen angels descended in Noah's time. The first type is that the angels descended to corrupt humanity but now the Lord Jesus Christ has gone up Mount Hermon and was transfigured. You have a switch. The angels descended to corrupt, but Christ as the second Adam came down to earth to raise humanity back to the image of God and to share in His glory.

The second picture is of the rapture. Moses is on the mountain with the Lord Jesus Christ and is a representative of all believers who have died. Elijah is a representative of those who will not die but will be caught up. Both are with the Lord Jesus in glory. At the time of the rapture all the Old Testament saints and all our loved ones who have died will be raised first and then all those that will not suffer a physical death will be caught up to meet the Lord with them and they will be glorified with Christ. 

What was the mission of Moses and Elijah? Why did God send them? I know all the typology and what they represent, but I haven't been able to answer this question for myself. Why did God send them? God could have conversed with the Lord Jesus Christ as He had done many times before about going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. But God sent these two men and I'm unsure why. There will be a reason. Was it just to catch up? “How's it going Jesus? How's the ministry going? Do you remember the old days? You should see heaven now?” No, these two men came to talk about one thing. 

Luke 9:31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

There was only one thing that was noteworthy of why they came. They “spoke of his decease”. This is the mind of heaven. What was going to happen at Jerusalem? He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. This is the topic of heaven, that the Son of man who came to earth will decease. He will give up His life and be like the seed that fell into the ground and died. In dying it produced many seeds.  He had come to do the will of the Father. 

A building project

Then in verse 32 we are introduced to Peter and the rest of the disciples. 

Luke 9:32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.

Where was Peter? Where were the disciples? They were asleep. If you knew that Moses and Elijah, two spiritual giants, were coming to your church you'd be there with your pen in hand. There'd be nothing that would keep you from writing down the conversation. These disciples had gone up the mount with the Lord Jesus Christ to a prayer meeting. Obviously, like many other times, they were heavy with sleep and dropped off. Have you ever fallen asleep in prayer? Well, yeah, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Have you ever fallen asleep in church?  Has a sermon ever been so boring that you've just nodded off? Have you ever put your head back for a bit of quiet reflection and dropped off and slept through the message, slept through the notices, slept through the offering, and the final song? At this point, you'd want your wife to give you a nudge so when everyone got up to walk out they wouldn't see you. My wife would probably leave me! 

Luk 9:33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said.

Peter has just risen out of a deep sleep and he has to say something. Have you ever noticed when people come out of a deep sleep that sometimes what they say is rubbish? Gobbledy goop, like a foreign language. This is the character of Peter, if there's silence, he has to fill it. What he says is, “Master, it is good for us to be here”. You can imagine Moses and Elijah looking at each other and looking at the Lord Jesus Christ and asking “Who's he?”. Mark 9.6 says that he spoke “because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid”. 

Peter wants to make three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah but he doesn't know what he’s saying. Peter has woken out of a deep sleep and looks at the scene before him. I can understand from Peter's perspective, even though he's completely wrong, why he thinks the way he does. Remember the disciples only understood that the Messiah would come and rule and reign as king; they didn’t understand the suffering aspect, that the Messiah had to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die. This is why Jesus told His disciples to be quiet about who He was because they didn’t have a full understanding of God’s will and mission for Him. If they had said anything it would have been wrong.  

What is the scene before Peter? Jesus is standing glorified with light pouring out of Him and Moses and Elijah are also glorified. Peter looks at the scene and thinks that the kingdom has come. This is the millennial kingdom, it’s here! ‘It’s really good we’re here, shall we build three tabernacles? The kingdom has come; this is what we’ve been waiting for!’ Peter wants to start a building project and he’s probably the first christian on the building committee. He wants to build three booths or tabernacles. Why? 

The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles is found in Leviticus 23 and Nehemiah 8. Many believe that the mount of transfiguration happened at the same time the feast of tabernacles was celebrated. It’s not specific though. This feast is a reminder of the wanderings of the nation of Israel in the wilderness. They weren’t in the promised land, the nation wandered round and round and had nowhere to call home. They celebrate this feast by leaving their homes and dwelling in booths for seven days. It is also a celebration of God's faithfulness to the nation of Israel. It also has a future meaning that one day the nation of Israel will be fully at rest, they will have no more enemies that pursue them or want to wipe them out and they will have a ruling and reigning Messiah. A day is coming when they will be at rest.

Peter looks at this scene and believes the day has come. He looks at the glorified Jesus, Moses and Elijah. ‘This is it, the millennium has come! Let's build booths and celebrate!’ That's Peter's perspective. Completely wrong and completely off track, but I understand why he thought that way. 

Hear Him!

Luke 9:34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.

This encounter is halted by God. Peter is just getting going and way off track, exalting Moses and Elijah to the same level as the Lord Jesus Christ. Moses and Elijah weren't discussing Christ's rule and reign they were discussing His decease. It was not about the millennium it was about Christ going to Jerusalem and suffering for the sins of the world. The whole scene changed. Jesus, Moses and Elijah were all glorified and the Lord Jesus Christ’s face and clothes were shining. Then all of a sudden a cloud rolls in and the disciples can't see anything. Have you ever been on a mountain when thick clouds roll in? You can be skiing and it’s the most beautiful view you've ever seen. Next minute the clouds roll in and you're lucky to see the end of your snowboard or your skis. I believe it was like that. God showed up and changed the scene for the disciples. They were looking at glory and then the cloud moved in and overshadowed them. The scriptures say, “they were fearful as they entered the cloud”. 

Then God speaks. 

Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"

God's instructions were directly to Peter and the other disciples. This is the second time that God spoke like this. At Jesus’ baptism He said, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”. Here a voice from heaven comes again. “This is my beloved Son. Hear him!”. It's like God is saying, ‘It's not about Moses, nor about Elijah. It's not about the millennium, it's about the Lord Jesus Christ, My Son. He is the final word to mankind’. The book of Hebrews says this. Hebrews 1:1 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son”. Yes, God spoke through Moses in the Old Testament and through the prophet Elijah and many others. But the final word of God to mankind is Jesus Christ. “Hear Him”. In these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. 

Luke 9:36  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

I like Mark’s version of this in Mark 9:8 “Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.” And Matthew's version in Matthew 17:8 “When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only”.  This is the emphasis saints. It's not about Moses or Elijah, it's not about the millennium, it's about the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of us can lose our central focus just as the disciples quite often did. It's not about churches or programmes or this teacher or that preacher or this evangelist. It's about the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Christian lives can be filled with lots of other things. When Peter looked at the scene, his vision was filled with Moses, Elijah and Jesus. God had to come and leave only one central figure for them to look at, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that deserves preeminence, first place. He is God's final word to mankind. “Hear Him!” God has exalted Him and given Him the name above every other name. Jesus is the central figure. He will be the central figure in the millennium and the central figure in eternity. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2.9-11).

Jesus alone

The disciples had gone astray because they elevated Moses and Elijah to a similar position as the Lord Jesus Christ. God was not having any of that. He had to stop Peter because he was way off track. Hear Him! This is my chosen One. Peter records this event in one of his epistles. 

2 Peter 1.15 “Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word 16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

Peter at the time completely misunderstood what was going on at the top of the mount of transfiguration. The millennium had not come. After the resurrection, and recorded here in 2 Peter, he understood. “We heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed” Now Peter understood that the scriptures all speak of a Christ who first had to die and then rise again. So in the end Peter understood but he didn't understand when he was with Christ. 

If God had any instructions for the disciples it was, ‘Give my Son His rightful place’. This passage shows us who Jesus really is. He's not equal to Moses or Elijah, He's not just a great man or a great teacher. He's not equal to Muhammad or Buddha or any other religious figure. He stands alone as the chosen one of God, who, when He returns, will manifest Himself in all His glory. Every eye shall see Him. When He returns it will be in the glory that was manifested on this mountain. 

He is the chosen one of God in whom God is well pleased. We need to hear Him and listen to Him. We need to come to know Him. We need to redirect our lives around Him. We need to give Him His rightful place in our lives. It's time to get back to Jesus alone. When Moses and Elijah were gone, the cloud lifted, and the mountaintop experience was finished, all that was left was the Lord Jesus Christ and God's instructions. Hear Him! 

The disciples had half the picture at completely the wrong time. God's instructions were, “This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!” 

It's time to get back to Jesus alone. 

God bless, saints.