The Purpose and application of the transfiguration of Christ.

Review:

Today we return to our verse by verse series in the book of Luke that we’ve titled “The Son: From the Manger to The Cross”. It has been five weeks since we have been in Luke together and, if you’re like me, that’s just enough time to forget where we are and what is going on in our study. So, allow me to take the first few minutes of our time together in review.

Luke is what is called a synoptic gospel. Meaning that it covers the same events as other Gospels. The other two synoptics are Matthew and Mark. But, Luke distinguishes his gospel from the others because he writes thematically and not necessarily chronologically.

The them of Luke 9 is Christological, that it to say it is ll about “Jesus being the Son of God, the Messiah.”

In fact, it opens in v.9 with Herod asking the question:

Luke 9:9 ESV

9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

The next thing Luke covers in chapter 9 then is Jesus last miracle in Galilee which also happens to be perhaps his greatest miracle where he feeds five thousand men (not counting women and children) with five small loves and two fishes. Which is meant to convey an answer to Herods question: Jesus is the all sufficient Lord of the universe.

Then we move on two verse 18 where Jesus asks his Apostles “Who do the crowds say that I am?” To which they answer some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others one of the Old Testament prophets risen from the dead. Then, in v.19 Jesus ask his Apostles a little different question: “Who do you say I am?” and Peter on behalf of the other 11 makes his great declaration:

Luke 9:20 (ESV)

…And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Jesus then goes on in v.21-22 to reveal more details of his coming to the apostles in a more direct way than he ever has. He details to them that he came not to be adored by the masses of humanity but to die for the sins of humanity as a suffering savior. But, that his suffering would give way to resurrection victory three days later.

Then in v.23-24 he lays out that, as his disciples, they needed to realize one thing: To join Jesus on his journey toward Jerusalem and as his followers for life, was to follow him not into triumph but instead into a life of suffering. That being his disciple was going to cost them far more than they ever probably thought it would. That there is a high cost to being a disciple of Jesus.

After hearing that Jesus is going to die at the hands of the Jewish and Roman government, which flew in the face of all of their expectations. They expected Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and set up his Kingdom in order to restore Israel to its past glory, not suffering and death.

I think as Lord of all and as someone who cared deeply for these men, Jesus must have noticed the shocked and disappointed looks on all of their faces. So, in v.27 he makes a promise, to, I think encourage them

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.”

That brings us to our text today in Luke 9:28-36 which takes place, Luke says 8 days later.

Explain why others say 6 and Luke says 8. The others count only the intervening days while Luke counts the day Jesus made the promise and the day of the transfiguration.

Let’s read it together:

Introduction:

There is a ton of meat to unpack here, so much so, that we may come back to this passage a few more weeks to unpack it more.

This incredibly striking event open with Jesus taking three men, Peter James and John with him on top of a mountain to pray. This was not an unusual occurence as Jesus often took time alone to pray especially as his death drew ever more imminent and weighed on him. These three men, formed a sort of inner circle around Jesus.

While there, on top of the mountain these three men were privy to seeing a taste of heaven on earth, as they witnessed Jesus metamorphosis into his glorified heavenly form discussing the events of his death with two of the greatest Old Testament figures to the Jews Moses, the great law giver and Elijah the great rescuer of the law.

Upon witnessing this Peter blurts out “Lord, this is really cool, let me make three shelters for you and these two men to sit under and lets make this last as long as we possibly can. The text tells us, that Peter didn't even really understand all that he was saying.

Then, God speaks out of a cloud instructing the three men, that this is his chosen one, his Messiah and instructs them to listen to him.

The cloud then leaves, and the three disciples find themselves alone with Jesus, back in his earthly form and engulfed in silence.

This event was so stunning that they told no one about it until after the resurrection of Christ.

As I mentioned already there is so much to unpack here regarding why Jesus was praying, the deity of Christ on display, the presence of Moses and Elijah and why that was significant, the Old testament symbolism that is present here regarding the mountain, and the cloud, the disciples reaction to it and the next time we are together, we are going to dive into all of that. But, that’s not what I am going to do today.

Today, I want to speak a little into what the purpose of this event was and why it matters to us and instructs us today given the events that have impacted our church and those we love over the last week.

There is a two fold purpose to this event and three points of application I want us to observe today and, just to be honest with you, my sermon today is going to be heavy on application and a little light on exegesis which is not the norm. Come back for the next two sermons and we will get into the exegesis.

What was the purpose of the transfiguration?

I think there is a two fold purpose behind the inclusion of this event in Luke Gospel. One for the Lord Jesus and one or the disciples.

A.) For Jesus

God the Father used this event to bring some reassurance to the Son that the best and only plan of Salvation for mankind lied in his suffering.

B.) For the Disciples

I see the father using this to remind the three disciples that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Chosen one. No doubt they were feeling disillusioned after Jesus told them of his impending death.

God gave the inner circle of Christ an encounter with the future Kingdom of God and Christ in his glorified form in order to strengthen their confidence for the very difficult days ahead.

He knew they were going to need that.

Now, with that in mind, let me pastor you a little bit and get really personal for a few minutes.

Transition:

Last Monday morning as I pulled into the drive way I received a call on my phone that knocked me for a loop. It was from the secretary at our missions partners here in Winchester OTAN that our missionary and former assistant pastor and worship leader (and friends) Jacob and Lynaya Cooper had lost their little two month old baby girl. She had passed sometime during the night on Sunday night. They didn't know anything else but would keep us updated but asked that we not reach out to them for now as they were grappling with it all.

I’m going to be honest, that’s a call that as a pastor I never wanted to receive. As a parent, to loose a child is your worst nightmare.

I got out of my car and made my way into the church and set down on the front row and just wept and prayed. In my prayer I even dared to ask God “why he would do such a thing.”

I got up from the front row and called my wife and we wept together on the phone for a bit. Then I tried to come into my office and do some administrative work but, largely just sat and stared at the wall in my office in utter disbelief.

It wasn’t an hour later that my phone rang again and this time it was our Missionary Al Doomy (Lynaya’s father, Jacobs father in law, and baby Noa’s grandpa). I didn't even say hello, I answered my phone and said “Al, I’m so sorry, how can we help?”

Al, just met me with tears on the other end of the phone and said he was getting in his car to drive down and he would keep me posted.

It was the next morning or maybe even later Monday (to be honest) its all a bit of haze, that I heard from Al and Jacob’s father Mike telling me that Jacob and Lynaya had requested that I come to North Carolina to be with them and to preach the funeral of little Noa.

Tuesday night or maybe it was Wednesday I had the opportunity to speak to Jacob and Lynaya on the phone regarding their wishes and they were just broken. It was through tears that we discussed their wishes for the funeral, I tried to express some comfort and prayed with them.

They don’t prepare you for life shaking events like this in seminary. No body writes books on how to offer comfort to a family who has just lost a child. I have never felt more inadequate in my whole life.

I spent the rest of the week preparing for the funeral and trying to write a sermon to provide comfort and hope.

Friday we got in the car and drove to North Carolina to be with the family. We met the family at the camp where Jacob and Lynaya now work for dinner and when Jacob and Lynaya arrived we just hugged and cried. We sat over dinner trying to have small talk and it was so uncomfortable.

Then, as the evening was ending I sat on the porch with Jacob and Lynaya trying to counsel them, go over last minute instructions for the next day, praying and crying.

Saturday morning, we met them at the funeral home in Wilson, NC and again tried to offer support and comfort to grieving parents and grand parents while standing over the casket of a two month old baby girl.

I’m going to be honest, I cant get her image out of my mind. Every time this week I have closed my eyes, all I can see is that beautiful little girl laying lifeless in a tiny casket and her parents broken and weeping.

I spoke to Jacob on Wednesday and they are coping as best they can and conveyed to me their thanks for the prayers and giving. You gave enough to cover (or at least come very close to covering) all of the cemetery cost associated with Laying little Noa to rest.

In time, they will take your calls and answer your text messages but it’s going to take them time. Be patient with them.

I have found myself praying and asking the question “why” a lot this week. I’ve also found myself saying probably close to one hundred times the phrase “it’s not supposed to be this way.”

Talk about the effects of sin on the world and it not being in God’s original design.

I sat in my study on Weds and Thursday this week preparing to preach today and studying over our text this morning still feeling a little numb from it all.

I’ve known now for 5 or six weeks that this was going to be our text this morning and yet as I studied it this week the Lord used it to minister to my heart in a way I don’t think it would have before.

You see in studying this text I’ve come to see three implications of the Transfiguration of Christ that I think will speak to our church this week in the light of the tragedy we faced in the death of little Noa Cooper and the grief we are feeling.

1.) The transfiguration of Christ tells us that in the kingdom of God, death has no power.

In the transfiguration of Christ, for just a few minutes or hours, heaven touched earth and brought with it all of its glory.

This tiny glimpse of the Kingdom of God come down to earth through Christ conversing with Moses and Elijah show us that the living saints of God and those saints who have gone on before us into Heaven share a special kind of existence.

That one day we will be able to commune with ease no longer separated by the veil between the earthly and the spiritual worlds.

You see, in the first century many, I’ll even say most Jews believed in a future resurrection and anticipated some kind of life after death, but their belief in that hung on some very thin threads. You see the Old Testament only loosely alluded to these things. It never came right out and said there was a future resurrection.

But, Peter, James and John received firsthand knowledge and proof of life after death for the Lord’s saints.

They saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus in person!

Friends, death has no power in the kingdom of God.

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

2.) The transfiguration of Christ tells us that in the kingdom of God our bodies will not experience the effects of evil.

The earthly body of Jesus and the bodies of Moses and Elijah all took on some of the same super natural attributes.

This shows us that in the future kingdom of God we will have bodies, but they will be impervious to pain, suffering, hunger, thirst, injury, disease, and death. There will be no need for things like shelter, food or medicine.

Isaiah 33:24 ESV

24 And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

2 Corinthians 5:1–10 ESV

1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

3.) The transfiguration of Christ teaches us that our victory is assured despite the path of suffering before us.

Friends this event teaches us that we can have complete confidence that despite the many many challenges to our faith that we face here on this earth, that God’s plan is always best even when it leads us through suffering, pain and even death.

Let the transfiguration of Christ be your reminder to stick to God’s plan! There is no better way. Even if it means suffering, pain and death as it did for Christ. Stay the course.

The glory of God awaits you in Heaven one day!

1 Corinthians 15:50–58 ESV

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

2 Corinthians 4:15–18 ESV

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Conclusion:

Friends, the transfiguration of Christ stirs and comforts my heart. Through it, I can begin to make a little sense of why God does somethings the way he does and why he permits somethings to happen.

The glory that awaits us is mind blowing.

Give Gospel.