Jesus’ journey to the cross is the “scarlet thread” woven through Scripture. The transfiguration combines the revelation of Jesus’ glory with the clarity of his mission as the Christ (Luke 9:20-22). Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) predicted and prepared God’s people for this cosmically significant event. (See Deuteronomy 18:15—quoted in Acts 7:37—and Isaiah 53 as examples). Jesus came to give his life as a ransom to inaugurate a new exodus for God’s people from the Egypt-slavery in this world. Luke 9:31 should literally be translated, “They spoke about his exodus, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.”
