Thursday
Thursday
The Transfiguration
Some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.
Mark 9:1
The evangelists seem to have understood this promise of Jesus as referring to his transfiguration, since they go on immediately to describe it. But how are we to interpret it? Four aspects may be mentioned.
Firstly, it was a reassurance. Jesus had shocked the Twelve by predicting his sufferings. But now he gives them a glimpse of his glory in order to assure them that through suffering the Messiah would enter into his glory.
Secondly, it was a fulfillment. It is, of course, highly significant that Moses and Elijah appeared to them and, according to Luke, talked with Jesus about his “exodus,” that is, his death. They were representatives of the law and the prophets. They soon disappeared, however. Now that the reality had come, the shadows could fade away. In addition, the heavenly voice addressed Jesus in a composite sentence of three Old Testament phrases—“You are my Son” (Ps. 2:7), “in whom I delight” (Isa. 42:1), “Listen to him!” (Deut. 18:15). Thus Jesus was acclaimed in his three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King—the King who would rule over the nations, the Priest-servant who would offer himself in sacrifice for sin, and the Prophet who would complete the revelation of God.
Thirdly, it was an anticipation. According to Mark 9:9 Jesus commanded Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone what they had seen until after his resurrection. This was not a reversion to the messianic secret but a recognition that nobody could understand Jesus’s transfiguration until after his resurrection. This was because his transfigured body was in fact his resurrection body in anticipation.
Fourthly, it was a temptation. This is a little speculative. But if Jesus’s transfigured body was his resurrection body, presumably he could have stepped straight into glory without needing to die. But he didn’t. Once again he resisted the temptation to avoid the cross. He deliberately came back to this life in order to die for our sins.
For further reading: 2 Peter 1:16–18