The Transfiguration. It's a big deal in the Bible. But it's often overlooked by most Christians. Thomas Terry dives into the story this week.
Transcript
Welcome to this week’s sermon from Trinity Church in Portland, Oregon. We hope this message inspires you, roots you down deep into the Lord, into His Word, and may His Spirit be your guide as you enjoy this teaching. Thanks for joining us. Here’s the message. Chapter 9, verse 2. And after six days, Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them. And His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud.
This is my beloved Son. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 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. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked Him, why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And He said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how was it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Well, before we begin this morning, I want to first take a few moments to let you
Diving Deep Together
know that I recognize that the last few weeks have been very weighty passages. There’s been a lot of discussion concerning self-denial, humiliation, rejection, picking up our cross, counting the cost, and even death. While those are necessary things to talk about in the Christian life, I do understand that those are weighty things to talk about. What’s great about our passage this morning is that in many ways, it’s a bit lighter of a passage than the last two weeks. It’s a narrative that is vivid, full of wonder and depth. It’s a text that’s rich in history, beauty, and glory. But to be honest, though it is a bit lighter of a text, it’s a more difficult passage to break down. It’s a passage that can be very hard to understand at first glance, and so this is just a bit of a disclaimer. This is a complicated passage to preach.
In fact, when I started to study and prepare for this text, I was hoping to give you the airplane perspective of the passage, the 30,000-foot flyover, the mountain. But as I studied this passage, the more I realized we can’t go the airplane route. It’s too many details. It’s too deep. So instead, we’re going to take the submarine route. We’re going to dive deep into our text this morning. Now, I will try as best as I can to help simplify this passage, to accentuate all of the beauty and all the glory contained in this text, but you’re going to have to do the hard work as well this morning of thinking and following and being critical, okay? So most of you know I really enjoy breaking up passages into smaller narratives to create these kinds of mile markers for us. I think that’s helpful, but this morning, I’m going to preach this narrative just as
one whole chunk and walk through it because I actually think breaking it down into smaller narratives might make it more confusing. I don’t want to do that. And so hopefully, after we do all this work together, we will all walk away this morning with a greater vision of our glorious Savior and a better understanding of our future hope. Okay? So are you all ready? You made the commitment. All right. Let’s dive right in. Let’s begin. Mark 9, verse 2, and after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. So right out of the gate, we need to understand, I’ve said this before, that Mark is not the type of person to waste words, okay? He’s short and punchy with his storytelling, which means every word is placed by Mark in its proper place with intentionality.
So be thinking of that as we move along this passage. I’ve also mentioned to you before that Mark doesn’t always write in a way that’s chronological. In fact, he often structures his scenes thematically, and because of that, he rarely uses exact details concerning dates. Instead, what you typically see with Mark is a more generic approach to dates. He usually starts sections with, then they returned, or in those days, or when they had crossed over. He does this to be a little bit loose and to have freedom to connect themes. So that means that when Mark does give you an exact date, you should probably pay some attention to it, because that means that he’s trying to show you something important. And here, when Mark says, after six days, it’s because he wants you to know that this particular passage is chronological. This reference to six days is intended to push you back into the text that we looked
at last week when Jesus was talking to his disciples about the cost of following him. The next thing you need to notice is that Jesus led them up a high mountain. That’s also an important detail. In fact, this reference to a high mountain is meant to remind you to pull your focus on another high mountain in scripture. And that high mountain would be Mount Sinai, the mountain where God spoke to Moses to give him the law for God’s people. What’s interesting about this Mount Sinai is that in Exodus 2416, we read that the glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it six days. So this Exodus passage reference of a high mountain, it references a high mountain, a cloud, six days in glory. And so what we’ll see in our passage this morning is that Mark also emphasizes a high
mountain, a cloud, six days in glory. And that’s not by coincidence. This is the beauty of God’s divinely inspired word. I tell you this all the time. It’s structured like this to connect these two narratives, to emphasize how both of these mountaintop experiences God speaks and reveals his glory to humanity. This is one of the reasons why I love Mark’s gospel, because it’s full of these little gems like this. The text also tells us that Jesus led these three disciples up on a mountain. This means, of course, that this whole experience on this mountain is meticulously planned by Jesus. It didn’t just happen upon this mountain. They were led there for a very specific reason. Now, just to help set some context about this mountain, Luke’s gospel tells us that they went up on the mountain to pray, and while they were praying, they fell asleep.
The Transfiguration Revealed
And so these disciples on the mountain were in a deep sleep, like any of us would be if we climbed up a high mountain and then had an all-night prayer meeting. As they’re sleeping, suddenly something wakes them up from their deep sleep. And we see what that is in the second half of verse two. And he was transfigured before them. Now, first of all, what does this word transfigured mean? Well, to keep it really simple, it means to change or transform. It’s where we get the word metamorphosis. But it’s a different kind of change than, say, a caterpillar that transforms into a beautiful butterfly. In this particular context, the word transfigured is better described as a radical reveal of what is inside. It’s important to know that this was not a change or a transformation of Jesus’s nature, but more of an outward, visible shift of appearance that reflects Jesus’s actual nature.
Okay, so to be clear, this is not Jesus becoming something new or something different in terms of his nature. This change reflected what he’s always been. So these disciples are awakened from their deep sleep, and they, for the very first time, literally see Jesus for who he is, which is so important for these disciples because their ongoing question, since they begin following Jesus, was who is he really? And here, as the flesh that veiled Jesus was momentarily removed, they could finally see with their eyes who he actually is. And what did this visual transformation look like? Well, it tells us in verse three, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. So the first thing to notice, and I love how Mark drives this point, is that Jesus’s transformation was so massive that even his clothes were impacted.
His clothes were a radiant and brilliant white, was so white that even the most gifted and professional bleacher on the planet couldn’t compare, couldn’t come remotely close to making garments this kind of white. Do you notice that Mark didn’t even mention the radiance of Jesus? And really, Mark does this by design to emphasize that if his clothes were a white that far exceeded the color spectrum, just imagine the source of the radiance. It would be an indescribable color. And that’s the whole point here. Jesus, the source of light, was so bright that he couldn’t even describe it with words, just how bright it was. So instead, he describes the color of his garments. And Matthew’s account says that, in Matthew 17, 2, and his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Luke’s account says, in Luke 9, 29, the appearance of his face was altered and his clothing became
a dazzling white. Though Matthew and Mark are less creative in their interpretation of this event, both of them give us more detail and both do a better job at pointing us back to the mountain in Exodus where God met with Moses, when his face was shining as a direct result of God’s reflected glory. But with Jesus on this mountain, the light from his face was not a reflection. It was emanating from him. You see, this transformation, what you essentially have is this moment in human history where Jesus, the eternal son, pulls us back to eternity past, where his full glory is shared with the Father and the Spirit in perfect fellowship before his glory is veiled in flesh. And what a glorious sight for these disciples to see. What an overwhelmingly beautiful picture of our Savior. But what a terrifying reality to be confronted with.
You know, in Exodus, when Moses came down the mountain, the brightness of his face because of the reflected glory was so bright that the people saw Moses’ face and they were terrified. Imagine the fear of the disciples when they saw the unrestrained, unveiled brilliance radiating from Jesus’ face, brighter than the sun. It would be simultaneously glorious and terrifying. But the mountaintop experience doesn’t end with this radiant light. Verse four, and there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. So now you see why Mark has been drawing these connections to Moses, to build you up to the reality that Moses was there with Jesus. But it’s not just Moses. It’s Elijah as well. Both of these Old Testament prophets are present and speaking with Jesus. Now just think about this encounter from the vantage point of these disciples. This would have been mind-blowing.
First they see Jesus in this radiant, white, dazzling glow, face like the sun, and then they see these two Old Testament prophets next to Jesus just chopping it up. That’s crazy. Both prophets appearing with Jesus in their resurrected, glorified state. This would be an unbelievable sight. It would seem totally unreal, something like a crazy dream. But it really happened. And as the disciples are observing and taking it all in and trying to process what is happening right before their eyes, Peter, like he usually does, opens his mouth. And he speaks. And we see that in verse five. And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Why does Peter say all this? Well, it tells us in verse six, for he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
So Peter, in this moment where most people wouldn’t think of speaking, speaks before thinking. He opens his mouth and says something because he doesn’t quite know what to say. Now before we write off Peter and dismiss his statement as ridiculous or just some sort of anxious rambling, there’s actually a bit of substance behind Peter’s quick response. This is another one of those situations where Peter speaks something profound but doesn’t quite understand what he’s saying. This happened when Jesus asked Peter, who do you say that I am? And Peter says, you’re the Messiah. Peter didn’t fully understand what he was saying. In fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew’s gospel that God revealed that truth to Peter. Peter’s knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures did give him a bit of framework to understand at least some things about the Messiah. Even here, when Peter says, Rabbi, it’s good to be here, again, Peter doesn’t fully understand
what he’s saying, but his knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures gives him a bit of framework for what he says. In fact, his statement and his thought process here is rooted in the Old Testament. Now he might not be completely accurate, it might not be right, but at least he’s trying to think biblically about this whole situation that is unveiling before his eyes. So that’s what’s behind Peter’s statement. Well, here’s where it gets crazy. In order for us to understand Peter’s train of thought, we’re going to need to dig a little bit here. So if you follow with me, I will try to help us figure this out. So Peter is standing on this mountain, and he’s reflecting on the radiance of Jesus, and he sees Moses and Elijah standing next to Jesus, and it brings to Peter’s mind the one place in the Old Testament scriptures where both Moses and Elijah are referenced
together, and that would be Malachi chapter four, verses four and five. That passage says, remember the law of my servant, Moses, the statutes and rules that he commanded him at Horeb for all of Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. So what is this passage all about? Well, the passage here is dealing specifically with what’s called the day of the Lord. This promised day where the Lord will return, where he will come to bring judgment on the wicked and rescue his people. This day of the Lord would be known by any Jew. In fact, this day of the Lord is mentioned all throughout the Old Testament. Now what Malachi is saying in these two verses is essentially this, that before this great and awesome day of the Lord happens, there are two things that must take place.
First, the people must remember or turn back to the law of God. This was the law that was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai, so there must be a turning back to the Mosaic law. So there’s that Moses piece. Second, Malachi says that Elijah, the prophet, must appear or return before the day of the Lord. So there’s the Elijah piece. So in both of these things, the Mosaic law and the return of Elijah come to pass, then God will come to bring judgment and deliverance. So Peter, in his whole mountaintop experience, he’s observing these things and he’s quickly putting the dots together, or at least he’s trying to. When Peter sees Jesus, the Messiah on the mountain glowing, radiating this glory and standing next to him is Moses and Elijah, Peter’s like, okay, it’s going down. It’s going down. It’s happening here. I see Moses, the lawgiver.
I see Elijah appearing right there. He’s returned. And so this is precisely why the disciples are terrified, because it is a day of deliverance, but it’s also a day of great judgment. And in Peter’s mind, God was about to wreck shop. He was about to rain down his judgment on the world. And that’s why Peter says, it’s good to be here. It’s good to be here. And Peter doesn’t mean that it’s good to be here on this mountain. What Peter is saying is that it’s good to be here with Jesus, the Messiah. It’s good to be on the side of those who will be delivered and not on the side of those who will be destroyed. You see, Peter is not referencing a location. It’s good to be here. He’s referencing a position. It’s good to be with Jesus. It’s good to be with the righteous.
Peter’s Biblical Response
Essentially, Peter is saying to Jesus, let’s do it. Let’s go. I’m terrified, but at least I’m on the side of the righteous. So this should help you better understand a little of Peter’s thinking behind his statement that it’s good to be here. But what is the deal with Peter asking Jesus if he should build three tents? Is there any substance to this or is this just rambling? Well, again, Peter knows his Bible. His comment concerning tents doesn’t come out of anywhere or nowhere. This, too, is also rooted in the Old Testament scriptures. So what then is he referencing with these tents? Well, to understand this, we got to dive a little bit deeper. OK, but hopefully you’re following along and hopefully I’m making some sense. So just as Peter was reminded of the book of Malachi and the day of the Lord, this day of judgment, when he saw Moses and Elijah standing together, Peter is now reminded of
the book of Zechariah, because in the last chapter of Zechariah, chapter 14, this whole chapter is all about the day of the Lord. What will happen? All that’s going to go down in the last chapter of Zechariah or in Zechariah. If you’re following me in verse 16, it says we’re told that on the day of the Lord. OK, so this is Zechariah explaining that what’s going to happen on the day of the Lord is that if you stand on the side of the righteous, you will go up and worship the king, the Lord of hosts. And this is key here, you will keep the feast of booths. OK, so that’s all in Zechariah 14. I promise you this will make sense. This feast of booths was a celebration of God’s deliverance and provision while the Israelites lived in the wilderness for 40 years. OK, part of this celebration or one of the requirements of this feast was to build a
temporary tent or booth to live in. So this is kind of like a throwback to the time of the Israelites when they’re roaming around in the wilderness and they have to make these makeshift tents to live in before God would deliver them. And so Zechariah says on the day of the Lord, the people will come and worship the king, the Lord of hosts, and they will participate in the feast or the celebration of booths. And to celebrate this feast properly, you’ve got to build a tent. That makes sense. So Peter, in his zeal and his fear, is saying, OK, Lord, you want me to build these three tents for the for the feast of booths? I mean, this is the day of the Lord, right? It’s coming. I see you in all your glory. I see Moses and Elijah.
This is going down. I’m a fisherman, but I can make a couple of tents. I’ll get this thing up in no time. So understand, Peter’s train of thought makes sense. He’s got a few things right. But Peter has a lot of things wrong. Peter failed to remember what Jesus told him only a few days ago down the mountain. You remember, we talked about this last week that the son of man must suffer, be rejected, be killed and be raised on the third day. But here Peter’s thinking this is the moment of the Messiah. He’s come to judge the wicked and deliver God’s people. It’s about to go down. You see, the problem with Peter is that he’s not listening to the Lord, so he’s not yet realized the how and the when the Messiah will deliver his people. So after Peter finishes his train of thought and after his zealous outburst, Peter and his disciples are pulled into another level of this transfiguration.
Look at the first half of verse seven. And a cloud overshadowed them. So far, these disciples have seen a glimpse of Jesus’s glory. They’ve seen two prophets in their glorified bodies standing with Jesus. Now these disciples all of a sudden are overshadowed by the presence and glory of God. Now, just a heads up, whenever scripture references a cloud on a mountain, it’s almost always connected to God’s presence and glory among his people. You see this twice in Exodus. You really see it all over scripture. Now, this word overshadowed is translated enveloped or blanketed over, and the reason it’s important to know that is because it emphasizes the fact that this is a cloud that the disciples didn’t just see like, oh, there’s the cloud. They could feel it because they were in the cloud. They were enveloped in it. They could feel the density of the cloud.
In this moment, these disciples are pulled into this multisensory experience. They could see with their eyes the glory and presence of God. They can feel the weight and texture, perhaps the mist of the glory and presence of God as they’re enveloped in it. And then when we continue in verse seven, it says, and a voice came out of the cloud. And so they see and they feel, and then finally they hear a voice. And what they hear is the voice of God the Father speaking from heaven. And what does God say? Look at the end of verse seven. This is my beloved son. Listen to him. And this really brings us to the climax of the transfiguration. What’s said here is so profound and so amazing. Now, we’ve heard something like this before in Mark’s gospel, have we not? In Mark chapter one, verse 11, after Jesus is baptized, this same voice from the Father speaks these same words from heaven.
You are my beloved son. So really what you have with this voice coming from the cloud is an echo of Jesus’s baptism. When Jesus was baptized, the Father gives this divine affirmation and commissioning for the ministry that lies ahead. And here again, the Father gives this divine affirmation and commissioning for the ministry that lies ahead. The only difference between these two accounts is that the first one was spoken to Jesus. You are my beloved son. The second is spoken to the disciples. This is my beloved son. This voice from the Father is spoken to these three disciples for their benefit, for their ministry that lies ahead of them. The Father speaks to reveal the true identity of Jesus once and for all, just to sort it out, to put to rest all the confusion, all of their preconceived ideas of who they think he is.
If these disciples intend to be effective in ministry, if they intend to endure, they need a complete certainty of who this Jesus is. And it doesn’t become any more certain than when it comes from the mouth of God. You see, these disciples need to know this in a multisensory experiential way. Why? So that it’s burned into their hearts and minds. This is the kind of experience that you never forget. The ministry that’s ahead of them, the ministry that lies ahead of them, is going to be costly. Jesus just told them this last week. You’re going to have to carry your cross. You’re going to suffer. You’re going to be humiliated. You’re going to be rejected. And for these specific disciples, they’re going to die. And so they needed to hear and they needed to experience this. What they needed was certainty and confidence to build their courage as they endure.
That’s why this dramatic reveal so they don’t forget it. And this voice that speaks from the heavens and with these two Old Testament prophets as witnesses and the radiant light emanating from the face of Jesus should certainly confirm and give them confidence for all that needs to be endured in the hardships ahead. They needed to see the light shining from Jesus if they intend to be faithful in the dark days ahead. They needed this confirmation from God that Jesus is the son of God who is God. Why? So that they can bank their life on it. So that they’d be willing to give up their life for it. But not only does the father give them this confirmation, the father also gives them this charge. This is my beloved son. The charge is listen to him. And just to be clear, this charge to listen to him is not merely to hear him or listen to the words that he says.
What’s intended here is that you must heed what you hear. You must listen to what he says. And this is a good word for us. This is such a huge problem in our world today. In the church, a lot of people will sit and listen to God’s word. They’ll sit as someone preaches or teaches God’s word, but very few of them respond to what they hear. So you could listen and you can know things about God, but if you’re not applying what you heard and what you know on a day to day basis, it doesn’t mean anything. I’ve told you this before. You can know a lot of theology. So what? If it doesn’t persuade you to do anything, then it doesn’t mean anything. You must listen to what he says because he is God. And in this particular charge to listen, this has huge and immediate implications and application for his disciples.
To take heed of everything they just heard from Jesus only six days ago. All of the heavy things they talked about, the cost of following Jesus, denying yourself, picking up your cross, suffering, counting the cost, potentially losing your life. They heard Jesus say all these things. So they must do that. They must be willing to do that. And secondly, these three disciples must listen to the one thing that they can’t humanly comprehend. That Jesus must suffer and die. And we’ll see that later in the passage. As these disciples are standing in the presence of God, taking in all this glory, overwhelming and terrifying. This multi-sensory experience builds up and just like that, the scene drastically changes. It’s done. Verse eight, and suddenly looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. Now, all week I’ve been reading this passage over and over again.
Obviously, it’s a complicated passage. Every time I come to this part, I can’t help but visualize this in my mind, but with music. It’s just the way my brain is programmed. And as this scene grows with intensity, as the light becomes more and more vivid, the music in my mind is building this crescendo of tension. And then in a split second, in this quick flip of a frame, the light switches off. The music abruptly stops and all the supernatural and transcendent things that were present vanish. And I’m transported back into the normal of the world. And this is how I imagine what it would be like for the disciples, their experience. Obviously, with a different kind of music, but the scene would likely be similar. They move from the hyper-transcendent to the ordinary, and in a brief moment, all the glory is gone. No more light, no more prophets, no more cloud.
It’s Jesus only. And this picture of Jesus only speaks loudly, does it not? It speaks to the fact that only Jesus can save. Only Jesus can pay for the sins of the world. Only Jesus can bring us back to God. There is no other way. There is no religious system. There is no other prophet, not Moses, not Elijah. There is no mountaintop spiritual experience, no one else and nothing else but Jesus. This shift in scene is meant to leave you with this greater understanding of the supremacy and sovereignty and exclusivity of Jesus. John 14, 6, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. It’s Jesus only. So now that the transfiguration is done in this quick split and things are seemingly back to normal, the disciples begin to make their trek back down the mountain.
Jesus Only
But Jesus still has work to do with these disciples. There’s still some things that they need to understand. And in verses 9 and 10, Jesus intends to sort some things out for them. 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. Okay, so these disciples just observed this most magnificent and glorious scene, an incomprehensible scene. And now Jesus tells them, don’t mention anything about it. I imagine Peter, who was already ready to go. He’s gotten all these things sorted out in his mind. He’s kind of piece these dots together. He just witnessed this glorious and dramatic scene. He’s got this divine confirmation from God. He’s seen Elijah and Moses in their glorified state. He’s probably thinking to himself, this was really going to change the game for us in terms of how the people perceive our message.
And now you’re telling me not to say anything. Jesus shuts them down. He says, don’t mention anything that you’ve seen on this mountain. Now, remember, all throughout Jesus’s ministry, he’s been telling people, don’t tell anyone what happened. Okay, we’ve seen this over and over again. This is in step with Jesus’s messianic secret. But this time, the messianic secret comes with an expiration date. Jesus tells his disciples, don’t say anything until the son of man has risen from the dead. And this likely frustrates Peter for two reasons. One, he can’t tell anybody what he just experienced, what just happened. He can’t explain to the people down the mountain about the power and the glory that he witnessed. If he had the opportunity to tell people about the power and the glory and the voice of God speaking down to Jesus, confirming who he is, then this would be sufficient to persuade the people down there who Jesus is.
This would persuade them to follow him. So he’s frustrated about that. That’s just one opportunity to make Jesus’s message extremely relevant. He’s also frustrated because Jesus is again talking about dying. Jesus has to die. Peter, in his mind, is like, what? I just saw you up there on the cloud, all this stuff going down, and now you’re talking about dying again. What is the deal? But despite their frustration, despite Peter’s frustration, we see in verse 10 that the disciples comply, but their compliance is not without questions. Verse 10. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this raising from the dead might mean. So here the disciples listen, which is good. The father told them to listen to Jesus, and so they intend to do that, but not without questioning. And to be clear, the disciples aren’t questioning. They’re not asking questions in general about raising from the dead.
They have a framework for a resurrection. They understand that. They’re asking questions concerning the son of man raising from the dead. Their questions are specific about the son of man. Now, here’s the reason why they’re confused and why they’re asking questions. Jesus keeps using this title, son of man. The son of man must suffer. The son of man must die. Don’t say anything until the son of man. They’re using this over and over again, and the disciples know exactly what he’s referring to. Any Jew who spent any time in a synagogue would know this. The son of man is referenced in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7, 13 and 14 says, I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days. And he was presented before him, and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and his kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed. So these disciples keep hearing Jesus talk about the son of man. And in their mind, what comes to what they see, what they imagine is glory and dominion. Not suffering and death. If you’re the son of man, you’re supposed to reign and rule, not die and raise. You see, they’re asking questions, trying to figure out how this Jesus, who was glorified, this son of man, whose everlasting dominion shall not pass away. They’re trying to connect death and resurrection to this son of man. That Jesus keeps referring to, and so trying to figure it out, the disciples finally ask Jesus a clarifying question. But notice they frame their question in scripture. We see that in verse 11. They asked him, why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?
And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. So again, these disciples are thinking about the day of the Lord that’s referenced in Malachi 4 verse 5. So basically, they’re asking Jesus, why do the religious leaders, when they teach in the synagogue, keep telling us about the prophet Malachi? Clearly stating that Elijah must come first before the day of the Lord and Jesus response to them because they’re right. That’s why they keep telling you that. Because they’re right. Elijah does come before the day of the Lord. So you could just imagine how confused these disciples are. Okay, okay. But Jesus told them. I must suffer and die. Before that day. You see what’s revealed in this question is that the disciples are still not listening fully to Jesus. They’re not listening. And to really drive this point home that he must suffer and die.
Jesus responds to them and I love how he does this. He gives them a rhetorical question and notice he frames it in scripture. Look at the second half of verse 12. And how is it written of the son of man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? So the disciples quoted Daniel 7 roughly. How the son of man is given glory and dominion and how he will usher in an everlasting kingdom. And so what Jesus does here, it’s brilliant. He quotes from Isaiah 53 roughly about suffering and death. What Jesus is doing here is connecting the son of man to the suffering servant. Jesus is essentially telling them without my suffering, you don’t get my glory. There is no crown without the cross. There is no dominion without my death. There is no rule and reign without the resurrection. So without dying, without having this dying and resurrecting Jesus, this whole scene on the mountain, all of this stuff would just be smoke and lights.
You see, the real glory comes when Jesus gives his life to pay for the sins of the world. And raises victoriously from the grave, proving his sacrifice was sufficient to save and conquering death. This is where his glory and power really gets put on display. And that’s the message, right? That’s the message we preach, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, not lights, prophets, and a cloud. If the disciples preached what they saw on the mountain, yeah, it would be a great and glorious story. They saw some amazing things, but it wouldn’t be the gospel. And you see, Peter would eventually come to figure this out. On the day of Pentecost, Peter standing before thousands of people, what does he preach? Does he preach what he witnessed on the mountain, the lights, the prophets, and the clouds? No, he preaches the life, the death, the resurrection, and the glory of Jesus, who came and died and rose again from the grave and is seated at the right hand of the father.
Peter preaches that message, and 3000 people follow him. 3000 people commit their souls to Jesus. You see, Peter was thinking if we tell him about this mountaintop experience, that’ll really get people engaged to follow. But it’s the message of the cross where the real power comes from, because only when we preach that message are people saved. Their experience alone would not be enough. They needed a death to pay for sin. They needed a resurrection that would vindicate his power. And finally, in verse 13, Jesus helps to close all the confusion concerning this whole Elijah coming first situation. Verse 13, but I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased as it is written of him. Here, Jesus closes the discussion and the confusion by telling them, hey, just so you know, just so that you’re in the know, Elijah has come, and they killed him.
You see, this whole time, all this talk about Elijah coming was not meant to be a literal Elijah. It’s not a literal Elijah. This was a reference to John the Baptist, the Elijah figure. And how do we know this? How do we string this thought together? Well, Matthew’s gospel tells us in chapter 17, verse 13, then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Jesus is saying the coming of Elijah is really John the Baptist, the final prophet. John came in the spirit of Elijah and suffered and died. And just like John suffered and died, so must the son of man suffer and die. Jesus patiently helps his disciples to understand. Listen, suffering and death is necessary for me to showcase my full glory. What you just saw on the mountain is nothing. My resurrection is really where the glory is.
What This Means
Now, what does all this mean for us? What does the transfiguration reveal to us this morning? What can we take out of this? This transfiguration shows us the true identity of Jesus, the son of God. It shows us that what lies underneath the veil of flesh is radiant glory. The picture we see of Jesus, the white, long-haired Jesus, that’s not the Jesus that we follow after. He’s radiant. He’s splendid. He’s glorious. He’s majestic. That’s what’s underneath the flesh of Jesus. It shows us the supremacy and sovereignty of the son of God, that he alone has the power to save because he alone is the son of God. It shows us that all of scripture points to this Jesus. All of scripture finds its climax in Jesus. It shows that he is the fulfillment of the law and all the prophets. He is the one that all these prophets pointed to.
It shows us that he is the son of man that will come to establish an everlasting kingdom. He will come to rain judgment down on this wicked world and deliver his people. It shows us that he delivers his people by becoming a suffering servant who dies for our sin and raises in glory. This is such a bigger picture. This is such a bigger display of glory than what we originally see on the surface. Why is this transfiguration so important for us? Because we need a glimpse of this glory. We need a glimpse of this glory. We need a picture of his unveiled glory burned in our hearts and our minds because knowing that this glory exists, picturing it in our mind, hiding it in our hearts gives us the confidence, the courage, and the conviction to endure to the end.
This glory gives us hope. It gives us hope in a world that is literally falling apart. It gives us strength to suffer well. It gives us just enough kindle to keep the flame of our faith going. It gives us resilience when we’re faced with mockery and humiliation. The world is mocking you. This glory helps you to be resilient in the face of their mockery. It pushes us to be holy, to flee from sin, and to finish the race because at the end of the race, we will see this glory of Jesus just like these three disciples, and we will share in this glory just like Moses and Elijah. Colossians 3, 4 tells us when Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. We share in this glory when we endure. Can I be honest with you this morning?
I have so many friends who have walked away from the faith in these last years. I know so many followers, former followers of Jesus, who have run into sin and run far from God. People who once professed the great confession, the great catechism, that we’re living for the glory of God, and they’ve literally turned their face away from the glory of God. Why does this happen? Because they spent all their time looking and living for the glory in this world. But it pales in comparison. They spent all their time looking for a way out of their suffering and sorrow. They spent all this time looking at the corruption and the injustice of this world, and they try to find a temporary fix to the problem by appealing to things outside of God. They spend all their time looking at their difficult circumstances, looking at what they
don’t have, looking at what other people have. They spend all their time trying to make their faith a bit more flexible so that they can enjoy everything that this life has to offer in the here and now. They’re looking to find fault with the church because the church is the source of this truth, and they don’t want it. They don’t want to listen to God. They’re looking to themselves to be their own functional savior instead of looking and living for the glory of God. You see, when your eyes are constantly chasing after the glory of God, if your vision for this life is eclipsed by the radiant glory of Jesus, nothing in this life competes with it. The glory of God motivates and drives you to endure, and you need to hear that. You need to burn this into your mind. Nothing else competes with it.
This is exactly what helped Peter endure. Some 30 years after Jesus’s encounter with Peter on this mountain, Peter is face to face with these teachers, these false teachers who are preaching a false gospel, preaching that there’s going to be no return of Jesus. What does Peter do? He recounts this experience. Second Peter 1, 16 to 18 says, for we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of the 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 born to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. We ourselves heard the very voice born from heaven for we were with him on the mountain. 30 years, 30 years since Peter has gotten this glimpse of glory.
He suffers all kinds of hardships in his ministry, and now he’s facing death. And what does he recount? The glory he saw on the mountain. You see, this glory pushes you to endure all the way to the end. This is why the transfiguration is so vital for us because we need to see this glory. This glory will push us to the end. I know. We know that there are many in our church that are suffering right now. Your lives are hard. Your bodies are broken. Your wills are crushed. Your marriages are hard. Your parenting is hard. Your singleness is hard. This church is filled with people who are anxious and depressed, many of them doubting and beginning to deconstruct. Many in this church are fearful for what’s coming around the corner in our city. These are dark days that we’re living in. And listen, if we intend to endure to the end, we need a bigger vision of God’s glory.
Enduring Through Glory
We need a bigger vision of the glory that is ours. If we are to endure to the end. Let us take this image of our glorious Jesus, burn it in our hearts so that we can keep pressing forward. Let this vision of his glory keep us tethered to him even when life feels overwhelming because I promise you it’s all worth it. You see, this is why this passage matters. This is not just some biblical exercise in hermeneutics. It’s a deep dive into the majestic and ineffable glory of God. We need to see it. And if we don’t see it, then we need to posture ourself at the foot of Jesus and ask him, show me your glory. Grant us appetites to see and live for your glory. And he will do it. He will do it. I want to close this morning with this very comforting passage.
Second Corinthians four, verse 17 and 18. Hear this. Take this in. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory. And all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient. But the things that are unseen are eternal. We need to rest ourself in this beautiful picture of glory and keep chasing after it while we endure to the end. Let’s pray. Father help us to see your glory. Help us to see it in all of its radiant splendor. Help us to see it as more valuable than the fleeting treasures of this life. Help us to see it as more important than what this world has to offer. Help us to prize the glory of God, even in the face of humiliation and mockery.
Help us to make choices in our lives that exalt your glory and help to burn this image of our glorious savior into our hearts so that we can endure. And father, I pray for those this morning who don’t know you. I pray God that you would reveal yourself to them. I pray God that you would show them your magnificent glory. We know that your glory is most accentuated in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Help those to see it, help them to take it in, help them to trust. Father, help us to follow until the end, chasing glory until we’re face to face with our glorious God. We pray these things in Christ. Thanks for joining us for this week’s sermon from Trinity Church in Portland, Oregon. If you’d like to learn more about us, you can visit our website at www.trinityportland.com.