The Transfiguration (2)

-The Glory of God is worth the cost of faithfulness.

The Apostles…

I. See the Glory of God vv. 2-4

After Jesus’s words about the coming of the Kingdom on display, Jesus takes His innermost circle of disciples for a preview of what will ultimately be revealed of His glory

What in the world is taking place at the Transfiguration?

For a few moments, God is going to grant Peter, James, and John a view of Jesus unveiled

Interestingly, He is not less than human in the transfiguration; I think it is better to say that He is fully human

Our form is marred by the effects of sin and our fallen state. In His earthly ministry, Jesus mimics this.

We are witnessing true humanity, yet there is much more!

We also see the fullness of the glory of God on display

Moses reflected the glory of God coming down from Sinai

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus radiates the glory of God, because He is the Son of God.

Two witnesses are present, Moses and Elijah.

Moses represents the Law

Elijah represents the Prophets

Both testify to and support Him; all of the Old Testament has been preparing for this!

John 5:39

[39] You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, (ESV)

II. Hear the Instruction of God vv. 5-9

Next, we see Peter struggling to make sense of all of this:

He wants to stay; it’s an incredible moment and he wants to stay in it

Also, he genuinely wants to honor Jesus and the two men who are there with Him

Unfortunately, he places all 3 in the same position of honor. He does not yet understand the distinction between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah

I hope that we don’t give Peter too hard of a time here. He is uncertain and afraid. He does not know what to do, so he does what seems best

Thankfully, the Lord will speak and give instruction to Peter

He identifies Jesus as the superior party present:

He is the Son of the Lord

This is a distinction that Moses and Elijah do not share

He instructs them to listen to Jesus

Peter does not have to spiral out and figure out what to do next

Instead, he needs to listen and obey

What will Jesus tell them to do?

Be quiet about what has taken place and wait for the appropriate time

Prepare for His resurrection, which necessitates His death

We will see that the disciples do not understand all that Jesus is saying, but it is critical that they do what He says!

His ways are not ours and if we are waiting to comprehend God’s intention before we obey, we will never be obedient!

III. Learn the Ways of God vv. 10-13

Finally, we see that they have questions. There is a lot that they don’t understand.

They do not understand what rising from the dead means; they don’t have a space for this in their understanding of Messiah

Further, they are wrestling with prophecy, that says that Elijah must come first, before the Resurrection

Jesus makes sense of it:

Elijah has already come.

John the Baptist is not Elijah reincarnated, but he comes in the spirit and power of Elijah

He comes with a message of repentance to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord

Messiah must suffer

What they miss is that the suffering of Jesus is critical to His resurrection

He is much more than a political figure who will raise an earthly kingdom

He is the Son of God who will establish an eternal Kingdom and sin and death will be no more

His suffering at the hands of wicked men will ultimately become our deliverance, but it is also a pattern that we embrace

We need to understand the nature of His Kingdom: It is not a political power but a spiritual reality

We need to understand His patterns: Suffering obedience is part of the plan

We need to understand His promise: Glory lies ahead for those who follow Him

This is our hope!