Matthew 17:1-5…Ready

Matthew 17:1-5…Ready

17:1 After six days (Echoes the same scene Moses experienced in Exodus 24. Where after Moses walks up a mountain, the glory of God covers it for six days and on the seventh day the Lord calls out to him-(New) Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James,  (Choosing three disciples was the number of witnesses needed to hold up in a Jewish court of law-(Deut 19:15) The three disciples who would later on become pillars in the early church needed this revelation to evangelize.-(New) and led them up a high mountain (Reminiscent of Moses encountering the glory of God on a mountain.-(New) by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured (This is 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 glory was borrowed and fading that he had to cover it with a veil.-(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 and holiness was shinning forth through His body. This probably happened at night which would have made it even more brilliant. We learn from Luke’s account of the Transfiguration that the disciples were asleep right before this happened. No doubt exhausted from that days hike up the mountain.-(Luke 9:32) 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, (See note below) talking with Jesus (Teaches if were to have a conversation with Jesus it should always be about Jesus-(New) 4 Peter said to Jesus, (Peter impulsively blurts out the first thing that comes to mind without thinking)  “Lord, it is good for us to be here. (i.e. To share in this spiritual experience.-(New)  If you wish, (want) I will put up three shelters—(Peter may have in mind here the “Feast of Tabernacles” also known as the “Feast of Booths”. Which commemorated the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert as they lived temporary tents until they entered the Promised Land-( Lev. 23:34-44) one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them (covered, blanketed them. Not rain clouds, but the divine glory and appearance of God. Much in the way God appeared to the Israelites in the O.T. When God led Israel by a pillar of cloud.-(13:21) When God descended on Mount Sinai in a thick cloud.-(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. Listen (Expresses a Greek imperative verb as a command to be obeyed continually.-(New) to him. (In context Jesus’ discussion with Moses & Elijah concerning Jesus’ suffering and death. In a wider context Jesus’ work in bringing about a better Covenant of grace by dying of the Cross for sinful mankind.-(New)  (For Complete Expositor See Book)

Extended Sermons

“Teaches how in times of rials and sufferings God gives us mountaintop moments to strengthen & encourage our faith.”⇒ God gives us what we need to sustain and propel our faith. When we are bombarded by life’s tragedies, hardships, and suffering. When we are tired and worn down by the pressures of life, when we feel overwhelmed at the prospects of the future, it is a vision of Jesus’ glory and power that can help fuel us to keep going on. It’s God’s way of saying everything is going to be okay. That no matter what they do to us I 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 Christ and His resurrection. Jesus had just delivered to the disciples the hard news concerning His suffering and death and their need to take up their own cross-(16:21-25) By transfiguring Himself before them whatever doubts they still had should have been gone. So too for us. When life takes a dark turn, where there’s deep despair, distress, and disillusionment, Jesus shines a bright light of hope to sustain and motivate us through the pain and monotony of life. As believers the only way were going to persevere in the faith and make it through the hard times of being a Christian is remembering what is to come. That this is not the end, Jesus is coming back. God’s mountaintop moments can come in a variety of ways. It may not come with bright lights, clouds, or a divine voice from heaven. It can happen during a Sunday morning sermon, worship service, bible study, prayer time, mission trip, 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. Mountaintop moments are not designed by God just to give us warm fuzzies at high feelings—they are designed to fill us with the Spirit of God that we have the courage and strength to do the work of the kingdom in the valley below. [Note: Because we can’t really hear God without God’s help. How much more do we need to pray for divine illumination in opening our hearts and minds so we can understand His word and ways.]

“Displays how we will be able to recognize our love 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.

“Teaches rather than try to hold onto mountaintop moments, real life is lived in the valleys below.“→ We all want to stay in those mountaintop experiences where we feel God really moving and working in our lives. We hunger in wanting more and more of them. And who doesn’t want to stay in that safe and glorious place. Wanting to stay in those places is not terribly bad. God even gives mountaintop experiences from time to time to comfort and encourage us. I’m sure many of us have had this experience at one time or another. Maybe you felt intimately connected to God when singing a song in church. Or maybe when hearing a powerful sermon preached. Or maybe you felt close to God at a bible camp or a Christian retreat. But they were never meant to be experienced all the time. In fact mountaintop moments of intense spiritual connections and profound revelations are often  unsustainable, fleeting, and transient by their very nature. They are peaks, and life, like any terrain involves valleys and plateaus as well. The same is true in our Christian walk. Our Christian way of life is going to be filled with highs and lows as well. Expecting to perpetually reside in such heightened states is often unrealistic and can lead to disappointment and a skewed view of faith. When we start chasing after spiritual highs, we also start to define our faith by them. When we get that high, life is good. We feel as though we are gaining greater insights from Scripture. Our prayers are more focused. While “mountaintop experiences” are a good thing, they are not everything. In fact just as God in His kindness allows us to experience those spiritual highs for a season. God also in His wisdoms sets us back down in the valleys of trials and struggles below. That He might prepare and train us to delight in Him with equal joy and veracity when things are not going so well. It is in the valleys of struggles and suffering where true growth and wisdom are found. It is in these valleys that our true character is forged, where resilience takes root and where we find the strength to climb higher. Embrace each challenge, for they are the stepping stones to greatness in doing more for Christ and His Kingdom. Remember, the most beautiful vistas are seen from the highest peaks, but the most meaningful journeys are made in the depths.

“Encourages believers in our ultimate transformation and future glory to come.” ⇒ What we behold we become. The more we behold the more we will want to behold it. The less we behold, the less we will want to behold. When we behold the Glory of Jesus and see Him for who He is, It transforms us and reassures us where were headed. As we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into His likeness, becoming more and more like Him. As soon as we believe we start to go through a metamorphose change, starting from the inside out. There will still be struggles with the flesh. There’s still suffering we have to go through, there’s still sanctification battles we have to fight with our indwelling sin. But we know by Jesus’ Transfiguration that God has a glorious future that awaits us in heaven, and how ravishing and beautiful it will be. But as we journey towards that end, we need to remember that it’s a gradual work and a daily decision to walk it out. Trusting that God is working it out in our lives, slowly transforming us into the image of Christ day by day. Going from one glory to the next. And that one day we ourselves will be glorious; free from sin, death, and mourning, and crying, and pain. (cf. 2-Corn. 3:18, 4:17, Eph. 4:22-24)

“Teaches the only one were to listen too is Jesus. (Don’t allow competing voices to draw you away from Jesus).” ⇒  We live in a world where many voices are clamoring for our attention and pulling us away from Jesus and His direction. Some of those voices would call us to view marriage as flippant or unnecessary. Some of those voices would call us to view marriage in a way that is outside the way the bible commands as between a husband and a wife. Some voices would call us to view a world that evolved over time than made by a Creator.  Some voices would call us to satisfy our own wants and desires of our heart any way we want  The world would tell us how we should live. What we should do. How we should think. With all the social media; Twitter, Facebook. News outlets’; Fox, CNN, and others. We can find it difficult to hear God’s voice. There’s voices of scoffers. Voices of second guessing. Voices of self-doubt, self-criticism, and all the “would’ves, should’ves, and could’ves. 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 focus upon worldly riches instead of spiritual. We find it in the voices of immediate gratification. We find it in the voices of satisfaction, calling us to stop growing spiritually. We find it in the voices of convenience, calling us to do whatever is easiest at the time. The path of least resistance. We find it in the voices of peer pressure, calling us to follow the crowd. everyone is doing it. We find it in the voices of pride, calling us to do whatever we want instead of what God wants. If not careful we can start to treat Jesus like others. Putting Him in a long line of prophets and great teachers. That He was a loving and caring person with good morals. Or we create a God in our own image who is more pleasing to us than the one true God in the bible. We create a God who loves us unconditionally and welcomes us, no matter what we’ve done and no matter what we believe, into His kingdom. That He won’t hold us accountable for our actions and still be with Him in paradise. We carry the idea with us in our image of Judgment Day. We want a cuddly old guy who’ll give us a hug and sent us on into heaven, chuckling that “kids will be kids” as He sees the list of our sins.

“Even today, because we live in a world filled with challenges, struggles, and difficulties. Broken relationships, financial crisis, health worries, etc. We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and the glory to come.”→ Living in a world filled with war, violence, and injustice. We need to look to Jesus. When the economic news isn’t great, look to Jesus. When the stock market crashes, look to Jesus. When unemployment is at an all time high, look to Jesus.  When the company threatens downsizing, look to Jesus. When your dream job doesn’t come through, look to Jesus. When your marriage doesn’t work out, look to Jesus. If not careful we can get so consumed with life and the potholes before us, that we can actually lose perspective on where we are going, whom we belong, where God is leading, and the final picture to come. Look at Jesus can make all the difference in the world. Everyday spent focusing on Jesus and reading the scriptures is going to have a transformative impact on our life. In the way we think. In the way we live. In the way we carry ourselves. Just as the author of Hebrews wrote; “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2)

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 are hungering and  drawing close to Christ will receive a blessing and revelation and those who don’t won’t.(V. 1)

Teaches how our lofty position 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 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 vanish into oblivion, but will be resurrected one day as a well.-(V.3)

Teaches how in times of great pain and grief God sends people to comfort, encourage, and strengthen us.-(V. 3) It may not be a Moses or Elijah, but it can be a godly friend, acquaintance, or church pastor.

Displays how oftentimes just like Peter we can be so mesmerized by divine events that we don’t process things correctly and end up acting hastily and impulsively. As the saying goes “Haste makes waste.”-(V. 4)

Displays 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)

Warns against thinking we can get to glory by our own works in doing something for God.-(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. No matter how anointed and gifted a person may be, don’t put them on a pedestal as if they were God.-(V. 4)

Teaches instead of listening to all of the anger, hate, 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 remembering Jesus, acknowledging Him, admiring Him, praising Him, or adding Him to our 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 doing we forget to listen.-(V.5)

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

Teaches how one day 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.

Displays how we will be able to recognize our love 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.

Warns 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.

Warms in 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.

When it comes to the exact location of the mount of the Transfiguration is unknown. There have been four different sites suggested. Traditionally it’s considered to be Mount Tabor. But that was quite a distance from Caesarea Philippi and contained a military fortress at the peak during this time. Many assume they began ascending Mt. Hermon since they were already located at its base. But, Mark 9:14 indicates scribes present at the base of the mountain when they return. This suggests somewhere closer to a Jewish region, not northern Galilee. In the end, we simply cannot be sure where they were because none of the gospels provide a precise location.

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 tabernacles/tents”. 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.

For those who would have a hard time believing what the disciples saw. Both John and Peter will validate and confirm this event in their own words. John will recall in his Gospel what they had seen on the Mont. of the Transfiguration by writing; “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”-(John 1:14b) Peter will later 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 glory, nature, power, and authority.

• Gives hope and encouragement in our own resurrection.

• Assures all who die in Christ are alive and with Him in heaven.

• Motivates us in looking ahead for the glory that is to come.

• Encourages us to stay the course and keep going knowing were going to see Jesus’ glory.

•  Gives encouragement amid suffering and persecution.

• Gives us strength & boldness to face the challenges and hardships ahead.

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

  HOW TO BEHOLD THE GLORY OF THE LORD

• We behold the glory of the Lord through the eyes of faith.

• We behold the glory of the Lord through His substitutionary sacrifice and death on the Cross.

• We behold the glory of the Lord through His Word (Read, study, and mediate on the bible daily).

• We behold the Glory of the Lord through prayer, allowing Him to show Himself to us.

• We behold the glory of the Lord by fixing our eyes on His promises

• We behold the glory of the Lord not just with words but with actions

• We behold the glory of the Lord by setting our minds on things above where Christ is seated.

• We behold the glory of the Lord through worship and praise

• We behold the glory of the Lord through obedience and submission to Him.

• We behold the glory of the Lord through the face of others and what Jesus has done in their lives.

• We behold the glory of the Lord through His creation and the works of His hands.

• We behold the glory of the Lord through corporate worship and fellowship.

• We behold the glory of the Lord by modeling His love and compassion for others.

•                                                                                                                                                       WHY WE SHOULD LISTEN TO JESUS

• Listening to Jesus makes us wise for living.

• Listening to Jesus allows Him to lead us, guide us, and speak to us.

• Listening to Jesus  keeps us from listening to the wrong voices around us.

• Listening Jesus keeps form being lost in the noise and chaos of the world

• 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.