Eyewitness testimony - Transfiguration of Jesus

Have you ever wondered what Jesus, Moses and Elijah discussed as they were glorified on the mountain?  Luke has the answer.   Peter and John were witnesses, but they were asleep when Jesus was talking to Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:31-32).  They must have been dismayed that they missed this conversation.  But they testify with great joy as to what they did see and hear, as we see in 2 Pet.1:16-18 and Jn. 1:14. 

I love this these verses from St. Peter,  where he  testifies that he saw Jesus in his transfiguration, and heard the voice from heaven.

16] For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

[17] For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,"
[18] we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 

2 Pet. 1:16-18 (RSV)

John was also an eyewitness with his brother, James, and it is likely that John refers to the transfiguration here:

[14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. 

Jn 1:14 (RSV). 

The word "dwelt" (Greek "eskenosen")  here means to "tabernacle" or pitch a tent,  and not only is this an amazing statement about God becoming man, but this word  also alludes to the transfiguration.  The transfiguration event  happened at the end of the Jewish feast of tabernacles,  which helps to explain  Peter's reaction as he witnessed the  event:   "'Let us make three booths' ...not knowing what he said" (Luke 9:33).

For more on this subject, see Pope Benedict XVI's book,  Jesus of Nazareth Vol. 1 (Ignatius Press 2007), beginning at page 305.   

Here is Luke's account:

[28] Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
[29] And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white.
[30] And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah,
[31] who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.
[32] Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
[33] And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah" -- not knowing what he said.
[34] As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
[35] And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"
[36] And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. 

Luke 9:28-36 (RSV)

Luke's account  raises many Bible study issues, which I won't discuss.   We have  1) reference to "the sayings" eight days earlier,  2) the three people who witnessed, but who fell asleep, 3) the law (Moses),  4) the prophets (Elijah), 5) the Jewish feast of tabernacles or booths  (v. 33 Peter's desire to make booths) which alludes to God's presence among his people which is here fulfilled with the glorification of Jesus, God's presence in the cloud and in his voice,  6) Jesus praying,  7)  the voice of the Father proclaiming the messianic message (where he says "my Chosen, listen to him"), 8) how Jesus would have been affected by hearing the voice of his Father as his mind was on his death and 9) Jesus alone and Moses and Elijah gone after the voice speaks.  

Here I only want to stop and reflect on the question raised at the beginning of this post. What did these three talk about?  Luke gives the answer in verses 30-31:  "And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem."  Only Luke gives us this detail, that "they spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem."  The subject matter of the conversation is the death of Jesus.   Jesus is God's chosen one, but to accomplish his mission he must die.  They understand the majestic plan of God to redeem the world through the people of Israel, and now about to be fulfilled in this man of Israel who is  "my Son, my Chosen."   The three of them, but mainly  Jesus, had to be greatly disturbed that the Messiah would have to suffer and die.  If this plan of God was upsetting to Jesus as he faced it in the garden of Gethsemane (to the point of sweating blood),  he likely had the same kind of sorrow as he spoke with Moses and Elijah about it. But I also imagine that here he gains strength from the interaction - this conversation -  with these two holy men who in their time also had been chosen by the Father. 

How did Luke through the witnesses  or those who were in touch with the witnesses find out about this conversation, and the fact that Jesus, Moses and Elijah discussed Jesus' passion ("departure, which  he was to accomplish at Jerusalem")?   The witnesses were asleep during the conversation (Luke 9:32).  The only possible  answer is that after the transfiguration event  Jesus must have told one or more of these three witnesses or perhaps others, that during this time on the mountain  he had spoken to Moses and Elijah about his death.

Next time I look at 2 Pet. 1:16-18 or Jn 1:14 which are quoted above,  I will have this transfiguration scene in mind.  This is a great mystery worth pondering, to picture the whole story of Israel,  and the glory of  God's Chosen one,  as represented by these three up on the mountain.