Did the Transfiguration Really Happen?

The transfiguration of Jesus is one of those moments in the Gospels that feels otherworldly. Jesus, glowing with divine glory, stands on a mountain alongside Moses and Elijah. It’s recorded in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9, and yet, for many modern readers—even some scholars—it’s a story that feels unreal. Was it a mystical vision? A symbolic creation of the early church? Or did it actually happen?

Let’s take a closer look. There’s strong evidence to suggest that the transfiguration isn’t a myth or metaphor but a historical event. And if that’s true, it forces us to confront some big questions about who Jesus really is.

1. The Transfiguration Is Rooted in History

One of the first things you notice about the transfiguration is how firmly it’s anchored in the Gospel narratives. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it happens at the same point in the story. Jesus has just asked His disciples who they think He is. Peter boldly confesses, “You are the Christ.” Then Jesus shocks them by predicting His suffering and death, followed by a mysterious statement: “Some standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1).

Then, six days later (or “about eight days later,” as Luke says—close enough for eyewitness accounts), Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain. There, His appearance changes—His face and clothes become lightning white. Mark uses the word gnapheus (translated “launderer”) to describe how dazzlingly white Jesus’ clothes became during the transfiguration (Mark 9:3). A launderer was a person who cleaned and whitened garments, a mundane yet vivid detail that feels pulled from real life.

Then there’s Peter. His reaction to the event is recorded with an almost comical honesty: “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5). Mark adds that Peter said this because he was terrified and didn’t know what to say. This doesn’t exactly cast Peter in the best light, which makes it unlikely that the early church invented it. If you were going to fabricate a story, you’d probably make the apostles look a bit more composed.

The consistent placement of the transfiguration across all three Gospels is important. Myths and legends tend to drift in their timeline, but this event is locked in. It’s also surrounded by precise details: the six-day timeline, Peter’s awkward suggestion to build tents, and the disciples’ fear and confusion. These aren’t the kinds of things you include if you’re trying to invent a polished story—they’re the messy fingerprints of history.

2. The Transfiguration has Eyewitnesses

Years after the event, Peter reflects on the transfiguration in his second letter (2 Peter):

16 For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying “This is my beloved Son,with whom I am well-pleased!” 18 We ourselves heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.

Peter’s language here is unflinching. He’s not offering a metaphor or an esoteric reflection—he’s making a straightforward claim: I was there. I saw it. I heard it. Remember, this is Peter writing as a man who (like James and John) followed Jesus at tremendous personal cost. This is the same Peter who will eventually die for his faith. Why would Peter, James, and John hold onto a fabricated story at such great cost?

3. The Transfiguration Fits with Jesus’ teaching and actions

Perhaps the most compelling reason to believe the transfiguration happened is this: it fits perfectly with the rest of Jesus’ life and mission.

From the very beginning, Jesus resists easy categorization. He isn’t just a great moral teacher or a prophet. He’s always more. He forgives sins, calms storms, heals diseases, and raises the dead. He makes claims about Himself that, frankly, no mere human could make. Yet, at the same time, He washes feet, embraces children, and suffers humiliation and death.

This is why the transfiguration is so important. It’s not some random miracle tacked onto the story. It’s a window into the deepest truth about Jesus. The disciples see Him as He truly is: the divine Son of God, radiant in glory, the One in whom heaven and earth meet. It’s no accident that Moses and Elijah are there, representing the Law and the Prophets. The transfiguration is a declaration that Jesus fulfills everything God has been doing throughout history.

What’s the Real Challenge?

So why do modern people dismiss the transfiguration as myth? It’s not because the evidence is weak. It’s because the event doesn’t fit into our framework for who Jesus can be.

Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, very God of very God,” as the Nicene Creed affirms. That’s where so many of us get stuck. Some people are comfortable with the idea of Jesus as a great moral teacher, but they can’t handle the idea of Him being God. Others embrace His divinity but struggle to understand His humanity.

The transfiguration confronts us with both. Here is Jesus, the human being, who gets hungry, tired, and grieves. Here is Jesus, the eternal Son of God, glowing with glory, standing in the company of Moses and Elijah, and receiving the Father’s affirmation.

If you struggle to believe the transfiguration happened, the real question isn’t about the evidence. It’s about whether you’ve let your assumptions about Jesus limit who He can be.

Why It Matters

If the transfiguration really happened—and the evidence strongly suggests it did—it changes everything. It shows us that Jesus isn’t just a good man or a wise teacher. He’s the radiant Son of God, the One who fulfills all of God’s promises, the One who bridges heaven and earth.

But it gets better. The transfiguration is not just about Jesus. The transfiguration gives us a glimpse of what we’re destined to as His followers. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says that for Christ’s followers there is an absolutely incomparable weight of glory awaiting us. What happened to Jesus on that mountain is a preview of what’s coming for all of us.

Did the transfiguration really happen? Yes, it did. If we let it, this event can transfigure the way we see Jesus—and ourselves.