Sermon Tone Analysis

We ended last week with Jesus’ words, about coming in the Glory of His Father, and some of the disciples not tasting death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.

The question we were left with, is what does that refer to?

All of those disciples would die before the full and final inauguration of the Kingdom, which we are still waiting for.

But there would be some of them who would experience at least a taste of what the Kingdom was all about.

We have seen over and over again that people were looking for a deliverer in a very political sense.

A deliverer in a very temporal, earthly sense.

And you couldn’t blame them in a way, they were a nation that was under Roman control and influence, and they desired to be delivered.

But Jesus did not fit their preconceived expectations of what a Messiah, a Deliverer would be - he hadn’t overthrown any rulers, he hadn’t made a claim for the throne, he hadn’t even stirred up a rebellion or an army.

We saw, last week, when Jesus clearly foretold his death, that even the disciples (namely Peter) weren’t ready to accept what Jesus’ Messiahship and deliverance were all about.

In fact, any plan that led away from Jesus’ death was a distraction from the enemy.

So when we come to chapter 17, which I believe is a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in 16:28, then I believe that Jesus is showing these men that His Kingdom is not something political or built of human force, it is not something meant to be on par with or simply able to compete with other kingdoms of the world - no, Jesus’ fulfillment of this promise shows that the Kingdom is something glorious, miraculous, and other-wordly.

This transfiguration account is in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and the details are very similar in all those.

John doesn’t record this account, at least not in the same way, but I believe he does record the experience.

Do you see that?

We beheld his glory.

We are going to see that in this passage.

Peter also wrote about this experience, as one who was not only there, but one who perhaps had the very message of the experience pointed at him sharply.

Majestic glory, a voice of honor from God the Father - this is Peter’s synopsis of the very account we look at today.

Lets read Matthew 17:1-8

The most glorious experience that Peter, James, and John ever had proclaimed one message: listen to the Son of God.

1. Up the Mountain - Vs. 1

“After 6 days” is something that is pretty rare in Matthew, it is a direct timestamp.

Luke says “about 8 days,” which, depending on how you count, is not much different.

Either way, we are given direct time references to the previous experience - and what was that previous experience?

It was the revelation that Jesus was the Christ, the revelation that Jesus would have to suffer, die, and rise again, and then the rebuke of Peter and the promise that they would see His Kingdom.

Some say Matthew’s reference to 6 days might be meant to bring back the creation account - and that could be true, for we know from the rest of Scripture that Jesus was, infact, involved in the very creation of the World, and that would show his majesty and glory.

Some wonder if it had to do with the time between the Day of Atonement and the celebration of the feast of tabernacles, which may have been around this time of year.

But to me, it seems that the simplest reason the timestamp is here is because the Gospel writers want us to know that this account is directly related to the other account.

Peter, James, and John formed somewhat of an inner-circle with Jesus.

They were able to witness miracles that other disciples did not.

He took these three along with him a little further than the rest in the garden when he prayed.

So this inner-circle of disciples is taken up on a high mountain for something that would remarkably impact their lives, their thinking, their expectations, and their assumptions.

A high mountain - we aren’t told which one, and it doesn’t necessarily matter.

Since they were just at Caesarea Philipi, it could have been the nearby Mt.

Hermon - which was nearly 10,000 feet in elevation.

There was another mountain, between there and Galilee, called Mt. Miron - that is another likely choice.

What we do know is that they were up there by themselves.

They went to be alone.

The list of mountain-top experiences in Scripture are too many to name them all, but they are all relevant when we consider this one.

Mt.

Moriah, where Abraham took Isaac up to offer him, and God saved Isaac and gave a substitute sacrifice, thus keeping his promise that through Abraham’s seed all the world would be blessed.

Mt.

Sinai, whom both Moses and Elijah went up and communed with God in a very special way.

Mt.

Sinai is where the law was given, the mountain was shrouded by the cloud of God’s presence, and it was such a remarkable experience that the earth shook and Moses trembled.

Mt.

Carmel, where Elijah prevailed against hundreds of prophets of Baal, after the Lord sent down fire from heaven in a remarkable display of power and might.

We saw Jesus, early in his ministry, taken up on a high mountain by Satan to be tempted - a place where Jesus not only overcame that temptation, but set a course for us to resist the devil also.

The first great section of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, also recalls a mountain-top experience.

It is often referred to as the mount of beatitudes.

There would be, of course, another mountain in Jesus’ future - Calvary, which he has already clearly foretold.

In all these ways, on all these mountains, there was a display of God’s presence, his faithfulness, and his authority.

Whether through giving of the law, giving of the teaching of Jesus, defeat of the false prophets, defeat of Satan’s temptation, or salvation promised through a substitute offering, these all point toward lessons learned on this mountain, where Jesus took Peter, James, and John.

2. On the Mountain - Vs. 2-8

I love the Bible, because it often understates the most wonderful things imaginable.

Like when Jesus walked on the water, and it simply states - he came to them walking on the water.

Or when Jesus fed the crowds it simply states, he blessed it and broke it and gave it, and there was enough.

Here, Matthew records so simply - almost too simple for our liking - he was transfigured before them.

Transfigured - metamorphao - where we get our word metamorphosis.

A change in form.

It was a change, in front of these disciples, that seems to be totally for their sake, for their learning.

He took them up here to have this experience, and to learn the lessons that would come.

We aren’t given tons of specifics, other than that the change was glorious.

His face shone like the sun - Moses’ face glowed after he got a glimpse of the Lord’s glory, but that was simply a reflection.

In this case, Jesus isn’t reflecting anything - he is simply shining.

His clothes became white as light.

Psalm 104:1–2 (ESV)

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

covering yourself with light as with a garment.

Mark and Luke have their own ways of saying it - I like Luke, who said his appearance was whiter than any bleacher on earth could make something.

It was a miraculous, divine whiteness and light.

Of course, any reference to light recalls that God’s very nature and many of his appearances also show light.

In a metaphoric sense, we see that in 1 John.

In a very real sense, we recall other times when God was actually appearing as fire and light.

And of course, we look to the future where we know Jesus will be revealed in such glory again.

This is a change in form, but not a change in being.

This is the same Jesus, with an added level of visible glory that had not been seen before.

The same Jesus with his awesome brightness shining through.

And if this experience wasn’t miraculous and incredible enough, what happens next adds another dimension to it.

Now, there is Jesus in a miraculous, amazing, glorified form standing before his disciples, and now Moses and Elijah were standing there with him, talking with him.

Jesus, Moses, and Elijah having a conversation, while Peter James and John sit back and try to pick up their jaws.

Why Moses and Elijah?

Maybe, the Mountain-Top experiences.

Maybe, the prophetic aspects

Maybe, the significance of the Old Testament

Moses, the giver of the Law and Elijah, the first of the great Oral prophets.

Maybe, it is that they both experienced rejection and hostility in their times of ministry.

Both of them had miraculous departing - Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire, and Moses had his body taken away by the Lord.

Either way, both men we can symbolically say, pointed toward Jesus, and Jesus fulfills the ministry and purpose of both of them.

They were talking with him - Luke 9 tells us they were talking about his death, his departing from the world.

Which is interesting, because that is exactly what Jesus and his disciples were talking about 6 days earlier.

Well, here we see Peter open his mouth again - and we try not to be hard on Peter, but it just keeps happening for him.

“Lord, it is good that we are here!”

Which means one of two things - this is the most amazing experience of my entire life!

Or, Lord, it’s a good thing you brought us here, we can help you out!

Peter’s suggestion, then, was to build three tents - three temporary shelters.

Sukkas - little tabernacles.

One for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus.