And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah.
– Luke 9:29-30
The Bible is a book that contains many accounts of unusual events. From talking donkeys to pregnant virgins, we just don’t know when a normal day will become anything but normal. By this time, the disciples of Jesus must have been growing accustomed to the unexpected. What three of them experienced on a mountaintop one day, though, would be beyond compare.
Peter, James and John were invited to accompany Jesus on a little journey up a mountain. The text doesn’t tell us which mountain; some people believe it was Mount Hermon, some say Mount Nebo. It really doesn’t matter. Mountaintops were commonly thought to be places where a person could experience God, and scripture gives ample accounts of such experiences. This excursion would not disappoint. Even for people with a vivid imagination, I think it is hard for us now to comprehend what those friends of Jesus witnessed.
We aren’t given many details to help us envision the scene. The one thing we are told is that it happened when Jesus was praying. (There’s a sermon!) The other three may have been praying also, or perhaps just observing. Either way, their attention was caught when Jesus’ appearance began to change. He and his clothing became glory-like. From the perspective of our modern refined Christology, we might say that the cloak of his humanity was peeled back. To make the scene more gripping, two hallmark figures appear and begin conversing with Jesus: Moses and Elijah. I have sometimes wondered how the three disciples knew who was with Jesus. Nametags? Introductions? Or did they just intuitively know? Regardless, think of the story they would have to tell the others when they returned!
There is an interesting connection regarding the two who were speaking with Jesus, namely that they each had their own mountaintop experiences. Moses encountered God in a burning bush while shepherding on Mount Horeb (Exodus 3). It was there that God called him to return to Egypt as a messenger of God to Pharaoh. Elijah saw the power of God on display when challenging the prophets of Baal atop Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Now the two of them are with Jesus in this gathering of God’s prophets. I don’t know, but I suspect there must have been some encouragement going on in those moments. Two of those prophets had faithfully completed their service to God in this world. The third was coming around the last curve and heading toward the finish line. The home stretch, though, was going to be a killer. Even Jesus could benefit from some encouragement.
And let’s not forget about Peter, James and John. Do you suspect that witnessing this increased their faith in the rabbi they were following? I think it would be a substantial faith builder, especially considering that Jesus was now openly talking with them about his arrest and his death—and his resurrection. The weeks to come would be brutally rough on the disciples. Their faithfulness would be strenuously tested. This glimpse of divine reality might just provide an anchor that would hold them through the tumultuous circumstances that were coming.
Awesome things can happen on the mountain. God can reveal himself to us in ways that forever change us. Peter, James and John would never forget what they saw and heard that day. When they were making their journey back down the mountain, I can imagine them saying to one another, “Just wait until we can share this with the others! They won’t believe it!” It must have been just then when Jesus said, “Oh, by the way, don’t tell anyone about what you saw” (Mark 9:9). Really? This experience went off the scale on the awesome meter, and they can’t tell anyone? It seems unthinkable!
Rather than create the list of possible reasons for the silence, think of it like this. What happens on the mountain isn’t for others; it’s for you.
See you along the Winding Path (up the mountain).
The Winding Path 