The Transfiguration of Our Lord by Pastor Walter Snyder Q: What was the purpose of the Transfiguration of Jesus? Why were Moses and Elijah part of it? A: The Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36) was the Lord's glorious appearance to the three disciples on the mountain top. To keep our examination of it straightforward, we'll only examine the Lukan account. Luke begins, "Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. (v 28)" Clues to understanding the Transfiguration come from this verse. "These sayings" appear to be verses 18-27, Peter's confession, "You are the Christ," the Lord's first prediction of His death, and Jesus' command for a disciple to "take up his cross" and follow Him in humble faith. The Transfiguration connects the Christ with suffering and death as well as glory and life. That this happened "about eight days" following these words might be a veiled reference to His resurrection. The "eighth day" of the week is also the first day of the following week, it had already assumed a theological meaning by Luke's time. Since creation began on the first day of the week, the new creation, the eternal, heavenly kingdom of God was often spoken of as dawning on the eighth day. This understanding gave rise to eight-sided baptismal fonts early in the life of the Christian Church, since they were seen as the entry into the new kingdom. Just at He had eight days previously, Jesus went to pray (v 29). This time, however, He went not alone, but with Peter, James, and John. While there And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. (vv 29-31)" The word translated "departure" is ~exodus~ in the original Greek. Of all the things these two great prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ could discuss, they had leaving on their minds. Much of the lives of all three involved time in the Wilderness, a bleak, hostile, yet purifying place. From there, they went about their special tasks appointed by the Father. Through the Wilderness, each would accomplish a special exodus. In Moses, God effected the Old Testament Exodus, the rescue of Israel from bondage in Egypt. In Christ, the new and greater Moses, God would work the Exodus of fallen mankind from bondage to sin, death, and devil. All that would happen--- suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension---were part of this departure. Elijah's connection would come in the resurrection and, especially, the ascension. He alone among the prophets went bodily to heaven. Christ would also ascend bodily, not without tasting death, however. Instead, He would go up after conquering it through His own death and resurrection. The Transfiguration depicts who the Christ is, what He came to do, and how He would do it. Peter's confession of Jesus as "Christ of God (v 20)" was confirmed when the Father said, "This is my son, my Chosen One. (v 35)" Moses' Exodus ended in his death evan as God's people were on the border of new life in the Promised Land. Life was the message of Elijah's exodus, as he departed earth without dying. Death and life are the components of the Christ's exodus. The heart of Israel's Exodus remembrance was the Passover. First, the blood caused the angel of death to pass over God's people. Then the people passed over the Red Sea to safety. Death passed over Elijah when God took him to heaven in the whirlwind. And during the Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus would pour out His blood so death would pass over all who believed in Him. The picture of Baptism (Rom 6:3-4) as participation in the passion and resurrection is illustrated here. Christian hymnody similarly connects life and death, Passover, Exodus, Red Sea crossing, Jesus' suffering and death, and Baptism. So also we see Holy Communion, the meal of the New Passover, where God's people eat of the Lamb whose blood saves them. In the cup, the blood is not painted on doors but poured into the mouths of the communicants. Even Peter's seemingly strange suggestion to build three tents (booths or tabernacles) actually shows that he had some idea of what was going on. The Israelites lived in tents during their time in the wilderness and God likewise chose to dwell on earth in a tent (the Tabernacle). Peter was clearly thinking "Exodus" at the time. His problem seems to be that he wanted an exodus of glory such as shone on the mountain without the suffering that awaited below. None of Christ's teaching would purge him of such desire without the confirming events of Holy Week and Easter. May God guide and guard you as you come down from the mountain of worship and communion to travel through this wilderness, making your exodus to heavenly bliss! Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe." Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from ~The Holy Bible, English Standard Version~, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Ask the Pastor, © 2004 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this disclaimer, by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution. Translations into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate international copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.