The transfiguration MAT 17:2

Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain, where his face began to shine like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with him about his coming departure, while Peter, unsure what to say, offered to build three shelters. A cloud then covered them and a voice declared him God's beloved Son; when the disciples looked up, only Jesus remained.

The Gospel of Matthew only says Jesus took the three disciples up 'a high mountain' without naming it. Tradition since the fourth century has often pointed to Mount Tabor, but many readers today connect the event with Mount Hermon, since it lies near Caesarea Philippi where the preceding conversation happened. The text itself leaves the exact site unidentified.

Moses stands for the Law and Elijah for the Prophets, so their presence shows Jesus as the one in whom the Scriptures find their fulfillment. They speak with him about his departure, which points forward to his death and resurrection in Jerusalem. Both men had also met God on a mountain in their own stories, so their appearance here echoes that pattern.

The voice says 'this is my beloved Son, listen to him,' confirming Jesus' identity in words close to those heard at his baptism. It places his authority above that of Moses and Elijah, instructing the disciples to heed him above all. For readers, it underlines that the rest of Jesus' teaching and his path toward the cross carries divine backing.