And they asked Him, saying, “What does it mean that the scribes say Elijah must come first?”
The disciples’ question arose from bringing together what they had seen and what they had heard. If Jesus truly is the Messiah whose glory they had now seen, then how should they understand the scribes’ teaching that Elijah must come first? They probably had in mind the words of the prophet Malachi about Elijah’s coming (Malachi 4:5). Their question was fitting, because they had just seen Elijah on the mountain. But they still did not know in what way that prophecy had been fulfilled. This verse shows that the disciples were not only marveling at the scene, but were trying to place it within the whole revelation. And Christ, as the true Teacher, was always ready to clarify their confusion according to the truth.