Anchor My Faith

Moses and Elijah Show Up

Scripture: Luke 9:30-32

It was mentioned at the end of the previous lesson that during the transfiguration of Jesus, two men from the Old Testament showed up and had conversation with Jesus.

^{Lk 9:30} “And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

The appearance of these two men raises some questions; where did they come from and how did they get there; how did the disciples know they were Moses and Elijah; why did these two show up and not someone else? I am sure you might think of other questions.

Were Moses and Elijah actually there in body form or were they only an apparition that was exhibited to the disciples? There is support for both views, but it seems more probable that God actually brought them there in body form. It is no absurdity to think that God could not send them back to earth from heaven and give them a physical body for the occasion.

Moses and Elijah lived long before the disciples, and having never met them, how did they know who they were? When you go to heaven, how will you identify people from the past that you have not seen? In this case when God brought Moses and Elijah before them, he surely presented enough information, maybe in the form of extraordinary revelation, to enable the disciples to know them.

Why did God select and send Moses and Elijah and not someone else? To know for sure, you will have to ask God when you see him, but there may be a good reason for them. Jesus is seen as the end of the Law and of the Prophets and Moses and Elijah are knows to represent these. Moses spoke of the coming of Jesus as did Elijah and they stand here with Jesus and discuss with him what he will experience and is to accomplish in Jerusalem. In a sense, they are continuing their testimony about Jesus.

Moses and Elijah had conversation with Jesus about his departure, which included his horrible suffering and death on the cross, his resurrection and ascension. In the past they spoke of the sacrifice of Christ as a means of our salvation and now they stand here with Jesus and discuss the offering of that sacrifice on the cross.

As this is taking place, try to imagine what Peter, James and John are thinking and feeling. Look at the two verses above more closely. Does it say that the disciples actually saw what was taking place? Did we incorrectly assume they were watching this happen and were not sleeping?

^{Lk 9:32} “Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.”

This provides additional information for us to think about, which we will do in the next lesson.

Conclusion

It is amazing that both Moses and Elijah spoke of the coming of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice and now so many centuries later they are brought back to earth to talk with the one they had witnesses about. Most likely they came with additional information from the Father about what was to take place at Jerusalem.