Matthew 17:1-5…Ready

Matthew 17:1-5…Ready

17:1 After six days (May also echo the Old Testament event of when the glory of the Lord settled on the mountain for six days, God on the seventh day called  Moses up on the mountain.-(Ex. 24:15-16)  Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James,  (Taking three disciples was the proper number of witnesses needed by Law-(Deut 19:15) and led them up a high mountain (Reminiscent of Moses encountering the glory of God on a high mountain.)  by themselves. 2 There he was (Passive verb indicating that it was a work of God in revealing who Jesus Christ truly is.)  transfigured (The same kind of metamorphosis where a caterpillar becomes a butterfly-(New) before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  (Reminisce of Moses coming down from the mountain after conversing with God where his face was glowing..-(Ex. 34:29-35) The light of Jesus was not a Lummus reflecting light as the moon. But a generating light as if Jesus had swallowed the sun and the light of His divinity was shinning forth through His body. This probably happened at night which would have made it even more brilliant.-(Luke 9:32) 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus (Teaches if were to have a conversation with Jesus it should always be about Jesus-(New) 4 Peter said to Jesus,  “Lord, it is good for us to be here. if you wish, I will put up three shelters—(Peter may have in mind here the “Feast of Tabernacles” also known as the “Feast of Booths”.-( Lev. 23:34-44)  This may have been a further attempt by Peter to bypass the cross, saying look were already here we don’t need to go through the all the suffering on the cross-(New) one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them (The same way a thick cloud covered Mount Sinai, the Tabernacle, and the Temple -(Ex. 19:9) When God descends and fills the Tabernacle.-(Ex. 40:28) and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son”, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased. (These words echo back to the initial baptism of Jesus- (3:17) Listen to him. (i.e. About Jesus’ talk of His death and resurrection) (For Complete Expositor See Book)

Extended Sermons

“Teaches how God gives us mountaintop moments to strengthen and encourage our faith when we need it most“⇒ Jesus having just delivered the hard news concerning His suffering and death, and the disciples need to take up their own cross.-(16:21-25) No doubt the disciples would need some encouragement. By transfiguring Himself before them whatever discouragements they still had should have been gone. So to for us, we can know that whatever struggles and trials we face are not final. When the world around us is filled with violence, war, and injustice, we need to gaze up and look at Jesus. When the financial picture looks bleak, when the economic news isn’t great, when employment reaches an all time high, when our health takes a turn for the worse, we need to gaze up and look at Jesus.  As believers if were going to persevere and make it through the hard times we need to lift our gaze up and look at Jesus. Remember when Moses spent time with God on the mountain and it changed his appearance. When you and I focus on Jesus and spend time lifting our gaze, reading the scriptures, reading of who Jesus ism that’s going to have a transformative impact on the way that we think, the way we live in the world, the way we carry ourselves, and the way we see past our problems. Just as Moses met God and the glory rubbed off of Him. So too when you focus on Jesus He changes you.

“Teaches instead of trying to stay on mountaintop moments, real life is lived in the valleys below” → Life is not meant to be lived on mountaintop moments, but in the valleys of challenges and work below. Just like Peter we don’t want go down the hill where struggles and trials await. We want to maintain what gives us joy and purpose and meaning, to maintain what is comfortable, secure, and familiar. Thinking it will protect us from all the big bad things in the world. Or we make it a point to visit special holy sites, the shrines, the monuments, as a way to recapture the moment. So we travel to Jerusalem and tour all the sites: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher (site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial) the Via Dolorosa; (The route Jesus walked through Jerusalem on the way to His crucifixion) The Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born; the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus preached and lived, etc. Or maybe you’ve gone to a Christian camp or a retreat over the weekend on a mountain, where God was moving in your heart, where there’s a lot of worshipping, fellowshipping, teaching, and preaching. Then the conference is over and you got to get into your car and go back down the mountain, to the kids, to the husband, to the wife, to the problems. to your job, etc. And you feel like turning around and going right back up the mountain. Well that’s what Peter was feeling in the moment. Peter didn’t want to go back down into the valley of demon possessed people, hungry crowds, corrupt power, violence, betrayal, and a cross. If Peter did stay on the mountain it would have been devastating for others, especially the Father who was waiting below to have his epileptic boy healed. What would have been good for Peter would most certainly have killed the little boy and devastated the father in having to live with the repercussion the rest of his days. You wonder if it ever downed on Peter that if Jesus would have granted his wish and built the three Tabernacles that boy would have remained in his condition, and quite possibly killed. Did it ever cross Peter’s mind that he was not the only one that needed time with Jesus. It’s not easy being around the mess, and the dirt, and the filth of the world, yet that’s the world that Jesus calls us to minster to. it is in the ordinary struggles and challenges of daily life—the valleys—where faith is truly forged and sustained. Mountaintop experiences can inspire and refresh us, but they are meant to prepare us for the valleys below. True growth and transformation often occur not in the heights of revelation, but in the valleys of pain, suffering, and the struggles of life.

“Teaches how we can forget WHO it is we worship, WHO it is we serve, and WHO  we belong and need to be reminded all over again.” → We often only ever think of Jesus on the cross, who Saved us from our sins. But we don’t believe He can do anymore more than that.  Or we emphasize the death and punishment of Jesus and not enough of the resurrection. We are called to remember that the Jesus we worship is not merely a wise teacher or compassionate friend, but the very Son of God, clothed in divine glory and power. This awareness rekindles our devotion, humbles our hearts, and fills us with reverence, urging us to worship not out of habit, but with a renewed sense of wonder and gratitude for who He truly is.

“Teaches with all the competing voices around us today the only one were to listen to and follow is Jesus.” ⇒ Are you listening to Jesus’ voice in your life? It’s been said that the average person has 20 to 30 conversations a day. With each conversation lasting about ten minutes. Which means a person spends 4 to 5 hours a day listening to other people. If you were to project that out further it is estimated that you and I will listen to 80,000 people in our lifetime. Now that’s a lot of voices, it’s a lot of opinions, it’s a lot of advice. But who’s the influential voice you listen to, who’s the one that’s’ at the top of your list? Is it God your creator or the world around you? There’s voices that tells us how we should live, how we should act, what we should think, what we should believe. With all the social media; Twitter, Facebook. News outlets’; Fox, CNN, and others. We can find it difficult to hear God’s voice. Even in our own life’s there’s voices of second guessing. Voices of self-doubt, self-criticism, and all the “Would’ve, Should’ve, and Could’ve. There’s “Voices” all around us trying to turn our attention away from the Lord and heed them instead. We find it in the voice of compromise, calling us to throw away our convictions. We find it in the voice of materialism, calling us to seek worldly riches. We find it in the voices of immediate gratification. We find it in the voices of self-satisfaction. We find it in the voices of convenience, taking the path of least resistance in what is easiest. We find it in the voices of peer pressure in following the crowd “Everyone is doing it.” We find it in the voices of pride in how important we are to God. The Reasons we should stay listening to Jesus’ voice.  Listening to Jesus makes us wise for living.. Listening to Jesus  keeps us from listening to the wrong voices around us. Listening to Jesus allows Him to lead us and guide us. Listening to Jesus keeps in a intimate & personal relationship with Him. Listening to Jesus allows us to grow spiritually. Listening to Jesus opens the door to transformation & change.

“Even today, whatever present struggles and difficulties we’re going through, whether it’s car troubles, job loss, family problems, health issues, financial crises, etc. Can’t compare to the glory that awaits us in heaven.”→ When going through difficulties and tough times come we need to remember Jesus’ transfiguration and the glory to come. The Transfiguration is God’s way of saying that no matter what life throws at us or what the world does to us we got Jesus in the end. If we’re going to press-on through the pain and hardships of life we need to remember the glory of being with Jesus in heaven for all eternity.

“We may not experience the Lord’s physical glory. But we do experience the glory of the Lord through His word, a sermon, a worship service, answered prayer, etc.” ⇒ The Lord’s glory can come in a variety of ways. It may not come with bright lights, clouds, or a divine voice from heaven. But it can come during a Sunday morning sermon, a worship service, a bible study, a prayer time, a mission trip, a spiritual retreat, etc. Times when we saw God use us in a mighty way. Times when we experienced the grace and presence of God in remarkable ways. Times when we experienced the power and glory of God unlike anything we’ve had ever seen before.

Additional Notes & Applications

Teaches how oftentimes there’s a delay from the promise given by God and the actual event.-(V. 1)

Teaches the importance of getting some alone time with Jesus if were going to encounter God-(V. 1)

Teaches how God often leads us to a special place and a special time so that we can better hear from Him.-(V.1)

Teaches those who hunger in drawing close to the Lord will receive a blessing and revelation, and those who don’t, won’t.-(V. 1)

Displays the intentional work of God, nothing is left to coincidence.- (V. 1)

Teaches how our lofty and divine revelations are an act of God’s grace and not because we’re special, or we earned it and deserve it.-(V.1)

Teaches get Jesus’ identify right you get you get your destiny right.-(V. 2)

Teaches those who dare to go higher and further with God will see Him for who He truly is.-(V.2)

Proves how there’s life after death, that we don’t simply cease to exists, or vanish into oblivion, but are alive and present with the Lord. (Absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord) -(V.3)

Displays how we will be able to recognize our loved ones in Heaven. Speaking and talking with them-(V. 3)

Teaches how in times of great pain and grief God sends people to comfort, encourage, and strengthen us.-(V. 3)

Warns against thinking we can earn our way to heaven by doing religious works and good things for God.(V. 4)

Displays how oftentimes we engage our tongue without engaging our brain, and end up putting our foot in our mouth.-(V. 4)

Warns how oftentimes when God is moving we want to interject what we think are good ideas.-(V. 4)

Warns against thinking we have the all the answer and solutions in knowing the right way forward.-(V.4)

Teaches rather than coming with a presumptuous attitude, were to humbly seek what the Lord desires.-(V. 4)

Teaches how Jesus’ glory will not be diminished even by those who have done great things in the past.-(V. 4)

Warns against elevating anyone to the point that they become equal to Jesus..-(V. 4)

Teaches instead of listening to all of the anger, fear, and rationalizations. We need to listen to Jesus and His truth.-(V. 5)

Teaches how God will remove any doubt you might have about who Jesus is.-(V. 5) (God will give you the confirmation your looking for)

Teaches how we don’t need any more revelations, what God has already revealed through His Word is enough.-(V. 5)

Teaches how it’s not just about admiring, praising, or adding Jesus to your life. But obeying and submitting to Him.-(V.5)

Teaches instead of listening to the circumstances, the fears, the struggles, the failures, the discouragements, listen to Jesus’ Word and the forgiveness He offers.-(V5)

Warns if not careful just like Peter we can get so caught up in all the doing we forget to listen.-(V.5)

Teaches how our plans must always take a backseat to Christ’s plans.-(V.5)

Displays how we will be able to recognize our loved ones in Heaven. Speaking and talking with them. No one told the disciples who the Two were with Jesus…but they knew them! Moses had died approximately 1400 years before this event took place, and Elijah had been taken up to heaven about 850 years earlier. That means that we won’t have to introduce ourselves to everybody…We will know them and they will know us. Not only that bur we will be able to commune with all the Saints in heaven. Will be able to talk not just with Moses & Elijah. But with Peter, Paul, James, John. Along with the great heroes of the bible. Abraham, David, and Noah, who are recognized for their unwavering faith and obedience to God. Other notable figures include Rahab, Gideon, Samson, and even modern figures like Corrie Ten Boom, Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, David Livingstone, Jim Elliot, John Wesley, Watchman Nee, Billy Graham, etc.

If not carful we can start to venerate Saints and religious objects as being equal to Jesus.-(V. 3) The Catholics venerate saints, relics, and icons. Others make the Commandments of Moses as being equal with Jesus. That it’s not just faith but works that Saves. Or we want a Elijah type figure. A pastor who’s magnetic or a church that’s Charismatic.

If not careful we can become just like Peter in thinking it’s good were in Church.-(V.4) That the church success is all about us and what we can do. In our journey of faith, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that the success of our church is solely determined by our actions—whether it’s our preaching, our worship, or our leadership. However, we must remember that true growth and spiritual prosperity come from a higher power. Let us be humble and recognize that we are instruments in the hands of the divine, working towards a greater purpose beyond our individual efforts.

Does not mean Jesus shows favoritism to some disciples and not to others. But rather knows those who need spiritual strengthening more than others. That Jesus prepares those who will play a key role in His Kingdom. Thereby increasing our faith and understanding of who He is and motivate us to tell others of His glory.

The exact location of the mount of the Transfiguration is unknown. There have been two different sites suggested. Traditionally it’s considered to be Mount Tabor. Early Christian tradition, beginning with figures like Origen in the 3rd century, identified the mountain as the site of the Transfiguration. This tradition was later supported by figures like Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem and became firmly established during the Byzantine period. [Some Scholars contend this was unlikely the spot due to it having a Roman military fortress at the top, so we know the four of them couldn’t have been alone. That and the fact that the mountain was only 1200 feet tall, not very high by our standards today. As well as it being too far south to be week’s journey from Caesarea Philippi.] Others say in context to the previous chapter sixteen it was “Mount Hermon” near Caesarea Philippi where Peter had just made his great confession of Christ.-(16:15) So it seems natural that they went up on Mount Hermon. (Some scholars argue against this due to it being 9,200 feet above sea level. [Difficult and exhausting to hike up, but not impossible.] That and the fact that Mark 9:14 mentions Jewish scribes were waiting for Jesus at the base of mountain when He came down, while Caesarea Philippi was mostly a Gentile region.) In the end, we simply can’t be sure what mountain it was.

We know according to Luke’s Gospel Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus about His approaching death in Jerusalem. Since Moses represented Law, we can picture him saying something to Jesus like; “Jesus in your life you have fulfilled all of the Law of God that was given through me which no one else could ever do. By obeying and keeping the entire Law of God you have made many righteous before God. And you will now stand in their place having fulfilled all of the Law on their behalf and nailing it to the cross.” Since Elijah was known as the greatest of the Prophets we can picture him saying something to Jesus like; “You know Jesus by your life, death, and resurrection you are fulfilling all the words of the prophets. They spoke not only of your birth, but all of what you would suffer and how you will triumph over sin and death. (Note: Moses and Elijah’s conversation about Jesus’ approaching death also reveals how even after we die we will know about worldly current events.)

We are not told how the disciples knew they were looking at Moses and Elijah. Were they wearing name tags. Or did the disciples have prophet trading cards or pictures. There were no photographs back then. Some suggests that the disciples overheard the context of their conversation with Jesus about His departure (Grk. Exodus)-(Luke 9:31) Therefore connected Moses (who led the people of Israel in an exodus from Egypt) and Elijah (who departed in his exodus from life in a fiery chariot) knew who they were. Or the disciples were divinely inspired to recognize them, similar to how God revealed Jesus’ identity to Peter eight days earlier-(16:15) Or because of the Old Testament prophecies about the return of Moses and Elijah, the disciples may have been expecting them.-(17:10) Some have even suggested that it was their appearance—with Moses looking like Charleston Heston (long white beard) and Elijah looking like an older and hairier John the Baptist.

When we read about the Transfiguration we should think of it as a movie preview.  When a good  movie is finished, a lot of times it is not immediately released to the general public. Instead a select group of people are chosen for the special privilege of previewing the movie. They will be the first people to see it anywhere in the world. Sometimes the movie company is rewarding their work and their commitment to give them a sneak peak. Other times the company wants these people to then  “hype” the movie to others in order to build up more public excitement and get more people to go to watch. At the same time, these previewers are often commanded not to release any reviews until a certain date, when the movie company is ready to start their advertising campaign. These three disciples were like previewers. They previewed Jesus’ kingdom and when the time was right, they would then share what they saw with the rest of the world, who would then be encouraged to themselves become followers of Jesus and be part of His kingdom. Now the moratorium has passed and they have shared what they saw.

The term “Transfigured” is the Greek word we get “metamorphosis” from. It is the term we use to describe the process of something being transformed from one creature to another. It is the same thing where a caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly. But to crossover and apply the transformation of a caterpillar directly to the transfiguration of Jesus is a mistake. Jesus does not become something else. Jesus is. He doesn’t become, He doesn’t change, He doesn’t evolve. In the truest sense a caterpillar doesn’t become something else either, no, conceptually, a caterpillar is another form of what it truly deep down is – a butterfly. A caterpillar has always had the butterfly deep within and in a sense the form of a caterpillar is veil that hides the true identity within – a butterfly. Jesus does not become something different, Jesus is seen for who He is. What the disciples see is not Jesus becoming something else for a moment, what they see is a pulling away of the veil of humanity to expose the spiritual reality of who Jesus really is. They see a stripping away of what they thought was Jesus and are faced with reality – the divinity before them. It was as if for a moment Jesus’ human body was peeled back, striping off His humanity and now standing there before them who He really is, God in the flesh. It’s is a momentary removal of the humanity of Jesus before Peter, James and John to reveal to them who He actually is.

The luminous light that Matthew describes, saying “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” Is the same image we see throughout the bible to show the glory of God. In the book of Revelations Jesus is seen in this way: “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.”-(Rev. 1:14-15) In the book of Exodus, when Moses comes down from Mt Sinai his face shown brightly with the glory of God. Here we see the dazzling brightness of Jesus revealing the same kind of reality – But whereas Moses is only reflecting the glory of God. Jesus is producing the glory of God, because He is God. The glory originates with Him, it doesn’t originate with Moses. Jesus’s glory is of a different nature than Moses’s. Moses’s face shone because he was reflecting another’s glory; Jesus’s face shone because of His own glory. Moses’s face was radiant because of his proximity to Yahweh; Jesus’s face was radiant because he is God. (Heb. 1:3) Moses’ glory was temporary, his face had to be veiled because the radiance was fading.-(2-Corn. 3:12-18) But Jesus’ glory is superior because it is a lasting glory of a New Covenant, not written on stone, but written on the heart, that does not fade but lasts forever.-(2-Corn. 3:7-11)

When Peter says “let us build three shelters”. Some have suggested that Peter is thinking of setting up booths as the Feast of Tabernacles where the Hebrews made shelters out of branches celebrating God’s presence and dwelling with His people as they wondered in the wilderness for forty years. It also marks the end of the fall harvest and the completion of the agricultural year, symbolizing God’s blessing and sustenance. Others believe that Peter is not thinking about the festival of Tabernacles, but about the Tent Of Meeting. The background for this event is not a feast, it is Exudes 24 where we see Moses going up to the mountain to receive the Law. It is a new Sinai, with Jesus being the central figure revealing the powerful coming of the kingdom of God. The kind of tabernacle that is in reference here isn’t small festival booths, but The Tent of Meeting where Moses met with God after he came down from getting the Ten Commandments. The Tent of Meeting was built in the desert and moved from place to place as the community of Hebrews moved about the desert for forty years after their release from captivity from Egypt. It was here in the Tent of Meeting that God was met, it was from here in the Tent of Meeting that the Hebrews were guided in their time in the desert. The Tent of Meeting represents direct communication with God. See, it strikes Peter, ah ha, I have a great idea. Let us build not one, but three tents of meeting, right here on the mountain. Then we will have a place to once again meet with God and not just one place but three. Peter, you see, thinks the best things can get with God would be a place like the Tent of Meeting, if not careful we can become just like Peter in thinking to build a place of worship right there where God is. Not realizing that Jesus chose to dwell, to tabernacle, within us and not just among us. That means if we accept Jesus into our hearts, God Himself will be a part of us, dwelling within us. We mustn’t think of worship as an extremal thing of just showing up to church. But a spiritual thing in allowing Jesus to dwell in our hearts and lead us. Knowing Jesus is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It means we recognize the Spiritual gifts that God gives us; that we internalize them by allowing Jesus to dwell within us and mold us; and that we then externalize them by using those gifts as we follow Jesus by actively helping others.

Reading this story can make you think this is too fantastic and wild to be true. I get it! But maybe it would help to know that Peter will later validate and confirm this event In his words twenty years later, near the end of his life (60 A.D.) While combating false teachers who were saying that Jesus was not coming back;-(2-Pet. 3:3-4) would write;  “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. 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,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” -(2 Peter 1:16–18)

LESSONS FROM THE TRANSFIGURATION

• Reminds us of Jesus’ divine nature, power, and authority.

• Gives hope and encouragement in our own resurrection

• Gives strength & encouragement in suffering  that it’s going to end in glory.

• Assures our own transformation, becoming more and more like Christ Jesus.

  HOW WE SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD TODAY

• We See the Glory of the Lord through His character & nature.

• We See the Glory of the Lord in the cross & resurrection.

• We See the Glory of the Lord in reading & listening to His Word

• We See the Glory of the Lord in answered prayer.

• We See the Glory of the Lord using us in mighty ways

• We See the Glory of the Lord in the Holy Spirit

• We See the Glory of the Lord in the transformation of others.

• We See the Glory of the Lord through His creation.

• We See the Glory of the Lord in corporate worship and fellowship.

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