Luke 9:28-29

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-Let me encourage you to follow along in your Bibles this morning.

And, We’ve come to Luke 9:28...

…and to an event that is most often referred to as...

The Transfiguration.

-But... if the title had not been already taken...

I would probably suggest to you...

...that we refer to it as...

The Revelation of Jesus Christ!

Or, at least, perhaps:

The Incipient Revelation of Jesus Christ

And I say that, because (I believe)...

…that’s exactly what this event is.

It is an incipient...

unveiling

revealing

pulling back of the curtain...

…to show who Jesus is...

…beneath the surface of his real humanity.

NOTHING, that we’ve read so far, . . .

...(not even in the Christmas narratives)...

…is as dramatic and spectacular...

…as this event.

And, NOTHING, that we’ve read so far...

…more clearly tells us who Jesus is.

-And remember, that that has been the question...

…for several weeks now.

Jesus had posed it, himself.

He had asked his disciples, first:

Luke 9:18 (ESV)

18 . . . “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

And then in contrast to those errant responses...

He asked them:

Luke 9:20 (ESV)

20 . . . “But who do you say that I am?” . . .

Peter, of course, answered rightly (for once).

He replied:

Matthew 16:16 (ESV)

16 . . . “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

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And that’s what’s going to be made unmistakably clear...

…in the next few weeks.

But, it won’t be an earthly affirmation, this time...

This time, it's going to be affirmed...

…by heaven itself...

...And, by the One who rules heaven and earth.

God, himself, is going to make Jesus known!

-Now, let me say upfront, that...

…I had originally hoped to cover this in one sermon.

That was a ridiculous notion.

Then, I thought I could do it in two.

But, as I tried to plan out even that...

I realized that there was just too much in this.

It was simply too deep to make such promises to you.

-To be honest...

...I don’t know how many sermons it will be.

So, we’re gonna read the entire narrative this morning...

But, probably only expound the first two verses.

And we’ll follow such a pattern...

…until we’ve reached the end.

I think it will be worth our time to do so.

-Please follow along as I read:

This is the word and witness of God!

Luke 9:28–36 (ESV)

28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.

30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,

31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

32 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.

33 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.

34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

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.

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Pray

-Let me call your attention back to Verse 28.

There, Luke gives us the setting of this event.

First, he tells us that it took place...

Luke 9:28 (ESV)

28 ...about eight days after these sayings...

-Now, let’s get something out of the way at the outset...

…so we can focus our attention on what’s most important.

Matthew and Mark, both say...

Mark 9:2 (ESV)

2 And after six days...

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Should this cause us to stumble?

Of course not.

There’s always an explanation...

...when you take the time to look.

-This is simply two ways...

…of saying the same thing.

For the sake of time...

…I’ll let Calvin explain:

The difference as to time ought not to give us uneasiness.

Matthew and Mark reckon six entire days, which had elapsed between the events. Luke says that it happened about EIGHT days afterwards, including both the day on which Christ spake these words, and the day on which he was transfigured.

We see then that, under a diversity of expression, there is a perfect agreement as to the meaning. — Calvin

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And after examining that issue at some length...

I believe this is the proper understanding.

-Now, keep in mind that all 3 synoptic gospel writers...

…are intentionally connecting what happens here...

…to the events (or “sayings”) in Verses 18-27.

We already read how those sayings had begun:

With Jesus asking...

And Peter answering...

…the question of Jesus’ Messianic identity.

But Then, in Verse 22 he had predicted...

…that in order to assume his Messianic throne...

....he was going to have to:

Suffer

Be Rejected (by his own people)

DIE!

Be RAISED from the dead!

-Then, he had told his disciples...

…that they could expect to suffer too...

And that, whoever wasn’t willing...

…to suffer for the sake of Christ...

...Would have no part in him.

-THEN, he turned around and told them this...

…in spite of that daunting prognosis:

Luke 9:27 (ESV)

27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

-Now, one week later...

Luke 9:28 (ESV)

28 ...he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

At this point...

…each of these 3 factors ought to cause us...

…to anticipate that something significant...

…is about to happen.

-The last time he had taken these three men...

...somewhere by themselves...

…He had raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead!

And it seems as though, every time he desired...

…to satisfy that three-fold burden of proof...

…required by the Law...

…that he chose these same three apostles.

-What that implies, is that...

...they’re about to witness something new...

…in the unfolding of God’s Self-Revelation...

...Something, to which, they would later be called upon to testify to.

-Also, many significant events have already occured...

…after/while Jesus had gone up on a mountain

(that’s not accidental).

-AND... Luke has already been introducing most...

…of the turning points in Jesus’ earthly ministry...

…by telling us that Jesus, first...

...had gotten alone in prayer with his Father

-AND... not only that...

(and this may be the most important correlation)

…When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to worship the LORD in Exodus 24...

…He took three specified men with him...

(along with a representative host of 70)

…and this happened:

Exodus 24:9–10 (ESV)

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,

10 and they saw the God of Israel...

What happened?

Revelation happened!

-Needless to say, verse 28 ought to induce within us...

…a sense of high anticipation:

Something formative in the history of redemption...

…is about to happen here.

-Look at Verse 29:

Notice first:

Luke 9:29 (ESV)

29 And as he was praying...

This is the posture conducive to revelation

Luke 9:29 (ESV)

29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.

Literally, you could say that, “the appearance of his face became different”

and, “his clothing was gleaming white, like the glow of lightening!”

-What’s going on, here?

Well, the other gospel writers help us to understand that:

They use a word to describe it...

…that Luke (perhaps because of his gentile audience)....

…doesn’t employ.

(Luke, probably didn’t want to confuse what’s happening here...

…with errant notions of their pagan deities...

...taking various shapes and forms on the earth)

Matthew says this:

Matthew 17:2 (ESV)

2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Mark says:

Mark 9:2–3 (ESV)

2 …He was transfigured before them,

3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

This wasn’t a change brought about by natural circumstances.

-Now, the word Matthew and Mark both use in the Greek...

...to describe this change...

...is very important.

One Commentary defines it as...

. . . “A change in appearance that comes from within,” and it gives us the English word metamorphosis. — Bible Exposition Commentary

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Think of the seemingly miraculous transformation...

…of a caterpillar to a butterfly.

(Every analogy breaks down)

The Butterfly DNA has always been there...

…now, it’s being manifested.

It’s happening to the caterpillar...

…but it’s occuring internally, from within.

Similarly, this isn’t an externally caused change...

…such as a sun burn...

...or the dying of your hair.

It’s an internal transformation...

…revealing what was the hidden reality all along.

-So, what does all of this language of...

light

brightness

radiance..

…tell us, that was inherent...

...in Jesus of Nazareth all along?

What does it show us...

…that has always been “in his DNA,” . . .

…just hitherto unseen?

In a word... “GLORY!”

And, from where does glory come?

Where is the seat and source of glory found?

With...

God!

In...

Heaven!

Remember Psalm 104?

Psalm 104:1–2 (ESV)

1 . . . O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

2 covering yourself with light as with a garment...

Remember the description in:

Daniel 7:9 (ESV)

9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

Remember how Ezekiel described the throne of God?

Ezekiel 1:26–28 (ESV)

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.

27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.

28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Again… Revelation ensued.

-This is why the messengers of heaven...

…are often described similarly.

Because they’ve been...

commissioned by...

sent out from...

…the throne of glory!

Remember this?

Luke 2:8–9 (ESV)

9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

Revelation ensued!

Of the appearance of one of the Angels at the empty tomb, we are told:

Matthew 28:1–3 (ESV)

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

Revelation ensued

What did this prove about these messengers?

They came from Heaven

They spoke with the authority of God

Do you see how the presence of glory...

...is inseparably connected to Revelation:

Consider even Moses.

Exodus 34:28–35 (ESV)

28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them.

32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.

33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded,

35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

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Moses’ shining face proved that he had...

spoken with God

been in his divine presence.

It gave authority to what Moses said.

-But, there’s one huge difference between Moses and Jesus:

Moses’ glory was reflective.

Jesus’ glory was intrinsic!

It was in his DNA!

-What’s happening in our text...

…is simply, that God the Father...

…is making that known!

The God of Glory...

…is testifying to the divine nature...

…of the man Jesus of Nazareth.

Let me prove that to you:

John 1:14 (ESV)

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Peter, who witnessed the Transfiguration, . . .

…interpreted it like this:

2 Peter 1:16–18 (ESV)

16 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.

17 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,”

18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

Philip Ryken summarizes it like this:

As the disciples gazed upon this glorious revelation, they were catching a glimpse of something from the past.

They were seeing the glory that the Son had with the Father before the world began (John 17:5)—the eternal splendor of his divine being.

They were seeing a visible manifestation of God’s invisible glory.

Here, for the first time in the Gospels, they were witnessing the majesty of God the Son.

As Luke puts it, “they saw his glory” (Luke 9:32). — Ryken

He goes on to say:

Then too the apostles were seeing something from the future. They were catching a glimpse of the glory that God would reveal in Jesus Christ — Ryken

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How is Jesus now seen?

There is a very real sense in which...

…what was future for them...

…is a present reality for us:

Remember what Jesus said...

…to those who were doubting...

…the claims of his Resurrection:

Luke 24:25–27 (ESV)

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Through/In the Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension...

The veil has been removed:

Jesus, has been “Revealed!”

Look at the way he is depicted...

…at the beginning of his apocalypse (define):

Revelation 1:12–18 (ESV)

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

13 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.

14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,

15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

16 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.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Do you know what that means?

It means he won!

And, it means that those who have fled to him for refuge...

…are certain to be freed from the power of sin and death.

How do we do that?

How do we flee to him for refuge?

How do we behold his glory?

Repentance and Faith.

Let’s ask for grace to do it.