They know the mind and will of God. a Glimpse of Glory Luke 9:28-36 From some aspects this was the highest point in our Savior's earthly career. Anybody who manages to radiate the energy and light of a lightning bolt is mighty powerful and mighty bright. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijahnot knowing what he said. Luke, the first-century physician, describes the problem as demon-possession. She lit up the room, and we all knew that this was the person we were looking for.. That scene ends with Jesus teaching on the coming glory of Gods kingdom to be experienced by the disciples (9:26-27). Web74. Nothing has worked. A GLIMPSE OF GLORY Luke 9:28-36 From some aspects this was the highest point in our Savior's The other gospels suggest that this took place six days later. To twenty-first century ears, the symptoms sound like epilepsy. For most preachers, the decision is easy. Listen to him.. So we may speculate a bit about why these two men appeared. Achtemeier, Paul J. and Elizabeth R., Proclamation, Epiphany, Series C (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973), Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of Luke (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1953), Bock, Darrell L., The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Luke, Vol. Its easy to find a time-lapse video of this strange looking caterpillar forming a chrysalis, and then a couple weeks later opening up to display this butterfly. Why should they have problems with this demon? Since this part of my sermon commentary is about Questions, Ill just ask a few of the ones that come to my mind in this startlingly odd passage. Not for nothing are they called Mountaintop Experiences! They said it was as if a ring of light encircled her face. He is a royalty but He suffered a lot for our sins. TRY SERMONWRITER! But that is not to be. 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. There was tangible evidence that the grave is not the end., J. Oswald Sanders, The Incomparable Christ. Henry, Matthew. Jesus was glorified, changed from a mere mortal into a glorified, heavenly state. Web28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. But the subject matter of their conversation is clear: They spoke of Jesus departure and what he would accomplish in Jerusalem.. The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up (v. 22). Marks Gospel says six days, and we are not sure why Luke changes it to eight. Web28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. Jesus spoke of returning with power and great glory (Luke 21:27). Jesus prayed to God, and as he prayed, his appearance was changed, his raiment became dazzling white. And then he was joined by none other than Moses and Elijah representing, of course, the Law and the Prophets of the Jewish faith. It is also referred to in 2 Peter 1:18. And likewise, we can have greater assurance that the words of the NT are from firsthand eyewitnesses. Its honestly hard to explain and understand. Prayer is a Psalm 99. It also reveals a quality we tend to overlook, that those whove walked with God glow with the radiance of Gods presence. Check out these helpful resources They will fail to understand Jesus warning about his betrayal (9:43-45). Luke wrote this Gospel with this purpose in mind. In the Incarnation, the Son of God takes on human form and resides with us mortals on earth. This event was not some simple stunt someone videos and posts on YouTube. While he was praying, Jesus was transformed before the disciples eyes. 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. Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration: The Coming Glory Metamorphosis. 1-6. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. Later, however, they succeeded in healing everywhere (9:6). The saying of Peter would then mean that, since the messianic age is here, the group should camp out permanently on the mountain. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. "It never entered thy thoughts to pay me the homageand yet I had helped thee, too, a littleof pouring oil on my head"; "but she hath anointed, not my head, she shrank, poor soul! When you get a moment, take a close look in the mirror. Maybe this reminds us, as we in this Year C Lectionary cycle are on the cusp of the Season of Lent, that we need to listen really closely to what Jesus says from the cross whenhaving given the last full measure of his own devotion to this broken worldhe cries out, It is accomplished!. Lazarus is described as having fallen asleep. III. In other words, long about the time Jesus could use all the support he could get, the disciples are simply unavailable to him in any meaningful way. We cant deal with it. Its weighing heavily on his mind. They are represented in this episode (as) foils to Jesus. Today we have two lectionary texts that apparently dont go together. (Nashville: Abingdon, 1952), Green, Joel B., The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), Hendriksen, William, New Testament Commentary: Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), Nickle, Keith F., Preaching the Gospel of Luke (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2000), Nolland, John, Word Biblical Commentary: Luke 9:2118:34, Vol. And that brings us to our fourth possible reason for the Transfiguration: To me its hard to imagine seeing these two ancient biblical heroes from centuries past. Moses face shone so brightly that he found it necessary to wear a veil to shield people from the glare (Exodus 34:29-35). Several times over the years, Ive prayed that I could see an angel. Christs cross was necessary so that he might enter into his glory (Luke 24:26; see also Philippians 2:5-11). WebThe gospel in Luke 9:28-36 is a reminder that Jesus in His divinity still goes through a lot of trials to save us. And, lo, there appeared to them [473] Moses and Elijah talking with him.4. For this section, compare Matt. Moses and Elijah, who were leaving Jesus prior to the voice from the cloud (v. 33), are gone. We heard the story of Moses up on Mount Sinai. Jesus himself metamorphosed into some radically different. They are afraid. 18-20). The voice from the cloud says that we can always trust JesusListen to him!, We say, But Jesus is too idealistic to understand the bare-knuckles world in which I live! The voice says, Listen to him!, We say, Later, perhaps, but I have other things to do right now! The voice says, Listen to him!, We say, But I am not sure that I truly believe. The voice says, Listen to him!. However, I think they must go together. Master, it is good for us to be here. And yet, wed all do well to spend a little time on a mountaintop every once in a while. Cry out for mercy. Simply he may have not wanted the experience to end. scatter all my unbelief; He saw and heard ancient leaders of Israel Moses and Elijah. We see Moses and Elijah, and we are strengthened to know there is life after the grave. The moderator of the committee told me later, It was as if someone turned on the lights. Moreover, the disciples of Jesus are to listen to him. Commentary on Exodus 34:29-35. Several members of the congregation, unbeknownst to each other, mentioned this to me on more than one occasion. 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. A bolt of lightning is one of the most powerful forces on planet earth, discharging 1,000,000,000,000,000 watts of electricity (thats 1 trillion if you dont want to count up all the zeroes) at a temperature of 20,000 degrees centigrade (which is considerably hotter than even the surface of the sun). The glory was there. The Great Prophet. They went up onto the mountain to pray (v. 28c). I admired him for that, and wished I could be a little more like him to break away periodically, disappear, go up on a mountain and spend time alone with God in prayer. Jesus has come to reveal God and redeem humanity. Seize the day! Another possibility is that the proposal to build three booths equates Jesus with Moses and Elijahdiminishing Jesus unique status as the Messiah of God (see Peters confession in v. 20). 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. But its a whole other experience to have that same bolt of lightning strike the tree in your backyard when youre standing in the window 30 feet away. With no human or earthly voices available to encourage Jesus, his Father steps in to provide new voices in the conversation. From some frightening experience, we said or did something and we later wondered, Why did I do that?. They are not really tracking all of what Jesus is saying, and so when Jesus speaks openly about his impending death, the disciples sometimes say nothing at all (note what happens after Luke 9:27: we fast-forward 8 whole days with no reported reactions whatsoever of the disciples to what Jesus had said). He heard with his own ears the voice from heaven, This is my Son, my Chosen One.. On this mountain the subject (has been) death (Craddock, Interpretation, 135). The fireworks have ended. The way of God for Jesus cannot bypass the cross. Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth: Show Me a token for good: Father, glorify Thy name.". It is not what you would expect. He was the second Luke helps us to know that proclaiming the good The disciples are terrified because they understand the cloud as the presence of God. For a few days, hed live on beef jerky and chewing tobacco. Now, were tempted simply to think of this as a Kodak moment, one youd like to hold on to, that Peter was simply trying to concretize the experience and preserve it for all time. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good that we are here. WebCommentary on the Texts Luke 9:28-36. To glimpse his majesty and power. When the voice came, Jesus was found alone (v. 36a). saves me time (retirement is just as busy as full time ministry) saves me money..(how quickly our libraries are dated!). Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep (v. 32a). They talk with Jesus. But maybe behind these questions something of the core truth of the gospel starts to come out. Do you know one who is sorry for having listened? While he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently (v. 42a). And if we find it odd that the disciples kept mum about this then perhaps we can turn the camera around to ourselves to wonder how often we keep silent about the great and glorious truths of the Gospel that we celebrate in church on Sundays but then fail to mention in the week that follows. Luke clearly understands Jesus to be a new Moses. The Greek term translated as departure is exodus (exodus in English). But in our smallness, we think God might be like us but only a little better. Mountains are places of prayer, and it is on mountains that many significant encounters with God take place. This was a moment they would never forget. And it matters. To have mountaintop experiences it is not enough to go up on a mountain; one must go up on a mountain to pray (Knox, 174). Does your face glow with the light of Christ? This answers the question, Who is this?not by giving Jesus a title but by describing the process by which he will accomplish his work. Luke tells us that Peter did not know what he was saying, something which is quite evident. I am Yahweh your God (Leviticus 23:43). Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; In parallel accounts of this we are told that Jesus tells them to keep it under wraps but not here: they just dont say anything. Luke does not say that Jesus was actually transfigured (Greek metamorphthē), as in Mark and Matthew, but says only that his face was altered; along with the other two, however, he says that the clothing of Jesus became dazzling white. , something which is quite evident unbeknownst to each other, mentioned this to me on more than one.! 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