Pertanyaan tentang Transfiguration
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Pertanyaan:
Ketika Yesus berada di atas gunung, Alkitab menyatakan nampak kepada mereka Musa dan Elia. Saya mengutip dari Alkitab TB demikian, Matius 17:2-4. Lalu Yesus berubah rupa di depan mata mereka; wajah-Nya bercahaya seperti matahari dan pakaian-Nya menjadi putih bersinar seperti terang. Maka nampak kepada mereka Musa dan Elia sedang berbicara dengan Dia. Kata Petrus kepada Yesus: ”Tuhan, betapa bahagianya kami berada di tempat ini. Jika Engkau mau, biarlah kudirikan di sini tiga kemah, satu untuk Engkau, satu untuk Musa dan satu untuk Elia.”
Jawaban:
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Apabila pilihannya adalah tubuh rohani atau ilusi (penglihatan), maka berdasarkan 1 Kor 15:40, saya mengerti apa yang dilihat oleh para murid adalah tubuh rohani Musa dan Elia setelah mereka diangkat oleh Tuhan ke surga. Tentang apa tubuh tersebut terbebas dari dimensi ruang dan waktu, Alkitab tidak banyak membahas tentang tubuh tersebut selain kita melihat tubuh kebangkitan Yesus yang sepertinya terbebas dari dimensi ruang. Yang ditekankan 1 Kor 15:35-49 adalah orang percaya diberikan tubuh rohani (tubuh surgawi) untuk hidup dalam kekekalan. Tidak banyak penjelasan tentang tubuh rohani ini. Yang secara literal dapat kita mengerti dari 3 ayat tersebut adalah organ mata para murid melihat Musa dan Elia. Jadi, ini bukan ilusi.
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Kisah ini dicatat di Injil Sinoptik Mat 17:1-8, Mar 9:2-13, Luk 9:28-36. Mat 17:9 memakai istilah penglihatan. Mar 9:9 memakai istilah yang mereka lihat. Luk 9:36 memakai istilah yang telah mereka lihat. Secara istilah, penglihatan artinya yang dilihat dengan mata, bisa berarti ilusi/halusinasi atau realita nyata. Dengan berpegang pada ketidakbersalahan Alkitab, kita bisa mengerti penglihatan disini sebagai realita nyata.
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Benar bahwa Tuhan Yesus menjanjikan orang percaya yang meninggal akan langsung berada di Firdaus (Luk 23:43), dan ada jurang antara dua tempat tersebut (Luk 16:26). Namun dalam pembicaraan Abraham dan orang kaya di Luk 16 membuka kemungkinan adanya seorang yang bangkit dari kematian(Luk16:30-31). Konteks ayat transfigurasi juga berkaitan dengan kebangkitan (Mat 17:9; Mar 9:9 dan secara implisit di Luk 9:31).Bagaimana Musa dan Elia bisa keluar masuk Firdaus? Kecuali untuk peristiwa transfigurasi, kita tidak melihat Musa dan Elia keluar masuk Firdaus. Jadi dapat dikatakan bahwa ini adalah peristiwa unik yang belum tentu akan terulang. Kita mendapati bahwa dalam ijin Tuhan, Samuel yang sudah meninggal datang berbicara kepada Saul (1 Sam 28:12-19). Dalam hal ini, kita juga tidak menjumpai Samuel mengulang kembali peristiwa itu. Jadi, dari kesaksian Alkitab, Tuhan dapat mengijinkan hal tersebut terjadi, tetapi kita tidak bisa menjadikan hal tersebut sebagai norma cara Tuhan bekerja pada umumnya.
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Gambaran tentang alam baka dalam Alkitab tidak banyak. Namun dari beberapa ayat yang dapat kita pikirkan
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Dari Luk 15:7-10, surga (ay.7) dan malaikat (ay.10) bersukacita untuk 1 orang yang bertobat.
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Dari Luk 16:23-31 tentang Lazarus dan orang kaya, kita melihat si orang kaya bisa berbicara kepada Abraham.
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Dari Ayub 1-2, kita melihat Allah dan setan bercakap-cakap mengenai keadaan di dunia.
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Dari Wahyu 6:10, kita melihat ada orang-orang yang berbicara kepada Tuhan Yesus tentang dunia ini.
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Question:
When Jesus was on the mountain, the Bible states that Moses and Elijah appeared to them. I quote from the Indonesian Bible (TB), Matthew 17:2–4: Then Jesus was transfigured before them; His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will make three tents here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
My questions:
- Were Moses and Elijah truly present in their spiritual bodies, free from the constraints of space and time, or was it merely a vision granted by the Father to Jesus’ disciples?
- If it was only a vision or illusion, how could Jesus, who was in a human body, speak with an illusion?
- If they were truly Moses and Elijah, how could they be there? Weren’t they, having died in faith, gathered with God in Paradise? (Luke 23:43) How could they come and go from Paradise like that? Even in the spiritual realm, there is a great chasm between heaven and hell that cannot be crossed (Luke 16:26).
- Can those who are already in Paradise see the world and witness what is happening? Can they speak (pray) to God about this world?
Answer:
1.If the options are spiritual bodies or illusion (vision), then based on 1 Corinthians 15:40, I understand that what the disciples saw were the spiritual bodies of Moses and Elijah after they were taken up by God into heaven. Regarding whether these bodies are free from space and time, the Bible doesn’t elaborate much, except that we see Jesus’ resurrected body seemingly free from spatial constraints. The emphasis in 1 Corinthians 15:35–49 is that believers are given spiritual (heavenly) bodies to live in eternity. There’s little explanation about these spiritual bodies. What we can literally understand from the three verses is that the disciples’ physical eyes saw Moses and Elijah—so this was not an illusion.
2. This story is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36. Matthew 17:9 uses the term “vision.” Mark 9:9 uses “what they had seen.” Luke 9:36 also uses “what they had seen.” The term “vision” can mean something seen with the eyes, which could be either an illusion/hallucination or a real event. Holding to the inerrancy of Scripture, we can understand “vision” here as a real event.
3. It’s true that Jesus promised believers who die will immediately be in Paradise (Luke 23:43), and that there is a chasm between the two places (Luke 16:26). However, the conversation between Abraham and the rich man in Luke 16 opens the possibility of someone rising from the dead (Luke 16:30–31). The context of the transfiguration also relates to resurrection (Matthew 17:9; Mark 9:9; implicitly in Luke 9:31).
4. How could Moses and Elijah come and go from Paradise? Apart from the transfiguration event, we don’t see Moses and Elijah coming and going from Paradise. So we can say this was a unique event that may not be repeated. We find that, with God’s permission, Samuel—who had died—came to speak to Saul (1 Samuel 28:12–19). In that case too, we don’t see Samuel repeating the event. So, from the testimony of Scripture, God can allow such things to happen, but we cannot make them normative for how God usually works.
The Bible doesn’t give many details about the afterlife. But from a few verses we can reflect on:
- Luke 15:7–10: Heaven (v.7) and angels (v.10) rejoice over one sinner who repents.
- Luke 16:23–31: The rich man speaks to Abraham.
- Job 1–2: God and Satan converse about earthly matters.
- Revelation 6:10: People speak to Jesus about the world.
These verses open the possibility that those in the afterlife know what’s happening in the world, whether by seeing it directly or being told. The Bible doesn’t explain the communication process or information technology between our world and the afterlife. We also see conversations between various parties in that realm. Do they pray for the world? I think believers will speak (pray) to God about many matters there, not just about this world.
What I’ve shared above is some understanding we can gather from Scripture. It must be remembered that discussions about the afterlife are limited, so we must be cautious in drawing general conclusions from interpreting these verses. I hope this answer helps in reflecting on the transfiguration. (VL)