Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 17:8

"And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only." — Matthew 17:8 (ASV)

They saw no man, except Jesus only — The words, following as they do upon the “Be not afraid,” imply a marked contrast to Peter’s rash utterance. It was not “good” for frail men such as they were to linger long in the immediate glory of the Presence. It was a relief to see “Jesus only” with them, as they had been accustomed to seeing Him. In our own lives, moments of spiritual ecstasy are few and far between. It is good for us that this is so, leaving us to carry the fragrance and power of their memory into the work of our common life and the light of our common day.

It is appropriate to say a few words regarding the credibility of a narrative that is so wonderful in itself and has been so often exposed to the attacks of hostile criticism.

1. It is obvious that the rationalistic method of interpretation is altogether inapplicable here. The narrative of the Evangelists cannot, by any clever device, be reduced to an embellished version of some natural phenomenon that falls under known laws. If accepted at all, it must be accepted as belonging to the realm of the supernatural.
2. The so-called mythical theory—which sees in such narratives the purely legendary product of a later age’s imagination—is of course possible here, as it is wherever arbitrary criticism that assumes the supernatural is incredible chooses to apply it. However, it can be argued against its application in this instance that there was nothing in the Jewish expectations of the Messiah to suggest such a legend. Furthermore, the circumstances connected with it (for example, its association with our Lord’s sufferings and Peter’s strange, abrupt utterance) were hardly likely to have been invented by either the popular imagination or an individual mind.
3. The position the Transfiguration occupies in both our Lord’s ministry and the spiritual training of the disciples raises it above the level of a mere wonder. This context, it can be argued, is not something that would likely occur to a simple lover of the marvelous.
4. Lastly, the language of John 1:14 and 2 Peter 1:16 surely carries some evidential weight as an allusive reference to a fact the writers assumed was generally known. (The reference to 2 Peter is made with less certainty, owing to the doubt that hangs over the genuineness of that epistle.) In addition to St. Peter’s direct reference, we note the recurrence of the words “decease” and “tabernacle,” which are suggested by it (2 Peter 1:13; 2 Peter 1:15).