Luke 9:30 - Printer Friendly

What does Luke 9:30 mean?

ESV: And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,

NIV: Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.

NASB: And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,

CSB: Suddenly, two men were talking with him--Moses and Elijah.

NLT: Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus.

KJV: And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

NKJV: And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,

Verse Commentary:

Jesus has brought Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. Jesus is praying; the other three are asleep (Luke 9:32). As Jesus glows with glory, Moses and Elijah appear to talk about His coming departure from earthly ministry (Luke 9:28–29, 31). There are several theories as to why these two specific men come to speak with Jesus.

The most common theory is that Moses represents "the Law" and Elijah "the prophets," encompassing all Jewish Scripture and the history of God's people (Matthew 5:17; Luke 16:16). Another is that, more generally, they are thought of as the most prominent prophets of the Old Testament. At least for Moses, this is an easy case to make. The entire experience seems to validate Moses' appearance. They are speaking of Jesus' "departure," written in Greek as exodos. Jesus' face shines like Moses' did when He spoke with God on Mount Sinai (Matthew 17:2; Exodus 34:29). Like Moses, Jesus is gathering His people into a cohesive group to worship God. And, most importantly, Jesus is the prophet Moses promised (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Elijah, however, was not necessarily revered as much as other prophets, such as Samuel. Yet because Elijah was taken alive to heaven (2 Kings 2:9–12), he was expected to return. In fact Malachi prophesied, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lᴏʀᴅ comes" (Malachi 4:5). Malachi spoke of a messenger that would herald the Messiah (Malachi 3:1), seemingly linked to Elijah. In a way, John the Baptist fulfilled that prophecy (Matthew 11:7–14), but here Elijah does it personally. Elijah's appearance at the transfiguration might have also been meant to counter the common notion that Jesus was a returned Elijah (Luke 9:8, 19).

In addition, Jesus' ministry does represent Elijah's. Neither had the support of a political leader, as Samuel and Isaiah did. Both vigorously cleaned the land of idolatry (1 Kings 18:20–40; Luke 19:45–46). Both sought God's comfort on solitary mountains (1 Kings 19; Mark 6:46). And both used miracles to meet the needs of people (1 Kings 17:8–24; Luke 7:11–17; 9:10–17). Still, those are relatively shallow parallels.

Moses and Elijah's presence on the mountaintop, in addition to the description of the two witnesses' ministry, have suggested to some that they will be the two witnesses during the tribulation (Revelation 11:1–13). Some go as far as to say that because we do not know where Moses was buried and no one saw him die, he did not die but was taken up to heaven like Elijah, a claim contradicted by Scripture (Deuteronomy 34). Others say the two witnesses will be Elijah and Enoch (Genesis 5:24) because both were taken to heaven without dying. Still others say the witnesses will not be the return of anyone, but rather two currently unknown believers. In truth, we do not know who the two witnesses will be.

The idea that the spirits of loved ones who have died can visit us is common. The Bible doesn't support this belief. Elijah never died, so far as Scripture tells us. Moses, however, died, yet appears during the transfiguration with Jesus. This is one of only two cases in the Bible where the dead return to earth to speak with someone. The first instance was when King Saul visited a medium and asked her to bring back Samuel. God sent Samuel, much to the witch's surprise, but Samuel wasn't happy about it (1 Samuel 28:8–15).

Luke 9:28–36 comes amidst calls to follow Jesus more deeply. This reveals why He is worthy of allegiance; it also resolves Herod's question and Peter's answer about Jesus' identity. Peter, James, and John follow Jesus up a mountain. Jesus' clothes become bright white, and Moses and Elijah arrive to speak with Him. When the two prophets leave, a cloud descends, and God the Father affirms Jesus. This transfiguration fulfills the promise Jesus made that "there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:27). The story is also in Matthew 17:1–8 and Mark 9:2–8.

Chapter Summary:

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Chapter Context:

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

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