Throughout the scriptures, light is a symbol of God, so that whenever we come into the presence of God, were filled with the light of Gods love, and, like a prism, the radiance of God is reflected and refracted through us to illumine and enlighten others. Jesus has come to reveal God and redeem humanity. Indeed, by their very demeanor and words, they are actually tugging Jesus another direction! They are afraid. You wouldve been too. His brilliance and majesty is so beyond us that we wont know what to do when confronted with him, and we will fall apart. Lets make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said (v. 33). Click here to listen to this lesson. Later, however, they succeeded in healing everywhere (9:6). Jesus was glorified, changed from a mere mortal into a glorified, heavenly state. (18-27) The transfiguration. That exodus can only happen in accord with what Jesus himself had predicted when he said, just prior to this story, that he must suffer, be killed, and be raised on the third day (9:22). The glory of the Lord was revealed at his birth (Luke 2:9). Either expression, as Stephen Farris points out in The Lectionary Commentary, could be the loose equivalent of saying about a week later. Yet, as Farris also suggests, in Lukes context the eighth day could be a prefigurement of the resurrection as well. Luke wrote this Gospel with this purpose in mind. The cloud was the symbol of the presence of God at Sinai (Exodus 24:15-16; 34:5), and it symbolizes Gods presence for these three disciples. For most preachers, the decision is easy. Every time they respond to Jesus predictions about suffering with indifference or with actions that tug another direction, Jesus must surely have heard the tempters voice whispering into his ear, See, even your friends dont buy it! Jesus went up the mountain to pray (9:29), perhaps to commune with God concerning his destiny. This is my beloved Son. To me it defies explanation. When we are tempted to doubt if our prayers matter, we can read Lukes Gospel and see that Jesus had no such doubts. 4. Commentary on Exodus 34:29-35. WebThe transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36) Jesus transfiguration took place on a high mountain, possibly Mount Hermon, which was not far from Caesarea Philippi. Its not like Moses had gotten his face onto the $1 bill or that Elijah had had his visage plastered all over the place in Israel the way we Americans do with Abraham Lincolns face. In the Bible, when a story takes us up to a mountaintop, its a fair bet that something dramatic is going to happenindeed, its a fair bet that something deeply revelatory is going to happen. Several members of the congregation, unbeknownst to each other, mentioned this to me on more than one occasion. As Jesus prepares to make his final trek toward Jerusalem (see Luke 9:51), he is talking increasingly about suffering, betrayal, and death. Delivered Weekly! 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. WebLuke 9:28-36, (37-43) Commentary by Scott Shauf The transfiguration of Jesus follows immediately on the scene where Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah (Luke 9:20). God speaks of Jesus as his Chosen One, for Jesus has accepted his role. In the Bible, when a story takes us up to a Alarming. Thirty years later, Peter wrote with words of awe about this day on the mountain. There is hardly anything else quite like it in the entire Bible. If the moment wasnt already astonishing, now two great men of God from centuries before appear with Jesus, right in front of the 3 disciples. Our bodies will be glorious. After hearing such hard, perhaps even shocking, words a week earlier, now on the mountain the three disciples would have found great strength by seeing a glimpse of the coming glory in the resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Christ. But theres more to it than this. 28It happened about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray. The apostles are sent to preach and heal. 37It happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met him. Both Moses and Elijah had received revelation on mountains. Its honestly hard to explain and understand. Like in Star Wars when Yoda appears as a ghost before Luke Skywalker. Now, in todays Gospel lesson, we have the most authoritative answer to the question, Who is this? God says, This is my beloved Son. Master, it is good for us to be here. It is a fearful, terrifying thing to meet God in judgment. The event happens on a mountain, a place of special revelation. Why go through all this razzle-dazzle, bright-as-lightning stuff if the whole incident ends up being more about ears than eyes? 30Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31who appeared in glory, and spoke of his departure (Greek: exodon), which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Web36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!. To be glorified here on the mountain, and to talk about his coming suffering in Jerusalem may have given the Lord Jesus strength for his days ahead strength facing this unimaginable human suffering. Sinai appearing before the glory of God. (10-17) Peter's testimony to Christ, Self-denial enjoined. Probably there is something to all that, but it does not appear that Moses and Elijah spent their time with Jesus reflecting on the ins and outs of the Law and Prophets. WebLuke 9:28-36 This passage is traditionally know as the Transfiguration, from the Greek term used by both Mark and Matthew to describe what happened to Jesus ( metemorphotha, Mk 9:2-8, Mt 17:1-8). This is more a theological than a geographical statement. (28-36) An evil spirit cast out. II. The father has sought help from Jesus disciples (v. 40), and has surely availed himself of other potential remedies as well. What was his response? And Terrifying. 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen (v. 36b). To me, its one of the more remarkable biological events. Maybe the sleepiness of the disciples is emblematic for how often they had missed the glory of Jesus when it shined right in front of them day in and day out throughout Jesus ministry. A week ago, I was reading in 1 Corinthians 15 in my daily morning reading. God the Father and his Son and even the angels have a glory about them. Scripture assures us that we were all created in the image of God, but as we hustle past people in the malls, as we jostle next to them on the train, as we get annoyed with them when they crowd us in our airplane seat, we miss it. Along its mighty forest-avenues, until the grass grew fair with the mountain lilies, his feet dashed in the dew of Hermon, he must have gone to pray his first recorded prayer about death, and from the steep of it, before he knelt, could see to the south all the dwelling-place of the people that had sat in darkness, and seen the great light - the land of Zabulon and of Naphtali, Galilee of the nations; could see, even with his human sight, the gleam of that lake by Capernaum and Chorazin, and many a place loved by him and vainly ministered to, whose house was now left unto them desolate; and, chief of all, far in the utmost blue, the hills above Nazareth, sloping down to his old home: hills on which the stones yet lay loose that had been taken up to cast at him, when he left them forever" (Ruskin, "Modern Painters," iv., 374). Moses seems to represent the OT Law, while Elijah represents the Prophets. For THAT your friends will follow you to the bitter end!. This event was unprecedented. Moses and Elijah? The face of the man walking with his child in the park, of a woman baking bread, of sometimes even the most unlikely person listen to a concert or standing barefoot in the sand watching the waves roll in, or just have a beer at a Saturday baseball game in July. (Luke 9:37-38) The glory of the mountaintop was short-lived, at best. When a storm threatened their boat, Jesus asked, Where is your faith? (8:25). If we do not know Jesus, we should turn to him. Mark 9:2-8. Luke 9:28-36 The Radiance of God (McLarty), Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father, All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. 28 dNow about eight days after these sayings he took with him ePeter and John and James and fwent up on the mountain to pray. Luke 9:28-36. But when we are resurrected, we will be imperishable we will never again have an expiration date! but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him (v. 32b). It is possible to structure a sermon in such a way that it brings the hearer upon the scene, looking around at the various persons present. They must be metamorphosed. It also reveals a quality we tend to overlook, that those whove walked with God glow with the radiance of Gods presence. When Jesus commanded them to feed a great crowd, they responded, We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we should go and buy food for all these people (9:13). Incarnation and Transfiguration are antiphonal. It is interesting to note that although Luke tells us that Jesus garments shone as bright as a flash of lightning, we are not told that Jesus face shone, only that it changed. In the Greek this is literally that the EIDOS of his face changed, the image, the appearance, of his face was altered. Prayer is a transfiguring, transforming duty, which makes the face to shine. ; Capharnam : La pricope de Jsus dans la synagogue de Capharnam correspond au dbut du ministre public de Jsus dans le rcit du Nouveau Testament [8]. This was a moment they would never forget. The voice from the cloud speaks only of Jesusnot of Moses or Elijahand does so only after Moses and Elijah depart. Who knows what will happen to them now that they are in Gods presenceperhaps they will die! Biblical Commentary 30 Suddenly they saw two men, To the world, Jesus was simply the son of Joseph. ), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sundays Text. The disciples are terrified because they understand the cloud as the presence of God. As the years of our Christian life go on, our understanding of Gods majesty and glory and power and brilliance should grow, so that more and more we love him.yet we tremble in awe and fear before him. Lets make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said. In the Incarnation, the divine partakes of the human condition. To look on Gods face is to die (Exodus 33:20). And it also testifies to us of what Jesus Christ will do soon when he returns. Sermon Commentary for Sunday, February 7, 2016. Or they find Jesus rhetoric merely baffling and bewildering (see what happens in Luke 9:45 after another direct prediction of betrayal). Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah (v. 30). This has been a mountaintop experience but not the kind about which persons write glowingly of sunrises, soft breezes, warm friends, music, and quiet time. The event was a revelation of Christs glory and was witnessed by only three chosen apostles. Cry out for mercy. Listen, and not Look? But as Buechner says, there are moments of transfiguration in all our lives. Later, after the resurrection, he will make it clear that his death was necessary so that he might enter into his glory (Luke 24:26). I am come unto Mine own and Mine own receive Me not; I am become a stranger unto My brethren, an alien to My mother's children: Consider Mine enemies, for they are many, and they hate Me with cruel hatred. From some frightening experience, we said or did something and we later wondered, Why did I do that?. Well, Jesus took Peter, James and John up on the mountain to pray, and as he prayed, his appearance was changed his clothing became white and dazzling (9:29). Jesus gave the twelve power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases (9:1). 41Jesus answered, Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? For a few days, hed live on beef jerky and chewing tobacco. His constant praying shows his love for his Father in heavenand his confidence that his prayers and his worship were heard. Test of true discipleship (Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-1; Luke 9:23-27) Immediately after telling his disciples of his coming suffering and death, Jesus told them they had to be prepared for similar treatment. Herod's terror at the growing greatness of our Lord Jesus, ver. Metamorphosis is when an ugly, crawly creature like a caterpillar undergoes a complete transformation and comes out radically different. , Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you you and bear you. The eighth day could be the loose equivalent of saying about a week ago, I was in! Up to a Alarming did I do that? disciples are terrified because they understand the cloud speaks of..., as Stephen Farris points out in the Bible, when a threatened. 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