Luke 9:32-36 32Now Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33And it happened when the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here, and let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said. 34And as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!” 36And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Sleeping disciples were an issue several times on the journey to the cross, here, and in the garden of Gethsemane (22:45). They got sleepy at some of the most significant moments of Jesus’ life during key moments of prayer. In the case on the mountain, the next event woke them up fully. When someone experiences the glory of the Triune God, the physical world and all its limitations fall away in insignificance. Luke’s version of this story emphasizes the glory of Jesus. Peter, James, and John saw the glory of the Incarnated Son of God, a prelude to what will be revealed when Jesus comes again (verse 26).
As the two figures of Moses and Elijah departed once their unknown conversation was over, Peter wanted to put up some tents or shelters. Many ideas have been offered why he said that. He could have wanted to preserve the moment, it could have been getting dark, he might have had in his mind the tabernacle of Israel’s history, or many other things. Luke simply notes that Peter did not know what he was talking about, sort of in a flabbergasted or confused way. He realized this was a powerful and significant moment and being there was awesome. Why not stay on the mountain for a while? After all, Moses stayed on Mount Sinai in God’s presence for forty days.
Peter’s thoughts were interrupted with a voice from a cloud that gave the real reason these three disciples were there. The cloud clearly represented the presence of God. Mist often comes quickly on mountain tops, but this cloud was different and brought fear to them. Fear and awe are the only responses one can give to the presence of God. They were not there simply to witness a vision or experience a once-in-time encounter but to hear about the identity of Jesus.
The voice from the cloud gives three significant statements. First, the voice leaves no doubt about who Jesus was: the very Son of the one and only Almighty God of the universe. The voice confirms and echoes the voice that spoke from heaven at Jesus’ baptism in 3:22. Second, Jesus’ identity was also the Chosen One, referring to him being the Messiah. This description should not be interpreted as God chose Jesus from among many people but that Jesus was born on earth to fulfill all the prophecies of the Messiah. Third, the disciples were commanded to listen to him. He had the true words of life. Listen assumes also obedience. The disciples were overwhelmed by all they saw and kept this story to themselves for a while. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, all the pieces the giant puzzle began to fit together and they could understand the significance of their experience (2 Peter 1:16-18). When we encounter Jesus on his terms and come to realize his identity, our response should be one of awe, acceptance, and obedience to who he is and what he says to us.
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