A Glimpse of His Kingdom Transfiguration Sunday Feb 6th
JESUS’ TRANSFIGURATION ON THE MOUNT
John sees this vision from atop a great and high mountain. A lot of things occur in the Scriptures on mountain tops. Noah’s ark (a picture of the Church) rests on a mountain. Abraham takes Isaac to the top of a mountain in order to offer him as a sacrifice. Moses meets with God on top of a mountain, Mt. Sinai, and receives the 10 commandments to give to God’s people who are gathered around the mountain. The city of Jerusalem is built on top of a mountain, Mt. Zion. In the New Testament Jesus chooses His twelve disciples on top of a mountain. He preaches the Sermon on the Mount. He feeds the 5,000 and the 4,000 on top of mountains. He’s transfigured on top of a mountain. He dies on top of a mountain, Mt. Calvary. He commissions His disciples on a mountain to make disciples of all nations. And He ascended into heaven from a mountain, the Mt. of Olives. What is the significance of these mountain top experiences? Mountains are where the Lord has Himself a people. As O.T. Israel was a people of Mt. Sinai, the new Israel, the Church, is the people of Mt. Zion. The writer of the book of Hebrews helps to clarify this. He writes, "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched (that is, a physical mountain) and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm (as Mt. Sinai was)... But you have come to Mt. Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God." Here on a mountain top John sees the people of God who have been purchased from all nations with the blood of Christ, the Lamb, among whom God is graciously present, protecting them from all harm and danger, so that they live in security and safety forever and ever.
17:1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
—Matthew 17:1–13
We have seen the Messiah identified as the Son of God (16:16–17), the Messiah interpreted as the Suffering Savior (16:21); now the Messiah is introduced as the glorified Son of the Father (17:1–5). While each of the synoptic Gospels record that a week after Peter’s confession Jesus took three disciples onto the mountain to witness His Transfiguration, Matthew seems to relate the scene to characteristics of Moses on Mount Sinai. Moses took Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu with him; Jesus took Peter, James, and John. Moses saw the glory of God, and his face shone from speaking with God; Jesus was transfigured with a glory not reflected, but authentically His own. A greater than Moses had come, for as the writer to the Hebrews says, “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house… . But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house” (Heb. 3:5–6, niv). At Sinai the divine voice spoke from a cloud, and at the Transfiguration God spoke from a cloud and the disciples fell on their faces in reverent fear.
This passage might be called “the glimpse of the kingdom.” Willard Swartley calls the Transfiguration “a preview of the Kingdom power.”7 Matthew tells of the presence of Moses and Elijah, but omits Luke’s statement that they talked with Jesus “about his departure, which he was to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31, niv). Matthew does not interpret the significance of these particular men, Moses having been the first great lawgiver and Elijah the first great prophet in Israel. But Moses, Elijah, and Jesus are not equals, for in Jesus revelation had reached its peak, and He was pronounced by God as His Son.
The word for “transfigured” is the word “metamorphosis,” from the Greek root morpha, a word which means a change arising from the essential nature of His person, not an external impression. Peter’s offer came as an outburst of enthusiasm, “Lord, this is great! Let us build three tabernacles.” Let us capture the moment, let us institutionalize the happening, as we are so inclined to do with God’s movements, with revival and with movements of the Spirit among us. But before Peter was finished expressing his plan, God pulled the rug out from under him! The Greek is emphatic in the word “suddenly” (literally “behold”) a voice came from the cloud with the ultimate word, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” It was God’s affirmation of Christ and God’s mandate to Peter—“You listen to Him.” No small wonder that the disciples fell on their faces in fear. We should here note some Old Testament accounts of reverent fear from visions of God: Isaiah 6:5; Ezekiel 1:28–2:1; and Daniel 8:17.
Years after the event, Peter wrote, “We … were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Pet. 1:16–18). And as on the mount, when Jesus touched them and said, “Do not be afraid,” and they looked up and saw none but Jesus only, so their proclamation announced only Him. Peter said, “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:13, kjv).
The glimpse of His kingdom can be outlined as follows: (1) it partakes of the glory of the eternal, v. 2; (2) it includes the sweep of salvation history, Law and Prophets, v. 3; (3) it is the extension of God’s presence in Christ, vv. 4–5; (4) it is expressed only in and by Jesus Christ, vv. 6–8; and (5) it is secured by the suffering of Christ, vv. 9–13. This latter was clearly stated by Jesus as He asked the disciples not to tell the vision until after His Resurrection—the glory of the Transfiguration would then be witnessed by all of them in the risen Christ!
The conclusion of this section is an answer to the disciples’ question as to why the scribes said that Elijah would first come. They had just seen Elijah. And the spirit of Elijah had been present in John, and he had been rejected. In fact, Jesus identified His own coming Passion as partaking of the same suffering as had been inflicted upon John. The disciples appear to have understood, and were able to “close that book” and accept the unique mission of John as fulfilled in announcing “The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”
A Glimpse of his Kingdom
A Time Yet to Come
A Fullness That is Here
An Insight into the whole.
Focus: Jesus popped the bubble of the disciples’ glorious vision, but he replaced it with a better one. The mountaintop transfiguration of Jesus is a revelation that helps us in the cross bearing valley below to anticipate and experience the glory of our own transfiguration.
I. From The C________ of G_________ to the C________ of G_________
A. Humility and Glory Are Not Opposites
B. Mountain Top Reassurances Help In the Valley
II. From His Transfiguration To Ours
A. The Practical Significance of the Transfiguration
1. It does something for ____________
2. It does something for ____________
3. It does something for ____________
B. Levels of Christ-likeness
1. The M____________ Level
2. The M____________ Level
3. The M____________ Level
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MANUSCRIPT
CHANGE, it’s not easy to come by is it? A woman testified to the transformation in her life that had resulted through her experience in conversion. She declared, "I'm so glad I got religion. I have an uncle I used to hate so much I vowed I'd never go to his funeral. But now, why, I'd be happy to go to it any time." [i][i]
Change, even change for the better, can be difficult to accept. Some in the deaf community are slow to accept the introduction of cochlear implants--a devise that helps many deaf children hear. This devise, according to Jack Wheeler, the CEO of the Deafness research foundation, “could conquer newborn deafness in America.”
At first glance, this news is great news, but not to some of the leaders in the deaf community who call the use of the implant “cultural genocide” and even “child abuse.” Why is their response so harsh? Curing newborn deafness threatens the deaf culture--a mixture of history, art, and language. Some in the deaf community believe deafness is a gift, not a problem. There will always be resistance to change--even change that is for the better. Change agents must have the courage to withstand criticism to pursue their dreams.[ii][ii]
There are two things that are very difficult to change: 1) what we believe and 2) How we behave.
Interestingly enough, these two are related. Often we cannot change how we behave until we modify what we believe about that behavior. What we believe dramatically affects how we behave. In fact I believe this so strongly that let me say this. The behavior that we believe makes us happy is how we truly behave.
Jim Rohn said, "We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation."
There is a science experiment that illustrates how the power of belief affects our behavior.
Scientists have predicted children’s success in later life with an interesting experiment conducted when they are four years old. A researcher invites a child into a room and gives the child a marshmallow. The researcher tells the child that he can eat it immediately, but the researcher must leave for a moment to run an errand. [the child is told that] If the child waits to eat the marshmallow until the researcher comes back, the child can have two marshmallows. Some children gobble the marshmallow immediately; others hold out for a few minutes. Some wait until the researcher returns in order to get that second marshmallow. They do everything they can to stave off temptation while the researcher is out of the room. The children who resist eating the marshmallow grow up to be better adjusted, more popular, more adventurous, more confident, and more dependable. Those who give in are more likely to be lonely, to buckle under stress, and to shy away from challenges. (Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence New York: Bantam, 1995 p. 80-83) Christians need to learn this deferred gratification so that they can live well in every condition, buoyant in the midst of trouble, confident, resilient, and willing to take on challenges.[iii][iii]
Change is painful. People want to skip the painful part of change. People want to skip Suffering 101 and go directly to Advanced Placement (AP) Glory 909. In the Gospel of Mark we just learned from Jesus that his disciples must deny themselves, then pick up a cross to follow Jesus. Peter and the others didn’t see this as necessary. This kind of suffering wasn’t in their plans. How does one change? I believe the passage we are going to study today gives us important insights into the hope for transformation. In the passage we will study when Jesus transformed from humility to glory right before the very eyes of three of his followers. This transformation is often called the transfiguration because of the dramatic way in which it changed his appearance. Today we are going to look at how . . .
Focus: Jesus popped the bubble of the disciples’ glorious vision, but he replaced it with a better one. The mountaintop transfiguration of Jesus is a revelation that helps us in the cross bearing valley below to anticipate and experience the glory of our own transfiguration.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed [same word as Mark 9:2 “transfigured”] into his likeness with ever-increasing glory. . .
Paul wrote this. Did he experience his dramatic change through inspiration or through desperation? It was inspiration. He had an experience much like the one we will study today. He thought he was right, and Christians were wrong. Seeing the glorified Christ on the Damascus road, and being knocked off his horse (or donkey, or feet!) made him rethink his whole belief system and behavior. The point is, we need an accurate view of Christ and then we will experience transformation.
I. From The Cloud of Gloom to the Cloud of Glory
The Cloud of Gloom
Jesus Popped the disciples bubble when he began to replace their inadequate vision with the truth.
8:31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. . . .
They had no way of processing this new information and reacted strongly. The cloud of gloom grew even darker and more confusing after Jesus confronted Peter with the harsh words. “Satan get behind me…” The problem was that Peter and the others had no place in their vision of the Glorious Kingdom for suffering or for humility. They were trying to convince Jesus that he was wrong!
What we learn from Jesus however is a more complex picture of his Kingdom. Jesus tells us in effect that . . .
A. Humility and Glory Are Not Opposites
Jesus had just said in effect, We die by living to ourselves--we live by dying to ourselves.
Door # 1 , Door # 2, or Door # 3
Imagine you are a game show participant. You are given the option of door # 1, and door # 2 but the amazing thing about this game show is that they actually give you a brief description of what is behind each door. If you choose door # 1 you will receive 1 earthly blessing of your choice. If you choose door # 2 you will receive suffering and humiliation. Which door will you choose? OK that was too easy. Door # 1. You chose a blessing rather than suffering. Who in his right mind would choose suffering and humiliation over blessing. Some do however. But I haven’t made my point yet. What if the game had three doors. The first two doors were just as I described. But behind door # 3 you will find it’s a combination of suffering and blessing. Behind door # 3 is suffering and humiliation with heavenly blessings. Now which do you choose, 1, 2, or 3? Now it’s no longer a game. Jesus is asking us to choose door # 3. Choose to follow him through suffering and humiliation and you will find the God’s choice blessings, a glory that is never ending.
In order to see this truth let’s first read the account of the transfiguration and the Cloud of Glory then compare it with the Crucifixion, the climax of Christ’s humility.
Mark 9:1 through Mark 9:12 (NIV) 1And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” 2After 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. 3His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Peter 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.) 7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9As 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. 10They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. 11And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
- The glory revealed on the mountain is a private epiphany while the suffering on the cross is a public spectacle.
- Jesus is surrounded on the mountain by two prophets of old, Moses and Elijah; on Golgotha, by two thieves
- On the mountain, Jesus’ garments glisten in his glory, on Golgotha, they take his garments from him, compounding his humiliation.
- Three male disciples view his glory at close range; three female disciples view his suffering from afar.
- A divine voice from the cloud announces that Jesus is the Son of God; one of his executioners, a Roman centurion, acclaims him to be the Son of God after his death.
- In both scenes someone raises the question of Elijah. Coming down the mountain, Jesus informs his disciples that Elijah has already come and they did to him as they pleased. When Jesus hangs from the cross in torment, the bystanders taunt him with one last jibe: “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down” (15:36). The perceptive reader knows that they have things all wrong. There will be no deliverance until the end of the age and only a few will discern the glory of God manifest on Golgotha.[iv][iv]
Here’s another way of putting it. You haven’t seen the fullness of Christ’s glory until you see how his power merges with suffering—how his humility is coupled with his glory.
The revelation of Christ’s becomes an important reassurance to the disciples. Right after the statements about Christ’s humiliation the unveiling of his glory confirms the accuracy of Peter's confession. It promises that following Christ on a way marked by suffering and humiliation has cosmic implications and will ultimately lead to glory. The event is designed specifically in order to prepare the disciples, and us, for what is ahead.
B. Mountain Top Reassurances Help In the Valley
Jesus has explained with words of reassurance that his humility expressed through his suffering and death are not opposites to glory. But words alone prove inadequate to remove the cloud of gloom. Telling you what’s behind door # 3 with words alone may not be enough for you to choose it. You will notice that words of reassurance, and words of revelation only confused the disciples. What they needed was an increased capacity to see the truth. An increased capacity to believe the glory was worth the difficulty. It took a greater revelation than words to remove that cloud of gloom. It took the cloud of glory. First let’s look again at the words of reassurance (kind of like the description of what’s behind door # 3) then let’s look at the mountaintop revelation which was more than mere words of reassurance, but an actual glimpse as if door # 3 were opened for a viewing!
First the words, then the Cloud of Glory
Although the revealed words help. Words alone are inadequate to dispel a cloud of gloom. A glorious vision is needed. Jesus begins with verbal reassurances then brings the disciples out of their cloud of gloom into the cloud of Glory.
1. Verbal Reassurance (Revelation)
1. . . . and after three days rise again. . . . (8:31)
2. . . . comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (8:38)
3. "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." (9:1)
The confidence of Jesus leaps out at you with his statement. He has just been speaking of his death; he has no doubt that the Cross stands ahead of him; but nonetheless he is absolutely sure that in the end there will be triumph. Jesus has already set his sights on the Second Coming! It is the Glory that gives him the ability to walk through the gloom. And he allows us a preview of that glory.
2. Visual Reassurance (A Multi Sensory Revelation—THE CLOUD OF GLORY)
Mark 9:7 (NIV) 7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
The Transfiguration is a preview of that glory.
Mark 9:1 (NIV) 1And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
The function of Jesus’ statement in 9:1 is to provide certainty that the Son of Man will indeed come with glory, and that those who now share his sufferings will also share in his exaltation. Certain individuals present will be privileged to see the unveiling of Jesus’ glory. Nothing short of this can satisfy the expectation prompted by Jesus' promise in 9:1. This manifestation of this glory fulfills this promise and strengthens the disciples for their coming ordeal.
Immediately after the promise of 9:1 we read the account of the transfiguration. 8:38 speaks of Christ’s Second Coming; and 9:1 speaks of the revalation of that Glory as a guarantee and it began with the Transfiguration! This was a moment of transcendent glory. It was an enthronement so to speak and an anticipation of the glory that is to come.
II. From His Transfiguration To Ours
The transfiguration is like the mountaintop epiphany/theophany of Moses, and the mountaintop epiphany/theophany of Elija (Sinai Ex 24; Horeb, I Kings 19) but Jesus is the central figure of glory and both Moses and Elijah again view the glory of God. It was no accident that Jesus led these disciples to a mountaintop for this revelation. They are to consider it in light of these other mountaintop epiphanies.
Let’s ponder together what the words are attempting to describe. Words I think fail to describe the glory. We cannot tell exactly what happened. We can only bow in reverence as we try to understand.
The word used to describe the event and from which we get the word transfiguration is the verb metamorpho from which we get our English word metamorphosis. A metamorphosis is a transformation, a change of form. The English "transfiguration" employs the prefix "trans" which means "across.” A transoceanic voyage travels across the ocean. A transcontinental trip moves across the continent. The English word transfigure is an appropriate choice of words to capture the meaning of the event. A limit or barrier is crossed here. Perhaps we might call it a crossing of the line between natural and supernatural, between the human and the divine.
The Gospel writers give a vivid account of what was seen by the disciples. "His face shone like the sun." Both Luke and Matthew record that the face of Jesus began to shine. Matthew compares the radiance of the shining to the intensity of the sun. This experience recalls the experience of Moses, whose face shone on Mount Sinai. The Veil of Christ’s humility is lifted to reveal His Glory. Christ does not merely reflect the brightness of divine glory like Moses did. He IS the brightness of divine glory. His glory transcends the reflected glory seen on the face of Moses.
His clothes became as white as the light. Matthew says they were "white as the Light" (17:2). Luke says "as bright as a flash of lightning" (9:29). Mark says "dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them" (9:3).
The light source was Christ Himself.
In Revelation 21 we read:
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and thee Lamb is its lamp. 21:23
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. 22:4-5
Notice what God the Father Says of the Son from the Cloud of Glory:
But before we do, notice this. Moses and Elijah are with Jesus. Do they represent the greatest of God’s revelations before Jesus—representing the Law and the Prophets? Together they are the personification of the Old Covenant writings. Here is a mountaintop summit meeting. But after the cloud comes Jesus alone is left, and God speaks. THIS IS MY SON LISTEN TO HIM. Every revelation before Jesus anticipates him. After Jesus has come his revelation supercedes the other revelations and we are to listen to Him! And what is it he is talking about? The cross, and what it means to follow him on his mission.
BUT LET’S NOT GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE GLORY THAT WE FORGET THE REASON FOR IT’S REVELATION! Mark wants the persecuted Roman Christians the first readers of this Gospel to take this word to heart. We also need to take his words to heart. The this suffering and glory go together.
The Practical Significance of the Transfiguration
1. It does something for Jesus.
a. Moses and Elijah met with him. The greatest of law givers and the greatest of prophets say to Jesus in effect "Go On!" They saw in Jesus the fulfillment of all that they had dreamed of in the past. All that history had longed for and hoped for . All of history was leading up to the Cross.
b. God spoke with Jesus. "Go on!" Jesus is assured that the way he has chosen is the right way.
2. It does something for the disciples.
The Cloud of Gloom was dispelled by the cloud of Glory and they were adequately prepared for the ordeal they would face. They were adequately prepared to share the glory of Christ with others.
3. It does something for Us--
It gives us the vision we need to be Christlike! The vision we need to follow Christ.
The humiliation will not always be. The Glory is guaranteed yet still not completely fulfilled. Yet we need a clearer picture of our hope and glory. The difficulty is always seeing our earthly mission from a heavenly perspective. It was difficult Seeing Christ's earthly mission from a heavenly perspective. It is often difficult to see the unseen Supernatural realm behind the events of the seen natural realm. What looks like humility is often the height of heavenly glory. What looks like shame may be heavenly fame.
The vision of Glory gives us the courage to follow Christ. Other books were given for our information--the Bible was given for our transformation. This revelation given to the three disciples, has now been given to the world, and it is a revelations that gives us courage to take up the difficult and high calling of following Christ.
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7 7. Swartley, Mark, p. 155.
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A Glimpse of the Kingdom
I. We have to escape The Chaos
II. We have to Really See Jesus
III. We have to Follow