So, why did Peter want to build three tents on top of the mountain? In the previous chapter, he had finally realized who Jesus is: the Christ, the promised Messiah (16:16). And now, right before his eyes was the evidence of the coming Kingdom of God the Jewish people had been awaiting for so long, as Jesus was displayed in all His glory.

It was also significant for Peter that Elijah was there. After all, Malachi 4:5 says that Elijah would return before the great and terrible Day of the Lord, and here he was! Surely that meant that Jesus would waste no more time, but would publicly establish His Kingdom on Earth. And of course, in verse 4 Peter confesses that he also wanted to share in Christ’s glory, albeit the reflected glory of putting up a tent for a conquering king. After all, everyone wants to be on the winning side, right?

No, it’s no wonder that Peter wanted to build tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus: so they could all stay right there on the mountaintop, with their power and glory clear for all to see. That’s still the way we tend to want our lives in this world to go, following Jesus in His triumph, experiencing only an easy, unbroken chain of successes.

But that’s why the appearance of Elijah was so important. For in verse 12, Jesus points out that when the prophets said Elijah would return, they were actually talking about John the Baptist, who came in the same spirit and with the same sort of prophetic power. But what had happened to John the Baptist? He had been arrested and murdered by Herod. In short, John didn’t experience the sort of victory Peter wanted so much.

And neither would Jesus, at least not right then. For in 16:21, He had told His disciples He would “suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.” In other words, Jesus had not come to be the sort of Messiah who would display His glory so that the world would give Him a crown. No, He had come to be the Suffering Servant of God, carrying a cross so that unworthy sinners might be saved. He had not come to correct all the wicked circumstances of this world, but to transform all who trust in Him as we live within it.

And He went further in 16:24: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” So, that’s the way we follow Jesus until He comes again – the way John the Baptist did, and the way Peter eventually would – not by staying up on the mountaintop in triumphant ease, but by dying to ourselves, sharing in His suffering so that others might see His self-sacrificial, unconditional love in our lives. Will we follow Him in such a way today?

Matthew 17:1-13 (NASB)

And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to 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 And Peter answered and 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, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
6 And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid.
7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.”
8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus Himself alone.
9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things;
12 but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.