The apostle Peter didn’t imagine the transfiguration of Jesus Christ; he witnessed it! As we discussed in last week’s post, Peter recounted this event in 2 Peter 1:16-18. (I’ll be using the NASB20 for Bible verses.)
Why did he mention it? As we pointed out, Peter used a Greek word (parousia) that refers to the Second Coming of Christ in the majority of its occurrences in the New Testament. That’s odd, because he wasn’t talking about the return of Jesus; he was reminding his readers about an experience he’d had about 25-30 years before writing them. But Peter wasn’t confused; he was trying to encourage his fellow believers. The Transfiguration displayed, for a moment, the hidden glory of Jesus Christ. At His return, that glory will be permanent!
That’s a remarkable blessing we can look forward to, but Peter aims to apply the truth of the Transfiguration to us in the here and now. This is what we’ll look at in today’s post.
The Greek verb translated “transfigure” (metamorphoo) occurs only four times in the New Testament. The first two verses deal with Christ’s glorification:
- “And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” – Matthew 17:2
- “And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them” – Mark 9:2
The other two concern followers of Jesus:
- “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
- “But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18
In Romans and 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul is telling Christians that they can change for the better. Transformation–transfiguration–is God’s will for His people.
Is Paul claiming we can be transfigured? Does he expect Christians to glow like Jesus did?
While we might not display a visible radiance, we can anticipate the Lord so changing our character that we reveal His glory in every aspect of our lives.
The contexts of these two verses help us to understand what Paul intended.
Chapters 12-16 of Romans make up what many consider the practical section of the letter. After covering God’s plan to bring salvation through His Son to both Jews and Gentiles, Paul then devotes several chapters to helping the churches in Rome apply these lessons. Believers aren’t to allow issues of status to obstruct their unity in Christ. One’s background, whether Jewish or not, has no bearing on one’s spiritual standing. Now that Christians know this, they are to treat each other well. Paul is calling believers to love each other without regard to background. A mind renewed by the gospel will result in Christlike behavior. That’s the change Paul has in mind.
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul compares and contrasts apostolic ministry with that of Moses. He makes several references to ministry (vss. 7-9), glory (vss. 7-11, 18) and the Spirit (vss. 3, 6, 8, 17, 18). In short, commitment to the gospel has transformative power. Unlike the Law, it has the ability to transfigure believers.
In both instances, Paul uses the verb metamorphoo in relation to Spirit-enabled life change brought about by the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s something we believers can and should experience as we live out our faith.
Peter doesn’t use this word in his second letter when he talks about the Transfiguration of the Lord. But he does connect the event itself to the Scriptures.
And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, 21for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. – 2 Peter 1:19-21
Three times Peter refers to prophecy, but he doesn’t quote any verses from the Old Testament. In his mind, the Transfiguration reinforces the certainty of Scripture, but we get no specific references.
What was Peter thinking about?
Repeating something I said last week, the Transfiguration revealed the innate glory of Jesus Christ. But it also showed the life of the age to come. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament about the Day of the Lord and the new world God will establish (e.g., Isaiah 65:17-25; 66:22-23; Micah 4:1-4). But I want to draw your attention to a verse in Daniel:
“And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” – Daniel 12:3
The book of Daniel describes the present and future trials of God’s people under the dominion of successive Gentile empires. As a whole, the book has an apocalyptic flair; it addresses the end of the age and offers hope for those who suffer for righteousness.
The verse I quoted compares those loyal to God to heavenly bodies. Like the stars above, they shine brightly.
It’s similar to what Peter mentions in 2 Peter 2:19. In that verse, he tells us believers to devote our attention to Scripture because it’s a lamp in a dark place for us. We’re to do this until daybreak, but Peter’s not talking about our circumstances. Instead, he promises that the sun and the morning star will arise in our hearts. God’s Word will enlighten us from within. And since Peter links the Transfiguration and Scripture, we can conclude that we ourselves will shine with the light of the Word in our hearts.
Let’s put all this together. In his second letter, Peter presents the transfiguration of Jesus Christ as a breakthrough of end-times reality in the present age. God reveals the glory of His Son to clarify who He is and to offer a glimpse of what will characterize His followers in the age to come.
Peter also declares that the Transfiguration confirms the reliability of Scripture. And because we live in a benighted world hostile to the things of God, we must attend to the Lord’s promises without faltering. God will reward our commitment; like Jesus, we, too, will shine.
Peter knew that the Transfiguration took place in challenging times. Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about His death (Luke 9:30-31). And Peter referred to the dark places believers will travel through (2 Peter 1:19). These challenges suggest a third principle Peter has about the Transfiguration. This is what we’ll look at next.
