Mount of Transfiguration 1 - Matt 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36

When Peter has boldly testified that Jesus is the Christ, he had been promised the “keys of the kingdom of heaven,” and sealing power. He had later been rebuked for contradicting Jesus’ prophecy of his own death. Six days after all this, “Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” I’ve always really struggled with what it means to be transfigured, this is going to sound stupid, but at the end of the Beauty and the Beast cartoon movie, when the beast is lifted up and is swirled around by magic light beams and changes back into human, that’s what comes into my mind when I think of transfiguration. Also in Harry Potter there is a magic class called transfiguration and it’s where the kids learn how to change on thing into another. These are the references I have for what transfiguration means. The Guide to the Scriptures defines transfiguration as “the condition of persons who are temporarily changed in appearance and nature- that is lifted to a higher spiritual level- so that they can endure the presence and glory of heavenly beings.” We know that Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, presumably so that he could endure the presence of heavenly beings, but Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and he wasn’t transfigured. As far as I know Joseph Smith wasn’t ever transfigured in order to endure any of his heavenly visitors, so why was Jesus transfigured now?

First let’s start by looking at the situation, Jesus goes into the mountain to pray and he takes Peter, James, and John with him. There are occasions where Jesus separates those three from the group to be a part of something, the IM reminds us that “Only these three Apostles witnessed the raising of Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Only they were present on the Mount of Transfiguration, where they received priesthood keys. Only they were taken to a certain location within Gethsemane, where they beheld the Savior’s agony as he took upon Himself the sins of the world. These experiences and perhaps many more helped to prepared Peter, James, and John for the time following the death o Jesus Christ, when they served as the First Presidency of the Church.” If Jesus really did set up his church anciently in the same way as he did modernly, then there would have been a First Presidency, and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a Quorum of the Seventy, and Peter, James, and John were being groomed to take over as the First Presidency when the Savior died.

Jesus took them into a mountain, which we know Jesus is fond of for privacy and closeness to nature and God. Up on the mountain, Jesus prayed and Luke tells us “But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep.” I think it’s easy to be harsh with these guys for always falling asleep everywhere they go, but I’m just sitting here at a desk and I’m almost falling asleep. They lived lives that were much more intense physically, they ate significantly less that we do, and they worked hard in the service of the Savior. Of course they were tired, I would have been tired too, we can’t blame them for always falling asleep when they got a chance to rest. They were awakened by “his glory and the two men that stood with him.” These two other men are identified as Moses and Elias. The IM says that “the name Elias is used to mean that prophet Elijah,” but only in this specific instance. The term “Elias” is used in many ways in the scriptures, and even in these verses, the meanings are different. The IM gives a list:

Elijah – “Elias in the New Testament (Greek) form of Elijah (Hebrew)… In these instances, Elias was the ancient prophet Elijah whose ministry is recorded in 1 and 2 Kings.Forerunner – Elias is also a title for one who is a forerunner. For example, John the Baptist was an Elias because he was sent to prepare the way for Jesus.Restorer: The titled Elias has also been applied to others who had specific missions to fulfill, such as John the Revelator.A man in Abraham’s dispensation: A prophet called Esaias or Elias who apparently lived in the days of Abraham.”

 
There is a chart connecting the events and people at the Mount of Transfiguration to the modern day restoration of the gospel. This chart is kind of difficult to put into the form that’s useful here, so I’ll just write it out. We know that Moses and Elijah are there and the IM says, “Moses appeared as a translated being on the mount and conferred the keys of the gathering of Israel on Peter, James, and John… who, as the First Presidency, would soon be sending out missionaries to father the righteous into the gospel. As a resurrected personage, conferred the keys of the gathering of Israel on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. Elijah appeared as a translated being on the mount and conferred the keys of the sealing power on Peter, James, and John.” Though President Joseph Fielding Smith taught was not to be used in behalf of the dead until after the Savior’s resurrection. “As a resurrected personage (Elijah), conferred the keys of the sealing power on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temples.” According to Mark’s account, an Elias was also there, aka John the Baptist, to which the IM explains, “John the Baptist appeared as a spirit on the mount. As a resurrected personage, conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.” Even though Peter, James, and John are mortal beings at the time of mount of transfiguration, they “were transfigured and received priesthood keys from angelic ministers. As angelic ministers, conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood and all its keys on Joseph Smith ad Oliver Cowdery.” This chart was very helpful for me to understand many ways in which the ancient and modern church are the same. The IM says, “The persons present on the Mount of Transfiguration played a prominent role in the latter-day Restoration of the gospel. This helps us to see that the same priesthood authority and keys held in previous dispensations were restored in this final dispensation.” I found this chart to be most helpful for me to make mental connections between the ancient Church, the modern Church, and the keys necessary for the Church to thrive, the keys that had been promised to Peter by the Savior.

The accounts of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration are minimal, only a few verses in three books of scripture, so, much of our knowledge of what happened there has been given to us through modern-day revelation. The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as listing 10 points from ancient and modern day accounts of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration:

“Jesus singled out Peter, James, and John from the rest of the Twelve; took them upon an unnamed mountain; there he was transfigured before them, and they beheld his glory… (Peter) said they ‘were eyewitnesses of his majesty.’”“Peter, James, and John, were themselves ‘transfigured before him,’ … thus enabling them to entertain angels, see visions and comprehend the things of God.”Moses and Elijah- two ancient prophets who were translated and taken to heaven without tasting death, so they could return with tangible bodies on this very occasion, an occasion preceding the day of resurrection- appeared on the mountain; and they and Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter, James, and John.” I had never considered that the reason Moses and Elijah had been translated was so that they could come back and confer priesthood keys upon Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration on this exact day and time. What does that mean? I would think that it means that priesthood keys can only be conferred by someone with a physical body. Is that true? Are there instances of spirits conferring priesthood keys? I’m going to have to think about that. We know that they couldn’t have been resurrected beings because Jesus was the first resurrected being, so they would have had to be translated so that they could have retained their bodies. Surely the priesthood authority given to someone would permeate the grave, as it is only contingent on righteousness, but does it relegate itself to similar spheres? Very interesting idea. It would explain why John the Baptist only appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, because he was a spirit, and didn’t confer any priesthood keys, though surely he held them.Bringing us to the fourth point, “John the Baptist, previously beheaded by Herod, apparently was also present…” The JST of Mark 9:3 says, “And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses, or in other words, John the Baptist and Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.” It must have been nice for Jesus to talk with his cousin again, especially after how much he mourned him after he died.Peter, James, and John saw in vision the transfiguration of the earth, that is, they saw it renewed and returned to its paradisiacal state- an event that is to take place at the Second Coming when the millennial era is ushered in.” This point is made by referencing D&C 63:20-21 which says, “Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come; When the earth shall be transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fullness ye had not yet received.” This is an important statement because it says that we don’t know everything that happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, which makes me feel better about my own lack of understanding concerning the topic. Why were Peter, James, and John shown the earth in a celestial state? In order to justify them seeing this, we have to assume that they were being taught many great truths pertaining to the eternal perspective. That’s like saying, “I took a class where I learned about the quadratic equation.” That only makes sense with some context, you have to understand why that one, seemingly unrelated aspect, was presented at that time. What did the teacher hope for the learner to understand from that demonstration, what information led up to that subject, and what information followed it. It wouldn’t make sense to be conferring priesthood keys then suddenly show them the celestialized earth, and then quickly move on to more keys. It had to be part of a more generalized lesson on the eternal perspective. But man, I bet that was amazing to see.“It appears that Peter, James, and John received their own endowments while on the mountain… It also appears that it was while on the mount that they received the more sure word of prophecy, it being revealed to them that they were sealed up unto eternal life.” It’s hard for me to imagine anyone receiving their endowment on a mountain because of the way that we do it today. I have to ask myself, how did they hear the initial teachings? How did they see what we see? Maybe they got to see the real thing, that would have been amazing. As far as them being “sealed up unto eternal life,” there is a cross reference to D&C 131:5 which says, “The more sure word of prophecy means a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood.” That’s a really interesting concept because it begs the question, what about when the sin after that? Maybe it means that the atonement and repentance was taught to them in such a way that they understood. Or maybe it meant that they had done enough to secure eternal life for themselves, but that doesn’t make sense either because it’s not a quota that you have to fill, you don’t have to give 500 acts of service, then you get to get into heaven. And we know that after this all three of those men were rebuked by the Savior for poor choices, we know that they sinned because that’s the mortal experience. So the question is, how can they be assured eternal life when they are still sinful?“Apparently Jesus himself was strengthened and encouraged by Moses and Elijah so as to be prepared for the infinite sufferings and agony ahead of him in connection with working out the infinite and eternal atonement.” JTC says, “Unto Christ the manifestation was strengthening and encouraging. The prospect of the experiences immediately ahead must naturally have been depressing and disheartening in the extreme. In faithfully treading he path of His life’s work, He had reached the verge of the valley of the shadow of heath; and the human part of His nature called for refreshing… At this critical and crucial period, the beginning of the end, visitants from the unseen world came to comfort and support Him.” Someone once explained Jesus’ perception of the atonement beforehand as a first time pregnant woman. You know the child birth is going to be awful, but because you’ve never experienced it before, it’s only a concept of dread. Similarly, Jesus had never taken upon himself the sins of the world before, he knew the harshness of the concept, but didn’t have any first hand experience with which to prepare himself. I can only imagine the dread that he felt as the day approached, I wonder what we were doing while He agonized to save us? Were we praying for him to be strengthened? Were we unseen supporters? I hope so.“Certainly the three chosen apostles were taught in plainness ‘of his death, and also his resurrection.’” The cross reference for this point is Luke 9:31, footnote a, which is a JST which reads with context from verse 30, “And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory and spake of his death, and also his resurrection, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist as talking about Jesus’ upcoming death and resurrection, surely the three apostles listened and were taught eternal principles about the plan of salvation. It still might have been an abstract concept for them though because they were still looking for their militant Messiah, they couldn’t comprehend his death, or resurrection, surely an atonement to save all mankind was something they hadn’t considered in detail before. Their lack of understanding, even after all the teaching to the contrary over the last couple of years, is reasonable.“It should also have been apparent to them that the old dispensations of the past had faded away, that the law (of which Moses was the symbol) and the prophets (of whom Elijah was the typifying representative) were subject to Him whom they were now commanded to hear.” The apostles had been taught their whole lives that the words of Moses and the ancient prophets were the way to God, but now to watch Moses and Elijah, and great prophet, encourage and defer to Jesus, clearly indicated that Jesus was their spiritual superior, and that the kingdom of God now rested in the authority of Jesus.“Apparently God the Father, overshadowed and hidden by a cloud, was present on the mountain.” JTC comments, “The voice of His Father, to whom He was the Firstborn in the spirit-world, and the Only Begotten in the flesh, was of supreme assurance… The fullest version of the Father’s words to Peter, James, and John is that recorded by Matthew: ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’ Aside from the proclamation of the Son’s divine nature, the Father’s words were otherwise decisive and portentous. Moses, the promulgator of the law, and Elijah the representative of the prophets and especially distinguished among them as the one who had not died, had been seen ministering unto Jesus and subservient to Him. The fulfillment of the law of the superseding of the prophets by the Messiah was attested in the command- Hear ye him. A new dispensation had been established, that of the gospel, for which the law and the prophets had been but preparatory. The apostles were to be guided neither by Moses nor Elijah, but by Him, their Lord, Jesus the Christ.”