Can you imagine what the reaction might have been if these disciples had disobeyed? The average Israelite would have done just about anything to put the transfigured Christ on His Millennial throne. And the Jewish leadership, in order to preserve their position, would have had no alternative but to slaughter not only Christ, but all of the disciples. “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.”
There are two possible references to the transfiguration found subsequent to the resurrection. The first is found in II Peter 1:16-17. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.” John may have also had the transfiguration in mind when he said – “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” These are probably not the only time that Peter, James and John later spoke of the transfiguration, but they are the only references recorded. However, the same mountain top words had been heard earlier on the day of Jesus’ baptism – “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” But were John, James and Peter there on that occasion? Perhaps not, but we don’t really know for sure.
Obviously, on neither occasion, did God the Father speak those words for Jesus’ benefit. In this scripture God’s voice made a clear testimony on the behalf of Christ, but it was primarily meant to be a rebuke of Peter. And in both these ways, the words of God have their place in our lives two thousand years later. We need to know – or at the very least – begin to know what this means. In some ways the fate of our souls depends on it.
Consider, once again, the VOICE.
One of the differences between this occasion and earlier at the baptism, was from where the voice came. Earlier, the voice of God came out of Heaven, as one might expect. But this time, either as Peter uttered his request, or immediately afterward, a cloud began to cover the scene. I don’t know this for a fact, but I would guess that the cloud descended upon them from Heaven – it wasn’t swept in towards them from the east, or something like that.
And did you notice the confusion of images? “While he yet spake, behold, a BRIGHT cloud OVERSHADOWED them.” This was no ordinary cloud – it wasn’t filled with water vapor – it wasn’t dark or even white. This was as relatively bright as Christ’s clothing was glistering. And in that very special cloud was Jehovah, in some very special, and inexplicable way. Those disciples were as physically close to God the Father as any human beings had ever been before. Descending upon them was the Shekinah glory out of Heaven itself. And I can just see Peter shrinking and bending lower and lower as this unique phenomenon fell upon them. Luke says, “While (Peter) thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.”
And then there was that voice. It didn’t come from Christ, but rather our from that cloud. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” What was this voice like that day? Was it as loud as thunder, so that it could be heard by the brethren at the foot of the mountain? Apparently not. God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice, but of course the circumstances were quite different. Was this in Hebrew, the first language of Israel, but one which wasn’t as well known as it had been? Was it spoken in Aramaic, which was more common, or was it Greek or even Latin? There are voices, which draw our attentions – the ears and the eyes of the listener. But then there are voices which do just the opposite – lull us to sleep. This voice was authoritative and perhaps terrifying – definitely not the voice of the Saviour. “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.”
How did God create that voice and those words? It’s not worth the struggle of putting our imagination to work, because we no answer. He who could make the Balaam’s donkey to speak, would have had no difficulty doing this. When Christ said that the stones along the road could be given voices of praise to God, I believe him. I’m not going to loose any sleep worrying about how God spoke; I’m simply going to believe this scripture.
And WHAT was it that God said?
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Despite the unfathomable depths of the theology in this, the words are easy to understand. God declared that the person who had been transfigured was His own precious Son.
I believe that statement was inspired by the Holy Spirit, down to the every word on the page. I also find it interesting that when Peter refers to the Transfiguration in his Second Epistle, it is in the context of the Word of God – revelation. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
I am reasonably confident that the Bibles which you have on your laps, all have capitalized the word “Son.” I have that confidence because of the dozen or so copies that I consulted at home all had a capital “s.” That included several corrupt versions, including the “New World Translation” of the Christ-denying Jehovah’s Witnesses. What does that capitalized “s” mean? It is a common indication that the “Son” is deity. The translators of our Bibles believed that this statement means that the Son of God is divine – just like God the Father is divine – He is God. And of this fact, I have no doubt. Furthermore, I am convinced that Peter, James and John acknowledged Christ’s deity as well.
There are not many Old Testament scriptures which call the Messiah “God’s Son.” But along with the New Testament scriptures – there are certainly enough to convince me. The much-beloved Second Psalm certainly teaches that God has a Son, and that He is divine. “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” This Psalm weaves “the LORD, Jehovah” together with “the Son.” It links the worship and service of the one with the other. And, as is declared in the New Testament, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand,” including judgment.
John 5 records an important conversation between Christ and the Jews. The Lord Jesus had just healed a crippled man and then ordered him to do something which the Jews thought was contrary to the Sabbath law. “Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” It is Psalm 2 which lays behind the statement we hear on the mount of transfiguration. And when we add John 5 there should be no doubt about what that voice was saying.
And with this behind us, the meaning of “beloved” Son and “well pleased” should be fully understood. Both here and at Jesus’ baptism, God the Father says that He has always been – and always will be – pleased with everything that God the Son ever does. What is clearly not so clear is what this all means in regard to the Trinity. How can the one God exist in three distinct persons? Some people worry themselves to death trying to get their sin-corrupted intellects around this doctrine. They want to be able to logically, conclusively and finally explain the triunity of God – but it is never going to be done without faith – and without the blessing of God. The only thing about which we can be dogmatic is that the Bible teaches the eternal deity of each person of the God-head – the Trinity. And in several scriptures, including at Jesus’ baptism, we see all three Persons of the God-head at one time – the Son was baptized, the Spirit descended and abode upon Him, while the Father spoke from Heaven.
That Christ is the Son of God, doesn’t have anything to do with his birth in Bethlehem. The Sonship of the Son has nothing to do with One of the Three coming into existence before the Other. The Son wasn’t created by the Father at some point in time. God is sometimes called the “eternal Father” because of the eternal relationship that He has always had with the Son. I don’t know that there is any human language capable of expressing the relationship between the First and Second Person of the Trinity. The terms “Father” and “Son” have been employed by the Holy Spirit because there isn’t anything better. About all that I can say in regard to the subject of the Trinity is to believe what the Bible says.
And what was the PURPOSE of this declaration.
As I said, I don’t think that it was meant for the Lord Jesus’ sake. This was spoken in order to get the attention and respect of the disciples, and particularly Peter. No Peter, Jesus is not one of the prophets or a saint like Abraham, Moses or David. Of no mere man was this testimony of God ever given. “Be quiet Peter and listen to what my eternal Son has to say.”
Can you imagine the awe and reverence that those words created? Peter an the others at first thought that they were dead men. While the Heavenly words drifted off the top of that mountain, the disciples were as quiet as church mice. That mountain top became a temple for a little while. Those words were like the glory of God which filled the Temple of Solomon and drove the priests and everyone else out of the building. As it had been at His baptism, this was a re-anointing of the Saviour/Christ. It wasn’t joyful – like a marriage – and it wasn’t somber – like a funeral; it was absolutely unique.
The entire situation confirmed the truth which had been spoken earlier. “This, my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased, will soon be going to Jerusalem. There He will be taken by wicked hands and nailed to a wooden gibbet. He will bleed His life out there, making that cross an altar. The well-pleasing, perfect sacrifice will be made there for the salvation of my elect.”
“Peter, bow before my eternal plan; and glorify the Name of my perfect and eternal Son.”