Where did the transfiguration occur?

Answer 1

Another answer from our community:

In the transfiguration, Jesus was fulfilling His promise to His disciples that: "...There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom." (Matt.16:28)

It was the "vision" that Peter, James and John saw "six days later" in chapter 17.

They witnessed a vision of Jesus in His "glorified state" as He appears now... and how He will appear when He returns to earth with His Kingdom. They saw Him standing in the prophetic vision of the Kingdom of God with Moses and Elijah... whom they couldn't have otherwise known, except that it had to have been revealed to them in the vision.

"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, TELL THE VISION TO NO MAN, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead." (Matt.17:9)

Jesus gave them a little taste of the Kingdom of God.

Answer 2

A:

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event in the gospels, in which Jesus took Peter, John and James up a mountain, where they saw his appearance change and he spoke to strangers that the disciples somehow knew without question were Moses and Elijah, offering to build three tabernacles, one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. They heard the voice of God from heaven saying, "This is my beloved son. Hear him."

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 supposedly absolute proof that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter went on to deny Jesus. Somehow it seems that the disciples were unaware of the event's true importance.

On the surface, there is no clear explanation for Moses and Elijah to appear to Jesus on a remote mountain. They could have appeared to him anywhere and need not have appeared in human form. However, the Transfiguration, the voice of God from heaven and the appearance of Elijah and Moses in this account match the earlier accounts of the baptism of Jesus, the voice of God from heaven and the forty days in the wilderness where Jesus is compared with Elijah and Moses.

Answer:

"...I, the Son of Man, will come in the Glory of My Father with His angels and will Judge all people according to their deeds. And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see Me, the Son of Man, coming in My Kingdom." (Matt.16:27-28 NLT New Living Translation)

In the above passage... the end of chapter 16; Jesus promised a select few of His disciples that they would be given a glimpse of the Glory of the coming Kingdom of God before they died. A simple, straight-forward promise which He fulfilled less than a week later:

"SIX DAYS LATER Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothing became dazzling white. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter blurted out, 'Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I'll make three shrines [LIT; Literal Bible: "a tent or cloth hut" - a temporary shelter or 'tabernacle'], one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'

"But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is My Beloved Son, and I AM fully pleased with Him. Listen to Him.' The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Jesus came over and touched them. 'Get up,' He said, 'don't be afraid.' And when they looked, they saw only Jesus with them.

"As they descended the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 'Don't tell anyone what you have seen [KJV: '...Tell the VISION to no man...'] until I, the Son of Man, have been raised from the dead.'" (Matt.17:1-9 NLT)

To encourage these disciples for the task that lay ahead of them... Jesus allowed them to have a glimpse into the future -- He allowed them to see Him as He appears today, what He will look like when He returns to earth with the Kingdom of God:

"...He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace... and His face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance." (Rev.1:13-16 NLT)

Jesus graced Peter, James and John with a visionary vignette of the Kingdom of God... along with two of its future inhabitants, Moses and Elijah. Since there was no Photography or photo albums extant in those days, and Moses and Elijah had lived and died centuries before the disciples' births -- Peter could not have known who Moses and Elijah were -- therefore the identity of the two prophets had to have been Divinely revealed to Peter in the vision.

Of this "transfiguration" of Christ, Matthew Henrycomments:

"Ver.1-13 Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have to witness his crucifixion; and would give them an idea of the glory prepared for them, when changed by his power and made like him. The apostles were overcome by the glorious sight. Peter thought that it was most desirable to continue there, and to go no more down to meet the sufferings of which he was so unwilling to hear. In this he knew not what he said. We are wrong, if we look for a heaven here upon earth. Whatever tabernacles we propose to make for ourselves in this world, we must always remember to ask Christ's leave.

"That sacrifice was not yet offered, without which the souls of sinful men could not have been saved; and important services were to be done by Peter and his brethren. While Peter spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, an emblem of the Divine presence and glory. Ever since man sinned, and heard God's voice in the garden, unusual appearances of God have been terrible to man. They fell prostrate to the earth, till Jesus encouraged them; when looking around, they beheld only their Lord as they commonly saw him.

We must pass through varied experiences on our way to glory; and when we return to the world after an ordinance, it must be our care to take Christ with us, and then it may be our comfort that he is with us." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: Matthew 17; The transfiguration of Christ (1-13))

Answer 3

The Bible says nothing about where the Transfiguration occurred, although there has been speculation as to which mountain Jesus went up. The Transfiguration probably never really occurred because it was a literary device used by the author of Mark's Gospel and subsequently copied by the other evangelists.

Mark wanted to associate Jesus with Elijah and Moses. It was not enough to have Jesus talk to Elijah and Moses, impressive as this would be, but to associate him as closely as possible with two of the most revered men in the Hebrew scriptures. He achieved this by linking the baptism of Jesus and his forty days in the wilderness with the Transfiguration and the appearance of Elijah and Moses on the mountain. By examining the parallel structure of Mark we can establish that even the story of Jesus surviving forty days in the wilderness was not something that really happened, but an allusion to Elijah and Moses.

The parallel structure (a modification of the chiastic structure more commonly used in ancient times, in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another set of events that mirrors the first) links Jesus' 40 days to Elijah and Moses in the pair groups BCD and B'C'D' in the following list: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, but those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he did do so. This brings into play another allusion, to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days while he wrote the words of the Ten Commandments on tablets. Matthew and Luke follow the allusion to Elijah in a subtly different way, taking the angels out of the gospel story and actually have Jesus fast for forty days, just as Elijah did after the angel ministered to him.

Mark's Gospel was not originally intended to be read in short passages, but in its entirety so that the chiastic structure links and subconsciously reinforces the two sets of events in the mind of the reader. For this to be effective, Mark needed events that matched each other in precisely the correct chronological order, but not every event described really happened in the life of Jesus.

Answer 4

Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain (Mark chapter 9), where his appearance changed, and they saw him talking to Moses and Elijah. The disciples somehow knew without question that the strangers talking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah and offered to build three tabernacles, one each for Jesus, 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 supposedly absolute proof that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter went on to deny Jesus.

Answer 5

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. When the disciples looked up again, Moses and Elijah were gone.

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 the absolute proof the presence of Moses and Elijah would provide that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter went on to deny Jesus. If the Transfiguration ever happened, it must be that the disciples were less sure of who the strangers were than is suggested in the gospel story.

Answer 6

jesus was tranfigured on a mountain in the bible

Answer 7

High Mountain

Answer 8

It took place eight days after his death.

Answer 9

Matthew 17