Luke 9:28-36 - The Transfiguration of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Some things in life are unexplainable. Some things you have to see to understand - and even then you are left with more questions than answers.
One such instance is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. No matter how many times one watches a video of this process, one cannot fully grasp what has just happened. The magnificence of the change is difficult to describe using words.
Even much more than this, today’s message is far beyond my ability to relay what occured some 2000 years ago on the mount where the Transfiguration occured.
Jesus was shown in His glorified state. How can we put this amazing event into words?
Join me today as we attempt to glean what we can from this unfathomable event recorded in the Gospel of Luke.
Read Full Scripture:
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Prayer
Today we will see three ways Christ is glorified. The first is…
I. Christ Is Forever Crowned With Glory (28-29)
I. Christ Is Forever Crowned With Glory (28-29)
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
Now we are looking at around 6-8 days later after the confession of Peter and Jesus’ charge to His disciples to deny themselves and take up their crosses. Matthew and Mark state 6 days and Luke uses the phrase ‘about 8 days’ - meaning an estimation - something like saying about a week or so. This is not contradictory - it is still consistent.
We are told that Jesus takes three of the disciples with Him. These are the three in the inner circle that we have mentioned previously. These are the three that were with Him to see the raising of Jairus’s daughter as well (Luke 8:51-55). We are told He takes Peter, James, and John. And we are told that they went up on the mountain to pray.
Again we see Jesus praying to His Heavenly Father. In studying through the Gospel of Luke, I have come to at least 7 times where we see Jesus praying - not to mention the many times He speaks of praying elsewhere (Luke 3:21, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18, Luke 9:28-29, Luke 11:1, Luke 22:41-45).
Obviously we see that Jesus is a great example of prayer. I know that prayer is probably one the hardest spiritual disciplines for believers. It requires diligence and effort. Yet, prayer is how we commune with God. It is how we interact with our Creator. It should empower us, sustain us, and encourage us. When Jesus was tired and worn out, He sought time to be alone with the Father. May we follow His example in this.
Yet this time of prayer was unlike any other the disciples had witnessed. Listen to verse 29 again…
And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.
We are told that as He was praying there were some amazing changes that occured.
His face was altered
His clothing became dazzling white
Interestingly, Luke uses the word altered here instead of transfigured as is used by Matthew and Mark. Some commentators believe that this was because of the fact that Luke was writing to Greeks who grew up with paganism everywhere in their culture and the word transfigured might have made them compare Jesus to false gods.
Whatever the reason, Jesus was Transfigured and His appearance was altered.
He appeared in His glorified state.
Hearing this might remind some of you about Moses coming down from Mount Sinai and having his face shine so brightly than he had to wear a veil because the people were afraid of him (Exodus 34:29-35). However, although there is a definite parallel here, it is very different. Moses’s face was shinning because he was reflecting the Shekinah glory of the Lord. Jesus was shinning, not from the outside but from the inside out. His clothes shone because of His own personal glory.
This is kind of like the different between the sun and the moon. The moon does not have any light itself. It just reflects the light. But light shines from within the sun and moves out throughout the universe. There is no comparison to the glory of the sun compared to the moon. In the same way there is no comparison to the Son of God and Moses.
Jesus gave the disciples a glimpse of His second-coming glorified appearing. Listen to Him described in a vision by John in the book of Revelation:
Revelation 1:12–16 (ESV)
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Can you imagine how bright that was! His face was like the sun shining in full strength! It was so bright that you could not even safely look at it. And this is the kind of glory that the disciples are witnessing as Jesus is Transfigured. How amazing this must have been. Part of me longs to see that kind of glory, but part of me would be terrified to be in the presence of such amazing glory as a sinful man. Like Isaiah, I would probably state:
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Isaiah thought he was as good as dead because of his sinfulness in the Presence of the Lord.
Again, the amazing glory revealed here is far beyond our comprehension.
The word Transfigured in Greek is metamorphoō (meta-morph-oh) and means transfigured or transformed. It is only used 4 times in the New Testament. Two of these are found in Matthew and Mark’s Gospels in the narrative regarding the Transfiguration and the other two are in a couple of Paul’s letters. We have obviously began to try to understand this word, albeit far incompletely, but let’s look at the other two uses of this word in Scripture that apply to us. The first is Romans 12:2:
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We are not to be conformed - or made in the image of this world. We are instead to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Our transformation starts in our minds. We must renew our minds through the Word of God and prayer. If we want to discern the will of God we must follow God’s will. So many ask me what God’s will is for their life. This is clearly taught in the Scriptures. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
It is as simple as those three things.
Rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to the Lord as you pray to the Lord. That is God’s will for our life. And He will guide and direct you as you obey Him in these three important ways.
And we also see this word one last time in Scripture found in the book of 2 Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
We are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. As we are progressively sanctified by God through the work of His Holy Spirit in us as believers, we are becoming more and more like Him. And one day, when He returns, we will be given our glorified bodies! We obviously won’t have the same radiant glory of Christ, but we will be able to share in it! What an amazing time that will be - When there is no need for the sun because Christ shall be our light in heaven (Revelation 21:23)! Christ is now and forever will be crowned with glory. Yet, we also see here that before He experiences the glory of heaven again, Christ must first suffer the cross in glory…
Scripture References: Luke 8:51-55, (Jesus praying to the Father - Luke 3:21, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18, Luke 9:28-29, Luke 11:1, Luke 22:41-45), Exodus 34:29-35, Revelation 1:12-16, Isaiah 6:5, Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Revelation 21:23
II. Christ Suffered the Cross in Glory (30-31)
II. Christ Suffered the Cross in Glory (30-31)
And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
As if this scene was not overwhelming enough we are thrown another incredible fact about this Transfiguration mountaintop experience. We are told that two men are talking with Jesus and we are told that they are Moses and Elijah.
Moses represents the Law while Elijah represents the prophets. The Law and the Prophets both pointed to the coming Messiah - Jesus Christ.
Interestingly, both of these men also had mountaintop experiences with God. Moses on Mount Sinai as seen in Exodus 31:18 and Elijah on Mount Horeb (which is just another name for Mount Sinai) in 1 Kings 19:8.
Now here are these two great men of old speaking with Jesus on a mountain. We are not told which mountain this is, but many feel it is Mount Hermon which north of Caesarea Philippi - where we last saw Jesus was a week or so ago (see map).
Getting back to verse 31…
who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
… we see that Moses and Elijah are speaking with Jesus about what is to come. They are speaking of Christ’s departure from the earth. Interestingly, only Luke tells us the content of the conversation going on between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.
It is also important for us to note that at this point in Jesus’ ministry, most commentators believe that Jesus is around 6-8 months from His crucifixion in Luke’s Gospel. So this departure is coming soon.
I find it interesting that the word departure Luke uses here is the Greek word exodus (ex-a-dose). This word in Greek means departure, course, and even death. They are discussing the coming crucifixion, death, and ascension.
Although Jesus had enjoyed the glory of heaven along with the Father and Holy Spirit for all eternity, there was a greater glory to be revealed through the coming cross. We see this listed beautifully in Philippians 2:5-11
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
As John MacArthur asserts, the cross had to come before the crown.
Finally, we see that…
Scripture References: Exodus 31:18, 1 Kings 19:8, Philippians 2:5-11
III. Christ Commands Exclusive Glory (32-36)
III. Christ Commands Exclusive Glory (32-36)
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
Peter, James and John are worn out from the journey up the mountain. Matthew and Mark let us know that it was a high mountain (Mark 9:2, Matthew 17:1). Due to their fatigue they are heavy with sleep, but when they awake they see the glory of Christ and the two men who are with Him.
As Moses and Elijah begin to depart, Peter opens up his mouth. After studying this Gospel now for 38 weeks, we have come to know when Peter opens his mouth something really good is going to come out or something really not good is going to come out. Sadly, this is the later. Sleep deprived and exhausted, Peter tells Jesus yet again what they should do. He asserts that it is good that they are all there, and that they should make three tents - one for Jesus and one each for Moses and Elijah.
Again we see Peter step in the way of the path to the cross. We just saw around a week ago that Peter was scolded by Jesus because he tried to prevent Christ from moving forward to the cross. And here he does it again. Let’s just stay up here on the mountain where it is safe.
Oh, how we as humans like safety don’t we? We have been discussing idolatry in our GrowthGroup times before the morning service, and we have seen how people worship statues and idols in many nations. Most Americans see this as ridiculous although it is making a comeback as of late.
But what we do worship is safety. We like to make decisions that are safe.
I am not preaching that we should be unwise and reckless with our decisions, Church. But I do think that we might place safety above obedience to the Lord at times.
I have heard families of missionaries scold them for taking their family to a place that is ‘unsafe’ as they follow God’s call to reach an unreached people group. I have heard parents tell their children that they shouldn’t minister in a certain area of town because it is ‘unsafe.’
Brothers and sisters, the safest place that we can be is in the will of God. He will watch over us and protect us. And if it is our time to go home, He will lovingly welcome us into eternity.
My question today is really what are we afraid of? When the worst thing that can possibly happen to us is that we die, what is there to fear? Like Paul stated so eloquently:
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Jesus knew that the road He was on was not a safe one. But it was the right one. It was the will of the Father, and He continued walking down that road to the end.
Note that Jesus doesn’t actually have to rebuke Peter this time. The Father, instead steps in…
As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
Not only was Peter’s statement wrong because it sought to move Christ off the path to the cross, but it also was wrong because it seemingly equated Moses and Elijah with Jesus Christ. And this did not please God the Father. God steps in after this ridiculous statement and overshadows all present in the form of a cloud. We are told by Matthew that the cloud is bright (Matthew 17:5). Here is another form of the Shekinah glory of the Lord.
And as they all enter the cloud, God’s voice thunders from the cloud saying that Jesus is His Son, His Chosen One, and then He commands them to listen to Him.
I cannot imagine the fear in the disciple’s minds right now. Peter must have been even more afraid than James and John after what he just said. But this message from God the Father is extremely important for both them and even us today to understand. There are three important teachings in this short sentence.
1. Jesus is God’s Son
He is God’s one and only Son. Matthew and Mark have the word beloved before son. This is My Beloved Son. The word used for beloved is a derivative of agape - meaning unconditional love, valued, prized, and beloved.
2. Jesus is God’s Chosen One
This is a reference to Jesus being the Messiah. He is the one chosen to do the good work of redeeming mankind.
And finally we see that...
3. Jesus is God’s Messenger
The book of Hebrews compares Jesus to other messengers before Him. We see Jesus compared to the angels (Hebrews 1:4-13), Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6), Joshua (Hebrews 4:8-9), and Aaron and the high priests (Hebrews 4:14-5:10). In each of these cases, Jesus is greater. Jesus is supreme over all. In fact the book of Hebrews starts off with its thesis statement…
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Jesus Christ commands exclusive glory. God has spoken through the prophets of the Old Testament as well as even angels. Yet, these are not worthy of glory like our Lord and Savior is. He is the exact imprint of God and upholds everything. We see here that Jesus is God-made-flesh. His authority and power lasts forever.
And we get a glimpse of what is to come later in the Gospel of Luke in verse 3 of Hebrews 1 - He will make purification for sins by His death on the cross. He will most certainly be exalted like we just saw in the Transfiguration. But it will not be until He completes His road to the cross and completes the will of Father.
And just as quickly as this amazing scene builds up to a climax, all is still in verse 36…
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Then suddenly, everything went back to normal. And Peter, James, and John remain silent and obey the voice of Jesus as recorded in Matthew and Mark’s parallel passages. They are to remain silent on this event until after the resurrection (Matthew 17:9, Mark 9:9).
There are many reasons that people postulate when it comes to why Jesus required these three Apostles to remain silent on what had just happened until after the resurrection. The most important of these is likely because they were not to preach Christ glorified until His death and resurrection. The good news of His glorification after His crucifixion was premature at this point. It would be putting the cart before the proverbial horse.
There was coming a time where they would be able to preach this amazing event. Listen to Peter reflect on it in his second letter as I give a sneak peak at some of the Scripture we will be studying during our Thursday Night Bible Study through 2 Peter:
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
The Transfiguration was an anticipation of what was to come. Christ would be glorified. Yet, it would not occur until after His journey to the cross was accomplished.
Scripture References: Mark 9:2, Matthew 17:1, Philippians 1:21, Matthew 17:5, Hebrews 1:4-13, Hebrews 3:1-6, Hebrews 4:8-9, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, Hebrews 1:1-3, Matthew 17:9, Mark 9:9, 2 Peter 1:16-18
Conclusion:
Today’s message has been supernatural to say the least. We have seen a preview of Christ’s forever glory. We have seen the road to the cross that has been confirmed by the Father. And we have seen the exclusive glory to Christ alone.
As we consider the magnificence of Christ, I pray that He becomes bigger and you become smaller.
Today, we have a difficult time seeing Christ for how big He is. Our tendency is to consider ourselves, our agendas, and our opinions as mattering most.
Yet, here we see God the Father testify about the greatness of His Son Jesus Christ. We see Him command those present there as well as us today...
Listen to Him.
Friends, may we listen to Him. May we obey Him. And may we love and glorify Him.
Prayer