How does the transfiguration of Jesus relate to the experiences of both Moses and Elijah?

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Wiki User · Answer

To fully appreciate the story of the Transfiguration and the way this compares Jesus to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, we also need to look at the baptism of Jesus, the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, and then the story of the Transfiguration, because they are linked across the parallel structure of Mark's Gospel, where these accounts first appeared.

The baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9), mirrored by the Transfiguration (9:2-3), is followed by the voice of God from heaven, just as the Transfiguration is followed by the voice of God from heaven. The forty days in the wilderness is an allusion to Elijah and Moses, thus mirroring their appearance at the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration is a far greater story than that of Moses on Mt Sinai, where Moses received the Law from God, because it shows Jesus as the successor to Moses and Elijah, here to give the new Law and fulfil the commandments. Elijah and Moses are present to give witness to this, and the voice of God, calling Jesus his beloved son, confirms it. This is where the earlier accounts come in, because they reinforce and emphasise the message at the Transfiguration. This is shown graphically in the list below, based on the structure of Mark, with three related events, B, C and D, reinforcing the message from events B',C' and D':A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

Wiki User · Answer

The Transfiguration of Jesus may not directly relate to the experiences of Moses and Elijah, but it does do so through the framework structure of Mark's Gospel, in which the Transfiguration story first appeared. It consists of a parallel structure in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first. Like the chiastic structure, it was used widely in ancient religious texts to provide emphasis and to reinforce a message.

Mark 1:13 tells of Jesus going into the wilderness for forty days, ministered by angels just as Elijah was ministered by an angel and in the wilderness forty days (1 Kings 19:5-7). There is no actual suggestion inMark that Jesus fasted in the wilderness, but those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he did do so. This brings into play a further allusion to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days.

In the story of the Transfiguration, Elijah and Moses are seen talking to Jesus. The structure of Mark's Gospel links the early allusions to Elijah and Moses to their appearance at the Transfiguration, through the pair D and D' in the following list, thereby relating the biblical experiences of Moses and Elijah, who both fasted for forty days, to the Transfiguration of Jesus.A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)