Thursday, July 02, 2020

Luke 9:28-32


28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ~ Luke 9:28-32

The Lord Jesus took Peter, John, and James up the mountain in elevation of 9,000 feet to pray. The mountain presented practical lessons which are designed to yield sanctification in the life of the disciple. At the bottom of the mountain it was sunny and predictable. At the top of the mountain it was snowy and most unpredictable. And, the Lord Jesus took these three disciples up the mountain in order to pull the curtain back allowing them to see the really real. Such is the nature of our faith, and, these three saw the kingdom. This was a step involved in the process of becoming more dependent disciples.

Despite the fact that we live in a multi-dimensional world, we still live in a world of time and space. To some degree we will always be limited in our vision and understanding. The Lord Jesus escorts three of His disciples into a realm that is not bound by the elements of time and space. The transfiguration of the Lord Jesus was God’s seal of approval upon Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. For the three disciples, this was about the furtherance of their understanding of God and His kingdom.

This was one of three times the Father spoke audibly for the Son to hear Him. He spoke at His baptism (Luke 3:22) and would speak again during His final week of His earthly ministry (John 12:23–28). From the cloud God spoke about His Son. The goal of God's utterances is that we will see the Lord Jesus, only.

According to v.29 we read, "As he was praying." A closer look reveals the Lord Jesus was the only one praying. According to v.32 the disciples were sleeping. Prayer is far more important than we know. Continual communion with God is a must for the disciple to be defined by the God of the Bible. Like the disciples, we get nonchalant with God and withprayer.

While He was praying, His appearance "changed."  Matthew adds, "He was transfigured." Matthew used the Greek word "metamorphosis," changed in appearance. Matthew writes, "His face shone like the sun." All of a sudden His face was as blazing as a noonday sun. 

According to v.29, "his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning." His clothing became dazzling and brilliant, like a flash of lightning. His appearance was not of this world, it was of the world to come, the world He was in before He came to this realm. What a scene!

This is like that which God described of Himself in the Old Testament. He manifested Himself in the Old Testament as light. Throughout the Scriptures, light is synonymous with eternal life. God manifested His Spirit life in light. 

The Lord Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," but His light had never been seen like this before. And, while on that mountain these three disciples were given an incredible glimpse of eternal life. This is what eternal life looks like when it is translated into light. And it permeated through His transfigured body so that literally He was ablaze like a flame with the sun at its peak.  

According to v.30-31, "30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem." Their conversation was about His fulfilling departure, it was about His cross. It is only through the cross of the Lord Jesus that we have a correct understanding of who we really are and why we are here and where we are going. In Him, we are more than conquerers. 

Moses represented the Law. Elijah represented the Prophets. These two show up to have a conversation with the Lord Jesus about His planned death. God had used Moses as His instrument to introduce the whole sacrificial system to Israel. And, Elijah delivered the message of the prophets that the Messiah would provide salvation through His death for sinners. The Lord Jesus was the fulfillment of both the law and the prophets.

Peter, John, and James, had accompanied the Lord Jesus when He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Luke 8:51), and they would accompany Him when He prayed in the garden (Matthew 26:36–46). But during His transfiguration, according to v.32, the three disciples were asleep and were unaware of all that was going on. When they awakened they began to lean into the purpose for which they came, the glorification of the Son of God and the development of the disciples faith. 

But, there are no Master's degrees in faith. His glory came to them in glimpses. He reveals His glory in glimpses and not in details. And, we think the best revelation comes on the top of the mountain. No! No! No! The best revelation comes when we are in the valley. The faith of the mountain begins with the faith acquired in the valley.

The disciples did not belong in this context. The only way they were there was due to their relationship with the Lord Jesus. This is where faith in the Lord Jesus takes us. Faith in the Lord Jesus takes us to levels that we otherwise would not and do not belong. 

Finally, as we learn to trust the Lord with our souls which are made of our minds, wills and emotions, He will transform us from within. His goal in changing us is to save us from being conformed to the patterns of this world. As we behold Him in His Word, we are transformed by His Spirit. The theological name for this experience is sanctification, the process by which our minds, wills, and emotions are defined more and more by Him.