Matthew 17:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What caused their astonishment upon hearing these words? Prior to this divine utterance by the Jordan, the people had not encountered anything similar; even after, with the thunder that followed, nothing comparable was experienced. What prompted them to cast themselves down on the mountain? The factors include the secluded and elevated setting, the deep stillness, the transfiguration that mingled awe with dread, the remarkable brilliance of light, and the expansive cloud that enveloped them, all leading to profound trembling. They were surrounded by wondrous phenomena, and in their fear, they fell prostrate. However, to prevent their fear from lasting too long and robbing them of clarity, Christ swiftly alleviated their terror, allowing them to see Him alone, and instructed them not to disclose what they had witnessed until after His resurrection.

To prevent lingering fear from erasing the memory of their experience, Jesus rouses them and offers them reassurance,

Since they were prostrate and unable to rise, He chose to come down to them with compassion and reached out to touch them, dispelling their fear and revitalizing their frail bodies. He then instructed them, "Get up and do not fear." Those whom He had previously healed with His touch were now reassured by His command to not be afraid. The initial removal of fear serves to prepare them for the guidance that would follow.

How could they possibly overlook it? To prevent the lasting dread from obscuring their remembrance of the vision, the Lord reassured them: BUT JESUS, APPROACHING, touched them and spoke, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ Just as the voice of the Father brought them low, the voice of the Son lifted them high (St Ephraim the Syrian).

Following this, the gospel writers convey the conclusion of the vision. While Peter was still speaking, a radiant cloud enveloped them, and they heard a voice coming from the cloud. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: listen to him. In the Old Testament, the cloud represented the presence of God (Exodus 19:18; Exodus 24:18; 1 Kings 8:10, 12). The voice the disciples heard from the cloud echoed that which they had encountered at the baptism of the Lord, but it also included the command to listen to him, recalling the prophecy of Moses (Deut. 18:5), which was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

Jesus approached His disciples, reached out to them, and reassured them by saying, "Get up and do not fear." They rose to their feet. The cloud lifted, and the extraordinary sight concluded: Jesus remained before them in the familiar appearance and attire they recognized.

The disciples collapsed, concealing their faces in the grass. Once they regained their composure from the dreadful voice and the blinding radiance, they looked up and surveyed their surroundings, only to find that the extraordinary event had concluded. The radiant cloud had vanished, and there were no longer any shining faces or glimmering white garments; only Jesus remained with them, while the stars softly illuminated the mountain's slopes. Initially, they hesitated to rise, gripped by fear, but Jesus, their Teacher, approached them as He had during prayer, touched them, and said, “Arise, do not be afraid!”

Jesus instructed them, ‘Do not tell anyone,’ etc.: The Lord underwent transfiguration to provide His most trusted disciples with undeniable confirmation that He was indeed the Messiah, as acknowledged by Peter. According to the law, the testimony of two or three witnesses was required to establish any truth (Deuteronomy 17:6). In this instance, there were three witnesses, and the reality of the miraculous transfiguration, which affirmed the divinity of Jesus Christ, was, under the law, indisputable. Later, Peter, one of the witnesses to this extraordinary event, reflected on it as unequivocally genuine, using it to demonstrate the divine nature of Christ (2 Pet. 1:16-18).

Upon hearing the voice of the heavenly Father, the apostles fell to the ground in fear and awe. However, Jesus Christ approached them, touched them, and said, “Get up and do not be afraid.” As they lifted their eyes and glanced around, they saw only the Lord Jesus Christ, confirming that the divine voice had spoken of Him alone.