Transfiguration
ILCWB8 • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 24 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Mark 9:2–9 (NIV)
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
This morning after church we will have an Altar Guild meeting. The Altar Guild is a group of ladies (although there is no rule that men could not serve on it) who among other things change the paraments on the altar, lectern, and pulpit. Why do they change them? Is it because they are dirty or out of style? Is it just for the sack of variety? No, it is because someone decided many years ago that even colors seen in the worship service have meaning for those who come to God in worship. However, it seems that many people aren’t even aware that we change colors or what their significance is. But that should not keep us from doing these customary things.
Color can have significance. Biblical history has some indication of this especially in the more symbolic sections of Scripture such as Daniel and Revelation. We certainly see its significance in the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. White symbolizes his deity. Since he is God, our response is to be that we listen to him.
Specific sin: We don’t always listen to Jesus. (Why not?) Encouragement to listen to him by acting on his commands and trusting in his promises.
Traditionally, the Sunday immediately before Lent focuses on the Transfiguration of Jesus. Since we are traditionalists, that is our focus today.
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
Six days after Jesus had gone to Caesarea Philippi and Peter had confessed that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus then predicted that he must go to Jerusalem and that there he would suffer and die on the cross and on the third day be raised to life.
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 9
a high mountain Their proximity to Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27) suggests that Mark refers to Mount Hermon, which dwarfs all other mountains in the vicinity. See note on Matt 17:1.
Jesus takes the “inner circle of his disciples”. Mark tells us that Jesus was “transfigured”.
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Event
According to the Gospel accounts, three things took place at the transfiguration.
“He was transfigured.” The various accounts all witness to an unusual transformation of Jesus which took place. Jesus is transfigured; “his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light” (Mt 17:2); This transformation is described in Matthew and Mark by the verb metamorpheō, the root for the word “metamorphosis.” This transformation furthermore involved not only the garments of Jesus but his very person.
Moses and Elijah appear and speak to Jesus. These men, who undoubtedly represent the Law and the Prophets, are said in Luke 9:31 to have spoken to Jesus of his “exodus” or departure. The term used in Luke 9:31 to describe Jesus’ “exodus” or death is rather unusual and clearly sees the death of Jesus not as a tragedy or defeat but as a victorious event.
His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
Here is the significance of color. We have other references to the color white in the Bible as well.
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
“As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
What does white mean to us today?
What does white mean to us today?
There is a reason white is chosen as the color of a bride’s wedding dress.
If you've ever flicked through a bridal magazine, you'll notice that wedding dresses come in a range of styles. But almost all of them — especially in western countries— are white.
However, wearing a white wedding dress hasn't always been popular.
The trend can be traced back to Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown when she married Prince Albert on February 10, 1840.
On her wedding day, the royal bride opted for a white lace and silk-satin gownthat she designed herself, according to the Washington Post.
It was a crucial moment for fashion in the history of royal weddings, though Victoria's choice of a white dress was frowned upon by English aristocrats because white traditionally symbolized mourning, according to Rebecca Rissman's 2016 book "Women in Fashion." As Rissman writes, royal wedding gowns were typically red at the time.
The queen also thwarted tradition by wearing a wreath instead of a crown in her hair, and ditching the fur-trimmed velvet robes that were usually worn by royal brides.
Even Victoria's 12 bridesmaids wore white. As the Washington Post noted, this color scheme appeared at Kate Middleton and Prince William's wedding in 2011, when Pippa Middleton wore a cream-colored gown.
Here's a portrait of Victoria on her wedding day.
📷Maybe Queen Victoria even started the flower crown trend.Franz Xaver Winterhalter/Wikimedia Commons
In the years after the royal wedding, the shock of Victoria's ivory gown wore off — and white wedding dresses slowly became fashionable.
An 1849 issue of Godey's Lady's Book— essentially, the 19th Century's answer to Cosmopolitan — celebrated the white wedding dress, and even suggested that brides should have been wearing white all along.
"Custom has decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue, whatever may be the material," the women's journal reads. "It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one."
This description of the white wedding dress as a symbol of virginity certainly sounds more familiar.
White, an inherently positive color, is associated with purity, virginity, innocence, light, goodness, heaven, safety, brilliance, illumination, understanding, cleanliness, faith, beginnings, sterility, spirituality, possibility, humility, sincerity, protection, softness, and perfection.
The color white can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity. As the opposite of black, movies, books, print media, and television typically depict the good guy in white and the bad guy in black.
The color of snow, white is often used to represent coolness and simplicity. White’s association with cleanliness and sterility is often seen in hospitals, medical centers, and laboratories to communicate safety. The color white is also associated with low-fat foods and dairy products.
To the human eye, white is a bright and brilliant color that can cause headaches. In cases of extremely bright light, the color white can even be blinding.
Throughout the western countries white is the traditional color worn by brides, to signify purity, innocence, and virginity. In eastern countries, the color white is the color of mourning and funerals. In certain cultures, white is the color of royalty or of religious figures, as angels are typically depicted as wearing white or having a white glow. A white picket fence surrounds a safe and happy home.
The color white affects the mind and body by aiding in mental clarity, promoting feelings of fresh beginnings and renewal, assisting in cleansing, clearing obstacles and clutter, and encouraging the purification of thoughts and actions.
White gemstones are believed to help create new beginnings, remove prejudice and pre-conceived notions, to see the innocence in others, and to clear emotional clutter and silence the inner critic.
Since this is a miracle, Jesus could have appeared in any color. There is a reason he appears in the brightest white possible. It demonstrates that he is holy and that his is the Son of God. This would bring encouragement to his disciples in the days to come when he would be subjected his suffering and death.
But this is not the only miracle that happened on that sacred mountain. Two men from the Old Testament appeared with him symbolizing the Law and the Prophets and that Jesus was fulfilling the Messianic prophecies. They talked about his upcoming departure. Here we would like a transcript of exactly what was said. We do have a quick summary.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
Pete just had to say something. The first part is spot on. It was good for them to be there. The next part is enigmatic. Why build three shelters? Possible explanations. It seems that he wanted the experience to last so they should build some housing so that Elijah and Moses could remain.
One of my favorite Transfiguration hymns is based on this passage. We do well to take it to heart. It is good to be united with Jesus in worship. But we also have work to do when we leave our church services as we serve the Lord.
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
The next miracle is an event that does not happen very often in the New Testament. God the Father speaks from heaven regarding Jesus. (Recall the other times.) What does he say?
A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
(NIV)
17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Why the difference between Matthew and Mark’s words and Luke’s?
The second “speech” in this part of the passage is a word from heaven. It is not so much a response to Peter as it is a revelation that dominates everything that was happening and in a way completely overshadows whatever Peter thought or said. It was one thing to see Jesus transfigured, with His clothing and His appearance brighter than the sun—that was frightening to the disciples, as the other gospels tell us. But it was quite another thing to hear a voice from heaven confirming that Jesus was the Son of God. Peter had just made that confession; but now Peter heard it in a new light, as it were. The Christ, the Messiah (in Hebrew), was not merely a son of David and therefore designated “son of God”; He was God’s Son in a unique way. God (the Father, we know) declared, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”
The word from heaven made three clear points: Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is loved by the Father and pleasing to the Father; and Jesus must be obeyed. All of these ideas were being challenged by the religious leaders of the day, and questioned by the people. The disciples, however, knew Jesus was God’s Son (in some way), that He was doing the will of the Father, and that He was to be obeyed. Now, this direct revelation confirmed their faith—and it surely encouraged Jesus as well as opposition had begun to mount and would increase.
I would hope that we agree with the lesson that is taught in this event.
Who is Jesus? Here he is confirmed by God the Father as his Son.
What does God think of Jesus? He loves him, has chosen him, and is well pleased with him.
How are we to react to Jesus? We are to listen to him as though God the Father himself were talking to us.
This was the main point of our sermon several weeks ago when Moses prophecies that God would raise up a prophet like him and that we must listen to him.
Why? This is a good question because the way many people act, it seems as though Jesus has nothing to say to them and that if he does, they can deliberately choose not to listen to him.
But recall the warnings and promises of the Bible.
(NIV)
14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
“ ‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Conclusion: I know we live in a society that seems to be increasingly refusing to listen to those in authority. Protests against our elected officials dominate the headlines. Children disobey their parents. Even within the church our spiritual leaders are either openly criticized, complained about behind their backs, or just ignored. Jesus faced the same stubbornness as did his disciples. But God’s Word stands firm. If he told the disciples to listen to Jesus and promised blessing to them if they did, does his command and promises not still hold true for us today?
