Daily Devotional For Thursday, December 11, 2025
We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew and today we come to Matthew 17:1-8:
“Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. (2) And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. (3) And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. (4) Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”’(5) While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’ (6) When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. (7) And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.’ (8) And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone” (NASB).
Because there is so much we can learn from this text, I am breaking it up into parts. Today will be part 1. If you have read the Bible you know this is the story about Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. We read that six days had elapsed before this happened. This seems to parallel Mose’s experience in Exodus 24:16. Moses waited 6 days before he met the Lord on Mt. Sinai. For this experience, Jesus took His inner circle of Peter, James and John up on the mountain to experience this. This seems to have left a permanent impression on Peter (see 2 Pet. 1:16).
We are not told which mountain. There were two close by: Mt. Hermon near Caesarea Philippi and Mt. Tabor in Galilee. Going up on mountains seems to imply getting close to God. God had appeared to both Moses (see Ex. 24:12-16) and to Elijah (see 1 Kings 19:8-18) on mountains. Transfigured meant they were the opportunity to see a small glimpse of Jesus’ true glory. This was a unique revelation to these three. This was God the Father’s divine affirmation of everything about Jesus and all that He had done and would do. This may have been a slight glimpse of what Jesus would look like at His second coming (see Matt. 16:27).
Seeing this only confirmed to these 3 that their belief that Jesus was God’s Messiah was correct. They had not placed their faith in the wrong person. “Transfigured” is the Greek New Testament word [μεταμορφόω; metamorphoo]. This is where we get our English word metamorphosis. The verb refers to an outward change that comes from within. Jesus’ change was not a change merely in outward appearance; it was a complete change into another form completely. On earth, Jesus appeared as a man, a poor carpenter from Nazareth turned itinerant preacher. But at the Transfiguration, Jesus’ body was transformed into the glorious radiance that He had before coming to earth (John 17:5); Philippians 2:6 and portrays the form Jesus will have when He returns to establish His kingdom (see Rev. 1:14-15).
This means that Jesus’ deity shined from the inside out to prove He was God in human flesh. This is why everything about Jesus – His face and His clothes shined brilliantly almost to the point of blinding. Jesus’ face shining like the sun parallels Moses face in Exodus 24:29-35. Now this white was no color of this earth. It is no color that any person has ever seen. The text suggests white as snow (see Daniel. 7:9). Both Mark and Luke record this as well (see Mark 9:3 and Luke 9:29). In other words, Peter, James and John got to see what Jesus will look like when He returns for His second coming (See Rev. 1:9-18).
During this, two Old Testament figures appear: Moses and Elijah. Moses was Jesus’ predictor and Elijah was Jesus’ precursor. Both of these had seen theophanies (special revelations) from God. Moses in Exodus 24 and Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Moses had received the Old Testament Law (Torah) from God and had presented it to the people. He had also predicted that one day a Messiah would come (See Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Elijah represented all the prophets who had foretold the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 4:5-6).
These two Old Testament characters who appeared that Jesus was God’s Messiah who had been sent to fulfill God’s law (see Matt. 5:17) and the words of all the prophets. Their presence proved that Jesus was not the reincarnation of Moses, Elijah or John the Baptizer (see Matt. 16:13-20). What does this tell us so far? New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this:
“If the Transfiguration was a foretaste of heaven, we should note that these three people were doing something very important: talking together. In God’s world, relationships count highly. People are individuals, with minds and hearts and opinions. People are also part of a wider whole, connected by relationships built on sharing of minds, hearts, and opinions. Friendship is the key. Find time and opportunity to talk with people, to build friendships, to share yourself with others. Churches bent on doing activities that “count for the kingdom” will not neglect essential time to just talk—it’s a taste of heaven here on earth” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “ Matthew,” p. 341).
Assignment: Just as Jesus got away to the mountain, take some time to get away from the phones, office, roads, social media, TV and etc. and spend some time with the Lord. Read a Chistian book you have been putting off. Eat something different. Pray a little longer than usual. Break your pattern temporarily before it breaks you. What will you do and when?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 24:30, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, convict me to get away for a spiritual retreat – just You and me. I need to hear from You. With all the noise and distractions here, it is hard for me to filter You out of all the mess. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly