The Summit of Reality: The Transfiguration Text: Luke 9:28-36
Introduction: The Glory and the Grind
We live in a world that is desperate for what it calls "peak experiences." People will climb mountains, chase thrills, and meditate themselves into a stupor, all in an effort to touch something transcendent, to have a moment of glory that makes the rest of the mundane grind feel worthwhile. But these experiences, even when they are found, are fleeting. They are like a flash of lightning in a dark sky, illuminating everything for a moment before plunging it all back into darkness. The world offers temporary glory, but it has no answer for the permanent grind of suffering and death that follows.
Christianity, on the other hand, does not offer an escape from the grind. It offers a glory that transfigures the grind. The event we are studying today, the Transfiguration, is not a brief escape from reality. It is a profound revelation of the true nature of reality. It is a sneak peek, a trailer for the coming attraction of Christ's kingdom. And it is strategically placed. Jesus has just finished telling His disciples that He must suffer, be rejected, and be killed. He has just told them that if they want to follow Him, they must deny themselves, take up their own cross daily, and follow Him. This is heavy, difficult teaching. This is the grind.
And so, eight days later, God the Father pulls back the curtain for a moment. He gives the inner circle of the disciples, and by extension the entire Church, a glimpse of the goal. He shows them the glory that the cross will purchase. He shows them the King in His beauty. The Transfiguration is God's commentary on the cross. It is the divine answer to the question, "Why? Why all the suffering?" The answer is that the path of suffering is the path to this unimaginable glory. This is not a detour from the mission; it is the mission's ultimate validation.
The Text
Now it happened some eight days after these words, that taking along Peter and John and James, He went up on the mountain to pray. And it happened that while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him, and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to fulfill at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And it happened that as they were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three booths: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah", not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
(Luke 9:28-36 LSB)
The Ascent into Glory (v. 28-29)
We begin with the setting, which is anything but accidental.
"Now it happened some eight days after these words, that taking along Peter and John and James, He went up on the mountain to pray. And it happened that while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming." (Luke 9:28-29 LSB)
The timing is crucial: "eight days after these words." The words in question are the hard words about the cross. This glory is the direct sequel to the talk of suffering. Jesus takes His inner circle, Peter, James, and John. These are the same three who will later be with Him in the agony of Gethsemane. God, in His mercy, shows them the glory before He shows them the agony. He is fortifying them for what is to come. They go up a mountain, which in Scripture is a place of divine revelation. Moses met God on Sinai. Elijah met God on Horeb. And Jesus, the greater Moses and Elijah, goes up the mountain to meet with His Father in prayer.
And it is in the context of prayer, of communion with the Father, that the veil is lifted. The appearance of His face "became different." This is a profound understatement. His clothing became "white and gleaming." This is not reflected glory, like when Moses' face shone after being in God's presence. This is original glory, uncreated light, shining out from within Him. For a moment, the disciples saw Jesus not as the humble carpenter from Nazareth, but as the eternal Son of God, blazing with the effulgent glory of the Godhead. They saw who He truly was, and who He is right now, seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High. This is the shekinah glory of God, which once filled the tabernacle, now personally embodied in the Son.
The Heavenly Conversation (v. 30-31)
The scene becomes even more astounding as Jesus is joined by two figures from Israel's history.
"And behold, two men were talking with Him, and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to fulfill at Jerusalem." (Luke 9:30-31 LSB)
Why these two? Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the Prophets. Together, they embody the entire Old Testament revelation. And what are they doing? They are not advising Jesus. They are not co-equals. They are attendants, appearing in a lesser glory, to bear witness to Him. Their presence declares that the entire Old Testament, all the law and all the prophecies, points to Jesus Christ and finds its ultimate meaning in Him.
And the topic of their conversation is the central event in all of human history. They were speaking of His "departure." The Greek word here is exodos. This is a direct, unmistakable reference to the Exodus from Egypt. They are discussing the new and greater Exodus that Jesus was about to accomplish. Just as Moses led Israel out of bondage to Pharaoh, Jesus was about to lead His people out of their bondage to sin and death. And this exodos had to be fulfilled in Jerusalem, the heart of the old covenant world, the place of sacrifice. The cross was not a tragic accident; it was a divinely orchestrated fulfillment, a glorious exodus planned before the foundation of the world.
The Earthly Reaction (v. 32-33)
In the face of this heavenly summit, the disciples respond with a very human mixture of drowsiness and foolishness.
"Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And it happened that as they were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three booths: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah', not realizing what he was saying." (Luke 9:32-33 LSB)
First, they were asleep. This is a recurring theme. In Gethsemane, they will sleep again. The flesh is weak, even when confronted with divine glory. But God graciously rouses them so they can serve as eyewitnesses. And once awake, Peter does what Peter does. He speaks.
His impulse is understandable. He sees this incredible glory, and he wants to preserve it. He wants to build a monument, to set up camp on the mountain and stay there forever. But his proposal reveals a profound theological error. "Let us make three booths: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Peter puts Jesus on the same level as the Law and the Prophets. He sees three religious superstars and wants to give them all equal billing. He fails to grasp the supremacy and preeminence of Christ. Moses and Elijah are servants; Jesus is the Son. They are signposts; He is the destination. Peter wants to memorialize the moment, but God's plan is to move forward to the cross. You cannot have the glory of the resurrection without the exodus of the cross.
The Divine Correction (v. 34-36)
Peter's theological blunder is so significant that God the Father Himself intervenes directly to correct him.
"While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!' And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone." (Luke 9:34-36 LSB)
The cloud is the very presence of God, the shekinah that guided Israel in the wilderness and filled the Temple. God descends to set the record straight. And from the cloud comes the voice of the Father, the ultimate testimony. The words are a direct rebuke to Peter's "three booths" proposal. "This is My Son, My Chosen One." He is not one of three. He is unique. He is the beloved, the elect Son. The authority of Moses and Elijah was derivative; His is original.
And then comes the great imperative for the entire new covenant era: "Listen to Him!" The era of the Law and the Prophets as the final word is over. They spoke truly, but they spoke of Him. Now that He has come, He is the final Word. The Old Testament is not discarded, but it must now be heard through Him and understood in light of Him. All authority has been given to the Son. Stop building booths for His servants and listen to Him.
And as soon as the voice speaks, the vision ends. Moses and Elijah are gone. The cloud is gone. "Jesus was found alone." The point has been made with divine finality. Jesus alone is the focus. Jesus alone is sufficient. Jesus alone is the one to whom we must listen.
Conclusion: Down from the Mountain
The disciples were commanded to keep silent about this until after the resurrection. Why? Because the glory they saw on the mountain could only be properly understood in light of the cross and the empty tomb. The Transfiguration was the promise; the resurrection was the fulfillment.
This event is for us. We too are called to a life of cross-bearing. We are called to the grind of daily faithfulness, of fighting sin, of serving others when we are tired and unappreciated. And in the middle of that grind, God gives us this vision. He reminds us of the glory of our King. He reminds us that our suffering is not meaningless. It is the path that our glorious, transfigured Lord walked, and it is the path that leads to glory with Him.
We must fight the temptation of Peter. We must not try to build booths for Jesus alongside our other heroes, our political ideologies, or our pet doctrines. The Father's voice still thunders from heaven: "This is My Son! Listen to Him!" He is preeminent. He is all. And we do not get to stay on the mountain. The vision of glory is not given to us for our own spiritual tourism. It is given to fuel our descent back into the valley, to engage in the work of the kingdom, to fight the battles set before us, all with the certain knowledge that the King we serve is the glorious, transfigured Son of God, and His victory is assured.