How did the disciples know that is was Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the mountain top?

Answer 1

A:Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain, where his appearance changed, and they saw him talking to two strangers. Somehow, the disciples knew without question that the strangers talking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah.

Read literally, the sole reason for this journey was to let the three disciples see Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, yet they learnt nothing from the experience and were even instructed to tell no one. In spite of this life-changing event, and its absolute proof that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter went on to deny Jesus. If the Transfiguration ever happened, it must be that he was less sure of who the strangers were than is suggested in the gospel story. Why the disciples even thought the men were Moses and Elijah is not stated.

Answer 2

The Bible does not say. They just assumed the strangers were Moses and Elijah, even though they had, of course, never met them. In fact, we do not even know how the authors of the gospels even knew about this episode, since Jesus gave the disciples who were with him instructions to tell no one.

Answer 3

The Bible doesn't say how Peter knew who was with Jesus. Maybe God revealed this to Peter. In the chapter before the transfiguration (note spelling) God reveals to Peter that Jesus is the Christ

Mat 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Mat 16:17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Answer 4

If Jesus was divine, we expect him to have known who the two he spoke to at the Transfiguration were. What must be surprising is that the disciples knew without asking, that the two strangers were Moses and Elijah.

An analysis of Mark's Gospel, where the story of the Transfiguration first appears, shows that the Transfiguration was to make it clear who Jesus was and how important his mission was to be. God announced that Jesus was his beloved son at the Transfiguration, as he had already done at the baptism of Jesus. In the framework parallel structure of the gospel, we see proof that the two strangers really were Moses and Elijah. A parallel structure is a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is mirrored and contrasted by a second, parallel set of events, emphasising the message of the passages in the structure:

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)

Event D (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 in Mark that Jesus fasted for this time (that was added in Matthew and Luke), but those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he did do so. This brings into play the allusion to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days while he wrote the words of the Ten Commandments on tablets. All this is reflected by the appearance of Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration (event D'). God calls Jesus his beloved son, just as at the Baptism, and this is our assurance as readers, that the two strangers were Moses and Elijah.

Answer 5

Because Our Lord Remembered them from when He Was in Heaven.