The story takes place about eight days after the Confession of Peter (9:18-20), Jesus first passion prediction (9:21-22), and his admonitions about following him (9:23-27). The accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are drawn from Marks, but there are some significant differences among them. He never panicked nor doubted his heavenly Father. And because his emphasis is upon the humanity of Jesus, and one of the greatest needs God the Father and his Son and even the angels have a glory about them. In preparation for the Transfiguration of Our Lord in Year C, one has to make an obvious decision. Even Peter keeps his mouth shut. Luke helps us to know that proclaiming the good To me, it matches the magnitude of the stories of Christs birth (which weve looked at in the past couple of weeks) and the resurrection. We do not want to face him without having our sins paid for by him. This event was unprecedented. Several times over the years, Ive prayed that I could see an angel. The parents, in their old age, will need the childs support. Achtemeier, Paul J. and Elizabeth R., Proclamation, Epiphany, Series C (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973), Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of Luke (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1953), Bock, Darrell L., The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Luke, Vol. Psalm 99. Luke 9:28-36, Seeing Jesus Glory. And if it seems odd to hear God the Father follow up this visual display with advice that has to do with listening and not looking, maybe thats because we, too, are often overly fixated on outward fame and power and glory as the world defines all those things and maybe that gets in the way of our truly listening to what Jesus says about humility and sacrifice and being servants of the lowest of the low in also our societies yet today. The event takes place about eight days later (9:28), rather than after six (Mark 9:2; Matt 17:1); there appears to be no particular significance for the change. Marks Gospel says six days, and we are not sure why Luke changes it to eight. Luke 9:28-36. 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. So it is possible that this little detail on the timing of the Transfiguration could be a hint pointing toward Easter and the glory that awaited Jesus also then. The cloud was the symbol of the presence of God at Sinai (Exodus 24:15-16; 34:5), and it symbolizes Gods presence for these three disciples. Jesus words echo Moses reproach of Israel, and provide one more link between Moses and Jesus (Deuteronomy 32:5see also Numbers 14:27; Isaiah 65:2). as the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3). They are afraid. A bolt of lightning is one of the most powerful forces on planet earth, discharging 1,000,000,000,000,000 watts of electricity (thats 1 trillion if you dont want to count up all the zeroes) at a temperature of 20,000 degrees centigrade (which is considerably hotter than even the surface of the sun). Along its mighty forest-avenues, until the grass grew fair with the mountain lilies, his feet dashed in the dew of Hermon, he must have gone to pray his first recorded prayer about death, and from the steep of it, before he knelt, could see to the south all the dwelling-place of the people that had sat in darkness, and seen the great light - the land of Zabulon and of Naphtali, Galilee of the nations; could see, even with his human sight, the gleam of that lake by Capernaum and Chorazin, and many a place loved by him and vainly ministered to, whose house was now left unto them desolate; and, chief of all, far in the utmost blue, the hills above Nazareth, sloping down to his old home: hills on which the stones yet lay loose that had been taken up to cast at him, when he left them forever" (Ruskin, "Modern Painters," iv., 374). Perishable means it has an expiration date. The can of beans in our kitchen cabinet has an expiration date on it. At least 9 times that I could find in this Gospel. This passage in Hebrews is startling to me. The disciples will neither listen well nor carry out their tasks faithfullyuntil after the resurrection. When a storm threatened their boat, Jesus asked, Where is your faith? (8:25). Here we have Jesus at the top of the mountain being transfigured, receiving the visits of Moses and Elijah and they are talking Continue The prophet Elijah challenged the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). While he was praying, Jesus was transformed before the disciples eyes. Stephen is stoned, lies down and falls asleep. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijahnot knowing what he said. Being exposed to the glory of God is an awesome and even terrifying experience. This moment on the mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah tells us that yes, there truly is life beyond the grave. 41Jesus answered, Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? It took a bit, apparently, before they even fully woke up (and then saw something so odd they must have wondered if they were not, in fact, still asleep and seeing a dream). This event was not some simple stunt someone videos and posts on YouTube. The fireworks have ended. Web36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. Physically and literally, his body and even his clothing were changed. It is also referred to in 2 Peter 1:18. Exodus 34:29-35. Metamorphosis. Consider the wider context of Luke here. The glory of Moses and Elijah is not intended to compete with the glory of Jesus, which is described in much more dazzling terms, but only confirms their status as heavenly beings. And his resurrected guarantees our resurrection. WebLuke 9:28-36. Out of the group of 12 disciples, these three were ones Jesus focused even more on. 43They were all astonished at the majesty of God. We are so familiar with Lincoln that we recognize even his silhouetted profile in an instant. Christ shares Gods glory. (See on [1610]Mt 16:13). Listen to him! There is a sermon in these words. Or they find Jesus rhetoric merely baffling and bewildering (see what happens in Luke 9:45 after another direct prediction of betrayal). TRY SERMONWRITER! What is it thats so apparent about those whove been in the presence of God? So often we read incidents like this one in the Bible and we rarify them, put them up on a pedestal, and assume that if such a thing were to happen today and to us, it would change the world and shake up everything. Fill me, radiancy divine; Changed into another form. I admired him for that, and wished I could be a little more like him to break away periodically, disappear, go up on a mountain and spend time alone with God in prayer. It came to pass about eight days after Including the day on which the discourse, recorded in the preceding chapter, was delivered, and that on which the fact, WebLuke 9 The Feeding of the Five Thousand A. In the Incarnation, the divine partakes of the human condition. Have you ever known anyone like that? And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, and James, and John his brother, and leadeth them to a high mountain apart; 2. Moses and Elijah? Herod's terror at the growing greatness of our Lord Jesus, ver. WebMatthew Henry Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - . They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen (v. 36b). Even now, its common for those who want to get in touch with the nearness of God to go to the mountains. The disciples kept Powerful. There are many parallels between Moses in Exodus 24 and Jesus at the Transfiguration. And the way that God has chosen to carry out his redemptive purpose is to send his Son, Jesus, to bear our sins upon himself at the cross. Luke 9:2223 ESV The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.. WebLuke 9:28 And it came to pass, about an eight days after those sayings About a week after he had declared the above things, at, or near to Caesarea Philippi. The tradition that this mountain was Tabor is generally abandoned, and Mount Hermon is commonly supposed to have been the scene of the transfiguration. WebA GLIMPSE OF GLORY Luke 9:28-36 From some aspects this was the highest point in our Savior's earthly career. Throughout this chapter, the question has been, Who is this? Now God provides the answer. This is more a theological than a geographical statement. a mountainnot Tabor, according to long tradition, with which the facts ill comport, but some one near the lake. A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. Mark 9:6 says, he did not know what to say, for they were terrified., We might say he was out of his mind. Some of us might relate to this. Bring your son here., All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. The reading was from the Gospel according to Luke: The Transfiguration. . The disciples were bewildered. WebLuke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. It happened, as they were parting from him, that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here. It On this mountain the subject (has been) death (Craddock, Interpretation, 135). They were dumbfounded, speechless, awe struck. The Greek term translated as departure is exodus (exodus in English). This is at the heart of our Christian faith. So we may speculate a bit about why these two men appeared. An inexplicable kind of splendor and majesty and power and light. Luke 1:4 that you may have certainty of what you have been taught.. Why Moses and Elijah? 28. And besides, how would you explain this? The model for this encounter is Moses at Sinai (Exodus 19-32). Though it may be more difficult to read a few words in this Gospel account and be similarly astonished, Jesus transformation here is more astonishing that anything weve ever witnessed. That is a natural reaction. Sometimes he says something beautiful, like earlier in Chapter 9 when he confesses that Jesus is the Christ. This mountain is not named, but its name is not important. 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