Seeing is Believing

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Intro

When I was younger I got the chance to take a trip to the Grand Canyon and it was one of the most breathtaking views that I had ever seen in my life.

There was a balcony that you could actually walk out over the edge of the canyon and could see the river flowing through it. It was literally amazing.

I remember thinking, man, it would take a big God to create something this vast and beautiful.

Peter, James, and John got to experience something far greater.

Read

Matthew 17:1–13 ESV

1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Teach

1. We see the Holiness of Jesus (1-5)

I remember having a friend when I was younger who always said he had a lot of money. You know the ones who say that my dad is richer than your dad?

The moral of the story, is this kid was exactly what he said he was, rich

In the same way, this is the moment that disciples realized, “oh snap, He is really who he said he is”

1-5. As if that was not enough, the disciples then saw Moses and Elijah next to Jesus as the three began to converse. For these disciples with a Jewish background, this kind of company would have been remarkable. Peter, James, and John would have spent much of their lives hearing and reading about these figures—and there they were right in front of their eyes!

However, the importance of these figures is greater than just the men themselves, for they signify something crucial. Moses and Elijah stand here as figures representing the Law and the Prophets, a twofold way of referring to the entirety of what we now call the Old Testament. These two representatives were significant because they bore witness that what Jesus has said throughout His ministry is true—that He is the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets. We will see in turn how Jesus is greater than each of these figures.

Moses and Elijah were perhaps the two most esteemed prophets of the Old Testament, Moses being regarded as the prototypical prophet of Israel (Ex. 33:11; Num. 12:5-8; Deut. 18:15-22) and Elijah being perceived as a “new Moses” and forerunner to the Messiah (Mal. 4:5-6).

Given the comparatively large amount of signs and wonders that occurred during their ministries, these two prophets were especially associated with God’s miraculous activity. Furthermore, both of these men had their own special encounters with God on a mountain (Ex. 34:1-9; 1 Kings 19:8-18). Credentials such as these make them well suited to be present at the event of Jesus’ transfiguration.

Colossians 2:9 ESV

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

2. The Purpose of Jesus (6-13)

Terror is often the reaction when humans come into contact with God. We can see this all throughout the Bible; God’s presence is incomprehensibly glorious such that we can’t even bear to be around Him without aid.

In Exodus 33–34, God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock so that he wouldn’t die (Ex. 33:19-23). •

During his vision of God’s being seated in the temple as the seraphim proclaimed His supreme holiness, the prophet Isaiah confessed himself as being ruined (Isa. 6:1-5).

John records his response to Jesus’ majestic appearing as the Son of Man by saying he fell at his feet like a dead man (Rev. 1:17).

The reality is that God is glorious and grand, and in His presence we become intensely aware of our frailty and fragility. Yet, in His glorious grace, God calls us to not be afraid. Jesus speaks to the disciples in their frightened state following His transfiguration by saying get up and don’t be afraid. Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, when walking on water, Jesus told His fearful disciples to have courage and not be afraid.

10-11.

“Jesus answers that question in Matthew 17:12 by pointing out that John the Baptist, the Elijah to come, had already come. But that simply leads to a deeper theological question: How is John the Elijah who would restore all things if John had been beheaded? John didn’t usher in a great restoration, or so the disciples thought. Jesus had to help the disciples understand that the kingdom of God was not being ushered in the way they thought it would be. They expected a messianic forerunner and then a Messiah who would together usher in a kingdom on this earth marked by triumph and power. However, God’s kingdom was coming in a very different way.”2

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