“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” (Matthew 17:1–2 (ESV)
Returning to the study in the Gospel of Matthew, today’s text begins with the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ. What exactly is meant by the word transfiguration?
The verbal phrase He was transfigured (μεταμορφόω; metemorphothe) means to be changed and transformed in appearance. It refers to a mutation or alteration. We derive our English word metamorphosis from this Greek word.
“The word in the Greek is a form of the verb metamorphoō, from which we get the English word metamorphosis. And you learned that word metamorphosis in school when you learned about the change, the dramatic change that takes place between a caterpillar and when it becomes a butterfly. It undergoes a change of form. The Greek word for “form” is morphos. A metamorphosis is a transfiguration. The prefix trans means “across.” We go transcontinental, we go from one part of the land to the other. If we go transatlantic, we go across to Europe. The prefix trans means “over” or “across.” And what happens here is that the person of Jesus moves,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
The transfiguration of Jesus occurred six days after the recorded events of Matthew 26:13-28. The Holy Spirit not only enabled Peter to confess Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 16:16), but also to witness, along with James and John, the glory of the Lord.
Jesus took three disciples, Peter, James and John and led them to a high mountain. These three were the closest to Lord Christ (see Matt. 10:2). The Scriptures give no reason as to why? They were often seen alone together with Jesus (Matt. 26:37; Mark 5:37; 13:3).
Jesus led them a high mountain. Matthew provides no identification as to the name or location of the mountain. However, since Jesus and the disciples were in the district of Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13), it could have been Mount Hermon.
“Mount Hermon is often mentioned as the northern extremity of the territory conquered by Joshua and Moses in Transjordan; it is also the northern boundary of the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh as well as of Israel in general (Deut. 3:8; 4:48; Jos. 11:17; 12:1, 5; 13:11; 1 Chr. 5:23). Hermon is said to tower over the valley of Lebanon (Jos. 11:17; 13:5) and over the land of Mizpah in the valley of Mizpah, to which Joshua pursued the kings of Canaan after his victory over them at the waters of Merom (Jos. 11:3, 8). Biblical poetry praises Hermon for its height and for causing dew on Zion (Ps. 133:3), and it was famed for its wildlife (Song of Solomon 4:8). It also appears in tandem with Mt Tabor (Ps. 89:12) and with the Jordan (Ps. 42:6). The mountain itself is about 13 miles (21 kilometers) long and rises to a height of 9,166 feet (2.8 kilometers).” States the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.
It was at this pinnacle, that Jesus revealed His inherent glory to the three men. The text records that the Lord’s face “shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”
“Christ underwent a dramatic change in appearance, so the disciples could behold him in his glory,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
“In terms of what is visible to the eyes of His disciples, there is a transformation, a movement from one perspective to another, where for all His earthly life, the incarnate Logos, the second person of the Trinity, has His glory hidden and veiled in the cloak of Jesus’ humanity. And now, all of a sudden, before the eyes of the disciples, they see the bursting forth of the full deity of Christ,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
Soli deo Gloria!
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