And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.  Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"  When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.  But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid."  And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

It is interesting to note the progression of the revelation from the Father.  At Jesus' baptism the Father proclaimed directly to Jesus: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (Mark 1.11)  At Christ's transfiguration he proclaims to the disciples: "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"  We have few words in the New Testament from the person of the Father; we would do well to listen to them.  And this is the Father's command: listen to my beloved Son!  At the wedding feast in Cana Mary tells the servants regarding her son: "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2.5)

It is notable that the revelation of the transfiguration came six days after Peter's proclamation that Christ is the Messiah and Jesus' subsequent confirmation of that truth.  Perhaps the disciples would not have been fully prepared for the  vision or the voice from the cloud except until after Christ's proclamation.  Revelation always unfolds in progressive stages as man is prepared for it.  We see this time and again, with Christ telling the apostles: "I have much more to tell you but you are not ready now." (John 16.12)  Even after Christ returns to heaven and well after the Spirit came at Pentecost the apostles minds were still being enlightened.  This is seen most vividly with Peter's vision at Joppa and declaration at the house of Cornelius and later to the disciples at Jerusalem that "I now see and understand as it was revealed to me that God shows no partiality." (Acts 10.9-11.18)

It is interesting to note the different reactions of the three disciples to the transfiguration during its different stages.  To the vision of Christ Peter becomes exuberant, the other gospels adding "he didn't know what he was even saying."  James and John seem to remain silent.  (Or perhaps the recording of this event, coming as it did six days after Peter was declared "rock," gave preeminence to Peter's reaction).  But when the Father speaks from the cloud they are terrified and cast themselves on the ground.  Perhaps this speaks to the comfortable friendship and familiarity they had with Jesus by that time.

Finally, the event is so memorable Peter recalls it in 1 Peter 1.16-18 as further evidence of the authenticity of the Christian message.