Mark 9:2

‘And after six days Jesus takes with him Peter, and James and John, and brings them apart into a high mountain by themselves.'

‘After six days.' Matthew follows Mark in this, and Luke has ‘about eight days after' (his source probably included the day when Jesus spoke Mark 9:1 and the day of the Transfiguration itself, not just the six days in between). Thus all connect the Transfiguration with the previous verse (Mark 9:1 and parallels) by a time note. Such a time reference is rare in the Synoptics and Luke's variation stresses that it was not just something retained in the tradition but was significant. So all wish to make the connection clear.

In the case of Matthew and Mark the six days may be seen as reflecting the six days that Moses waited before on the seventh day he went up to meet God in the cloud (Exodus 24:16), but if so Luke has blurred the point. But Peter (Mark's source) and Matthew might have remembered how Jesus had emphasised the need to wait for six days for this very reason.

‘Peter, and James and John.' These were the inner three and seemingly the recognised leadership and were privileged to be present at outstanding events. They were also witnesses to the raising from the dead of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37) and to Jesus' agonies in Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). The omission of the article before John demonstrates that he and his brother were seen very much as a pair, compare for this their joint name ‘sons of thunder' (Mark 3:17).

‘Brings them apart into a high mountain by themselves.' The mention of taking them with Him and going into a high mountain may have been in order to make a comparison with Moses, who took Joshua and went up into the mountain to meet with God where the glory of God was to be revealed (Exodus 24:13), after which the face of Moses shone with an unearthly glow (Exodus 34:29). But here is a greater than Moses, for it was Jesus Whose glory was revealed. Matthew does stress that His face shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2 compare Luke 9:29) but in this case it was with His own glory, not with a reflected glory. Elijah too was associated with a special revelation of God in the mount of God (1 Kings 19:8). Thus Jesus may be seen here as declaring that He was the new Moses, and the new Elijah, and as superseding and more glorious than them both (Mark 9:4; Mark 9:8). Compare how He supersedes and is more glorious than Jonah and Solomon who were both witnesses to the nations (Matthew 12:41).

The identity of the mountain is uncertain. The presence of Scribes when they came down (Mark 9:14; Mark 9:30) may suggest that they were now in Galilee which would emphasise the separation of Mark 9:1 and this incident from what went before.