One of the more puzzling parts of the account of the Transfiguration comes at the end. As Jesus is descending the mountain with Peter, James and John, he tells them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until He (the Son of Man) had been raised from the dead. Some think that this mostly means that He didn’t want them to spoil the surprise. But, Jesus had already tried telling them that He would die and be raised from the dead, so it doesn’t seem like He was just trying to keep things quiet. There was a significant reason, not only that He told them to not share the vision with anyone, but that the Gospel records that note.
The three chosen disciples did not understand what took place. We recall also that Peter asked the Lord about raising three tents in honor of what had taken place. This was a traditional Jewish tradition and way of marking an encounter with God and holy place. It also suggests that Peter anticipated this to happen again, just as the LORD’s presence descended upon the Tent of Meeting where Moses would enter and converse with God. Peter, and likely the others, thought the same thing would be happening over again—a return to the holy days of old. But again, Jesus brought something new. God was not going to descend and dwell in the presence of a cloud, but was in their very midst in His Son.
They also were “very much afraid” at what they had seen, much like when they saw him walking on the water and thought that He was a phantom. It is clear that they did not yet understand what they had seen, which begs the question, “What would their testimony been like?”
Often times, when something extraordinary happens to us, especially if it is a life-changing experience with God, we want to immediately jump out and tell everyone about it. This frequently happens after retreats or profound experiences in prayer. We talk about the great joy, the personal revelations, the feelings of being loved, the new and extraordinary mysteries that were uncovered for us. While much of this is true, like Peter, James and John, we don’t yet understand what it was that we experienced.
It is good to be patient and to take time after profound experiences, whether they are religious, or more mundane to keep things a secret as we examine and let the affects take time to settle. The request for secrecy also bears with it a promise: When the Son of Man is raised from the dead, you will understand what you have just seen. It’s then, that our witness and testimony will have its full effect and also be truer to the nature of what had happened. Allow the story to develop and discover the work God has done for you.