Page 50 - Life of Christ w videos

sites have been considered as well. The first site is Mount Tabor located at the eastern end of the
Jezreel Valley, 11 miles (17 km) west of the Sea of Galilee. Its elevation at the summit is 1,843 feet (575
m) high. Early Church fathers believed that the Transfiguration took place on Mt. Tabor, including Cyril
of Jerusalem (in 348), Epiphanius, and Jerome.

However, Mt. Tabor is probably not the location for the Transfiguration for the following reasons: (1)
Jesus and his disciples were in the region of Caesarea Philippi just prior to the Transfiguration, far north
of the location of Mt. Tabor. (2) The general location of Mt. Tabor is not isolated. Much traffic passed
by through the Jezreel Valley below. (3) A military fort was located on top of Mt. Tabor and was clearly
in use during the Hasmonean period and the time of the Jewish Revolt, and likely would have been in
Jesus’ day as well. It is evident that this event took place in an isolated location.

The second site suggested by scholars is Mount Hermon. Jesus and the disciples were already in
Caesarea-Philippi located at the foot of this mountain. Also, the Gospel writers say that Jesus took them
to the a “high mountain”. Mount
Hermon is the highest mountain in
the area whose summit reaches
9,232 feet. While we cannot
definitely say it took place on this
mountain, the facts strongly
suggest this.

The transfiguration was a visionary
revelation of the divine glory that
the Son possessed from His
incarnation. Jesus appeared in
glorious splendor as a radiant light,
accompanied by Moses and Elijah. View of Mount Hermon from the Sea of Tiberius
Luke adds that the three spoke of Jesus’ imminent departure (“decrease”) in Jerusalem. The Greek
word translated “decrease” or “departure” is exodus which refers in literary Greek to the process of
“death”. It also recalls the “Exodus” from Egypt as an earlier process of divine redemption. Peter, James
and John were witnesses of the divine relation of not only Christ’s glory, but His imminent departure and
completion of a plan to redeem man from their sin.

Last Efforts in Galilee (Matthew 17:24-27; Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37; and Luke 9:46-
48; Matthew 18:6-14; Mark 9:38-50; and Luke 9:49-50; Matthew 18:15-35)

Almost three years of Jesus’ ministry had passed at this point in the Gospels. Jesus had informed his
disciples that soon He would be going to Jerusalem and there He was to be arrested, tried, and crucified,
but would rise again on the third day. The disciples had resisted this teaching when Jesus set it before
them.

Events in these passages of the Gospels reveal that Jesus’ disciples have still a long way to go to fully
understand the purpose of Christ’s visit to earth. In Matthew 18 the disciples asked the question about
being great in the Kingdom, but in Mark we discover that they had been arguing about which of them
would be greatest in the Kingdom. They were expecting Jesus to set up an earthly Kingdom and each

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