Matthew 17:1-13

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

This event is also covered in Mark 9:2-13 and Luke 9:28-36.

after six days - "Luke's about eight days' includes the beginning and ending days as well as the interval between." (Ryrie)

Peter, James, and John - Three witnesses as required by Mosaic law. John refers to it in John 1:14, Peter in 2 Peter 1:16-20.

"The inner circle of the disciples." (Ryrie)

transfigured - "Lit., transformed.  The Transfiguration gave the three disciples a preview of Jesus' future exaltation and the coming kingdom." (Ryrie)

His face shone - The light shone from Him, not on Him.

The transfiguration was the fulfillment of Matthew 16:28.

"This was the glory that belongs to God which was revealed in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). This glory was revealed again in the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). It was that glory which departed from the temple because of Israel’s apostasy and unbelief (Ezekiel 10:18; 11:22-23). Now this glory was on the earth in the person of Jesus Christ. This glory would be revealed to Stephen (Acts 7:55-56), to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3; 22:6, 11; 26:13), and once again to John (Revelation 1:16). This glory will be revealed to the world when Jesus Christ comes to this earth again (Matthew 24:30; 25:31). The glory that will lighten the whole world at the Second Advent was here revealed to the three who witnessed the Transfiguration. The light in which the redeemed will walk for all eternity (Revelation 21:23) was witnessed by Peter, James and John. It was necessary that Christ’s glory be veiled when He came into this world. Christ’s glory was not surrendered at the time of the Incarnation but was veiled, lest the people whom He had come to redeem should be consumed by its brightness. God’s purpose was to dwell in the midst of His people Israel and to reveal His presence among them by letting the light of His glory shine on them. But Israel could not behold the unveiled glory of God. Therefore, in revealing plans for the tabernacle to Moses, God instructed him to erect a curtain between the Holy of Holies, where God purposed to dwell, and His people. That veil was not so much designed to teach Israel that they were unworthy to enter the presence of God —which in truth it did — as much as to protect Israel from being consumed by the brightness of God’s glory. The veil, then was a gracious provision by a holy God to make it possible for Him to dwell in the midst of an unholy people. The writer to the Hebrews said that the body of Jesus Christ was to Him what the veil was in the tabernacle: “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body” (Hebrews 10:19-20). Christ’s glory, then, was not surrendered at the Incarnation; instead, it was veiled so that the Holy One might dwell among an unholy people. The Transfiguration, then, was a revelation of the essential glory that belongs to Christ and one day will be revealed to the world. This, then, was the fulfillment of the prophecy that Christ had made the preceding week" (Pentecost).

Moses - representing the law (Jude 9)

Elijah - representing the prophets (2 Kings 2:11)

the disciples - representing those who will behold His coming (Rev 1:7)

Peter said to Jesus - Mark and Luke both make it clear that Peter, overcome by what he saw, did not know what he was saying. He was probably wanting the kingdom without the cross.

tents - "Booths or shelters, for temporary residence." (Ryrie)

"The Feast of Tabernacles, the last in the cycle of Israel’s annual feasts, was a memorial of the nation’s deliverance out of Egypt and their desert experience in which they were characterized as strangers and pilgrims. This feast also anticipated Israel’s final regathering as a nation out of the desert into the Land of Promise under the beneficent rule of the promised Messiah. In Peter’s day the nation was oppressed by Gentiles and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, or Deliverer, who would gather the people into the land under His reign. The vision of the glory of Christ which Peter had seen reminded him of Israel’s glorious hope to be realized in Messiah’s kingdom. Therefore it seemed fitting to him that they should have a Feast of Tabernacles because the three had witnessed the millennial glory of Christ. Peter had correctly interpreted the significance of the Transfiguration. But it was impossible for Israel to experience the fulfillment of what was anticipated in the Feast of the Tabernacles until the nation turned in faith to the Messiah. This the nation was not doing, and, therefore, Peter’s proposal brought a rebuke from Christ. Although Christ possessed the glory of the King, He was not publicly recognized as King; therefore, Israel could not enter into their millennial blessing" (Pentecost).

a bright cloud overshadowed them - "This cloud was none other than the one that had appeared over the tabernacle in the desert to signify the presence of God among His people. From the cloud God spoke again concerning the person of Jesus Christ: “This is My Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!” (Mark 9:7). Instead of “whom I love,” the two parallel texts have “whom I have chosen” (Luke 9:35) and “with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:16). Thus the Father again authenticated both the person and word of Christ" (Pentecost).

listen to him - The Son has more authority than the law or the prophets. Only He, and never they, can restore the relationship between man and God.

scribes - "I.e., the accredited expounders of the Hebrew scriptures."

Elijah must come first - (Mal 4:5-6)

"It seems clear from the prophetic scriptures that a similar Elijah-testimony will be given in the dark days of the great tribulation before the manifestation of the Lord in judgment. The vision of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 would appear to confirm this" (Ironside)

restore all things - the Millennial Kingdom (Lk 1:17)

John the Baptist - a type of Elijah (Matt 11:14)

"John the Baptist had come in the power and spirit of Elijah. He was the voice in the wilderness, the way preparer, the one in whom the last prophecy in Malachi might have been fulfilled, but they did not know him. His rejection was the prelude to the rejection of the Lord as we have seen before (chapter 11). John surely was the Elijah for that time. But this does not fulfill Malachi’s prophecy. That prophecy is yet to see its fulfillment. Before the Lord returns to earth in power and glory another forerunner, an Elijah, will come and his testimony will not be rejected then; he will indeed be Elijah who restores all things and he will be followed by the coming of the King to set up His kingdom. As long as the church is in the earth that end time does not begin. The removal of the church will be followed by the last stage of the ending of the age. During that time, the great tribulation, Elijah appears. His work is exclusively among the people who are the kingdom people. His witness is to the remnant of Israel. Like John’s call to repentance, he will preach repentance and his testimony will be received; he will accomplish the mission of Malachi 4:5-6" (Gaebelein)

vss 11-12 - "The sequence of thought is as follows: (1) Elijah is coming as the restorer (Mal 4:5); (2) he came, unrecognized, in the person of John the Baptist, and was killed; (3) the Son of Man faces a like fate.  The disciples seem to grasp only the first two points." (Ryrie)