The Transfiguration - An Experience with God

“If I had an incredible experience with God then I would believe.” Their desire is that they want God to stimulate their natural senses: smell; taste; touch; see; and hear. Or these people want an emotional rush, some feeling inside that they have never experienced before. God can, and sometimes does, bless people with experiences like these. But most of the time, when people have shared seemingly awesome experiences like this with me, I have not noticed a favorable change in their lives. They end up explaining them away as “imagination,” hallucination, emotional instability, or some other thing… or they take their experience and transform it into some ‘off-the-wall’ doctrine that is better than the Bible.Jesus made a promise to the disciples:

Mark 9:1-4 (HCSB)

1 Then He said to them, “I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power.”

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transformed in front of them, 3 and His clothes became dazzling—extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

Revealed

Jesus was completely revealed, in all of His glory, as the Son of God. Transformed (metamorphosis, altered, changed) before Peter, James, and John; yet it was still Jesus, the One that they had known and spent time with for nearly three years.

Notice, from the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) how they try to describe an experience that human words could not express:

* The appearance of His face changed; Luke 9:29

* His face shone like the sun; Matthew 17:2

* His clothes became dazzling white; Luke 9:29

* clothes became dazzling-extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them; Mk 9:3

* His clothes became as white as light; Matthew 17:2

Then Moses and Elijah appeared with Him and according to Luke 9:31, they were speaking of His death, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

Why Moses and Elijah?

Many Bible scholars have tried to answer this question:

Moses represents the Law

the first five books of the Old Testament
the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptian slavery
the relationship of people to a holy God
God who cared for the Israelites in the wilderness and fed them manna from heaven.

Elijah represents the Prophets

Those that preached repentance
Those that taught holy living
Those that warned of judgment
And Elijah was one who didn’t taste death… but was carried away by God.

I would say that the two represented history and eternity.

History

From creation to the birth of a nation, Israel, and how that nation was unable to be “good enough” to please a perfect and holy God. A history of prophecies that predicted a Messiah would come and save the fallen human race.

Then we look at ourselves and find that we have a history which shows that we are unable to please a perfect and holy God. We find in ourselves that if there is not a Savior to intervene for us, we will die in our sins to face certain judgment.

Eternity

Definition of eternity? When your brother-in-laws comes to your house for a week.

The fact that these two godly men of the past were present at the transfiguration proves to us that eternity is a reality. Moses died a natural death and Elijah was carried away by God and now they both stand in the glory of the Son of God!

The Law, the Prophets, and the Son of God stand before us here and remind us that there is more to life than what we see here.

Feelings of health – last forever
Times of peace – last forever
Love for family – lasts forever

Response

Mark 9:5-8 (HCSB)

5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what he should say, since they were terrified.

7 A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud:

This is My beloved Son;

listen to Him!

8 Then suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

Anytime there is an experience with God… there are two basic responses: the right response and any other response. First we will look at the wrong response.

Wrong response; self made religion.

Peter gives us an example of the wrong response… it was his own plan.

Mark 9:5-6 (HCSB)
5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what he should say, since they were terrified.

Luke adds (9:33b): not knowing what he said.

In other words, Peter wants to build three tabernacles where Moses, Elijah, and Jesus can live there on the mountain and never leave…

· forget about God’s plan of salvation for the mankind,

· forget about all of the other people,

· forget about everything Jesus had spent three years teaching them.

· forget about the church,

Someone said, “I experienced god in my living room one day, so I don’t need to go to church.” Here is a question for them, “What god was it?”

Someone said, “I experienced god on the golf course. I don’t need to go to church.” Wow, which god did you experience?

Someone said, “I experienced god while I was hunting. I worship in the woods, when I hunt and I am in his creation.”

Well, I don’t know what god you experienced, but the God who created the earth says

· “…I will build My church…” Matt 16:18

· To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen Ephesians 3:21

· “…God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1 Tim. 3:15

· The Lord is building the church together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22

The living, almighty God says, He will build the church, His glory is in the church, the church is His household and that is where He dwells in the Spirit.

Right Response; Obey the Lord, “Listen to Him!”

The key phrase to this event is that Jesus is Lord of eternity… past, present, and future… and we should “Listen to Him.” The three disciples were terrified when the voice spoke from the cloud. I must tell you that it is a terrible thing to be a sinful man in the presence of the perfect God. But I do like the way this situation ends, “Listen to Him” and “they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.”

Here is my advice for you if you want to experience God: “Listen to Him” and keep your eyes on Jesus alone.

Transfigured – Transformed

I did a little Greek study of the word “transformed” and this is what I found:

μετεμορφώθη (metemorpsothe) or metamorphosis. We have already discussed that it means altered or changed and the appearance of Christ was transformed in front of the disciples. The Holman Christian Standard Bible uses the word ‘transformed’ (transfigure in a footnote) to translate ‘metamorphosis’.
In the New Testament it is always used as a passive verb. Passive in the Greek means there is an external source doing the action on whoever is the subject of the sentence.
Four times. Two times it is used in the narratives of the transfigurations (Matthew and Mark, Luke uses the word changed). The other two times it is used in regard to believers.

Romans 12:2 (HCSB) Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (HCSB)
18 We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.