Mark 9:1-131And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. (Mark 9:1‑13)
The disciples and others saw the Lord Jesus go about the land as a poor man, without a home of His own, or honors, or riches, despised by many, but doing good to all. He told the disciples that He would be even more despised, and that He would suffer death. But also He told them that there would be a time of glory, and that some of them should see Him with glory; that soon came true.
A few days later He took three of the disciples with Him up a high mountain in the land north of the sea of Galilee. This is thought to be Mt. Hermon, a high mountain there. On the mountain the three disciples saw the Lord Jesus, not as the humble man they had known, but with His appeance changed, and with the brightest glory about Him. This is what was written of that time:
“He (Jesus) was transfigured (changed) before them. And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them.”
The disciples were filled with wonder to see Jesus with such glory, and also, because Moses and Elias (Elijah), who had lived hundreds of years before, appeared there and talked with Him. It seems to have been given to the disciples to know who they were, and as they thought of them in honor, Peter said three dwellings should be built on the mouain, dne for the Lord Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elias. Then at once a bright cloud came from Heaven (Matt. 17:55While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5)), and a voice said:
“This is My beloved Son, hear Him.”
After that, when the disciples looked about, Moses and Elias were gone.
“They saw no man, save Jesus only.”
The voice taught them that it was the Lord Jesus, whom they were to honor, and whose words they were to listen to, that He was above all others, no matter how great.
Although Jesus was so honored by God the Father, He came down the mountain to work as a servant for God awhile longer, teaching and heang the people. It was not yet the time for His glory to be seen by all; He must first suffer for sins.
It seems this glory on the mountain was shown to comfort the disciples when He would be taken from them, and make them more certain of His glory, to tell others of Him. To see Moses and Elias must have assured them that those who had believed God, yet lived, though gone from earth and unseen by all here.
Two of the disciples wrote of that glory; one said,
“We were eyewitnesses of His majesty,” and called the mountain “a holy mount” because of the glory shown there (Peter 1:17,18).
The other disciple wrote,
ML 03/26/1944