Untitled Sermon (9)

Intro: Open your bibles to Matthew Chapter 17, today we are going to look at the last miracle in this series, the transfiguration. And you know, I’ve really enjoyed this series because when I used to read the gospels, I would  just focus on the miracles themselves. Because they’re amazing. You have eye witness testimony that goes beyond Jesus as a good moral teacher. You have a man that was like no other man. Who was able to do things no one else could do. But I didn't realize I was missing the whole point of why Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded these events. I didn't realize how much deeper and how much more meaning there was in these miracles.

And I think it’s easy for most of us to miss the point. Because we were born in the 20th century in a western culture. We aren’t first century Jews living in Judea. I think we often wonder why Jesus was so controversial. Especially with the Pharisees. I mean he’s doing a bunch of really good things. He’s healing people and restoring people. I mean who could be angry about that? But they weren’t necessarily mad about the good that Jesus had done; they were mad about the claims that he had made. Claims that he can forgive sins, or claims that he was Lord over the sabbath.

And as we’ve gone through this series, we’ve focused on the fact that the point of these miracles was not just about the miracles themselves.That wasn’t the focus, the focus was on the implication of the miracles. What does this miracle say about who Jesus is? Because Jesus made claims and did things that in the mindset of a first century Jew that only one person could do, and that was God. So now they were left with a choice…is this man something more than just a man? Is he the long awaited messiah? Or is he just a crazy guy? A blasphemer? A fake? A liar? 

And it’s no different today, people wrestle with these same questions. Is Jesus who he claims to be? And you know often you’ll hear said, “well Jesus never directly claimed to be God”. Jesus never said “I am God”. “That’s just something that the authors of the bible developed over time”. That’s the claim. 

But if we rightly understand the context of these miracles, you come to realize that Jesus didn’t need to say he was God. His actions proved that he had the same attributes, power and authority that God had. And if he has the same attributes, power, and authority of God…then that can mean only one thing. And that’s what Jesus’s audience would have been wrestling with. That’s what made the Pharisees so mad. They understood who Jesus was claiming to be. And in their mindset there can only be one God. They knew the Scriptures. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord. (I am Yahwah). That is my name, and I will not give my glory to another…” Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord, (I am Yahwah), and there is no other; there is no God but me”. So this guy Jesus can’t possibly be God. 

But as we’ll see in today’s miracle, Jesus doesn't have to say he’s God. He will reveal that he has the same glory as the God of Israel. Yahwah. He will reveal to Peter, James, and John that they’ve been with the God they heard about all of their lives, the God who called them to be a nation, who saved them from slavery in Egypt. They’ve been with him for the past three years and they didn't even realize it. This miracle, the transfiguration, will reveal Jesus’s true identity, his supremacy, and ultimately his destiny as both God and man, and what that means for us today! So let’s begin in Matthew chapter 17 verse 1.

Read verse 1-13

Let’s pray before we begin- Lord be with us this morning as we study your Word. May our knowledge of you increase and may that increase lead us to love you more, to praise you for who you are, to believe who you are, to trust in you, and to walk in a way that you have called us to live. We ask this by faith in Jesus' name, amen. 

Transition: Well, let’s look at our first point this morning, the miracle of the transfiguration revealed Jesus’s: 

1st point: The transfiguration revealed Jesus’s Identity.

Look at verse 1 again. Read verse 1-2

Have you ever been around someone and start to put little bits and pieces of their life together and realize there’s more to this person than you thought you knew. Or maybe they reveal something to you and your perspective about them completely changed…

When I was engaged to Heather and she was in college she had told me that she was related to Chef Boyardee through her nana and you know, I didn’t think much of it. I liked their raviolios, i liked to eat them straight out of the can cold. But as time went on I would hear about the money she would get from her nana on Christmas and her birthday and it wasn’t like 5 bucks like my grandma would send. Then I heard how her nana would send her money to pay for her college. And when we were married she helped pay off a big portion of Heather's school loans.

And I started to put the pieces together…I struck gold! My wife was going to inherit the chef boyardee fortune! We were going to be rich and not just rich in raviolios! But then heather brought me back to reality. Because she let me know she wasn't directly related. It was by marriage through her great aunt's side and there was no direct line to the inheritance it would end for her great grandma… 

And as I started to put the pieces together, I got the wrong picture of who my wife is but as we put the pieces together from this passage we’ll be able to see who Jesus truly is. Because this miracle reveals his true identity. Not who he became but who he had been all along. 

And to gather all the bits and pieces that we’ll need, we need to start with the context that leads up to this moment. There’s a build up to this miracle that starts in chapter 16. 

In chapter 16:13 Jesus posed the question, “who do people say that the son of man is?” And the phrase “son of man” was a phrase that people would use when they were talking about the messiah. So, basically Jesus asked them, “who do people think the messiah is”. And the disciples replied, oh some say the messiah is john the baptist, some say it was Elijah, others say it was Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But then Jesus changed the question, he said, “who do you say that I am”? Who’s the messiah and who I am? And Peter was able to put the pieces together, and he said, “you are the messiah, the son of the living God”, not John the Baptist, not Elijah, not one of the prophets…it’s you!

And then just before the miracle of the transfiguration Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it. For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? For the Son of Man (remember that’s the title for the messiah,) is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father and then he will reward each according to what he has done. (And this is the important part, he says). Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the son of Man coming in his kingdom”. 

And often this verse, verse 28 of Matthew chapter 16 is seen as a contradiction in the bible. Because a lot of people think that the context of this verse is referring to his second coming. Because those who were standing there would be already dead because he hasn’t returned. But that wasn’t what Jesus was referring to. When Jesus told his disciples this, he was referring to the miracle that was about to take place. Because immediately after this verse, chapter 17 verse 1 says, “after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain… Peter, James, and John were the ones who would get to see Jesus coming in the glory of his father and they would get to see his kingdom before they tasted death. Jesus would reveal to them not only his kingdom but his true identity.

And as we start to put these pieces together, the amazing thing about this miracle is how closely it mirrors another moment in the bible. Almost as if we are looking at two parallel accounts. Because there was another man in the bible who got to see God’s kingdom in all its glory, Moses. And before he saw the glory of God, building up to that moment, Moses asked a question similar to the way that Jesus had asked the disciples. Moses asked, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me, What is his name? What should I tell them? (Who do I say that you are?) God replied, tell them that I AM WHO I AM sent you! And Jesus had asked, “Who do you say that I am”.

And after Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, he was led up onto a high mountain, Mount Sinai. And he took with him Joshua. And when Moses was on the mountain for six days a cloud covered the mountain and on the seventh day, Exodus chapter 24 verse 17 it says, “The appearance of the LORD’s glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop”. And not only that, but the glory of the LORD was so bright that after Moses had been in God’s presence his face would shine so brightly that he would have to wear a veil over his face.

And doesn’t that sound familiar? Doesn’t that sound just like the miracle of the transfiguration? After six days, on the seventh day, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John on a high mountaintop. Just like Moses took Joshua on Mount Sinai. And when Jesus was transfigured or changed in front of them, his face shone so bright like the sun, his clothes became as white as light. Just like the Lord’s glory that had appeared on the mountain before Moses and the people.  And not only that, but in verse 5 of chapter 17 it says, “A bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud spoke”... Just like the cloud that had covered Mount Sinai for six days.

And in exodus chapter 19 verse 9 it says, “The LORD said to Moses, I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you and will always believe you”. And we see that happen in this miracle, “Suddenly a bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud said, “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him” And Peter, James, and John heard this. 

And you would have to imagine for the disciples, when they started to put these pieces together, they realized that the same God who they had heard about all their lives, the same God of their ancestors, the God of Israel,who gave the the 10 commandments to Moses from Mount Sinai, the same God that had appeared in all his glory before the people of israel in a cloud and spoke to them was standing right in front of them. 

The guy that they had been following for almost three years, was not just a guy. He was transformed right in front of them to reveal who he really was all along. He answered the question, “who do you say I am” by showing them that he is I AM. That’s who he’s always been, he showed them his true identity. He is the Son of Man, the messiah, the one true God, Yahweh. 

Because Jesus had the same glory as God. He had the same attributes, power and authority of God. And if there is only one God and he doesn't share his glory with another, that can only mean one thing. Jesus is God because he’s of the same essence. And they got to experience that. They experienced standing before Jesus, God’s physical presence in the flesh and saw his divine glory just like Moses did. The transfiguration revealed Jesus’s true identity. And they put those pieces together. 

Transition: But the transfiguration didn’t just reveal Jesus’s identity, it also revealed Jesus’s supremacy. Let’s look at our next point this morning:

2nd point: The transfiguration revealed Jesus’s Supremacy.

Look at verse three with me. Read verses 3-8. 

I think this part of the transfiguration has always been a little confusing. Why did Moses and Elijah show up and what were they talking to Jesus about? But if we  compare Luke's account of this miracle to Matthew's we’ll see he gives us a little more information. In Luke 9:31, he says that Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. And really that’s the significance of Moses and Elijah being there is that Moses and Elijah represented something specific about the Old Testament. All of the Old Testament pointed to one who would come and be able to fulfil the demands of the law and the promises of the prophets. And that’s why Moses and Elijah were there. Because Moses and Elijah represent all of the Old testament Scriptures. Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented all the prophets. It was Moses who wrote the first 5 books of the bible who said to the Israelite people in Deuteronomy 18:15, “the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him”. Moses spoke of one who was to come who would be like him but who would be superior to him. Moses wasn’t the end all be all. There was someone else. 

And in Malachi Chapter 4:5, the last of the Old testament prophets, it was prophesied that one who had the power of Elijah would come, someone greater than Elijah would show up. “Look, I am going  to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse”. 

And we know, in fact, that someone like Elijah had come. Jesus himself said so in our passage that it was John the Baptist. Who came to proclaim someone greater than he. That someone would come who he wasn't even worthy to stoop down and untie his sandals. John proclaimed that he wasn't the long awaited messiah. In fact John said he must decrease and that the Jesus must increase. Because he was superior! 

Moses knew, the prophets knew, John the baptist knew, that there was someone greater, someone with a ministry far superior to theirs who would come to accomplish God’s plan of salvation that was prophesied from genesis all the way to malachi. And that person was Jesus. 

Because Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Jesus himself said that in Matthew 5:17-18, “Don’t think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 

So in verse 4, when Peter says, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He was thinking okay this it, this is the kingdom we’ve been waiting for. Our biblical heroes are here and it's time to take back Israel. It’s time to rebuild our kingdom. 

But what happened? Immediately, a cloud covered them and a voice from heaven said, NO!  “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” And it says in verse 6, “when the disciples heard this, they fell face-down and were terrified. But then Jesus came up to them and touched them and said, “Get up, don't be afraid”. When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone. 

Because It’s not about our kingdom or our idea of the kingdom. It’s not about Moses, it’s not about Elijah. It’s about Jesus and his kingdom. He is the one who they should be focused on. It’s not Jesus plus, you know, fill in the blank. My works, my identity, my goals, my religion. Remember what he said earlier in chapter 16, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”

Our lives should be built on him because he is the Son of Man, he is the Messiah and he is superior! He is the one that God’s kingdom is built upon. He is the one that came to accomplish and fulfill all things. He was the one the Old testament was always about. He is the one they’ve been waiting for. He is the one they were supposed to listen to, to believe and to put their hope and trust in. He is the only one who is supposed to receive all glory and all honor. 

And for us today, when we read the Old Testament. When we study the law and the prophets we need to understand that they were always pointing to Jesus. The glory of God was never found in the law and the prophets. The law isn’t something that we are supposed to try to keep, it only brings death. 

The law's purpose is to point us to the fact we can't keep it and we need someone who can. And the prophets were always pointing us to Jesus who would come and rescue us from the death that the law brings. The Glory of God is found only in Jesus. So when we look to the Scriptures, when we look at our lives, when we are looking for a solution to our sin and our problems, when we’re trying to build our own kingdom apart from Christ. And when that’s not working and we’re face down and terrified we should look up and we see no one else except Jesus alone. 

Transition: Because he is superior and we see that in this miracle, that Jesus is the one that has supremacy. But the transfiguration doesn't just reveal Jesus’s supremacy, it also reveals his destiny. That’s our third and final point this morning. 

3rd point:The transfiguration revealed Jesus’s Destiny.

Look at verse 9 with me. Read 9-13. 

So after witnessing Jesus reveal his true identity as God and getting to see a glimps of his kingdom in glory, Jesus told them not to tell anyone about it until after he was raised from the dead. And so a little confused about the timing of the kingdom the disciples asked Jesus, “wait isn't Elijah supposed to come first before the kingdom of God comes”. (I would have asked him, “what do you mean by being raised from the dead”, but who am I?)  

But the reason they asked this question is because they had been taught that before the kingdom of God comes Elijah must come first. And look how Jesus answered them in verse 12, “Elijah has already come, and they didn't recognize him. Instead they did whatever they please to him” They imprisoned him and killed him. They missed it. They missed the Kingdom of God because they had their own idea of what the kingdom of God was supposed to look like. 

And it's in this miracle where Jesus reveals his destiny. Because the Kingdom of God wasn't going to be ushered in a way that they thought it would be. They didn’t realize that Jesus’s kingdom was not of this world. Because their idea of a king and a kingdom would be someone who is a conqueror. Someone who would be triumphant. Who would defeat the Romans and rule and reign in Judea like King David or King Solomon. But the kingdom of God is upside down and backwards to our thinking. 

Because Jesus said, “like John the baptist, I’m going to suffer at their hands”. That was his destiny. Because it would be through his destiny that he would become a conqueror. It would be through suffering and weakness that he would become triumphant. It would be through the shame of the cross that he would be glorified. And it would be through his death and resurrection that he would have victory. 

But he wouldn't be defeating a worldly kingdom, he would be triumphing over a spiritual one. The one that brought sin and death into the world. And it would be through Jesus’s suffering on a cross that he would pay for the sins of the world. And it would be through the resurrection that he would justify many. Just as Romans 4:25 says, “he was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 

Colonians 2:14-15 says, “He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the Cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them through it”, through the cross. 

Transition: And it is through the cross that Jesus would be glorified. And that’s our key truth for this morning:

Key truth: The cross revealed his glory. 

Because it’s on the cross that we see the glory of Jesus on display. It’s on the cross that we see the glorious character of God, his perfect righteousness and justice on display. It’s at the cross that we see his love, his mercy and his grace. And that is available to you. To anyone who would turn from their sin and trust in him is for their forgiveness and salvation. To anyone who would deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. 

Let’s pray-