Prior to this scene on the mountaintop, the disciples had never seen the faces of Moses and Elias before, yet Peter recognizes them perfectly well here. In heaven the redeemed of the Lord will surely know each other. “Not one will seem a stranger, though never seen before.”
Peter, rejoicing to see His Master in company with two such honored Old Testament servants of God, makes the mistake of thinking that they were on an equality in that glory, and says: “Lord . . . let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” He had forgotten his confession of Jesus as the “Christ, the Son of the living God,” of whom no Old Testament worthy could be an equal.
The Father could not allow the suggestion of such equality to stand. Even while Peter was speaking, “Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them.” It was the cloud of Jehovah’s presence. Moses and Elias disappeared, and they heard the Father’s voice from the cloud saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” Whatever might be the honor God had put upon Moses and Elias, they were not to be compared with His beloved Son. The Person of Christ eclipses all. Furthermore it was not the voice of the lawgiver nor of the prophets, but the Son in all His love revealing the Father, whom they must now hear. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:1717For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)).
Eyewitnesses of Glory
The disciples were frightened and fell on their faces. “And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” The vision had vanished, but Jesus remained. What a comfort this must have been to their hearts! The disciples hardly understood the meaning of this scene then, but afterwards the Spirit of God recalled it to them. Peter in his second epistle, speaks of “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” of how they “were eyewitnesses of His majesty . . . when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory ... when we were with Him in the holy mount.” The vision of coming glory was to strengthen the faith of the servants of the Lord in the sorrows and persecutions they had to endure for His name’s sake.
The wonderful scene the disciples had just witnessed had passed away, and now we find them descending the mountain. But the same One in whose blessed company they had been on the mount now goes down with them. And this is the precious portion of the Christian — he has Christ and His glory before him at the end of the journey, and he has Christ as his companion along the road.
The Lord tells His disciples not to speak of what they had seen until after He was risen from the dead. The vision of glory was for them only and not for the world, for the kingdom of Christ had been rejected.
It was according to God’s counsels that we should be with Christ, like Moses and Elias, in that same glory with Himself. This is our place — the Redeemer with His redeemed. God has marked us out beforehand to be conformed to the image of His Son in order that He might be the firstborn among brethren.
Further Meditation
1. Why did the Lord not want the disciples to share what they had seen?
2. What are some of a Christian’s unique privileges?
3. For very uplifting teaching on the person of Christ read A Short Meditation on the Moral Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ by J. G. Bellett.