In The Footsteps Of The Master:In The Footsteps Of The Master:The Life and Times of Jesus ChristThe Life and Times of Jesus Christ
The Transfiguration November 29, 2009Matthew 17:1-13
Mark 9:2-13Luke 9:28-36
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Mark 9• 1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there
are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
Keep it to yourself• 5 And Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi,it is good that we
are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean
Context• Call to Discipleship • It involved denying self and taking up one’s
cross, • Losing one’s life to gain it, • It required that the Disciple not be ashamed of
Jesus and His Words in the midst of a Adulteress and Sinful generation
• Jesus had just told them that He was going to suffer at the Hands of the Religious Elite of the Day and that He would die by crucifixion
Glimpse behind the scenes• Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing
here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power. Mark 9:1
• He decides a little encouragement is in order• They would experience the Kingdom in their life
time.• Jesus was going to give three of them a special
preview of His coming before they died• Peter’s take
2 Peter 1:16-18• Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word• 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Where• Most scholars say it was on Mount Hermon
which is the snow capped peak that was 12 miles away from Caesarea Philippi
• It is the highest mountain in both Israel and Syria.
• The mountain is actually a cluster of mountains with three distinct summits, each about the same height.
• Because of its height it captures a great dealof precipitation in a very dry area of the world.
Mount Hermon
Mt. Hermon
Another Healing• 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter
and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves
• Why did Jesus take Peter, James, and John and not the rest of the Disciples?
• Jesus’ inner circle
• Luke tells us that Jesus took them up there to pray, and that the Disciples became very Sleepy.
Luke’s Account• 28About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter,
John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)
Metawhat?• Luke tells us that while the Disciples
were sleeping, Jesus was transfigured.
• The word for Transfigured comes to us from the Greek word, metemorphōthē, (Metamorphosis) Caterpillar to butterfly
• The reality of who He is was no longer veiled by human flesh, His Glory, His Divinity, came shinning through.
Wake up call• 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely
white, as no one on earth could bleach them. – Mark
• 29 and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning - Luke
• 2 His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light – Matthew 17
• Apparently human flesh can actually contain divinity (miracle?)
Dignitaries• And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses,
and they were talking with Jesus.• Moses (The Law) who lived 1400 years before
and Elijah (The Prophet) who had lived 900 years before Jesus
• When a person dies in Christ, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
• The Spiritual world broke through and Peter, James, and John could see the whole thing
Elijah, "Yahweh is God” • The NT describes how both Jesus and John The
Baptist are compared with Elijah• Mormons believe Elijah returned in 1836 to visit
Joseph Smith• Book of Kings- Elijah raised the dead, brought
fire down from the sky, and ascended into heaven in a whirlwind (accompanied by chariots, not in one)
• Challenge to Baal (nature deity responsible for rain, thunder, lightning) – Read I Kings 18:16-45
• You don’t mess with this man
A Little more Elijah• Read 2 Kings 1:9-15• Read 2 Kings 2:11-12• And one more for fun• Elisha Is Jeered • 23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he
was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
Purpose• What do you think the purpose of the
Transfiguration
• Appears to be to renew the disciples’ hope by enlarging their understanding of Christ.
• Jesus had just told them that He was going to suffer at the Hands of the Religious Elite of the Day and that He would die by crucifixion and be raised from the Dead on the third day.
How• How did Peter,
James, and John know that these two guys were Moses and Elijah?
• An amazing group of people talking over the details of the Death and Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus from this earth.
Oh Peter• And Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi,it is good that we are
here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified
• What is wrong with this statement?• It shows us just how unclear Peter was in his
thinking about who Jesus was• Three tabernacles for each of them seems to put
Moses and Elijah on the same level as Jesus• How about -“Let’s build one Tabernacle for you
Jesus where we all can come and worship”
A lesson• When you are afraid and don’t know what
to say, don’t say anything.
• What an answer.• 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a
voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
Important Application• This is important, notice that God
doesn’t say • Moses representing the Law, hear him, or
this is Elijah representing the Prophets, hear him.
• No in times past God spoke through His prophets
• In these last days, God is speaking through His Son whom He appointed to be heir of all things. This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him.
Who are you listening to?• Who are you listening to today.
• Political commentators, politicians, celebrities , Preachers???????
• But they should all be secondary to Jesus.
• If there is one voice that is ringing in your ear it should be JESUS.
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