“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’”
Matthew 17:5

In chapter 16, the Lord Jesus had been discussing with His disciples who He was, His ministry, and the cost of following Him. Our Lord then took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain, where He was transfigured before them. The word transfigured is where we get our word metamorphosis, which means to change outwardly from within. In other words, what is on the inside becomes evident on the outside.

This is exactly what happened concerning the glory of the Lord Jesus. These three men were given a glimpse of His glory. The Spirit of God would draw our attention to four aspects of the Lord’s glory in this passage.

First, we see the glory of His Person. In Luke 9:28–29 we read that as He prayed, “the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.” In Luke’s Gospel, He is presented as the dependent Man, the praying Man, and the obedient Man. The sorrows of earth can be traced back to man’s disobedience and independence from God, but the glory to come centers on this dependent Man. Here we see Him as the glorified Man.

In verse 3 we read that Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking with the Lord. Moses reminds us of the Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets. Together they represent the Old Testament. Along with the disciples, they remind us that both the Old and New Testaments center on the Lord Jesus. Everything finds its fulfillment in Him. Luke 9:30 tells us what they were discussing: they “spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” Here we see the glory of the Cross, “the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Pet. 1:11). We also see the glory of His submission, which would be displayed even more fully in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Anchor For Today:
The glory of His Person, the glory of His Kingdom, the glory of His sufferings, and the glory of His submission—what a sight for us to behold, and what a message for us to treasure in our souls!