Thematic Bible: Peter, james, and john
Thematic Bible
Vision » Peter, james, and john » Of the transfiguration of jesus and the appearance of moses and elijah
And it happened about eight days after Jesus said these things that He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up in the mountain to pray. [Note: This was probably Mt. Tabor, which was nearby]. And as He was praying, the appearance of His face was [miraculously] changed and His clothing became dazzling white. Then suddenly two men were [seen] talking with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah, read more.
who appeared in splendor, and were speaking of Jesus' [coming] departure [i.e., His imminent death], which He was soon to experience at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those with him [i.e., James and John] had been very sleepy, but became wide awake when they saw the splendor of Jesus and the two men standing with Him. And it happened, as the two men were leaving Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is [so] good for us to be here. Let us make three [small] shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." [But] he did not realize what he was saying. [See note at Matt. 17:4] And while he was speaking, a cloud appeared and engulfed them and the apostles were afraid as Moses and Elijah entered the cloud [i.e., and disappeared]. Then a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, [whom] I have chosen; listen to Him." And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. But the apostles kept quiet [about this incident], and did not tell anyone at that time about anything they had seen.
who appeared in splendor, and were speaking of Jesus' [coming] departure [i.e., His imminent death], which He was soon to experience at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those with him [i.e., James and John] had been very sleepy, but became wide awake when they saw the splendor of Jesus and the two men standing with Him. And it happened, as the two men were leaving Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is [so] good for us to be here. Let us make three [small] shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." [But] he did not realize what he was saying. [See note at Matt. 17:4] And while he was speaking, a cloud appeared and engulfed them and the apostles were afraid as Moses and Elijah entered the cloud [i.e., and disappeared]. Then a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, [whom] I have chosen; listen to Him." And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. But the apostles kept quiet [about this incident], and did not tell anyone at that time about anything they had seen.
And after six days [had passed], Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John aside and went up into a high mountain [i.e., an unidentified mountain nearby]. There His whole appearance was [miraculously] changed in front of them. His face shone [as brilliantly] as the sun and His clothing became as bright as light. Then suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. read more.
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is so good for us to be here. If you wish, I will build three [small] shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [Note: Perhaps Peter wanted to provide quarters for the three to stay temporarily, thus prolonging the wonderful experience. In any event, he should not have done what suggested that Moses and Elijah were equal to Jesus]. While he was still talking, suddenly a bright cloud engulfed them. Just then, a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, "This is my dearly loved Son, who is very pleasing to me; listen to Him." And when the disciples heard [the voice], they fell [to the ground] on their faces and became very afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up, and do not be afraid." When they looked up, the only one they saw was Jesus. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus ordered them, saying, "Do not tell anyone about the vision [you have just seen] until the Son of man has been raised from the dead."
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is so good for us to be here. If you wish, I will build three [small] shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [Note: Perhaps Peter wanted to provide quarters for the three to stay temporarily, thus prolonging the wonderful experience. In any event, he should not have done what suggested that Moses and Elijah were equal to Jesus]. While he was still talking, suddenly a bright cloud engulfed them. Just then, a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, "This is my dearly loved Son, who is very pleasing to me; listen to Him." And when the disciples heard [the voice], they fell [to the ground] on their faces and became very afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up, and do not be afraid." When they looked up, the only one they saw was Jesus. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus ordered them, saying, "Do not tell anyone about the vision [you have just seen] until the Son of man has been raised from the dead."