A sermon preached at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas on May 18, 2025.
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 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. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen (Luke 9:28–36).[1]
After Jesus’ disciples confessed his true identity as “the Christ of God” (Luke 9:20), he confronted their confession with the cost, saying, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (9:23). What he described is essentially what citizenship in his kingdom looks like here and now, but it was a stark contrast from what his disciples had envisioned (How can a kingdom be built through a cross?). Of course, it’s the kind of edict we might expect from a king, no less the King of kings, but for some it went too far. Sure, Jesus spoke often of the kingdom, but he showed no signs of establishing it the way the people expected.
So, when Jesus said to his disciples, “there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God,” we may assume it piqued their interest, perhaps renewing certain expectations. Some standing there might see him ascend to Zion; some standing there might see him seated upon the throne; some standing there might see him rule the nations, but which some would it be? Luke tells us that eight day later three of them knew. Three disciples would witness Jesus’ glorious transfiguration and see the revelation of the King of the eternal kingdom in all his glory.
Glorious Transfiguration
Peter, James, and John, former fishermen then fishers of men all three, went with Jesus away to pray, up on a mountain. As we have learned in working our way through Luke’s Gospel, significant points in Jesus’ ministry are introduced with prayer, and so it is in this case. As their time of prayer concluded, Luke tells us, Jesus’ face “was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white” (Luke 9:29), transfigured before their very eyes, shining “like the sun” (Matt. 17:2). Turns out, this was more than a prayer meeting.
So, what happened? What did Peter, James, and John witness? Jesus was transfigured (a term taken from Matthew’s Gospel); he was visibly changed from the humble Nazarene to the heavenly King of kings, a supernatural revelation of Christ’s regal glory; from the humiliation of his incarnation to the revelation of his glorification. Luke says, “they saw his glory” (Luke 9:32), a revelation of the glory that the eternally-begotten Son of God, the visible manifestation of his invisible glory. In the present, they saw the past glory of the Son of God before his incarnation,[2] but they also saw the future glory that will be revealed to all creation at his second coming.
In that moment, the three disciples beheld Jesus as he truly is. One of those three, John, writes in his first epistle,
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3).
John, as well as Peter and James, proclaimed what they had seen, “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God.”[3]
Let us then guard against the world’s view of Jesus as merely a good man. Of course, he was a good man, and we should look at his life, for in it our righteousness was achieved and the perfect example given. But let us remember that in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, after he teaches us to look to Jesus’ humility and to “have this mind” among us (Phil. 2:5a), he does not leave us looking at the humiliation of Christ’s cross but points us to his exaltation. Though the Son of God “had to be made like [us] in every respect” (Heb. 2:17), we are not like him in every respect. For, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). And as we who have been created and redeemed in Christ to worship, let us direct our hearts and minds, all our being, to “worship the King all-glorious above” and “gratefully sing of his pow’r and his love; our shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.”[4] Let us look to the revelation of God, as revealed to us in his Word, and behold our God!
Glorious Preparation
What Peter, James, and John witnessed was not only Jesus’ glorious transfiguration but also a glorious conversation between, none other than, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Moses, the prophet chosen by God to lead Israel’s exodus out of Egyptian slavery, chosen to give them God’s law, chosen to lead them through the wilderness to the Promised Land, was literally present in that moment on that mountain. Elijah, the prophet chosen by God to raise the dead, cease the rain, rain fire from heaven, and be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, was literally present in that moment on that mountain. Their momentary, mountain-top presence was as glorious as what it signified, the law and the prophets of God. And with them stood Jesus, who came in fulfillment of both.[5]
So, all that was prefigured in the books of Moses, all that was prefigured in the prophets, indeed the entirety of what the Old Testament canon, depended upon Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. This is why the saints of the Old Testament were saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in the promise of Christ alone. They looked forward to the fulfillment of their salvation in Christ, just as we look back. For, as the apostle Paul concludes, “all the promises of God find their Yes” and “Amen” in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20).
For this reason, Luke reveals the topic of the glorious conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, specifically Jesus’ “departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31), the conclusion of his earthly ministry, his death, resurrection, and ascension. It was a conversation of preparation for the spiritual exodus, which is what the word translated “departure” means, that would be accomplished upon the cross. Just as Moses led the children of Israel out of the bondage of slavery, so the descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the perfect son of Israel, would deliver his people from the slavery of sin to the Promised Land of heaven through his exodus, the departure of death, even death on a cross.[6]
Of course, we don’t know the details of their conversation, but the writer of Hebrews tells us its likely tone: “for the joy that was set before him [Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). It was with joy he endured the cross, because through it everything prophesied about him was fulfilled. It was with joy he endured the cross, because through it he cleansed his beloved from all her sin. It was with joy he endured the cross, because through it he brought all the elect to glory.[7]
For this reason, the gospel never gets old for the Christian. With joy we hear it; with joy we study it; with joy we celebrate it. Phil Ryken says, “What Jesus accomplished in his exodus is worth a lifetime of careful study, and after that, an eternity of joyful praise.”[8] But we do not wait for Christ’s return to begin the celebration but gather every Lord’s Day, praising him as we will forever!
Glorious Revelation
Perhaps as a residual effect of their prayer retreat with Jesus, Luke tells us that Peter, James, and John were “heavy with sleep,” an interesting detail for such a select three. But I like J.C. Ryle’s perspective on this, when he says, “Let it be noted, that the very same disciples who here slept during a vision of glory, were also found sleeping during the agony in the garden of Gethsemane. Flesh and blood does indeed need to be changed before it can enter heaven! Our poor, weak bodies can neither watch with Christ in his time of trial, nor keep awake in his glorification. Our physical constitution must be greatly altered before we could enjoy heaven.” And by “physical constitution,” we may include the tongue and its use, evidenced in what came out of Peter’s mouth. Perhaps concerned that the moment would not last, before Moses and Elijah departed, Peter blurted out, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” to which Luke adds, with perfect understatement, “not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33). He who was the first to verbally confess Christ was also the first to put his foot in his mouth.
Of course, most if not all of us can relate, but I think we can also relate to never wanting mountain-top experiences to end. I feel that way sometimes on Sunday mornings (at least until I get hungry), and I, like other preachers, get Monday ministry blues. In Peter’s case, beholding Jesus in his eternal glory, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, was so “good” Peter didn’t want it to end. And so, not thinking it through, he proposed to build three tents, or mini tabernacles, as if to enshrine the men and the moment forever. But as silly as it sounds, don’t we try to do the same thing when we try to make heaven here on earth and grow frustrated when it’s not? If only we could capture that spiritual high or bring back that moment when we felt closest to God.
Try as we might, we cannot make heaven on earth, because it’s not. And although God’s kingdom has come in the hearts of all who believe in Christ, it has not yet come in its fullness and completion. Until that day, our lives will be filled with spiritual peaks and valleys and long spans in between, reminding us that this is not heaven but what awaits us is, the kingdom of heaven and the ever-present glory of God.
So, what do we do with what Peter said? Nothing. Note that Jesus neither acknowledges it nor replies. More importantly, there is no need, because Peter’s pointless proposal is replaced with the glorious revelation of God: “a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9:34-35). In the visible form of a cloud, the glory of God descended upon them on that mountain, just as it had upon Moses on Mount Sinai over 1400 years before.
Audibly, God the Father confirmed the disciples’ confession in precise detail, revealing Jesus to be truly his “Son,” connoting both the triune nature of our God, one God eternally existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but also the royal title of kingly authority, the Son of God. To this the Father adds, “my Chosen One,” an Old Testament reference to the Messiah, revealing that God’s chosen Messiah was also his Son. And then the Father says, in succinct perfection, “listen to him!” He who is prophet, priest, and king is the Word of God, and as God has chosen to speak through his Word, we join Peter, James, and John in heeding his call and command to listen.
And then, Luke tells us, they were gone, and “Jesus was found alone” (9:36). In that mountain top moment, Peter was, perhaps for the first time, speechless, as were the other two, and they “told no one in those days anything of what they had seen” (Luke 9:36). Perhaps it was because Jesus had before “strictly charged and commanded them to tell” no one (Luke 9:21), or perhaps there were no words to communicate what they had witnessed. Whatever the case, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Peter willing told all:
we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain” (2 Pet. 1:16-18).
It’s an extraordinary testimony, confirmed by two other witnesses. And yet, as amazing as this testimony is, Peter then adds, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19). Did you catch that? What is “more fully confirmed” than Peter’s eyewitness testimony? The Word of God.
We have been given the law and the prophets, the Gospel accounts of eyewitnesses, the record of the New Testament church, the apostolic witness to God’s people. And, Peter regards it as a “more fully confirmed” testimony than what he witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration. Let that sink in: As amazing as that mountaintop moment was, we do not wait for an audible voice from heaven but open our Bibles, where the light of the glory of Christ shines into the darkness of this world, from which the gospel is heard and believed, that the morning star of the glory of the Son of God will rise in our hearts, forever. Pay attention to this and believe!
[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).
[2] John 17:5
[3] “The Nicene Creed,” Trinity Hymnal, Revised Ed. (Suwanee: Great Commission Publications, 1990), 846.
[4] Robert Grant, “O Worship the King,” Ibid., 2.
[5] Matt. 5:17
[6] Phil. 2:8
[7] Heb. 2:10
[8] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, Vol. 1 (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2009), 474.
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