Why did Jesus compare himself to Elijah and Moses?

Answer 1

Another answer from our community:

Well first, Jesus has come into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, and there you find him teaching a crowd that includes his apostles. He makes this startling announcement to them: "Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

What could Jesus mean?' the disciples must wonder.

Well about one week later, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John along with him, and they climb a lofty mountain. Possibly it is at night, since the disciples are sleepy. While Jesus is praying, he is transfigured before them. His face begins to shine as the sun, and his garments become brilliant as light. Then, two fiquires, identified as "Moses and Elijah," appear and start talking to Jesus about his 'departure that is to occur at Jerusalem.' The departure evidently refers to Jesus' death and subsequent resurrection. So, this conversation proves that his humiliating death is not something to be avoided, as Peter had desired.

Fully awake now, the disciples watch and listen with amazement. Although this is a vision, it appears so real that Peter begins to participate in the scene, saying:"Lord, it is fine for us to be here. If you wish, I will erect three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

While Peter is speaking, a bright cloud covers them, and a voice from the cloud says: "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved; listen to him." So at hearing the voice, the disciples fall on their faces. But Jesus says: "Get up and have no fear." When they do, they see no one except Jesus.

So later on their way down the mountain the next day, Jesus commands: "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of man is raised up from the dead." You see, Elijah's apearance in the vision raises a question in the disciples minds. "Why," they ask, "do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? Well because "Elijah has already come," says Jesus, "and they did not recognize him." Jesus however, is speaking about John the Baptizer, who fulfilled a role similar to Elijah's. John prepared the way for Christ, as Elijah had done for Elisha. So how strengthening this vision proves to be, both to Jesus and to the disciples! The vision is, as it were, a preview of Christ's Kingdom glory. The disciples saw, in effect, "the Son of man coming in his kingdom," just as Jesus had promised a week earlier.

After Jess death, Peter wrote about their having 'become eyewitnesses of Christ's magnificence while they were with him in the holy mountain.'

You see, the Pharisees had demanded from Jesus a sign to prove that he was the one promised in the Scriptures to be God's chosen King. They were given no such sign. On the other hand, Jesus' intimate disciples are permitted to see Jesus' transfiguration as confirmation of the Kingdom prophecies. So, Peter later wrote: "Consequently we have the prophetic word made more sure." Matthew 16:13, 28-17:13; Mark 9:1-13; Luke 9:27-37; 2 Peter 1:16-19.

Answer 2

Mark's Gospel compares Jesus to both Elijah and Moses in the stories of the forty days in the wilderness and the Transfiguration of Jesus, and these stories appear some years later in Matthew and Luke. No doubt the comparison demonstrated that Jesus would fulfil the mission of his predecessors.

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). The author has established an immediate comparison between Jesus and Elijah. There is no actual suggestion in Mark 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 the other allusion, to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days while he wrote the words of the Ten Commandments on tablets.

In the story of the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah talk to Jesus, then Jesus answers a question from the disciples as to why Elijah must come first - before Jesus. The parallel structure (1) 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: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)

(1) A parallel structure is a sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first. It was used widely in ancient religious texts to provide emphasis and to reinforce a message. Mark's Gospel is an excellent example of this literary form.