The Glory to Come or, Peter's Edifice Complex

The Matthew 17 account of the Transfiguration is foremost about God revealing to a small group of disciples the full heavenly glory of Jesus even as Jesus is preparing himself—and his disciples—for his road to Calvary. Jesus, who humbled himself and became man, is transfigured by God into his glorious state and humbles himself yet again to bear the sins of the world. The core significance of this passage cannot be missed, yet at the same time Matthew is artfully telling the story of Peter's development into a broken man shaped by God's grace to be a leader in the church.

Immediately preceding the Transfiguration are two instances where Peter makes confessions regarding Jesus. In the first, when Jesus asks Peter who he thinks he is, Peter responds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Here Peter is making a correct confession: He recognizes that Jesus is the Annointed One, and even seems to have a sense of Jesus' diety.

Yet shortly after, as Jesus is explaining to his disciples that it is necessary for him to die and raise again, Peter says to him, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." Here, Peter is entirely missing the point; his confession is not of the Messiah that Jesus must be.

So when Peter, James, and John are lead up the mountain by Jesus and see him Transfigured, in regard to Peter's development as a person—and at this point we are already told by Jesus that Peter is the one on whom he will build his church—the reader is wondering how Peter is going to respond.

I'll let Scripture tell the story:

And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

Peter's suggestion is to make places of dwelling for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Here, they could stay in the light of Jesus' glory. In suggesting to build shelters for three, Peter shows a desire for the full reality of Jesus' glory to remain—Peter wants to stay on the mountain. Peter is not to be blamed here: He has been shown crown time, and he wants to stay there. Peter is, however, missing the point. It was necessary that Jesus come down from the mountain. It was necessary that Jesus suffered death. It was necessary that Peter eventually understood why Jesus rebuked him for suggesting otherwise. It was necessary that James and Peter be martyred for their faith.

If Jesus and the three had not come down the mountain, Christ's work would not have been completed. Peter, the rock on whom Christ would build his church, did eventually learn that the path to the glory of God is through the Suffering Servant, who calls us also to suffer—persecutions, yes, but also denying oneself. Peter had been shown Christ's glory to show him that his suffering is for a worthy purpose. Yet in his second letter, he tells us that compared to his being present at the Transfiguration, Scripture (the prophetic word) is more sure (2 Peter 1:19). So also we must wait for when Christ's glory is fully revealed. And we must see that the path to sharing that inheritance is through suffering. Yet in Scripture, we are given a sure promise, an assurance of the truth in which we can—and must—place our trust.