Jesus was seen in his glory

JESUS WAS SEEN IN HIS GLORY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 9:32 32Peterand his companionswere very
sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw
his glory and the two men standingwith him.
Waking To See Christ’s Glory
“And when they were awake, theysaw His glory and the two men that
stoodwith Him.”
Luke 9:32
It seems, atfirst sight, a strange thing that the Apostles should have
been asleepat such a time, yet, if we think of the circumstances in which
they were placedand of the extreme excitement under which they must
have labored, it will not appear at all amazing that “Peterand they that
were with Him were heavy with sleep.” In the 28 th verse it is written,
concerning our Lord, “He took Peterand John and James, and went up
into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His
countenance was alteredand His raiment was white and glistening.” We
know that the Saviorfrequently retired to some quiet, secludedspot for
fellowship with His Father and that, sometimes, He spent the whole
night in prayer. It is very probable that on this occasionHe had been
engagedin earnestprayer for severalhours before the Transfiguration
came. And it is worthy of note that He was transfigured while He was
praying. Every blessing comes to the greatHead of the Church and to
all the members of His mystical body through prayer! There is nothing
promised to us without prayer, but, with prayer, everything is provided
for us–andby prayer we shall ascendinto Glory.
I cannot tell how long the Lord had been in prayer but, judging from
His usual manner and custom, I should suppose that He had spent some
hours in supplication. Even the three most highly favored Apostles were

not as spiritually minded as He was and they grew wearywhile He was
still full of holy vigor and fervor. The most zealous among us might be
tired of listening to the best man in the world if he were to keepon
praying hour after hour, yet he himself might be enjoying a special
baptism of the Spirit and be quite unconscious of fatigue and, in his
wrestling with God, might be all the while going from strength to
strength. We, who were merely onlookers, wouldprobably grow drowsy
and be unable to keepup the strain as he would keepit up–our spirit
might be willing enough to sympathize with him–but the weakness of
our flesh would make us, like the Apostles, “heavywith sleep.” I wonder
not, therefore, if the Savior’s supplication was long-continued and that
His disciples grew wearyand fell into a state of slumber!
Probably, however, their sleeping was the result of the extraordinary
excitement through which they had passed, for, as in extreme pain, kind
Nature comes to the rescue and causes a swooning orfainting fit by
which the poor sufferer is relieved. sometimes she comes in when there
is a stress of mental excitement, whether joyous or grievous, and gives
rest, even by unwilling slumber, to those who otherwise might have been
exhausted. You remember, dear Friends, that these very persons fell
asleepin Gethsemane. Whentheir Masterrose up from His agonyof
prayer and came back to them, “He found them sleeping for sorrow.”
They were themselves so depressedin spirit by His sufferings, that
although they had true sympathy with Him, as far as they could have it,
they fell asleepand their Master, while gently chiding them, made
excuse for them as He said, “What, could you not watch with Me one
hour? Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation: the spirit,
indeed, is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
These Apostles are not the only persons who have slept in the presence
of the grandly supernatural. It happened so to Daniel–thatSeerwith the
burning eyes who seemedas if he could look right into the glories of
Heaven without blinking or being blinded by the wondrous vision! Yet
we read in his 8 th verse, when an angelappearedtohim, “Now as he
was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleepon my face toward the
ground: but he touched me and set me upright.” And further, in the 10
th verse, we read, “Therefore I was left alone and saw this great
vision,and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was
turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I
the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then
was I in a deep sleepon my face, and my face towardthe ground.”

These supernatural things are too much for mortal men to endure! The
narrow compass ofour mind cannot containthe Infinite and if, when we
behold the Glory of God to an unusual degree, we do not die–if our lives
are sparedafter we have seenthat great sight–atleastthe image of
death must come upon us and we must fall into a deep sleep. I will not,
therefore, blame Peter, James and John for sleeping on that memorable
occasion, forI do not think that there was any sin in their slumbering
under such circumstances. Theywere Apostles, but they were only men
and, being men, they were feeble creatures. And when they came into
those deep waters, they were altogetherout of their depth, so they began
to sink in the oceanofthe Divine Glory and soonwere lostin the
unconsciousness ofsleep. Marvelnot, therefore, Brothers and Sisters,
that you find these three Apostles slumbering even in the Presenceof
their Transfigured Lord!
But, now–and this will be our first head–it was necessarythat they
should be awake to see the glories of Christ.Secondly, if you and I are to
see the glories of Christ, it is necessarythat we, also, should be awake,
and that is more thancan be said of all of us. I may sayto some, “Letus
not sleepas others do,” for there are many who are so soundly sleeping
that they are quite oblivious of the glories ofChrist. When I have
spokenon those two points, I want to close my discourse by showing you
that this doctrine of the necessityof our wakefulnessexplains many
things.
1. “When they were awake,they saw His glory and the two men that
stoodwith Him.” So, first, IT WAS NECESSARYFOR THEM TO BE
AWAKE TO SEE CHRIST’S GLORY.
It was necessary, first, that Christ’s Transfiguration might be known to
be a fact–nota dream, nor a piece of imagination which had no real
existence. “Whenthey were awake, they saw His glory.” It was a literal
matter of fact to them. As surely as Christ was born at Bethlehem. As
certainly as He toiled in the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth. As truly as
His blessedfeettrudged over the holy fields of Judaea. As truly as He
healed the sick and preachedthe GospelwhereverHe went and as really
as He did actually die upon the Cross ofCalvary, so it is a matter of
plain fact that Jesus Christdid, on a certain mountain–what mountain
we do not know–undergo a wonderful change, for the time being, in
which His glory was marvelously and distinctly displayed so that His
three disciples could see it!

“And, behold, there talked with Him two men”–Elijah, who never died,
and who was there with Him bodily. And Moses, who did die, and so
may only have been there in spirit, unless that dispute betweenMichael
the Archangeland the devil, about the body of Moses, may relate to the
fetching awayof that body that he might enjoy the same privilege as
Enoch and Elijah did. Of that matter, I know nothing, but those two
men, Mosesand Elijah, were certainly there–not merely in appearance,
but in reality. And our Lord Jesus Christ was really transfigured–“the
fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and
glistening.” It is true that Peter did not know what he said, but he knew
what he saw when he was wide awake. The RevisedVersionrenders our
text, “When they were fully awake, theysaw His glory and the two men
that stoodwith Him.” They had not imagined this scene while they were
in a semiconsciousstate betweensleeping and waking!It was no night
vision or daydream. It was not something painted by fancy upon their
eyeballs and which had no actual existence, but it was a real meeting
betweentheir Lord and Moses andElijah. They did see Christ and His
two companions from Heaven and they did hear the Father’s voice,
saying, “This is My beloved Son: hear Him.”
Peterdid not know what he said, but he knew what he heard. He was
wide awake enoughto understand that message and, long afterwards,
he recalledit when he wrote concerning his Lord, “ForHe received
from God the Fatherhonor and glory, when there came such a voice to
Him from the excellentglory, This is My beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased. And this voice which came from Heaven we heard, when we
were with Him on the holy mount.” So, you see, dearFriends, that they
had to be awake in order that they might be able to confirm all this as
an actual occurrence. And, to my mind, this is very pleasant. I like to
remember that the Lord Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, letsome beams of
His glory shine out even while He was here below. And if, in His
humiliation, His transfigured face appearedso bright, what must His
glory be above where His face shines brighter than the sun, and His eyes
are as flames of fire, and his feet like fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace? What is now the matchless beauty of that Visage which was
marred more than that of any other man? When He did but for a
moment withdraw the veil, His disciples were overwhelmed with the
magnificence of the display! But what must it be to see His face forever
in Heaven above?

Next, it was necessary that the disciples should be awake, thatthey
might see the real glory of Christ. I trust theywere spiritual enough to
know that the splendor which they saw was not the essentialgloryof
Christ’s Godhead, for that no man cansee. Neitherwas it that secret
spiritua1 glory which Christ always had, for that is not a sight for
human eyes to behold, but for loving hearts to think of with reverent
affection. But it was a specialglow which was, for the time, shed upon
His Humanity and even upon the garments in which that Humanity was
arrayed, so that “His raiment was white and glistening.” The Apostles
then saw Christ in some measure as He will be, by-and-by, and, being
fully awake,they knew that it was not an illusion that they were looking
upon, but that it was real glory which streamedfrom the Savior’s face
and from every part of His most blessedand adorable Person. We are
glad to know that Christ has no fictitious honors and no empty pomp,
but that there is about Him a real glory which our opened eyes may see
and which we may perceive without being fanaticalor frenzied! Such a
glory as we can see in the time of our quiet, calm judgment and earnest,
deliberate thought, when every faculty is in full exercise and our whole
soul is in the enjoyment of the utmost degree of vigorous health. I care
little for the visions that need night, curtains and dreams before they
can be perceived! I prefer the glory which can be seenby a man when
he is fully awake and all his faculties are awakenedso that he is able to
discern betweentruth and fiction, and to detectany imposition that may
be attempted to be played upon him.
Further, these disciples were fully awake thatthey might perceive
somewhatof the greatness ofChrist’s glory. Doyounot envy these three
holy men who saw our Lord in the holy mount? So glorious was He that
even the mountain, itself, was made “holy” wherein this transaction
occurred, for so Petercalledit. From that time it was as holy as
Sinai,itself, where God came down in terrible pomp of power to
proclaim His Law. Had not these Apostles been wide awake, theywould
not have perceivedhow truly marvelous is Christ’s glory. What would
not any of us give, just now, for a sight of Christ with our eyes wide
awake?Whatmust He be like who is the very center of Heaven’s glory?
All the grandeur of man is but external, but there is about Christ’s very
face a beauty of characterwhichcontinually shines out–the luster of
Deity which gleams through His Humanity so that to see Him as He is
must be the fairestsight in the whole universe! To behold Him but for a
moment must be the most dazzling vision that ever fell to the lot of men!

Did you ever hear dyingmen and womentalk about Him when they
have begun to see Him? What strange words sometimes drop from their
lips just as they are departing this life–giving us just a hint as to how
grand He must be whose glory the Apostles saw when they were with
Him on the holy mount!
One thing which they were fully awake to see was this, the singularity If
you read the text, you will notice that when they were awake, “theysaw
His glory”–andthe glory of Mosesand Elijah? Oh, no! Not at all. But
did they not see Mosesand Elijah? Yes, but mark how the text sinks, as
it were, when it speaks ofthem–“Theysaw Hisglory and the two men
that stoodwith Him.” There is nothing about any glory being around or
upon them–they are nothing but “the two men that stood with Him.” He
is fairer than the children of men, greaterthan Mosesand greaterthan
Elijah, mighty as both of them were! I think that we never truly see
Christ until we behold Him all alone–aswe never see the sun and the
stars at the same time. If you once see the sun flooding the skywith its
glow, you will find that the stars have disappeared. The Apostles saw
the greatest ofthe Prophets and the greatlaw-giver, after whom there
was never the like till Christ Himself came–yetthe Inspired record
concerning the event is, “They saw His glory and the two men that stood
with Him.” May you never see any earthly representatives ofthe
Church of God in any higher place than this! In the Church and in all
its ministers, may you see His glory and the men that stand with Him.
And when you look upon those whose feetare beautiful because they
proclaim the Gospelof Christ, yet may you only see His glory and the
men that stand with Him to speak in His name!
The Apostles needed to be wide awake to discern this difference and so
do we, for many, nowadays, seemto have no more respectfor Christ
than they have for His disciples. I know that there are some who think
more of a dogma that was promulgated by Calvin, because it is Calvin’s,
than they do of that which Christ has preachedbecause it is Christ’s!
And there are some who will refer everything they believe to “The
Minutes of Conference,” orthe sayings of Mr. Wesley, but some of the
sayings of Christ do not seemto have as much weight with them. As for
us, I trust that we may always see the true and noble men who stand
with Christ, but, first of all, may we see His glory because Christ has
awakenedus out of that sinful sleepin which we make no distinction
betweenthe Masterand the servant! Happy are we if He has taught us

that the greatestof His servants is not worthy to unloose the laces of His
shoes!
So much, then, upon the necessityfor these three men being fully
awake.
II. Now, Brothers and Sisters, letme speak to you upon the secondpart
of our subject which is that IT IS NECESSARYFOR US, ALSO, TO
BE AWAKE IF WE ARE TO SEE CHRIST’S GLORY.
We have not dreamt our religion. It has not come to us as a vision of the
night, but when we were fully awake, we saw Christ’s glory. We have
seenHis glory when we have been awake without weariness,awake
without pain, awakewithout losses,awake without fears and trembling.
In our coolestmoments, when there was the leastlikelihood of our being
deceived, we have seenHis glory as our Savior, our Helper, our Keeper,
our All-in-All. Setthat fact down, then, and stand to it before the face of
every man who dares to speak a word againstJesus ofNazareth, the
Son of God, that just as truly as “whenthey were awake, theysaw His
glory,” so have we seenit in our most wakefuland calm and quiet
moments!
But, dear Friends, let me impress upon your minds the truth that, in
order to see the glory of Christ, it is necessarythat we should be fully
awake. Are we fully awake? Is there a man among us who has even one
eye wide open? Is there not a corner of it still sealed? Are our mental
and spiritual faculties really quickened to the utmost, or are we not still,
to a large extent, as dreamers compared with what we ought to be in the
Presence ofChrist? Come now, Brother, are your highest powers
thoroughly awakened? I believe that it was so with Peter, James and
John, and that what little spiritual faculty they then possessed–forthey
were then but babes in Grace–wasfully awakenedto learn all that could
be learned from their Lord and Masterin that mysterious manifestation
of His glory. Are we in such a condition as that? There are many things
that tend to make the soul go off into sleep, so let us bestir ourselves, for,
unless all our powers ofmind and heart are fixed upon our Lord, we
shall not fully behold His glory. And if ever there was a sight that
demanded and deserved all a man’s powers ofvision, it is the sight of
the glorious Saviorwho stoopedto die for us and who now is at the
Fathers right hand interceding for us! When you hear the Gospel, hear
it with both your ears and with your whole heart and soul! When you
are presentin the assemblyof the saints, be really there–do not come, as
some men do, leaving their real selves athome or at their place of

business. They sit here and we think that they are here, but they are
not! Their thoughts are far away over the seas, orin their shops, even
when the preacheris proclaiming the glorious Gospelof the blessed
God! You know that it is so with many, but we cannotexpect to have a
clearsight of Christ until we are fully awake as these three Apostles
were upon the mountain.
But to what shall we be awake?Well, first, it is a goodthing to be awake
to our present condition and circumstances. Brothers,Sisters, you
would be in Hell within an hour if God did not keepyou from it by His
Grace. You who think you know Him best need constantsupplies of His
Grace, else you would fall into the most sorrowfulcondition. You are
dependent upon Him every instant and for everything–for consistency
of life, for the smallestgrain of faith, for hope, for love, for peace, for
joy, for steadfastness,forcourage, foreverything! Now, dear Friend,
are you fully awake to that fact? Do any of us really feel how weak we
are? How sinful we are? What floods of depravity there are pent up
within us ready to burst out at any moment? Do we realize what terrible
volcanic fires are hidden within our thoughts, as if the fury of Gehenna
had entered our nature? And who alone can save us and who does save
us? Brothers and Sisters, whenyou are thoroughly awake to your
dangers, to your needs, to your weaknesses, then you will see Christ’s
glory! He is never rightly valued until we see ourselves to be utterly
valueless!Low thoughts of selfmake high thoughts of Christ. Lord,
awake us to know what we are, for then shall we begin to see the glories
of Your Son!
We must also be thoroughly
awake to the mercies that we are constantly receiving. Thousands of
blessings come to us
when we are sound asleepin our beds and, oftentimes, we know nothing
of many favors that come to us in broad daylight–we are asleep, as it
were, concerning them. Think, dear Christian people, of your election!
Think of your redemption! Think of your effectualcalling, of your
cleansing by the precious blood! Think of your washing by the Spirit
with waterby the Word! Think how you have been held up, supplied,
educated, comforted, strengthened! Think of what yet remains for you
of peace and joy in this life and of the abundant entrance into the
everlasting Kingdom of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Let your
mind contemplate all the mercies that are sure to come to you–and bless
the Lord for them even before they come, as faith reckons them to be

already here. When you are awake to all these mercies, then you will see
your Lord’s glory. All these blessings will make you see what a glorious
Savior–whatan infinitely gracious Lord He is to you! Father of Mercies,
wake us up to a sense of Your mercies, that we may see the glory of
Jesus in them all!
And, dear Friends, we ought also to be awake to all manner of holy
exercises.Forinstance, whenwe are awaketoprayer, then we see
Christ’s glory. Often what are our prayers? At morning and night a few
hurried sentences,whenwe are either half-asleepor scarcelyawake. I
mean that, at night, we are ready to go to sleepover our devotions and
we nod even while we pray. And in the morning, when we getup, we
have hardly time, through the demands of business, to spend a proper
time in fellowship with our Lord. I bless God for our Prayer Meetings,
for there is much that is goodin them. But do we, even there, pray as we
should? Those who speak for us are often graciouslyhelped, but are not
those of us who sit silent and who should be praying to God, often
thinking of a thousand things instead of our supplications? We cannot
expectto meet with Christ while we are in prayer unless we are wide
awake!Then think of our singing. Praise is a blessedway of getting near
to Christ, but sometimes people sing mechanically, as if they were
wound up, like the oldfashionedorgans that ground out a tune with
painful regularity–the poor pipes knowing nothing, of course, aboutthe
sense orthe meaning of the music–for there was no living hand to touch
the keys. Yet we sometimes sing like that–
“Hosannahs languishon our tongues,
And our devotion dies.”
But, oh, when we are thoroughly awakein our singing, then are we able
to–
“Beholdthe glories ofthe Lamb
Amidst His Father’s Throne”–
and then we also–
“Prepare new honors for His name,
And songs before unknown.”
Many of us are coming presently to the Table of our Lord–what will
happen if we come there half-awake?Well, we shall not see the glory of
Christ in His ordinance! There will be bread and there will be wine, but,
to us, there will be nothing more, no body of Christ, no blood of Christ,
to be our spiritual meat and drink. The Masterwill not come and sit

down with a company of nodding disciples, all fast asleeparound the
Table which is the specialmemorial of His greatlove to us. “Whenthey
were awake, theysaw His glory.” And it must be the same with us, also.
Now I want to press this thought home a little more closely. Brothers
and Sisters, if we are fully awake to holy service, then we shall see the
glory of Christ. Those among you who live to win souls for Christ,
whose soulis all on fire to try and carry the Gospelinto some place
where as yet it is not known, are certain to see the glory of Christ. While
you serve Him, you shall see His face as they do who are with Him in
Heaven! I have read a greatmany biographies of men and women who
were full of doubts and fears, but when I have been reading about a
man who was full of sacredzeal, one who was wholly consecratedto the
service of his Savior, I have found very little about his doubts and fears.
Those two seraphic men, Whitefield and Wesley, seemedto have no
time for depressionof spirits. They were always about their Master’s
business. They flashed through the earth like flames of fire! They
seemedto be so girt about by God with His strength that they rode upon
the whirlwind and, consequently, as a rule, they enjoyed the Presenceof
their Lord and were full of holy delight in Him.
So I believe it will be with those of us who addict ourselves to our
Master’s service with all our might. If you are doing nothing for Christ,
you cannotexpect to have His Presenceand blessing. But if you are
serving Him with all your heart, not from the low motive that you may
win something by it, but entirely out of love to Him, then will He come
and manifest Himself to you as He does not unto the world! Some
Christians walk so slowly that sin easilyovertakes them, while Christ
goes farbefore them, for He always walks a goodhonestpace and likes
not the sluggard’s crawl. And some professors seldomgetbeyond that
pace, so they see but little of Him whom they call Master. If they were
awake–awaketo His service–thenthey would see His glory!
But above all, dear Friends, we must be awakewith regard to our Lord
Himself. Oh, that our hearts were fullyawake to His love! He says to
eachBeliever, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Does our
wakefulheart reply, “Yes, Lord, that You have”? Are we awake to
remember all that He did by way of love even to the death for us? Are
we so awake as to have continually before us His Divine and Human
Person–His blessedcondescending life–His wondrous atoning death?
Are we wide awake enoughawaketo know that He is with us now? Do
you not think that we are often like the disciples who saw Jesus standing

by the sea and knew not that it was Jesus? He comes to us in the way
ofsickness, inthe way of bereavement, in the way of heart-searching!
We do not know that it is Jesus, yetit is. Our eyes are and passion, by
Your glorious Resurrectionand Ascension, awakenall our spirits to
perceive that You are not far from any one of Your people and that
Your Word is still true, “Lo, I am with you always, evenunto the end of
the world.”
III. I must not keepyou much longer, but I want to say that THIS
DOCTRINE OF THE NECESSITYOF OUR WAKEFULNESS IN
ORDER THAT WE MAY SEE THE GLORY OF CHRIST, THROWS
A LIGHT ON SEVERAL THINGS.
First, it shows us why some see so little of the glory of Christ. “Ah,” says
one, “I used to see it. I could not getthrough a sermon without being
moved at the thought of my Savior suffering for me, and rising for me.
But now I do not seemto getany goodout of all the services I attend.”
Whose fault is that? It is not His, for He is unchanged. Is it mine?
Perhaps so and yet, since others see him, surely the blame cannot be all
mine. Is it not your fault, Friend? You are not aswide awake as you used
to be! It is a curious thing when a man says, “I do not knew how it is
that I cannotsee as I used to.” Why, he has not gothis eyes open!
Foolishman, let him awakenhimself and when he is thoroughly awake,
then his eyes will be as goodas ever and he will see as much of his
Lord’s glory as he used to! Old age has not come upon you yet, my
Brother, my Sister, though you sorrowfully sing–
“Where is the blessednessI knew
When first I saw the Lord?”
Let me alter one line of the hymn and then you may sing–
“Where is the wakefulnessI knew,
When first I saw the Lord?”
When you first joined the Church, you were all alive! Every power of
your being was full of zeal and earnestness.Do you recollecthow you
stoodin the aisle and never seemedto gettired? You wishedthat the
preacherwould keepon for another half-hour. You remember how you
could walk severalmiles to the service, then, and when the minister
said, “I think you live too far awayto worship with us,” you replied,
“Oh, no, Sir! The distance is nothing when I get such food for my soul
as I find here. I am glad of the walk. It does me good.” Now you write a
little note to say that you live so far off that you cannotoften come to the

services. It also happens that you live far from every other place of
worship, too, so you begin to stay awayfrom the House of God–and
then do you wonder that you feel no powerand no delight in your Lord?
Of course you do not, for you are sound asleep!When you awake again,
you will see Christ’s glory. Oh, for wakefulpiety, earnestreligion–and
plenty of it–no mere sprinkling of Grace, but a thorough immersion into
the very depths of it! May the Lord, in His mercy, cause you to be filled
with all the fullness of God, by the powerof His Spirit, till you shall be
carried right awayinto a holy life that shall write over the natural life of
your manhood, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”
Next, does not this fact explain why, in trials, If I might mark outthe
happiest periods of my life, I would not choose those in which outward
mercies have been multiplied and successhas followedsuccess. ButI
think that I would especiallynote those times when abuse followed
abuse, when I could hardly say a word without its being misrepresented
and something horrible being made out of things which were as goodas
goodcould be–when lies flew about me as bullets whistle round the
warrior’s ears in the midst of the battle! Then it was that I kept close to
Christ and lived on Him, alone, and I was among the happiest of the
happy! When the dog barks, then the people of the household wake up
and the burglars will not be likely to getin! And, sometimes, our
troubles are the very best things that can happen to us because they
wake us up and drive Satan awayand make us fit us to see Christ’s
glory! We got into a careless,drowsycondition when we were rich and
increasedin goods–andthen we went to sleep. So our Mastercame and
pulled the bed from under us and made us feel the cold–then we woke
up and found that Christ was close beside us, and our heart was glad.
Thus, affliction or trial is often a blessedmeans of Grace because it
wakes us up so that we see Christ’s glory.
This fact also explains why dying saints often declare that they have
such blessedsights of Christ. Is it not because, astheydie, they really
begin to live? They shake offthe dull encumbrance of this house of clay
and they getinto a clearerlight, and so they truly live. They wake up
when they die! All their lifetime their business engagements orother
cares occupiedtheir thoughts. But now they have done with business,
with care and they begin to awake,for the morning comes–the blessed,
everlasting morning that shall never know an eventide–andthey awake
and see the glory of their Lord, and we, who sit by their bedside, are

often amazed! We cannotunderstand what they describe, for we are the
sleep
But suppose that I were to take my text for just a minute and projectit
a little way into the future? We shall soonfall asleep, Brothers and
Sisters. Some of the older ones among us will certainly will do so,andall
of us, unless the Lord shall come first, shall soonfall into that last quiet
slumber which we call death. But, what a awakening there will be, first
of our soul, when we shall see our Lord as He is! What must the first
five minutes in Heaven be if there are any minutes where time is
swallowedup in eternity? What must be the joy when, for the first time,
we enter that land where “they need no candle, neither light of the sun;
for the Lord God gives them light”? When we shall see the saints in
Heaven, I suppose that we shall not say much about them. They will be
like Moses andElijah, “the two men that stood with Him.” But, oh,
when we shall getour first glimpse of Jesus on His Throne, that will be a
ravishing sight beyond all conception!And then, when the next
awakening comes,whenthe trumpet sounds its mighty blast, and these
poor limbs arise out of their beds of clay, when we are awake, we shall
see His glory! Then shall we be satisfied, whenwe awake in His likeness!
And then shall His prayer be answered, “Father, Iwill that they, also,
whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may
behold My glory.”
Well, Beloved, be contentto go to bed when there is such an awakening
in store for you! Learn to die every day. Regardyour bed as a tomb and
every time you give yourself up to unconsciousness, andthe image of
death is upon you, be practicing the art of dying, so that when, for the
last time, you must go upstairs and lie down once again, it may be very,
very sweetto feel, “I shall awake in the morning, the everlasting
morning, when all these shadows ofthis night of grief and toil shall
eternally have fled away!When I am awake, Ishall see His glory!”
The Lord grant to you and to me, dear Friends, to know all the bliss of
awakening to behold His glory! Amen
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
A Glimpse Of Glory
Mark 9:1-13. Parallelpassages:Matthew 18:1-13;Luke 9:28-36
J.J. Given
I. THE TRANSFIGURATION.
1. Allusions to the Transfiguration. The scene describedin the above
parallel passagesis as singular as solemn. There are,
Biblical Illustrator
Moses andElias: who appeared in glory, and spake ofHis decease.
Luke 9:30, 32
The deceaseatJerusalem
H. J. Bevis.
I. IN THE DECEASE AT JERUSALEM, THERE IS THE DEATH OF
THE SINLESS CHRIST.
II. THIS DECEASE AT JERUSALEM WAS A DEATH PURELY AND
PERFECTLYVOLUNTARY.
III. IN THE DECEASE AT JERUSALEM WE HAVE A DEATH
WHICH APPEARS TO BE MORE IMPORTANT AND PRECIOUS
THAN EVEN LIFE.
IV. IN THIS DECEASE AT JERUSALEM, WE HAVE THE ONLY
INSTANCE OF A MAN BEING A SACRIFICE FOR SIN.

V. IN THIS DECEASE AT JERUSALEM, WE HAVE A DEATH
THAT IS TO BE REMEMBEREDAND COMMEMORATEDFOR
EVER.
(H. J. Bevis.)
The conference onthe Mount
T. Manton, D. D.
1. What they spake ofnone could Divine, unless it had been told us, and
the EvangelistLuke telleth us, that it was of His death. This argument
was chosen—(1) Becauseit was at hand. The next solemn mediatory
actionafter this was His death and bloody sufferings; after He was
transfigured in the Mount, He went down to suffer at Jerusalem.(2)
This was an offence to the apostles thattheir Mastershould die
(Matthew 16:22, 23).(3)This was the Jews'stumbling-block (1
Corinthians 1:23).(4) This was prefigured in the rites of the Law,
foretold in the writings of the Prophets.(5)It was necessarythat by
death He should come to His glory, of which now some glimpse and
foretaste was givento Him.(6) The redemption of the Church by Christ
is the talk and discourse we shall have in heaven. The angels and
glorified saints are blessing and praising Him for this (Revelation5:9,
12).(7)It is an instructive pattern to us, that Christ in the midst of His
Transfiguration, and the glory which was then put upon Him, forgatnot
His death. In the greatestadvancementwe should think of our
dissolution. If Christ, in all His glory, discoursedof His death, surely it
more becometh us, as necessaryfor us to prevent the surfeit of worldly
pleasures;we should think of the change that is coming, for "Surely
every man at his best estate is vanity" (Psalm 39:5). In some places they
were wont to present a death's head at their solemn feasts;merry days
will not always last, death will soonput an end to the vain pleasures we
enjoy here, and the most shining glory will be burnt out to a snuff.
2. The notion by which His death is expressed, His deceaseἔξοδον,
which signifies the going out of this life into another, which is to be
noted.(1) In respectunto Christ His death was an "exodus," for He went
out of this mortal life into glory, and so it implieth both His suffering
death, and also His resurrection(Acts 2:24).(2) With respectto us; Peter
(2 Peter1:15) calls His death an "exodus." The death of the godly is a
"going out," but from sin and sorrow, to glory and immortality. The
soul dwelleth in the body as a man in a house, and death is but a

departure out of one house into another; not an extinction, but a going
from house to house.
3. The necessityof undergoing it. "Accomplishing."(1)His mediatorial
duty, with a respectto God's ordination and decree declaredin the
prophecies of the Old Testament, which, when they are fulfilled, are
said to be accomplished. WhatsoeverChristdid in the work of
redemption was with respectto God's will and eternaldecree (Acts
4:28).(2) His voluntary submission which He should accomplish, noteth
His active and voluntary concurrence;it is an active word Dotpassive,
not to be fulfilled upon Him, but by Him.(3) That it was the eminent act
of His humiliation; for this cause He assumedhuman nature. His
humiliation beganat His birth, continued in His life, and was
accomplishedin dying; all was nothing without this, therefore there is a
consummation or perfection attributed to the death of Christ (Hebrews
10:14).
(T. Manton, D. D.)
A revelation of the heavenly life
Canon Body.
Moses andElias are standing humbly in the presence ofJesus Christ (as
He had once sat at the feetof the Rabbi in the Temple), holding
converse with Him, acknowledging alltheir ignorance, telling Him all
their perplexities, responding to Him with the response of perfectassent
to His every utterance. Of what did they speak!They spoke of"His
decease, whichHe should accomplishat Jerusalem." This word
"decease"should, in my opinion, have a larger application; it is the
same word as St. Peterused when he spoke of the death which he was
about to die, which is also translated as "decease";it should be rather
"exodus." We may be certain of this; it was not merely of the historic
fact of Christ's death of which they spoke, they wantedto know the deep
meaning underlying that fact, and this could only be understood when
His death was studied in connectionwith the many mysteries before and
after. Of this, of all those mysteries which found their centre in the
Cross of Calvary, did they speak onthe Mount of Transfiguration, and
thus revealedto the apostles and to us what is the heavenly life of which
our life here is the prelude, what is that eternal state to which we are all
rapidly journeying. First, then, it is of primary importance to consider
that heaven is a state rather than a locality. Don't misunderstand me. I

do not say there is no space which we call heaven to-day, no space where
that sacredhumanity still exists which the Incarnate Saviour took upon
Himself, and which has since been in some sense subjectto laws of
creaturely existence, andtherefore subjectto space. WhereverJesus
Christ is there is heaven, and yet if you ask where this heavenly life will
be lived, in what locality the heavenly life will be lived, then I shall
answerthat probably, though of this no one can be certain, probably the
sphere of that life will be mainly this earth. The last vision in the
Apocalypse is not the vision of the Church ascending, but her advent on
the "new earth." "I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
from heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
Insignificant as this planet is in the wonderful cosmos, yetit has been
chosenamong God's creations as the scene in which the greatmystery
of love should be carried out, in which the incarnate life of the Son of
God should be lived; out of the dust of this earth His sacredbody was
formed, on this earth He lived His life, on this earth He died His death,
and from this earth He ascendedinto heaven, and carriedinto the
presence ofthe Father, to be for ever there, the body formed of the dust
of this earth. This earth is the scene ofthe humiliation of Jesus Christ,
of the humiliation of His Church, of the whole family of mankind; is it
not likely to be the centre of that plan in which the glory of Jesus Christ,
the glory of His Church and of mankind, shall be consummated? I state,
then, as a pious opinion, that this earth will be the centre of that life of
bliss which the glorified Church will live. And where more fitting? We
have no reasonto believe that the greatwork of Redemption has been
carried out in any of the other worlds in God's greatplan of creation,
nor do we evenknow that those worlds are inhabited by living souls.
And yet the greatquestion is, not where shall that heavenly life be spent,
but what is that life? And the answeris plainly and distinctly given in
the Revelationwhich we are studying, that the heavenly life is a state of
conformity to God. Church life is revealedto us as lived under three
conditions, of which two are present conditions and one future: the first
is the militant life on earth; the secondis the waiting life in paradise —
the life of souls waiting in that dear place of restfor the coming of their
Lord in glory — and the third is the life of perfectconformity to Jesus
Christ. Here we are ever reaching forward to that conformity, and yet
none of us canever be perfect;in paradise I venture to believe that
there will be growth for those waiting souls, an ever-increasing
conformity with Jesus;for "the path of the just is as the shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." That "perfectday"

is the coming of our Lord, when we shall see Him as He is, when we
shall be wholly conformed to God, when, waking up after His likeness,
"we shall be satisfied." By the heavenly life we understand that state of
glory which is entered on by the resurrection — for as baptism is our
birth into the Church militant, so death is our birth into the Church
expectant, and the resurrection our birth into the Church glorified. The
state of expectationis only over when He, whom we look for, shall
appear, and we shall enter into the state of conformity. What is this
conformity? I answer, that my perfect conformity is my attainment of
my perfectindividuality; no one can be perfectly conformed to God in
the sense that they can express in themselves every beauty that is in
Him; for is it not true that He is the Sun and we are only the stars, and
we know that "one stardiffereth from another starin glory"?
Conformity to Christ is this, my perfect realizationof the Divine
thought for me; God is not mirrored in eachmember of the Church, but
in the whole Church; one ray of His beauty is mirrored in one, and one
in another; I was createdto reflect one ray; He who createdme "telleth
the number of the stars, and calleththem all by their names," and, as
"one star differeth from another," so one man from another man. If I
may say it, the greatCreatornever uses the same mould twice; having
used it once He throws it away, and so the characteristicsofone are not
the same as another. Godhas placed me in this world with an individual
purpose of life to develop, and any system which takes God's creations,
on whom is stamped individuality, and forces them into the same
pattern, is immoral, is a marring of God's plan. There must be space in
His Church: "Thouhas setmy feet in a large room." So, when I am
truly myself when I canfulfil my highest aspirations, when I canlive out
my fullest resolves whenI can perfectly express the idea of my
individual being which God has revealedto me, then at lastI have
gained conformity to Christ, then I know what it is to restin the heaven
of God. Oh! joy to be my ideal self! joy when conduct shall square with
conviction, when convictionshall square with aspiration, and aspiration
shall square with resolve!Oh! the utter rest to lie at the feet of Jesus,
true to Him because utterly true to myself! Moses will be Moses there,
Elias will be Elias there, eachbefore Jesus Christin His own
individuality and personality. But what is the life which awaits me
there? The answercomes clearlyand distinctly — a life lived in the
powerof Jesus Christ. The first greathunger of eachhuman creature is
heart-hunger, the first greatthirst is heart-thirst; if love, then, is our
greatestneed, be sure of this, God createdus to beloved, "and,

therefore, He createdus to possessandto be possessedby Himself, who
is absolute Beauty and perfectLove; and so, whether our love flows out
first to those dear ones whom He has given us to love, whether our first
love is given to Him or only indirectly to Him, of this be sure, we cannot
know heart-rest until we rest wholly in His love. The time will come
when we shall have not only an intellectualbut an actualapprehension
of His love, when we shall live by sight and not by faith, and as we gaze
on the Word Incarnate, the sight of God's beauty mirrored there will
draw up to us His embrace, and the joy of God's love will attractus to
Him eternally. This, then, is heaven, to rest in the love of God. Then if
our first greatlonging is for love, our secondis for knowledge.The
heart longs for love, the mind for knowledge:and here, in time, we
cannot satisfythis longing. The more we know, the more we become
conscious ofour ignorance;the more we feed the mind, the more it
hungers for that which it has not. Here we know "in part." But there, in
the heavenly life, the partial knowledge shallbe made complete;and I
shall study the truth, not only as it has been revealed, but with the aid of
the greatFirst Cause, ofGod Himself; and as I see God I shall know the
rest that comes with the perfect knowledge ofthe truth as it is in Him.
And how shall we study to know God? As we can see the Father only as
He is mirrored in the Son, so we can only hear His voice as revealed to
us through the Incarnate Word. And our study will surely be the study
of those mysteries which gather round His sacredform — the mystery
of His Incarnation, the mystery of His Death, the infinite mystery of His
Resurrectionand of His Ascension(for in eachis a manifestationof the
Infinite). And so, through all the ages ofeternity, there will be an
eternal festival — an eternal Christmas, an eternalLady Day, an eternal
Easter, and an eternal Ascension — that I may receive into my mind the
meaning of these mysteries, and give back to God my mental
satisfactionby uttering heaven's eternal creedand offering heaven's
ceaselessworship. Then, thirdly, if in heaven the cravings of our heart
for love and of our intellects for knowledge willbe satisfied, so, too, will
our desire for unity. To some the thought of individuality is not
attractive; it is not personal isolationthey long for, but corporate union.
The two ideas are not antagonistic. True, " the King's daughter is all
glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold." But why? Because
eachseparate thread is of wrought gold. We see in the Revelationhow
every precious stone was used in the completion of the heavenly city,
which could not be perfectwithout the perfectionof eachstone;and so
here a life of perfectedindividuality may be the same as a life of

perfectedunity. Moses andElias stoodside by side, they knew one
another, they shared a common study, they askedcommon questions,
they receivedthe common truth, though Peterand James and John,
with their own individual characteristics ofzealand love and patience,
as they stoodthere with them, and heard the Voice out of the cloud, "
This is My beloved Son," knew Mosesto be Moses, and Elias Elias;so in
heaven ours will be no mere life of individual isolation, in which the
enjoyment of personallove, the tasting of personaltruth, the offering of
personalworship, will be our one thought. No; the perfection of the lives
of the saints blends in one perfectcommunion: there saint with saint
holds converse, lives a common life, offers a common worship.
(Canon Body.)
Christ crucified
J. G. Rogers,B. A.
Such words never were, never could with truth and fitness, be applied to
any but the one death.
I. The first point to be noted here is, THE VOLUNTARY
CHARACTER OF THIS DEATH. There was no power, no law of
nature that made death a necessityto the Lord Jesus. Thatpilgrimage
into the regions of the tomb He could undertake or decline, according to
His own pleasure. He died simply because He willed to die. He might
have left the world in a very different way. Like His own servant Elias,
with whom He conversedof this decease,He might have returned to
heaven in a chariot of fire; or, if He must taste death in order that He
might be perfectly like unto His brethren, His departure might have
been calm and tranquil, in the stillness of home, amid the sympathies
and tears of loving friends. Such a death would surely have been
sufficient, if the end of His ministry had been simply the manifestation
of God in the flesh. Insteadof a close so fitting to a life of purity, He
chose to accomplisha decease,in which He should be "numbered with
the transgressors."Surely for this there must have been wise and
sufficient reason. The fact that He died thus, is the proof that the great
design of His advent could be fulfilled only by such a death. With Him it
was the centre-factof His whole history.
II. THE IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO THIS DEATH. He had work
to do in the world beside, a bright example to give; the true ideal of a
human life to setbefore man; a perfectrighteousness to win; a thousand

blessings to scatter;His own deep love and sympathy with human
sorrows to discover:but His greatwork was this — to die.
III. THE TRUE MEANING OF THIS DEATH. The New Testament
speaks in various ways — sometimes it employs the language of type
and symbol — sometimes it gives us distinct and explicit statements but
all its representations ofthis death converge to one point, and enforce
one grand idea. "Christ our Passoveris sacrificedforus." Here is an
expressive metaphor — one whose significationit cannotbe hard to
discover. What is the meaning of the apostle? The PaschalLamb died
for the deliverance of the nation — through his death the nation escaped
the swordof the destroying angel — the animal was slain, the blood was
sprinkled, and the people were saved. So was Christ our Passover
sacrificed, that we might be delivered — His death is our life — in
virtue of His blood of sprinkling we are purified and accepted. "The
deceasewhichHe should accomplishat Jerusalem." Thus, then, did the
man Christ Jesus ever keepbefore Him that goalof suffering and
humiliation to which His steps were tending. Not ignorantly did He rush
on perils and death, entering on a path whose end He did not discern
until retreat had become impossible. Knowing what the work was, He
had deliberately undertaken it, and throughout all its stages,the issue
was ever presentto His eye. Very early in His ministry did He indicate
that He was set apart to this service — was anointed unto sacrifice.
(J. G. Rogers,B. A.)
Two divisions in the glorified Church
Canon Body.
Why were these two men with Jesus in the vision? Is it not because
when at length the Church shall reach her state of glory there will be
within her two distinct classes?We are told, that when our Lord comes,
the "deadin Christ shall rise first," and at the sound of the trump, and
at the callof His voice, the "fields of Paradise" shallbe deserted, and
they shall all be caughtup to meet their Lord in the air, henceforth to
seek Him in His beauty and to be His daily delight. But what of those
who are not in the "fields of Paradise" atthe time of the coming of our
Lord? Shall they die? Shall they know that mysterious experience which
we call death, the separationof the soul from the body? No, for then it
would be a purposeless experience. "Theyshallnot die, but shall be
caught up togetherwith them in the clouds, and shall be ever with the

Lord." Therefore the glorified Church shall be the assemblyof those
who, some from life and some from Paradise, are gatheredinto the
presence ofChrist. And do we not see these two classesrepresentedin
the ancientsaints who talkedwith our Lord on the Mount of
Transfiguration? Moses, we know, died; and we remember the cause of
his death there in the wilderness, and the mysterious conflict over his
body betweenMichaelthe archangeland Satan. Elijah died not; he
never experiencedthis crisis of existence, but, we are told, "went up by
a whirlwind into heaven." So the two greatdivisions of the glorified
Church are fittingly representedby these two Old Testament
characters, one ofwhom died the most arresting death there recorded,
and the other died not.
(Canon Body.)
Deathan exodus
S. Cox, D. D.
1. "It is strange how much we canfind in that greatscene on the Holy
Mount, to illustrate this conception, and to impress it on our minds.
Look at the speakers — Moses, Elijah, Christ. Was not the death of
Moses anexodus? A sacredmystery hangs over the decease ofthe "Man
of God." "He who died by the kiss of the Eternal" is a not infrequent
synonym for Moses inthe Rabbinical schools. Elijah, again, was rapt,
we are told, and carried up into heaven, as by a whirling cloud of fiery
chariots. If, therefore, any of the sons of men should be permitted to
pass from the spiritual world to hold converse with Christ in the
moment of His glory, these were the two men. They had alreadyand
fully achievedthe exodus or journey of death, and had passedinto the
large fair land beyond. "They talkedwith Him of the exodus He should
accomplishat Jerusalem." If we love and follow Him, we need not doubt
that we shall be made partakers of His death in this high sense — that
for us, as for Him, death will be an exodus, a journey home.
2. The more we study this conceptionof death the more instructive and
suggestive we shallfind it to be. The illustration which the figure
suggests, andwas intended to suggest,is the exodus of Israelfrom
Egypt. If we considerwhat that exodus was and implies, if we then
proceedto infer that death will be to us very much what their exodus
was to the captive Hebrew race, we shall reachsome thoughts of death,
and of the life that follows death, which can hardly fail to be new and

helpful to us. The exodus was a transition from bondage to freedom,
from grinding and unrequited toil to comparative rest, from ignorance
to knowledge, from shame to honour, from a life distractedby care and
pain and fear to a life in which men were fed by the immediate bounty
of God, guided by His wisdom, guarded by His omnipotence,
consecratedto His service. And if death be an exodus, we may say that,
by the gate and avenue of death, we shall pass from bondage to
freedom, &c.
(S. Cox, D. D.)
The centraltruth of the Transfiguration
W. M. Taylor, D. D.
I. CHRIST GLORIFIED IN CONNECTION WITHHIS DEATH.
There are two transfigurations — that of the Mount and that of the
Cross;and it is impossible to understand either, save in the light of the
other. He who was on the Mount was still the Man of Sorrows, andHe
who was on the Cross was stillthe Divine Son. The death on the Cross
gave its glory to the mountain-scene; the declarationon the Mount
makes the death all-radiant with triumph.
II. CHRIST GLORIFIED THROUGH HIS DEATH, REFLECTS
BACK A RADIANCE ON MOSES AND ELIJAH.
III. AS MOSES AND ELIJAH ARE THUS GLORIFIED BY CHRIST,
THEY RETIRE FROM VIEW AND GIVE PLACE TO HIM.
(W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Celestialvisitors
Thomas Jones.
When we read of the reappearance ofMosesand Elias after their long
absence, ourfirst feeling is that of wonder; it is to us a miracle, a
strange thing, for the dead do not return. But why view it thus? The
wonder is, not that Moses andElias were seenin the holy Mount, but
that the separationbetweenus and the blesseddead should be so
complete. Their long unbroken silence is the strange thing when you
.think of it. We long to know more of them and of the world in which
they dwell. We know from this narrative —

1. That human spirits are not annihilated when they disappear from this
world.
2. That human spirits have a personalexistence afterdeath.
3. We see in Moses andElias what all faithful souls shall be, when the
greatredemption is completed — as like unto God as possible.
(Thomas Jones.)
The thought of death amid the raptures of the Transfigura
H. Macmillan, LL. D.
tion: — Jesus was lifted by His rapture above the fear of death. He
spoke calmly of His deceasewith the messengersfrom the unseenworld,
whose very presence testifiedof death conquered and the grave
despoiled. His acutestpain was transformed into His highest joy, as the
body of His humiliation was transfigured by the glory of heaven; and at
that supreme moment, when His life was at the brightest, He could have
willingly lain it down, and passedinto the dark shadow fearedof man.
This true to human experience. Jacobon seeing Josephagain — "Now
let me die"; Simeon, with the infant Saviour in his agedarms — "Now
lettestThou Thy servant depart in peace." And outside the domain of
Scripture we find numerous examples of the same strange intermingling
of the highest glory of life with the thought of sorrow and death. It is
indeed on mounts of transfiguration, when our nature is irradiated by
some greatjoy, that we love to speak ofour decease. We fearnot to
enter into the cloud of death when we are transfigured by the passionate
intensity of our feelings. Our joy transforms the pain of dying into its
own splendour, as the sun changes the very cloud into sunshine. All
thoughtful writers have described this remarkable human experience,
AEschylus, in his " Agamemnon ", pictures the herald returning from
the TrojanWar as so overjoyedat revisiting his native land that he was
willing to die. Goethe represents one of his most beautiful creations —
the loved and loving Clara — as wishing to die in the hour of her purest
joy; for earth had nothing beyond the rapture of that experience.
Shakespeare puts into the lips of Othello, at his joyful meeting with
Desdemona, afterthe perils of his voyage to Cyprus were over, the
passionate exclamation:—
"If it were now to die
"Twere now to be most happy: for I fear

My soulhath her content so absolute,
That not another comfort like to this
Succeeds inunknown fate."
It is said of Benjamin Franklin that his exultation was so greatwhen he
succeededin attracting the lightning from the clouds by means of his
kite, and thus proving its identity with the electricityof the earth, that
he could willingly have died that very moment. Miss Martineau, in her
"RetrospectofWesternTravel," describes the grandeur of a storm
which she encounteredon the Atlantic, as producing a similar triumph
over the fear of death. "In the excitementof such an hour," she says,
"one feels as if one would as soongo down in those magnificent waters
as die any other death." I remember, on one occasion, having something
of the same feeling. I was travelling at night in a mountain region, when
a terrible storm came on. The rain poured in torrents; the thunder
pealed among the rocks;flash after flash of lightning linked the hills
together, as with chains of fire. A pall of blackness coveredthe sky from
end to end. Hundreds of torrents poured down the heights into a lake,
as if direct from the clouds; the sheenof their foam lookedweird and
ghastly in the illumination of the lightning, and their roar drowning the
crashof the thunder; the sound of many waters, here, there, and
everywhere, filling earth and sky. Amid all this appalling elemental war,
I felt a strange excitementand uplifting of soul, which made me
indifferent to danger, careless whatbecame ofme. Such moments reveal
to us the greatness ofour nature, and fill us with the intoxication of
immortality. Deathin such glorious circumstances seems anapotheosis.
He comes to us as it were with the whirlwind and the chariot of fire, to
lift us above the slow pain of dying, in the rapture of translation.
(H. Macmillan, LL. D.)
The conference during the transfiguration
H. Belfrage.
In this discourse I shall first direct your attention to the accountgiven
of the persons who conversedwith our Lord, and then to the subject of
their conference.
I. THE PERSONS WHO CONVERSEDWITHOUR LORD WERE
TWO MEN.

1. It may be thought that two angels wouldhave rendered the scene
more splendid, but there was a peculiar propriety in employing men.
2. They were men of high eminence under the former dispensation.
3. We are told that these visitants appearedin glory. They came from
heaven, and though their honour and felicity there were very high, they
felt no reluctance to descendto this mountain. They were not calledto
relinquish their splendour or to coverit with a veil, as our Lord is said
to have "emptied Himself," when he appearedin our world. The glory
which invested them must have been very great, since it was visible
amidst the brightness spread around our Lord.
4. They talkedwith Jesus. It is not said that they talkedwith one
another. They descended, not to hold intercourse with the disciples, but
with their Master.
II. Let us now attend to THE SUBJECT OF THEIR CONFERENCE. It
was the deceasewhich He should accomplishat Jerusalem.
1. They spake ofthe moral glory which Jesus should exhibit in His
departure. Great was the glory of Moses in the going forth from Egypt.
2. They spoke ofthe important ends to be gained by His death. It
reconciles the mind to labours and sufferings, when we are assuredthat
valuable ends will be gained by them. Let me specify some of these ends.
They talked of the glory which would result from His death to all the
Divine perfections. The expiation to be made for sin was another end. I
must mention further, the salvationto be gained by His death for
millions of human beings.
3. We may considerthem as speaking ofthe influence of His death.
4. They spoke ofthe rewards which would be conferred on Him for His
obedience to the death.Let me now state shortly, some of the reasons
why this theme was chosenfor conference onthe Mount.
1. It was done to animate and invigorate the Son of Man for the scene
before Him.
2. We may find another reasonfor the choice ofthe topic in its peculiar
importance.
3. They talkedof this subject for the sake ofthe disciples.
4. They did it for the benefit of the Church in all ages.
1. Let Christians live more under the influence of this death than ever.

2. Let goodmen prepare for their departure.
3. Let me callon the disciples of Jesus, with kindred feelings to those of
Moses andElias, to commemorate their Saviour's decease.And let those
who never approach the Lord's table considerthat, were their conduct
general, the death of Christ might sink into oblivion on earth.
(H. Belfrage.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(32) But Peter. . . and when they were awake.—The relations ofthe two
clauses wouldbe better expressedby, And Peter. . . but awaked. . .
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
9:28-36 Christ's transfiguration was a specimenof that glory in which
he will come to judge the world; and was an encouragementto his
disciples to suffer for him. Prayeris a transfiguring, transforming duty,
which makes the face to shine. Our Lord Jesus, evenin his
transfiguration, was willing to speak concerning his death and
sufferings. In our greatestglories onearth, let us remember that in this
world we have no continuing city. What need we have to pray to God
for quickening grace, to make us lively! Yet that the disciples might be
witnesses ofthis sign from heaven, after awhile they became awake,so
that they were able to give a full accountof what passed. But those
know not what they say, that talk of making tabernacles onearth for
glorified saints in heaven.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Heavy with sleep - Borne down with sleep- oppressed, overcome with
sleep. It may seemremarkable that they should fall asleepon such an
occasion;but we are to bear in mind that this may have been in the
night, and that they were weary with the toils of the day. Besides, they
did not "fall asleep" while the transfiguration lasted. While Jesus was
praying, or perhaps after he closed, they fell asleep. "While" they were
sleeping his countenance was changed, andMoses andElias appeared.

The first that "they" saw of it was after they awoke,having been
probably awakenedby the shining of the light around them.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
32. and when they were awake—so, certainly, the most commentators:
but if we translate literally, it should be "but having kept awake"
[Meyer, Alford]. Perhaps "having roused themselves up" [Olshausen]
may come near enough to the literal sense;but from the word used we
can gatherno more than that they shook off their drowsiness. It was
night, and the Lord seems to have spent the whole night on the
mountain (Lu 9:37).
saw his glory, &c.—The emphasis lies on "saw," qualifying them to
become "eye-witnessesofHis majesty" (2Pe 1:16).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Ver. 32. See Poole on "Luke 9:28"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
But Peter, and they that were with him,.... The other two disciples,
James and John;
were heavy with sleep; as they afterwards were in the garden, while
Christ was praying, as he had been now; being wearywith the labours
of the day past, and it being now night, as is very probable, since that
was an usual time Christ spent in prayer:
and when they were awake,The Syriac version reads, "scarcely
awake";they were so heavy with sleep, that it was with difficulty they
were awakedout of it, evenby the rays of light and glory that were
about them. The Ethiopic version adds, "suddenly"; such a lustre
darted from these glorious forms, especiallyfrom the body of Christ, as
at once surprised them out of their sleep;and being thoroughly awake,
they saw his glory; the brightness of his countenance, andthe whiteness
of his raiment: and the two men that stoodwith him: Moses andElias,
and the glory in which they appeared.
Geneva Study Bible
But Peterand they that were with him were heavy with sleep:and when
they were awake,they saw his glory, and the two men that stoodwith
him.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 9:32. βεβαρ. ὕπνῳ: this particular, in Lk. only, implies that it was
a night scene;so also the expressionἐν τῇ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ, Luke 9:37. The
celestialvisitants are supposedto arrive while the disciples are asleep.
They fell asleepwhile their Masterprayed, as at Gethsemane.—
διαγρηγορήσαντες, having thoroughly wakenedup, so as to be able to
see distinctly what passed(here only in N.T.).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
32. were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake]Rather, had been
heavy with sleep; but on fully awaking. The worddiagregoresaniesdoes
not here mean ‘having kept awake,’but (to give the full force of the
compound and aorist)suddenly starting into full wakefulness. They
started up, wide awake afterheavy sleep, in the middle of the vision.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 9:32. Σὺν αὐτῷ, with him) By this formula Peteris given the
precedencyover James and John.—ὕπνῳ, with sleep)Comp. Genesis
2:21. [By the mediation of that sleep an oblivion of all earthly thoughts
and images whatevertook possessionof them.—V. g.]—
διαγρηγορήσαντες)whenthey had recoveredthemselves from sleep. [By
the sleepthey were now become more alert.—V. g.] It is probable that it
was night: Luke 9:37 [“the next day”] seems to imply this.—εἶδον τὴν
δόξαν αὐτοῦ, they saw His glory) Peter, who was present at the scene,
has describedit in the same words, 2 Peter1:16-17 : so also John 1:14.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 32. - And the two men that stoodwith him. It has been asked -
How did the disciples know the names which those glorified ones had
once borne? Three replies are at leastprobable.
(1) They may have heard their Masteraddress them by their old earthly
names.
(2) In subsequent conversations the Lord may have disclosedthem to
the three.
(3) Is it not a very thinkable thought that the blessedbear upon their
spirit-forms their old individuality transfigured and glorified? Were

such a vision vouchsafedto us, should we not in a moment recognize a
Peter, a Mary, or a Paul?
Vincent's Word Studies
Heavy (βεβαρημένοι)
The perfectparticiple. Lit., burdened or oppressed. "It was but natural
for these men of simple habits, at night, and after the long ascent, and in
the strong mountain air, to be heavy with sleep;and we also know it as a
psychologicalfact, that, in quick reaction, after the overpowering
influence of the strongestemotions, drowsinesswould creepover their
limbs and senses"(Edersheim).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Luke 9:30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were
Moses andElijah,
KJV And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses
and Elias:
They were Lk 24:27,44;Matthew 17:3,4;Mark 9:4-6; John 1:17;
Romans 3:21-23;2 Corinthians 3:7-11; Hebrews 3:3-6
Elijah - Lk 9:19; 1:17; James 5:17,18
Luke 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 9:27-36 - StevenCole
Luke 9:26-31 A Glimpse of the King's Return, Part 1 - John MacArthur
ParallelPassagesin the Synoptic Gospels - Matt. 17:1-8;Mark 9:2-8
Matthew 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appearedto them, talking
with Him.
Mark 9:4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses;and they were
talking with Jesus.
THE APPEARANCE OF

MOSES AND ELIJAH
Behold (2400)(idou)is the secondpersonsingular aoristmiddle
imperative of eidon which means to see, perceive, look at. In the NT
idou is used as a demonstrative particle that draws attention to what
follows. Idou in the middle voice means "you yourself look, see,
perceive!" The aorist imperative is a command emphasizing "Do it
now! Don't delay!" Spurgeon reminds us that "Beholdis a word of
wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Whereveryou see it hung
out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there
are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have
observedin the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention
to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold
is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especiallystriking
or important text. It says in effect"Listen up, all ye who would be wise
in the ways of Jehovah!"
Two men were talking - Vincent observes "The imperfect tense is
graphic; as the vision revealeditself, the two were in the act of talking."
Robert Stein - Do these men represet(1) the law (Moses)and the
prophets (Elijah)—cf. Luke 16:29, 31; 24:27;(2) heavenly figures who
were expectedto return at the end time; or (3) two OT prophetic figures
who had not experienceddeath? The first possibility seems best. The
reference to “two men” ties togetherthe transfiguration, resurrection
(Lk 24:4), and ascension(Acts 1:10). The presence of Moses andElijah
refutes the incorrectguesses aboutJesus’identity given in Luke 9:8, 19.
(New American Commentary – Volume 24: Luke)
John Martin on Moses andElijah - The bodies of Moses and Elijah
were never found. God buried Moses'body (Deut. 34:5-6), and Elijah
did not die but was takenup to heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12, 15-18). These
two men representthe beginning and the end of Israel, for Moses,as the
Lawgiver, founded the nation, and Elijah is to come back before the
greatand terrible day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5-6). (The Bible Knowledge
Commentary)
Steven Cole on Moses andElijah - Scholars debate the significance of
Moses andElijah appearing with Christ, but it seems to me that the
natural connectionis that Mosesrepresents the Law and Elijah the
Prophets. As such, the entire Old Testament(the Law and the Prophets)
bears witness to Jesus as Lord and Christ. Beyond this association,
Moses also hada mountaintop experience where his face shone (Ex

34:30). In the exodus, he led the people of Godout of bondage. Our text
states that Moses andElijah were talking with Jesus about the exodus
(literal Greek transliterationof “departure”) that He was about to
accomplishin Jerusalem(Lu 9:31). Elijah is associatedwith the future
coming of Messiah, whenhe would appearto turn the hearts of the
people back to God and to prepare the way of the Lord (Mal 3:1; Mal
4:4-6; Mt 11:9-14). It is also interesting that both Moses andElijah had
unique departures from this earth. Moses died on the mountain and
God buried him (De 34:6). Elijah was carried to heaven without dying
in a chariot of fire (2Ki 2:11). Jesus also hada unique departure: angels
guarded His tomb and then, after His resurrection, He ascendedbodily
into heaven. But even though Mosesand Elijah were two of the greatest
men of God in the Old Testament, Jesus is far superior to them. We see
this in Peter’s inept comment and the response from the heavenly voice.
Peter, perhaps to prolong the glorious occasion, suggests celebrating the
FeastofTabernacles by building three booths, one for Jesus, one for
Moses,and one for Elijah. While he meant well, Peter’s comment was
off because it put Jesus on the same footing as Moses and Elijah. The
voice from heaven corrects this by removing Moses and Elijah and by
stating emphatically, “This is My Son, My ChosenOne; listen to Him!”
(Lu 9:35). These words also fulfill De 18:15, where Moses predicts that
God will raise up another prophet and commands, “You shall listen to
him.” Thus, the glory of Christ shows His superiority to and fulfillment
of the Law and the Prophets. (Luke 9:27-36)
John MacArthur - Why Moses andElijah? Well I thought about this
and I thought, well, if I could go back to the Old Testamentand think of
which two characters mostprominent in the Old Testamenthad
unusual demises, or unusual exits out of this world, the first two that
come to my mind are Mosesand Elijah. Mostpeople, they died and he
was buried with his fathers, right? You go through Genesis, he died and
he was buried, he died and he was buried. You know, it's kind of a
routine thing. It's still going on, obviously, but not Mosesand Elijah.
Moses hada very unusual death and his body was never found. His
body was never found because there was a battle over his body between
Satanand Michaeland they were fighting over the body of Moses.
Satanwanted to do something really bad with the body of Moses. We
don't know what because he didn't succeed. Theywere contending for
the body of Moses andit tells us in Deuteronomy34:6 that God just
took his body and buried it Himself. Nobody knows where. So

somebody could raise the question: Well what happened to Moses?
We're not sure what happened to Moses?Wellgoodnews, he's over
there on the other side. You may not be able to find his body, you may
wonder about where it is and why he disappearedin such a strange way,
but the goodnews is he's over there because here he is appearing on the
other side. And Elijah, do you remember what happened to him? He
didn't die. He had a private rapture. He went to heaven in a chariot of
fire (2 Kings 2:11) So that's the secondpersonwho had the sort of
strange exodus. And so here is Moses who had a strange exodus and
here is Elijah who had a strange exodus and they're talking with Jesus
about His exodus. (Luke 9:26-31 A Glimpse of the King's Return, Part
1)
R Kent Hughes on Mosesand Elijah - Why Elijah and Moses? Whynot
Isaiahand Jeremiah, or Danieland Joseph? There are severalreasons.
Both these men had previously conversedwith God on mountaintops—
Moses onMount Sinai (Exodus 31:18)and Elijah on Mount Horeb,
another name for Sinai (1 Kings 19:8ff.). They both had been shown
God's glory. Both also had famous departures from this earth. Moses
died on Mount Nebo, after which God buried him in a grave known
only to himself. Elijah was takenup alive in a chariot of fire. Both were
expectedto return againat the end of the age (concerning Elijah, cf. Lk
1:17; 9:8, 19; concerning Moses cf. Deuteronomy18:15, 18). Moses was
the greatlawgiver, and Elijah was the greatprophet. Moses wasthe
founder of Israel's religious economy, and Elijah was the restorerof it.
Togetherthey were a powerful summary of the entire Old Testament
economy. (Preaching the Word – Luke, Volume I: That You May Know
the Truth)
NET Note is slightly different on Mosesand Elijah - Commentators and
scholars discuss why Mosesand Elijah are present. The most likely
explanation is that Moses representsthe prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22)
and Elijah pictures the presence ofthe lastdays (Mal 4:5-6), the
prophet of the eschaton(the end times).
ESV Study Bible - Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the
Prophets;their appearance refutes the incorrectguessesofLk 9:8, 19,
indicating that Jesus is the fulfillment of both
Luke 9:31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure
which He was about to accomplishat Jerusalem.

KJV Who appearedin glory, and spake of his decease whichhe should
accomplishat Jerusalem.
appeared2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 3:4;1 Peter
5:10
spake Lk 9:22; 13:32-34;John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 1:23,24;1 Peter
1:11,12;Revelation5:6-12; 7:14
JESUS'EXODUS
AT JERUSALEM
This description of their discussionof Jesus'departure is only given by
Luke and not in Matt. 17:1-8 or Mark 9:2-8.
Who, appearing in glory - Mosesand Elijah were glorified. NLT says
"They were glorious to see."
Hughes - What an amazing sight! Luminous, dazzling Jesus is talking to
Moses who had been dead over 1,400 years and to Elijah who had been
gone for about 900. And they are talking about his exodus—his
imminent death for our sins. (Ibid)
Glory (1391)(doxa rom dokeo = to think) in simple terms means to give
a proper opinion or estimate of something. Glory is something that is a
source of honor, fame, or admiration. It describes renown, a thing that
is beautiful, impressive, or worthy of praise. It follows that the glory of
God expresses allthat He is in His Being and in His nature, character,
powerand acts. He is glorified when He is allowedto be seenas He
really is. To be where God is will be glory (regarding which Moses and
Elijah give us a small foretaste). To be what God intended will be glory.
To do what God purposed will be glory. Dearstorm tossedsaint, hold
on. The end of our voyage is GLORY! Hallelujah!
Were speaking - imperfect tense - graphic picture of an ongoing
conversation. Wouldn't you like to have eavesdropped? At leastLuke
gives us the generalsubjectthey were discussing - Jesus'death and
departure from Jerusalem.
Were speaking of His departure - The KJV has "spake ofhis decease"
(the event of dying or departure from life). Remember that Peter, John
and James are asleepand did not overhear them speaking ofHis

departure (His "exodus" from this world, His death). While Moses the
law giver led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, God had
promised to raise up a prophet like Moses (Dt18:15, 18)Who would
lead the people of God out of slavery to sin, an "exodus" made possible
by His death as the Lamb of God (Jesus fulfilling the shadow of the
Passoverlambs in Egypt).
Daniel Akin in comparing the mission of Moses with that of Jesus adds
that "This is not Mount Sinai all over again. No, this is a Gospel
mountain, not a Law mountain. Here the Law of God and the Grace of
God converge in the One who is God incarnate and the fulfillment of all
the Old Testamentpromised. Look at Him and believe His Gospel."
(Ibid)
Bock observes regarding Jesus'"departure" that "the disciples do not
graspthis discussion's significanceatthe time(Ed: It is not clearthey
actually heard the conversationif one compares Lk 9:32), since they
struggle with Jesus'predictions of His death later when they approach
Jerusalem(Luke 18:31-34)." (Luke 9:18-50 ChristologicalConfession-
Discipleship)
MacArthur - What was hard for the apostles to accept, Jesus’death,
was in the divine plan and these Old Testamentrepresentatives
understood that fact in their perfectknowledge. Moses andElijah had
been in the presence ofGod since their departures from this world,
where they had known and worshipedJesus and understood the plan of
redemption....The question arises as to why the two men had visible
bodies, since the Old Testamentsaints are described in Hebrews 12:23
as “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” and do not receive their
glorified bodies until after the tribulation (Dan. 12:1-2). Evidently they
either receivedthe bodies they appeared in temporarily for that
occasion, orGod gave them their permanent resurrectionbodies early.
(MacArthur New TestamentCommentary – Luke 6-10)
Departure ("exodus")(1841)(exodosfrom ex = out + hodos = way) is
literally "the road out" or "the way out"! Exodos was used as a
euphemism describing one's departure from among the living for death.
In 2 Pe 1:15 Peteris saying he is not dying but just departing for home!
Exodos is used in Heb 11:22 to describe "the exodus of the sons of
Israel" from Egypt. Luke's use of exodus is the only other use of this
word in the NT. Exodus is a beautiful euphemism for death. Elijah and
Moses,having already made their exodus from earth to heaven were
anticipating Jesus'exodus via His death and resurrection.

NET Note says that exodus "refers to Jesus'death in Jerusalemand
journey back to glory. Here is the first lessonthat the disciples must
learn. The wondrous rule comes only after suffering."
A T Robertsonon exodos in this context - Moseshad led the Exodus
from Egypt. Jesus will accomplishthe exodus of God's people into the
PromisedLand on high.
Mattoon- Jesus was to accomplisha new exodus, a new saving
deliverance, exceptthis time it was to be for the entire world. All men
who put their faith in Christ will be delivered from the bondage of sin,
death, and Hell to eternallife in Heaven. (Ibid)
Accomplish (fulfill)(4137)(pleroo) has severalnuances but in this
context means to bring to completion, to be finished, to bring to
completion an activity in which one has been involved from its
beginning (cf Lk 7:1, Acts 12:25, Acts 13:25, Rev 6:11). This verse
prepares the readerfor Lk 9:51ff. The idea of pleroo here is that Jesus
would FULFILL the prophecy of the "Suffering Servant."
Compare to other uses of pleroo that speak of fulfillment of a divine
prophecy or promise - Mt 1:22; 5:17; 13:35; 26:54, 56;Mk 14:49;Lk
9:31; 22:16; J 18:9, 32; 19:24, 36;Ro 13:8; Gal 5:14
Luke's uses of pleroo - Lk. 1:20; Lk. 2:40; Lk. 3:5; Lk. 4:21; Lk. 7:1;
Lk. 9:31; Lk. 21:24; Lk. 22:16; Lk. 24:44
Robert Stein - Luke purposefully mentioned Jerusalem, for it was in
this city that the redemptive acts of salvationhistory took place. These
acts included the announcementin the temple to Zechariah (Luke 1:5–
23); the dedication of Jesus (Lk 2:22–38);the yearly pilgrimage to
Jerusalem(Lk 2:41); Jesus’final journey to Jerusalem(Lk 9:51f.); the
crucifixion, resurrection, post-resurrectionappearances,ascension, and
the coming of the Spirit. Jerusalemalso would be significant as the
centerof world evangelismand the site of the JerusalemCouncil. (New
American Commentary – Volume 24:Luke)
At Jerusalem- This fact leaves no doubt that they were discussing Jesus
"exodus" via crucifixion. One can only imagine the content of this
incredible conversation. And look who's sleeping through it all! (Lk
9:32). Jesus mentioned severalmore times in Luke that He was headed
toward Jerusalem(Luke 9:51, 53; 13:33;17:11; 18:31).

Luke's uses of Jerusalem- It is surprising that Jerusalemis mentioned
only once in Matthew (Mt 23:37) and not in either Mark or John. Most
of the NT uses by far are found in Luke's writings.
Lk. 2:25; Lk. 2:38; Lk. 2:41; Lk. 2:43; Lk. 2:45; Lk. 4:9; Lk. 5:17; Lk.
6:17; Lk. 9:31; Lk. 9:51; Lk. 9:53; Lk. 10:30; Lk. 13:4; Lk. 13:33; Lk.
13:34;Lk. 17:11;Lk. 18:31; Lk. 19:11;Lk. 21:20;Lk. 21:24; Lk. 23:28;
Lk. 24:13; Lk. 24:18;Lk. 24:33; Lk. 24:47; Lk. 24:52;Acts 1:8; Acts
1:12; Acts 1:19; Acts 2:5; Acts 2:14; Acts 4:5; Acts 4:16; Acts 5:16; Acts
5:28; Acts 6:7; Acts 8:26; Acts 8:27; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:13; Acts 9:21; Acts
9:26; Acts 9:28; Acts 10:39; Acts 11:2; Acts 11:22;Acts 12:25;Acts
13:27;Acts 13:31; Acts 15:2; Acts 20:22;Acts 21:11; Acts 21:12;Acts
21:13;Acts 21:31; Acts 22:5; Acts 22:17;Acts 22:18; Acts 23:11;Acts
24:11;Acts 25:3
Bock writes that ""Muchof Luke's Gospelfrom here through chapter
19 concerns preparation of the disciples for ministry in light of his
departure."
What the Bible teaches - There are lessons to learn about the
appearance ofMoses andElijah regarding departed loved ones:
They lived on even though they had left earth hundreds of years before.
They could be identified without any formal introduction.
They could speak to eachother.
Their intelligence was not impaired.
They knew about coming events.
They showedno dread in the presence ofthe glory of Christ.
They were able to commune with Christ (Matt 17:3).
RelatedResource:
Will we be able to see and know our friends and family members in
Heaven? Will we know eachother in Heaven?
Will we remember our earthly lives when we are in Heaven?
What happens after death?
Luke 9:32 Now Peterand his companions had been overcome with
sleep;but when they were fully awake, theysaw His glory and the two
men standing with Him.

KJV But Peterand they that were with him were heavy with sleep:and
when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood
with him.
overcome with sleepLk 22:45,46;Daniel8:18; 10:9; Matthew 26:40-43
they saw His glory Exodus 33:18-23;Isaiah60:1-3,19;John 1:14; 17:24;
2 Peter1:16; 1 John 3:2; Revelation22:4,5
THE COMING KINGDOM
PICTURED
Moody Bible Commentary - How was this a taste of the kingdom (cf.
"kingdom" in Lk 9:27-note)? First, it occurred on earth, where Jesus
will reign. Second, Jesus wasglorified, as He will be then. Third, all
necessarykingdom people are represented:saints in physical bodies
(the three disciples), saints who experience death and resurrection
(Moses), andsaints who will not die but be translated to heaven (Elijah).
This description of the sleepydisciples and then the fully awake
disciples is only given by Luke. Indeed, the three were getting a taste of
the glory we shall all one day celebrate. And notice that they did not
want it to end (thus Peter's suggestionfor3 tabernacles). Here is the
practicalpoint - Once we fall asleepin Jesus (or are raptured), we will
not miss our past because for the incredible glory of our future! Don't
dread dying! It is our entree into eternal glory in the unhindered
presence ofthe Glorious One!
Overcome with sleep- Greek idiom = "weigheddownwith sleep". Luke
alone tells of their sleep. Apparently this happened while Jesus was
praying, the same thing that would occurin the Garden of Gethsemane
(cf Mt 26:43). This would also support that this was a nocturnal event,
and if so would make the Glory of the Sonwhose "face shone like the
sun" (Mt 17:2) that much more dramatic.
ILLUSTRATION - Eight-year-old PeterSweeneyofRockville Centre,
NY, wrote a get-wellletter to PresidentReaganafterhe had been shot.
The Presidentdecided to use the letter in the middle of an economic
address to a joint sessionofCongress whichwas being televised.
Unfortunately, Peter was asleepin bed when the program came on the

screen. Thus, the lad slept through his big moment and was told about it
only the next day. How many significant moments we lose because we
are asleepspiritually! In this passage, we find that an incredible event
was taking place on this mountain, but Peter, James, and John were
unaware and out of touch of what was happening. If they could have
stayed awake, they would have been witnesses to an incredible
conversation. Whata huge blessing they missed because they were
asleep. Theywere in the presence ofgreat men and did not realize the
blessing and privilege that were under their nose. Beloved, getto know
greatmen and women for Christ. Seek them out! Cherish the
opportunity of being able to learn from them and enjoy their presence.
Many of them are in your ownchurch. Think for a moment, what a
blessing it would have been to enjoy the presence ofgreatpeople in the
past.....Waita minute. Before we get too tough on Peter, James, and
John for sleeping, let's take a good, hard look at ourselves. How many
blessings have you missed? What have you failed to learn because of
those times in your life when you were spiritually or physically
snoozing? How many sermons have you missedat church that could
have changedyour life because youslept in on Sunday? What
opportunities have you lost to serve the Lord because you were in a
spiritual slumber? Paul urged us repeatedly to stay awake spiritually.
Romans 13:11-note, Ephesians 5:14-note, 1 Thessalonians5:6-8-note.
When you fall asleepspiritually, your catnapping creates complications
for you and a carnal lifestyle. Your drowsiness results in defeatand
dropped opportunities to serve God. When you are insensible you
become indifferent towardspiritual matters. God says, "Wakeup!"
Why do we getspiritually sleepy? Have you thought about this?
(Mattoon)
Overcome (weigheddown) (916)(bareo from baros = weight, heaviness,
figuratively a burden as in Gal 6:2) means to lay on a heavy load; to
encumber with weight, to weighdown, to burden. Figuratively, to
oppress with any thing grievous;as, to burden a nation with taxes. The
effectof drowsiness = "Heavyeyes" (Mt 26:43, Mk 14:40)"Overcome
(heavy) with sleep" (Lk 9:32).
Sleep(5258)(hupnos;English hypnosis) in Scripture usually refers to
literal sleep(Mt 1:24, Lk 9:32, Jn 11:13). The same word is used of the
eyes of these three disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew
26:43)and of the hearts of many (Luke 21:34).

Vincent adds this note on overcome - The perfect participle. Lit.,
burdened or oppressed. "It was but natural for these men of simple
habits, at night, and after the long ascent, and in the strong mountain
air, to be heavy with sleep;and we also know it as a psychologicalfact,
that, in quick reaction, after the overpowering influence of the strongest
emotions, drowsiness wouldcreepover their limbs and senses"
(Edersheim).
Ryle - Let it be noted that the very same disciples who here slept during
a vision of glory were also found sleeping during the agony in the
garden of Gethsemane. Fleshand blood does indeed need to be changed
before it canenter heaven. Our poor weak bodies canneither watch
with Christ in His time of trial nor keepawake with Him in His
glorification. Our physical constitution must be greatly altered before
we could enjoy heaven.
When they were fully awake - The vision fully awakenedthem much
like a man out of drunken stupor at some incredible vision.
Martin - Three disciples were with Jesus. This number is reminiscent of
Moses' three companions—Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu—who saw God
(Ex. 24:9-11).
They saw His glory and the two men standing with Him - Notice the
emphasis is on the glory of Jesus. The men standing with Him take
secondplace.
BARCLAY
There is a vivid sentence here. It says of the three apostles, "Whenthey
were fully awake theysaw his glory."
(i) In life we miss so much because our minds are asleep. There are
certain things which are liable to keepour minds asleep.
(a) There is prejudice. We may be so set in our ideas that our minds are
shut. A new idea knocks atthe door but we are like sleepers who will
not awake.
(b) There is mental lethargy. There are so many who refuse the
strenuous struggle of thought. "The unexamined life," said Plato, "is
the life not worth living. "How many of us have really thought things
out and thought them through? It was said of someone that he had

skirted the howling deserts of infidelity and a wiserman said that he
would have been better to have fought his way through them.
Sometimes we are so lethargic that we will not even face our questions
and our doubts.
(c) There is the love of ease.There is a kind of defence mechanism in us
that makes us automaticallyshut the door againstany disturbing
thought.
A man can drug himself mentally until his mind is sound asleep.
(ii) But life is full of things designedto wakenus.
(a) There is sorrow. Once Elgarsaid of a young singer, who was
technically perfect, but quite without feeling and expression, "She will
be greatwhen something breaks her heart." Often sorrow can rudely
awakena man, but in that moment, through the tears, he will see the
glory.
(b) There is love. Somewhere Browning tells of two people who fell in
love. She lookedat him; he looked at her--"and suddenly life awoke."
Reallove is an awakening to horizons we never dreamed were there.
(c) There is the sense of need. Forlong enough a man may live the
routine of life half asleep;then all of a sudden there comes some
completely insoluble problem, some quite unanswerable question, some
overmastering temptation, some summons to an effort which he feels is
beyond his strength. In that day there is nothing left to do but to "cry,
clinging heaven by the hems." And that sense ofneed awakens him to
God.
We would do well to pray, "Lord, keepme always awaketo you."
Luke 9:28-50: “Jesus Is Transfigured/ Casts DemonOut Of Boy After
His Disciples Were Unsuccessful/ Teaches WhatTrue Greatness
Consists Of”
By
Jim Bomkamp
Back Bible Studies Home Page
1. INTRO:

1.1. In our last study, we lookedat chapter 9 verses 18
through 27.
1.1.1. Jesus askedthe twelve who they thought that He is and Peter
speaking for all declaredthat Jesus is the Messiah.
1.1.2. Jesus warnedthe twelve not to tell anyone about this confession
and who He really is.
1.1.3. Jesus beganto tell His disciples about His impending death and
resurrection.
1.1.4. Jesus finally began to tell the twelve what true discipleship
involves.
1.2. In our study today, we are going to look at verses 28-50
of chapter 9.
1.2.1. Jesus is transfigured into glory.
1.2.2. Jesus casts a demon out of a boy who had epilepsy.
1.2.3. Jesus corrects His disciples when they were arguing about who
among them might be the greatest.
2. VS 9:28-36 - “28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took
along Peterand John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
29 And while He was praying, the appearance ofHis face became
different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. 30 And behold,
two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses andElijah, 31
who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was
about to accomplishat Jerusalem. 32 Now Peterand his companions
had been overcome with sleep;but when they were fully awake, they

saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. 33 And as these were
leaving Him, Peter saidto Jesus, “Master, itis goodfor us to be here; let
us make three tabernacles:one for You, and one for Moses, and one for
Elijah”—notrealizing what he was saying. 34 While he was saying this,
a cloud formed and beganto overshadow them; and they were afraid as
they entered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
“This is My Son, My ChosenOne; listen to Him!” 36 And when the
voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and
reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.”
- Jesus is transfigured into glory before Peter, James, andJohn
2.1. In our last study, we saw that it was after Jesus had
demonstrated to His disciples His power and authority in every arena
over and over againthat He finally had queried them in order to obtain
whether or not they yet understood who He was, saying, “Who do you
say that I am?” Peteransweredforall saying that Jesus was “The
Christ.” Then, Jesus immediately began to try to explain to His
disciples what kind of MessiahHe truly is, that He was going to be
rejected, suffer, die, and raise from the dead. After this, Jesus beganto
explain to His disciples what the true nature of discipleship consistedof:
if any is to follow Him he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and
follow Him.
2.2. In this study, Jesus is going to continue to establishHis
powerand authority to His disciples, only this time He is going to do
this by being transformed into the glory that He will have with the
Father after that point in time when He is resurrectedfrom the dead
and ascends up to heaven.
2.3. Jesus’being transfigured in this way will also prove to
be an encouragementto His disciples for they need to know that
following His suffering and death which He has been telling them about
that glorificationand exaltationbeyond words awaits Jesus forHe will
be exalted in glory for eternity to reign as the Lord of lords over all of
creation. Jesus’disciples have seenHim do greatthings and exert
powerand authority over everything, howeverthey have just seena
glimpse of His greatnessand glory for the Lord is exalted in
unspeakable gloryand reigns over all creation.

2.4. We see here timeframe wise that Jesus’transfiguration
occurredjust eight days after Petermade his GreatConfessionthat
Jesus is the Christ.
2.5. Luke tells us that Jesus invited only Peter, James, and
John to go up on a mountain and to pray with Him. We have
mentioned before that this trio alone were invited to be with Jesus on
three occasions where they experiencedJesus do greatthings. In
addition to Jesus’transfiguration they alone were invited to be with
Jesus whenHe raisedJairus’ daughter and when He was praying there
in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His betrayal and going to
the cross ofCalvary.
2.6. Peter, James, and John fell asleepduring this prayer
sessionwith Jesus and evidently missed much of what happened. This is
one of two times in the gospels where we readthat these three disciples
should have been awake,praying, and waiting on the Lord but instead
fell asleep. The othertime is that evening alone with Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane.
2.6.1. This detail of these disciples falling asleepoughtto be an
admonishment to us as Christians of how we need to be carefulto be
praying disciples because if we are not doing so we too will miss out on
much that the Lord is doing. Honestly, I think that this is really the
case with us as Christians so often, we miss much of what God is doing
in our lives and the lives of those around us because we are simply not
spending time in prayer with the Lord as we should and thus we are
oblivious to what God is doing.
2.7. We see here that as Jesus is praying that He begins to be
overcome with glory such that His face and even His clothing are
glowing. This glory will be Jesus’ normal appearance afterHis
resurrectionfrom the dead and ascensionup to heavenand in fact
reflects the apostle John’s vision of the glorified Christ found in
Revelation1:10-19, “10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I
heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying,

“Write in a book what you see, and send it to the sevenchurches:to
Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to
Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 ThenI turned to see the
voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw sevengolden
lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son
of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His
chestwith a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white
wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feetwere
like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and
His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He
held sevenstars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edgedsword;
and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw
Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on
me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the
living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I
have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 “Therefore write the things
which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which
will take place after these things.”
2.8. Matthew and Mark in their gospelaccounts of this story
describe what happens to Jesus using a word that is translated
“transfigured” and comes from a Greek word from which we getour
English word “metamorphosis.” This words means to be transformed
or changedinto something of a different nature. Luke doesn’t use this
word in his accountbut describes the same event.
2.9. Peter, James, and John awake to see Jesus transformed
into glory before them and speaking with Mosesand Elijah, two of the
greatprophets of the Lord from the Old Testament. There has been a
lot of speculationabout why Moses andElijah appeared before Jesus on
this evening as well as what the subjectwas that these two men spoke
with Jesus about:
2.10. Why did Moses andElijah appear before Jesus and speak
to Him ?

Jesus was seen in his glory

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was seen in his glory

Similar to Jesus was seen in his glory (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was seen in his glory