The Transfiguration

Biblical Text and Content

The account appears in Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, and Luke 9:28-36. 2 Peter 1:16-18 also recalls the event. All three Gospels place it immediately after Peter's confession of faith and Jesus' first prediction of his passion.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. There his appearance was changed: his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became white. Then Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with him. Luke records that they spoke of his "decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31). While Peter was proposing to build three tabernacles, a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5). As they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. When the disciples asked about the saying that Elijah must come first, Jesus answered that Elijah had already come, and Matthew records that the disciples understood him to be speaking of John the Baptist.

Background

The Greek verb translated "transfigured" is metamorphoō, meaning to be changed in form (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:2). The Korean term Byeonhwasan ("Mount of Transfiguration") is not a place name found in the Bible but a conventional name for the event. Scripture does not name the mountain. Since about the fourth century, Christian tradition has identified it with Mount Tabor in Galilee, while some modern scholars favor Mount Hermon, near Caesarea Philippi. Neither identification has been established.

Significance in the Context of Scripture

The scene is often compared with the Sinai narratives of the Old Testament at Mount Sinai, most notably Moses' meeting with God in the cloud on the mountain and the shining of his face (Exodus 24; 34). Many interpreters hold that the heavenly command "hear ye him" recalls the promise of a prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. The first part of the declaration, "my beloved Son," echoes the voice heard at the baptism of Jesus. Many interpreters read Moses and Elijah as representatives of the Law and the Prophets and take the scene to mean that the whole Old Testament bears witness to Jesus. Because the event follows directly upon the passion prediction, it is also explained as a foretaste of future glory granted to disciples who were about to face suffering.

Interpretations and Debates

• Peter's proposal to build tabernacles is generally read as a misunderstanding that would have placed Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah. Some connect it with the Feast of Tabernacles.
• The Eastern Orthodox Church places great emphasis on this event. It observes August 6 as a major feast and has developed a theological tradition linking the light of Tabor with participation in divine grace (deification, theosis). The Catholic Church also observes August 6 as the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
• Protestants generally read the event as a revelation of Jesus' divinity and glory and as a call to hear him as the Son of God.
• Some interpreters cite the appearance of Moses and Elijah as evidence concerning the present state of the dead. The text, however, does not explain the manner of their appearance or how the disciples recognized them.

In the Korean Church

Some churches that follow the liturgical calendar observe the Sunday immediately before Ash Wednesday as Transfiguration Sunday. Sermons frequently address Peter's words, "it is good for us to be here" (Matthew 17:4), and the narrative sequence in which the group comes down the mountain and a demon-possessed boy is healed. Preachers often use this sequence to illustrate the theme that experiences on the mountaintop should lead into everyday ministry.