BibleProject | Heaven and Earth on the MountainSample

Jesus Glows Like the Sun and Flips the Script

Today we turn our attention to the fifth of Matthew’s seven mountain scenes that include Jesus.

Up on a “high mountain,” Matthew says, three of Jesus’ closest friends watch him begin to glow like sunshine and, somehow, Moses and Elijah (who have been dead for centuries) show up as well (Matt. 17:1-3).

In the prior scene, these same friends conclude that Jesus is in fact the Christ, or Messiah—that is, the long-anticipated king in the line of David. But Jesus also says he will suffer and die at the hands of bad rulers, and this baffles them. They expect a Messiah who will slay enemies, not be slain by them. Knowing they need more evidence, Jesus leads them to a mountain.

There, Moses and Elijah mysteriously join Jesus as he starts glowing. Seeing Jesus transfigured with radiant light, Peter recognizes that Jesus is truly God's chosen Messiah and a prophet greater than Moses and Elijah.

As we have seen, mountains are places of testing, where leaders are validated (or not). While Moses climbs Mount Sinai to receive instruction from God, the Israelites create a golden calf idol—signaling their rejection of Moses’ leadership. Later, when Moses descends the mountain, his face glows, validating him as God’s chosen leader (Exod. 34:29-35). Similarly, Elijah’s legitimacy is questioned until his showdown on Mount Carmel (see Day 5 of this plan), where God’s fire from Heaven proves that Elijah is his chosen prophet.

Jesus’ transfiguration up on a mountain validates him as the ultimate prophet, greater than Moses and Elijah (Deut. 18:15-18). And as the story unfolds, we learn that he is truly God himself in the flesh.

Reflection Questions:
How does Jesus' transfiguration on a mountain parallel Moses on Mount Sinai? What does this reveal about Jesus’ identity?

Many in Jesus’ day expected God to send a savior who would destroy all enemies, but Jesus overturns that expectation. As you watch the Messiah video, what similarities or differences do you notice between what people back then were hoping for God to do and what people today expect God to do?