Jesus' Last 100 Days_Transfiguration
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This series will explore Jesus' Last 100 days of earthly ministry, starting with the Transfiguration at the End of his Galilean ministry, through His Perean ministry, Jericho Road ministry and culminating in the week of His sufferings in Jerusalem. We will learn from His determination to pursue danger in order to fulfill the will of the Father and explore our calling to pursue God wherever.
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Jesus' Last 100 Days_Transfiguration
- 3. First Point The Testimony of Jesus’ Glory
- 4. Luke 9 28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
- 5. …these sayings Luke 9 23And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
- 6. …these sayings 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
- 7. …these sayings 26For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
- 8. …these sayings 27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9)
- 9. Luke 9 28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
- 10. Luke 9 29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.
- 11. Why Peter, James and John?
- 12. Why Peter, James and John? •Peter: The first to confess Jesus’ deity.
- 13. Why Peter, James and John? •Peter: The first to confess Jesus’ deity. •James: The first apostle to be martyred.
- 14. Why Peter, James and John? •Peter: The first to confess Jesus’ deity. •James: The first apostle to be martyred. •John: “The Beloved Disciple”
- 15. … and went up on a mountain to pray. •What mountain? Mt. Tabor? Mt. Hermon? Mt. Meron?
- 16. ἐξαστράπτω/ eks-ä-strä'p-tō •To shine, be radiant, glistening, gleaming. •To flash out like lightening.
- 17. Second Point The Testimony of the Two Witnesses
- 18. Luke 9 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
- 19. Luke 9 32 Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.
- 20. Luke 9 33 And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— not realizing what he was saying.
- 21. Moses and Elijah 1.Where did they come from? 2.Why Moses and Elijah?
- 22. Why Moses and Elijah? 1. There are unique circumstances concerning the end of their earthly existence.
- 23. Deuteronomy 34 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.
- 24. Jude 9 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”
- 25. 2 Kings 2 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
- 26. Why Moses and Elijah? 1. There are unique circumstances concerning the end of their earthly existence. 2. They represent the totality of Scripture.
- 27. Why Moses and Elijah? 1. There are unique circumstances concerning the end of their earthly existence. 2. They represent the totality of Scripture. 3. They may be the two witnesses of Revelations 11.
- 28. Revelations 11 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
- 29. Revelations 11 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
- 30. Luke 9 33 And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— not realizing what he was saying.
- 31. Third Point The Testimony of the Father
- 32. Luke 9 34 While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to 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 Chosen One; listen to Him!”
- 33. The Father’s Testimony “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well- pleased; listen to Him!” Matthew 17:5 “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” Mark 9:7 “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” Luke 9:35
- 34. The Father’s Testimony “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well- pleased.” Matthew 3:17 “You are My beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11 Luke 3:22 “You are My beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”
- 35. Luke 9 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.
- 36. 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Editor's Notes
- First Point The Testimony of Jesus’ Glory
- 28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
- 23And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
- 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
- 26For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
- 27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6)
- 28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
- 29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.
- Why Peter, James and John? Clearly, Jesus had an inner circle of disciples. We first see these three set apart at the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Jesus did not include all of His disciples… only the girl’s parents and Peter, James and John were privileged to see this great miracle. Jesus’ Transfiguration is the second time that Jesus singles out these three disciples. He will do so again in the Garden of Gethsemane, allowing these three friends to see the depths of His “sorrow unto death.” Why these three? There are a few obvious answers.
- Peter was likely the oldest of the disciples and naturally assumed the role of leader. However, I think that more importantly, Peter was the first to confess Jesus’ deity. It is he who will utter the words, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus will designate Peter as the Rock upon which He will build His church. I believe that the Rock was both Peter’s rock solid profession, but also Peter himself. He would have an important role of primacy in establishing the church.
- Why James? James is the quietest of the three. He doesn’t distinguish himself in the way that Peter and John do. But James speaks through his courage. He is the first of the apostles to be martyred for his faith in Jesus.
- And what about John? John distinguishes himself in the depth of his devotion to Jesus. His preferred self-description is “the beloved disciple.” Consistently, he demonstrates his love and devotion for Jesus. It is John who is at the foot of the cross, and it is John to whom Jesus will entrust the care of His mother. These are the obvious answers to the question, why these three? But I think there is something more that all of us can relate to. We can’t afford to forget the humanity of Jesus. He is 100% God. But He is also 100% human. All human beings seek out friends. But there are certain friends who are special. You can tell them anything. You can let them see your vulnerabilities. You know they have your back. For me, it was Steve, Kurt and Darren. In my teens and twenties, these were the guys I spent all my spare time with. We skied together, and sailed together, played racketball together. These are the guys that I saw Jaws and the first Star Wars movie with. When I was misdiagnosed with cancer, Steve and Darren were at my side during a camp staff prayer meeting. I wondered about Kurt, until we left the chapel and found him with dazed with a weed wacker in his hand… his testimony of love was that he reduced a ten foot section of lawn to dirt. When my Dad died, it was Steve and Darren who flew to Florida. Steve Rise had a copy of my funeral sermon in his hands, prepared to step in if I got too choked up. And when I candidated at GEFC, I was wearing a suit, shirt, tie and shoes way beyond my budget, clothes that Darren bought me, so I would look my best. As human beings we all need a Steve, Kurt and Darren, special friends who are there for us, even in the hardest of times. I think Peter, James and John fulfilled this role in Jesus’ life. Jesus is now entering the final 100 days of His ministry on earth. The cross is looming large before Him. Before he turns towards Jerusalem, Jesus shares with all His disciples that he must suffer and die. He has challenged them to join Him in taking up their crosses. But first, he calls His three closest friends to join him on an amazing journey.
- As you can see, there are several suggestions as to the identity of this mountain. The traditional site has been Mt. Tabor. A number of the early church fathers identified this as the Mount of Transfiguration. There are two churches on the site, a Catholic church and an Orthodox Church. Many scholars prefer Mt. Hermon. Tabor is more of a high hill than a mountain. Mt. Hermon is over 9000 feet in elevation and snow-capped. One of my professors in seminary, Dr. Walter Liefeld, makes a strong case for Mt. Meron in Upper Galilee. But the bottom line is that Jesus does not identify the mountain, nor do any of the gospel authors. The where wasn’t nearly as important to them as what happened there. Jesus’ appearance was transfigured. The word transfigured is a later Latin theological term. Let’s look at the language of the biblical text.
- The word ἐξαστράπτω in the Greek can mean: To shine, be radiant, glistening, gleaming. But if you look at the direct meaning of this word, it begins with “ex”, a Greek prefix that means out of. ἐξαστράπτω literally means, to flash out like lightening. I’ve seen various movies that depict the transfiguration of Jesus. All of them fall short. It just looks like someone bleached Jesus’ clothes. What Jesus’ closest friends were about to see was much more dramatic than that. They would see him in His heavenly glory. It was a light show beyond description. I read one interesting thought during my research. I can’t tell you who said it… it got lost in my 30 open browser tabs. But the thought, not my own, was profound. The miracle is not the Transfiguration. That was the normal. The miracle is the concealing of glory that Jesus exercised throughout his earthly life. Jesus simply relaxed that concealing and let Peter, James and John see Him as He truly is. Before they would see Him suffer and die, he wanted them to carry this image of Him glorified in their hearts and minds. So, the first testimony is that of Jesus Himself, revealing His glory. Let me pause for a moment and make an important connection. Is this how you see Jesus? Do you envision the radiant, glistening, glorified and electrified Jesus? Or are you still clinging to the Jesus who concealed His glory. As a Catholic, the crucifix was my primary image of Jesus… Jesus on the cross. The empty tomb was spoken of, but clearly overshadowed by the cross. As an evangelical, my primary image has been a collage of Jesus’ ministry… Jesus carrying a lamb… Jesus healing people… Jesus walking on water… all good images. But do we ever stop and think of Jesus on the throne at the right hand of the Father. Do we picture His sovereign might and resplendent glory? This view of Jesus is what will carry us through the hard seasons of life. Let’s look further and consider a second witness to who Jesus was and is. To flash out like lightening.
- Second Point: Let’s consider The Testimony of the Two Witnesses Turn with me to Luke 9
- Luke 9:30 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
- 32 Now Peter and 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 said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying.
- This continues to be a wild ride for Peter James and John. Sometimes these men sound like teenagers to us… every time they’re alone together, they’re sleeping. I think this tells us something about the pace of Jesus’ ministry. Due to a busy camp schedule and a choice to stay up past midnight every night, I was perpetually tired. I could fall asleep in 30 seconds. Jesus’ disciples seem like they are tired to the max… they are constantly falling asleep. This time, they wake up and see Jesus glorified. Not only that, they have unexpected company… Moses and Elijah have joined Jesus and they’re deep in conversation. Let’s pause for a moment and ask two key questions. First, “Where did Moses and Elijah come from?” Generally speaking, the righteous dead do not go to heaven until Jesus completes the work of redemption on the cross. That is why he tells the repentant thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” However, in a moment we will see a biblical passage that makes it clear that Elijah came from heaven, and presumably, so did Moses. They are an exception, which leads to the more interesting question. 2. “Why Moses and Elijah?” Why not Abraham, the father of the Jews? Why not David, the kingly ancestor of Jesus? I think that there are several reasons why Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
- Why Moses and Elijah? There are unique circumstances concerning the end of their earthly existence.
- In Deuteronomy 34 we see that Moses dies upon Mt. Nebo. Look at verse 6, where it says, “he buried him.” The “he” here is God himself. Moses was buried somewhere in the valley of Moab and God was the undertaker!
- And in Jude 9 we see that the archangel Michael, contends with the devil concerning the body of Moses. Any way you slice it, there are unique circumstances surrounding the death of Moses.
- And the circumstances of Elijah’s final moments on the earth are even more amazing. In 2 Kings 2 Elijah and his successor Elisha are walking together. Elisha refuses to leave Elijah’s side, despite the many prophecies uttered by the seminarians in the School of the Prophets that Elijah will be taken away. In 2 Kings 2:11 we read: 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elijah never dies. He is miraculously transported. And notice where he is transported to… not Paradise, but heaven. I can’t explain it all, but clearly the special circumstances of Moses and Elijah’s end upon the earth made them uniquely able to join God and the angels in heaven – immediately. They were a picture of what God intended to do for all who would follow Christ. I do not believe that our souls sleep. That’s why I don’t like to say at funerals, “he’s at rest.” For the believer in Jesus, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Moses and Elijah were a first installment of this hope that we all share in Christ. We are not destined for Paradise, but for a heavenly home.
- Why Moses and Elijah? A second reason is that they represent the totality of Scripture which points towards Jesus. Moses represents the Law. And Elijah represents the prophets. These two witnesses, the Law and the Prophets all bear witness to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s Word.
- Why Moses and Elijah? The third reason may be the most intriguing and speculative of all. Moses and Elijah may be the two faithful witnesses slayed by the Beast in Revelations 11. One of the witnesses had the power to withhold rain. The other brought many plagues. Sounds like Moses and Elijah. The beast slays them and their bodies are left in the street. But after 3 and a half days, God intervenes:
- Revelations 11 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
- 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. Clearly, Moses and Elijah have a very unique role in scripture. Their testimony concerning Jesus is powerful. But lets return to our text.
- 33 And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. In this verse and the two verses that precede, we see vintage pre-Pentecost Peter. He is half asleep. He jumps in with words that may well cut short the incredibly interesting dialogue between Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Many a bible student wishes that Peter would have listened and later on wrote what was said. What a lost treasure! But Peter’s greatest mistake, the one that Luke may well be referring to as Peter’s “not realizing what he was saying”, is his offer to erect several tabernacles. At first, it seems reasonable. Moses and Elijah are about to leave. Peter is trying to extend the visit and honor two of Israel’s greatest heroes of the faith. But notice the unintended consequence. Peter wanted to build a tabernacle, one for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Many Bible scholars point out that this offer placed Jesus on an equal footing with Moses and Elijah. In the wonder of this moment, Peter is losing Jesus’ distinctiveness and greater glory and sovereignty. Moses and Elijah bear witness to Jesus. They are not the Three Musketeers of Heaven. Jesus is their Lord. And here is a lesson of great importance for us. Jesus is Lord. I was reading the Saturday Dispatch. There was an article about a local reporter who “has reached a Bahai balance.” Baha'ism is a religion that teaches that all religions are on a level playing field. All are true. But the grave error of this fair and balanced religion is that it ignores the distinctiveness of Jesus. He is not one among equals… He is the one way to heaven, and together with the Father and the Spirit, the one true God. There are many ways that we can build three tabernacles. We can give Jesus equal footing with our family and our hobbies. We can give Jesus equal footing with our career and our broader goals in life. But as soon as we put Jesus into a tabernacle of equal dimensions to the other priorities in our lives, we make a blunder of the most serious order. Following Peter’s awkward offer, there is one more testimony offered… a testimony to remove all doubts and firmly assert Jesus’ glory and majesty. Which leads to my third point:
- Third Point The Testimony of the Father Let’s continue in Luke 9, staring in verse 34:
- Luke 9 34 While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to 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 Chosen One; listen to Him!”
- The Father’s testimony is powerful. It is also entirely consistent. In each gospel, the Father asserts that Jesus is His Son. Two gospels say beloved. Luke uses the phrase chosen. And in all three, a clear command to listen to Jesus. However, let’s jump back for a moment to our last series, Jesus’ First 100 days. Let’s look at Jesus’ Baptism for a moment.
- Matthew describes the Father’s words in the third person… “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Mark and Luke relate the same message, but preserve the second person address… “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Notice how the Father’s testimony frames the earthly ministry of Jesus. As Jesus begins, the Father asserts both His love and approval. And as Jesus begins the last season of His earthly ministry, the Father once again asserts His love and approval. Jesus has not disappointed His Father in any way. He has been an obedient Son. The added words in the account of the Transfiguration are for Peter, James and John. “Listen to Him.”
- The text ends with Jesus alone, and presumably He is once again performing that miracle of concealing His glory. James, John and even Peter are in stunned silence… no more interruptions or awkward offers. 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. This is my final take-away for each of us. When is the last time that you stood or sat in stunned silence, contemplating God’s glory. I think that our most profound prayers may well be those in which the awe is much and the words are few. It may well be that some day Jesus will call you into a scary place. Your journey in life may turn towards danger, the way that Jesus’ journey did when fulfilling His Father’s will required him to leave the comparative safety of Galilee and journey towards Jerusalem. A small view of Jesus will make this journey foreboding. But if we can gain a greater glimpse of Jesus’ glory, we can find the strength and courage to journey on. Let’s pray.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.