Exegesis Of Matthew 17: 1-3

Matthew 17:1 begins with "After six days" to allude back to Christ inheriting the kingship of David and becoming man to restore not only Israel but the world for eternity. The allusion is made by the use of the number six which represents the cycles of six thousand years revealing the glory of God which is about to reach another climatic point at the Transfiguration.

The first verse continues to say, "they went up a high mountain" (Mt. 17:1). Both Jesus and Moses went up to a mountain, and although they were different, they both were places symbolizing divine revelation. Moses' ascent was one of renewing the law for the people of Israel, but the disciples' vision was one of a renewed life, in anticipation of redemption. When Christ was transfigured, "his

However, Christ is not just fulfilling, but also renewing the law and prophesying redemption and the second coming. It is essential to understand this in order to comprehend why Matthew uses the word "tents" (Mt. 17:4). Peter has now realized that Christ is the Tabernacle. The word "tents" alludes to the Feast of the Tabernacle, where the Israelites dwelled in their tents for seven days in honor of God dwelling in the tent of meeting and the Israelites staying in tents when traveling through the wilderness. The two previous events I mentioned are an anticipation of the Israelites to reach Jerusalem and worship Christ in the Feast of the Tabernacle. Peter now recognizes the Transfiguration as the anticipation to reach the true Jerusalem, "the kingdom of God," and worship God for eternity with our fellow disciples. When Matthew writes, "a bright cloud cast a shadow over them," (Mt. 17:5) he is alluding to the presence of God in the Old Testament when he guides the Israelites through the desert, when he is giving Moses the Ten Commandments, and when his presence fills the tabernacle. However, it had gone