Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his
brother:
Peter is taken, though he had so lately offended his master;
Christ did not bear the offence in mind, but freely forgave him,
and still loved him: James was not the brother of our Lord, who
was of that name, but the Son of Zebedee; as appears from John
being his brother, who was the beloved disciple; these three were
all favourite disciples, and were at other times admitted to be
with him, when others were not, ( Matthew
26:37 ) ( Mark 5:37 ) . Such a
number was taken, as being proper and sufficient to bear witness
of the truth of the following account of Christ's
transfiguration;
and bringeth them up into an high mountain
apart.
Luke says, to pray; as he was wont to do, in such places. This
mountain is generally said to be Tabor; but for what reason does
not appear. Christ was going to Caesarea Philippi, when he had
that discourse with his disciples, which this account is
connected with; and though it was a week after, yet we have no
intimation of his removing from these parts, with his disciples;
only of his leading them up into a mountain: and quickly after
this, we hear of him at Capernaum, which was ten miles from Mount
Tabor. Dr. Lightfoot F26 thinks, that this was the mountain,
which Caesarea was at the foot of; where formerly, the first
idolatry was set up, one of Jeroboam's calves; and now the
eternal Son of God is shown, in the confession of Peter, and in
the illustrious demonstration of the Messiah. Since the goodly
mountain Lebanon, and which was a very high one, was in those
parts which Moses had a sight of before he died; why may it not
be that, which he now descended upon, to be one of the witnesses
from heaven, of Christ's transfiguration?