Bible Study series: Luke 9:27-36 This is a display of the glory the Son enjoyed before he came down from heaven to earth.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 9:27-36
27 Truly I say to you that some who are standing here shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
28 It happened about eight days later, after those words. He took Peter and John and James along and went up the mountain to pray. 29 And it happened that he was praying and the appearance of his face was different and his clothes were shining white. 30 And look! Two men were speaking with him! They were Moses and Elijah 31 who appeared glorious and began talking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep. But when they were completely awake, they saw his glory and two men standing with him. 33 And it happened that while they were parting from him, Peter spoke to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here, and let’s make three booths, one for you and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” but without knowing what he was saying. 34 As he said this, a cloud came and covered them. They were afraid while they went into the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen! Listen to him!” 36 And while this voice came, Jesus was found alone. They kept quiet and in those days reported to no one anything of what they saw. (Luke 9:27-36)
Comments:
27:
This verse introduces the encounter of Jesus with Moses and Elijah, in glory and splendor in the next pericope (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea) or section (vv. 28-35). So “some” of them (Peter, James, and John) did not experience death before the transfiguration happened. The other nine would have to wait until he returns in the full power and glory of his kingdom. But this has not happened yet.
Stein offers three interpretations on how v. 27 relates to the Transfiguration:
There are three main explanations. (1) The preexistent glory of the preincarnate Son temporarily broke through the limitations of his humanity (cf. Phil 2:6–9; John 1:14b). (2) A glimpse of the future glory of the risen Christ is given to the disciples. Even as the first passion prediction (Luke 9:22) does not end in an announcement of death but in the promise of resurrection, so the discussion of Jesus’ departure is followed by a glimpse of the glory awaiting him at the resurrection (24:26; cf. also Heb 2:9; 1 Pet 1:21). (3) A glimpse of the glory of the Son of Man at the time of the parousia is given to the disciples. (p. 283)
He favors the last option but sees the relevance of the second one. I like all three, because the Transfiguration, next, has deep meaning.
For more discussion, see the parallel passages in Matt. 17:1-13:
And Mark 9:1-13:
“kingdom of God”: see v. 11 for more comments.
The best support comes from 2 Peter 1:16-18:
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (2 Pet. 1:16-18)
These verses separate the coming (parousia) in v. 16 from the transfiguration. Peter and others were eyewitnesses to his majesty and the voice of God on the sacred mountain (vv. 17-18), which was a foretaste Jesus coming in power.
This table, taken from a commentary on the Gospel of Mark, is also relevant to Luke’s version. It contrasts Jesus and Moses:
|
Jesus |
Moses |
| Jesus takes three disciples up mountain (9:28) | Moses goes with three unnamed persons, plus seventy elders up the mountain (Exod. 24:1, 9) |
| Jesus is transfigured and his clothes become bright white. (9:29) | Moses’ skin shines when he descends from the mountain with God (Exod. 34:29) |
| God appears in veiled form in an overshadowing cloud (9:34) | God appears in veiled form in an overshadowing cloud (Exod. 24:15-16, 18) |
| A voice speaks from the cloud (9:35) | A voice speaks from cloud (Exod. 24:16) |
| Adapted from David E. Garland, Mark: NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan 1996), p. 342 | |
In his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel David L. Turner provides a list of similarities between the transfiguration of Jesus and Moses on Sinai (Matthew: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Baker Academic, 2008], p. 419), slightly edited:
1.. The six-day interval (Exod. 24:16)
2.. The presence of three witnesses (Exod. 24:1)
3.. The high mountain (Exod. 24:1)
4.. The glorious appearing of the central figure (Exod. 34:29-30)
5.. The overshadowing cloud (Exod. 24:16)
6.. The fear of those who witnesses the glory (Exod. 34:29-30)
28:
“about eight days”; Matt. 17:1 says six days. “Eight days” is a Greek way of saying “about a week,” and Luke writes the approximation word “about,” so let’s not be more picky or precise than he is.
Here Peter, John and James tasting of full manifestation of the kingdom of God.
Jesus was a man of prayer as we saw in v. 18. Now he took his inner circle with him to pray and to witness what he had predicted would happen.
“pray”: Once again Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, or once again he went to pray on a mountain or elsewhere. There’s a lesson for us in his prayer life: the sinless Son of God prayed, how much more should we? For more comments, see v. 18.
Which mountain? three options: Hermon, Tabor, Meron. Mt. Tabor is not really “high” (Mark 9:2) because it is only 1929 feet (588m). It also had a military fortress. Mt. Hermon is too high—9232 feet (2814m) and too remote. The probable mountain is Mt. Meron, the highest mountain in Israel itself at 3926 feet (1197m). It is just to the northwest of the Lake of Galilee, a moderate distance from Caesarea Philippi. And privacy was possible. It could also hold “the city on the hill” of Matt. 5:14 (Liefeld and Pao pp. 181-82).
29:
“shining white”: the verb has astr– stem in it or “star.” I thought about translating it as “starry white.” The appearance of his face was being transformed or transfigured before their eyes. Matthew (17:2) and Mark (9:2) say that he “metamorphized,” a Greek word that means to transform. His clothes were so bright that Peter, as recorded by Mark, who heard and wrote down what Peter preached, added the detail that the clothes were so bright that no laundryman could bleach them as white (9:3). Matthew says they became “white as light” (17:2).
Green has an interesting idea about what happened to Jesus: “Luke’s point, then, is not that Jesus experienced an internal adjustment of some sort that led to his transformed appearance, but that his inner being was made transparent to those who accompanied him” (p. 380). It seems Green believes that God took off the human cover of Jesus, and now we can see Jesus’s divinity. I like it.
The face of Moses shone when he came down the mountain (Exod. 34:29-35). But this was a reflected glory. In contrast, Jesus clothes shine white like lightning, which “conveys a divine being (Dan. 12:3; Matt. 13:43). This language of brightness is reminiscent of Paul’s account of his divine encounter with Christ on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3; 22:6, 9, 11; 26:13)” Garland, comment on 9:29). It could be that God temporarily transformed Jesus into a divine being, as he was before he came to earth, born as a human baby.
30:
“And look!”: this has often been translated as the older “behold!” I like “behold!” but I updated it. It is the storyteller’s art to draw attention to the people and action that follow. “As you, my audience, sit and listen to me read this Gospel, listen up! Look! Two men just entered the scene! Who are they?”
Matthew says that Moses was seen, and Elijah with him (17:3), while Mark says that Elijah was seen and Moses with him (9:4). Luke announces who they were together, but Moses first. But let’s not make a big deal of these nuanced differences, unless the next key word “departure” means anything (v. 31).
Jesus is up on a high mountain, and both Moses and Elijah went up a high mountain, Mt. Horeb, an alternative name for Mt. Sinai (Exod. 19 for Moses and 1 Kings 19:8 for Elijah, who spent forty days and forty nights, as Moses did too).
31:
Only Luke—not Matthew or Mark—records that Moses and Elijah and Jesus began talking about his “departure” or exodus in Greek. So maybe it is important that Moses comes first in Luke account. Moses was the one who led them out of Egypt. This departure is called the exodus. His exodus refers first to his death, but it also hearkens back to the great deliverance from slavery, a deliverance effected by God for his Chosen People (Ex. 1-15). Jesus, by his atoning death, is about to effect a great exodus / deliverance of a countless number of people from the slavery of sin and Satan.
32:
Only Luke records that the three disciples were sleeping, but when they awoke, they saw the two additional men. Luke adds the human touch. Peter, as recorded by Mark, omitted his sleep time! This is subtle because it is believed that Mark got his gospel from listening to Peter preaching his stories. Of course Peter would omit the sleeping!
33:
All three versions say that Peter knew who the men were without their being introduced to him. Either this is a deliberate omission, and Jesus told them who they were, but this detail was unrecorded, or there was something about Moses and Elijah that Peter instantly recognized. His ability to recognize them may go along with his confession / profession that Jesus was the Messiah of God (v. 20). Peter was growing in his insight about the mission and identity of Jesus, and he perceived that Moses, who represents the law, and Elijah, who represents the prophets, would reappear (v. 8). Jesus surpasses both of these visitors, particularly when the Father proclaims that Jesus is his chosen Son and to hear him.
“three booths”: it is the Greek noun that means “tent” or “booth.” In Heb. 11:9 is means The Tent of Testimony or Tabernacle. It can also mean “dwelling” generally. Peter does not necessarily refer to the feast of tabernacles or booths (Exod. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:39), but he wants to make temporary shelters with them. Yet, on the other hand, this may refer to the Feast of Booths (Sukkoth), which was commanded by God as a festival that must be kept (Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13-16; 31:10). However, it may not be the case. Peter may be saying he’ll build temporary shelters. But if you want to make “booths” refer to the Feast of Tabernacles, you may certainly do so.
Liefeld and Pao say that Peter may have wanted to “level” Jesus with Moses and Elijah and to prevent the “departure” (v. 31). In any case, Peter wanted to prolong the vision and visitation (comment on v. 33). But the mountaintop experiences cannot last forever. One has to descend from the retreat and live life in the kingdom and the world.
Stein agrees: “… Peter erred in equating Jesus with Moses and Elijah. They were not equals. The Voice from heaven explains Peter’s error. In contrast to Moses and Elijah, who were God’s servants, Jesus is God’s Son, the Chosen One. He is unique. He cannot be classed with anyone else, even two of God’s greatest servants. He is not only greater but other” (comment on v. 33).
34:
“covered”: the Greek verb is literally “overshadowed,” but the scene is about covering them. One translation says “engulf.” See 2 Chron. 6:1, which says the Lord dwells in thick darkness. Further, God’s glory covering or overshadowing or enveloping them reflects the doctrine of Shekinah, particularly in the desert tabernacle (Exod. 40:34-38).
There is everything right with having a reverential fear of God. Don’t let the Happy Highlight teachers on TV or elsewhere tell you otherwise. Mark also says they were afraid, when they saw the two prophets (9:6). Luke adds they were afraid as they went into the cloud.
35:
Matthew (17:5) and Mark (9:7) says that Jesus was God’s beloved Son, while Luke here says that Jesus is his chosen Son. So Jesus is God’s chosen and beloved Son. This pronouncement is related to Ps. 2:7:
The command to listen to His Son clears away anyone’s mere opinion of who Jesus is (see Peter in Matt. 16:22). We must instead depend on revelation. Jesus fulfills Deut. 18:15; he is the coming prophet (Liefeld and Pao, on v. 35).
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. (Deut. 18:15, NIV)
“Son”: Let’s get into a little systematic theology. Jesus was the Son of the Father eternally, before creation. The Son has no beginning. He and the Father always were, together. The relationship is portrayed in this Father-Son way so we can understand who God is more clearly. Now he relates to us as his sons and daughters. On our repentance and salvation and union with Christ, we are brought into his eternal family.
6. Titles of Jesus: The Son of God
When Did Jesus “Become” the Son of God?
“listen”: the verb can mean, depending on the context, “give careful attention to, listen to, heed” (BDAG). It has the connotation of obeying or heeding. Recall that Jesus said that the one who hears and acts on his words is like the man who builds his house on a firm foundation, while the one who hears them and does not act on them is like a man who build his house on a weak foundation (Luke 6:46-49). When the stormy flood waters rise, the first house will stand, while the second one will collapse. So hearing is more than just the physical act of hearing with your ears. It requires understanding and then obedience and action.
36:
It must be clear who the Father was talking about. As he spoke those words, Jesus was alone. The Father was talking to and about Jesus, not Moses or Elijah. Moses and Elijah were prophets, and so was Jesus, but he was also his chosen and beloved Son. That title is an upgrade.
When Did Jesus “Become” the Son of God?
In that last link, I argue that Jesus did not become the Son at his birth or baptism or this divine, Fatherly pronouncement, but he was eternally the Son.
In any case, the three men kept quiet about what they saw, for a season, probably waiting until after the resurrection or ascension.
Stein is right about the significance of the divine voice and endorsement: “The Voice affirmed Jesus’ teachings, especially those in 9:22–27. Theophilus and the other readers needed to realize that the words of the Son of God have even greater authority than those of Moses and Elijah and therefore need to be heeded all the more” (comment on v. 36).
GrowApp for Luke 9:27-36
1. Jesus predicted that some would taste of his glorious kingdom. How have you gotten a taste of his kingdom at your conversion or fullness of the Spirit?
2. God called his Son Jesus loved and chosen. In him, you too are his child and loved and chosen. What does that mean to you?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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