Why Moses and Elijah
The two figures on the mountain tell us what Jesus came to complete
Mark 9:4-8NIV
Observe. Two men from Israel's past appear and speak with Jesus. Mark names them: Elijah and Moses. Peter wants to treat all three the same. The Father singles out one. When the cloud lifts, only Jesus is left.
Interpret. Moses received the law; Elijah stood at the head of the prophets. Together they represent what Jewish readers called the Law and the Prophets, the whole of the Scriptures Jesus' hearers knew. Their presence says that Jesus stands in continuity with everything God had already said. Their disappearance says something further. The law and the prophets pointed forward, and the one they pointed to is now here. They are not his equals. They are his witnesses.
Apply. Christians sometimes pit the Old Testament against the New, or treat the words of Jesus as one voice among many good teachers. The mountain refuses both. The older Scriptures are honored; they are on the mountain. And Jesus alone is the one to listen to.
When you read the Old Testament, do you look for the one it is pointing toward? And where in your life is Jesus being treated as one voice among several rather than the voice?
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