Text: And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Sons. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35)
How do you feel when you are recognized? For example, as a child, do you recall you parent or parents saying to someone “This is my daughter or this is my son?” How did you feel? Didn’t it make you feel like you were the most important person in the world?
When an individual says, “This is my wife or this is my husband” there is a feeling of being special. A parent is very happy and pleased when a teacher says their child is a pleasure to have in class or their child is doing outstanding work.
Everyone likes to be recognized. Everyone is special in the eyes of Almighty God. God created each of us in His own image, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
Everything God created was good. “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). God is so proud of us that He wants us to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom. His love for us is so great that He came upon this earth in the Person of Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God came in the Person of His Son to pay the sin penalty that we could not pay.
God sent His Son as a gift to each one of us. He entered the world through a woman, but had no earthly father. He was born in a dirty smelly stable with animals standing by. He had no crib, like our son or daughter, but instead, He was laid in an animal feeding trough. He was cared for and raised by an earthly mother and father. He had no earthly possessions. In fact, “...had no place to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20).
He didn’t have a degree in chemistry from one of the Jewish schools, but He turned the water to wine. In the biological sciences, He was born without the normal conception. He disproved the law of gravity when He ascended into heaven.
He was a humble servant who fed 5,000 men plus women and children with two fish and 5 loaves of bread. He didn’t have a medical degree, but He cured the sick and gave sight to the blind. He was called master although He did not have any servants.
He was not a military leader, but He conquered the world. He never hurt anyone or committed any crime, yet He was crucified. He died upon a cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb, yet He lives today. He was a humble and true servant to His Father and to all mankind. He gave each of us what no one else could give us and that is eternal life with Him in His kingdom.
Our Scripture reading talks about a miracle that took place upon the mountain. As you recall, Jesus often went off to a quiet place to pray. He liked the mountain terrain as a place to teach the people and He liked it as a place to go and commune with His Heavenly Father.
In this particular scenario, “He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28). You might ask why Jesus took these three people with Him on this occasion. Peter, John, and James were Jesus’ most intimate followers. They were His very close friends. They were considered to be His “inner circle” of associates.
Jesus wanted to demonstrate to the disciples that He truly was the Son of God. Some people at that time considered Him just another prophet just as some people of this day consider Him a prophet like all other prophets.
People had no problem believing Jesus real because He possessed the same attributes and characteristics of any other human being. These three disciples believed He was human, but Jesus wanted to make an everlasting impression upon their mind relative to Him being the Messiah.
Jesus’ intention was to go through a change or transformation. People could see an outside view of Him, but He wanted to reveal His inward being. His real divine being was covered or veiled by His flesh. In other words, we cannot see the inner person. We don’t know what a person is like on the inside, we can only see what is on the outside.
This miracle or scenario is called the transfiguration. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record the event in their Gospel. Each of the writers lists the names of the three disciples present with Jesus. These three were the only humans to witness this astounding event.
It is interesting to note that there were also three other witnesses present. These witnesses were from heaven. Their names were Moses, Elijah, and the voice of God speaking from above.
After Jesus, Peter, James, and John reached a certain place on the mountain, Jesus began to pray. We don’t know the words of His prayer, but the disciples noticed a radical change in Jesus.
First, they noticed a change in His face. I don’t know how or what His facial change was, but it was different than it had been. Second, they noticed a change in His clothing. We are told, “His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning” (v. 29).
We have all witnessed lightning. Lightning enables us to see light flashed in different directions and different colors. Lightning at night will light up the night and enable us to see through the darkness. These unexpected flashes of light can be frightening to us. They can also be destructive and cause fires.
I would guess that Peter, James, and John were somewhat frightened at what they saw. They were probably wondering what this was all about and what was bringing it forth. If you had been present as one of the witnesses, what would you have thought? How would you have reacted? Would you think this was a dream? It is difficult to express our feelings.
Then, we are told two other men appeared on the scene and began to talk to Jesus. Where did two other men come from? Who were these men? The two other men who appeared were Moses and Elijah. How could this be? Moses was born about 1520 B.C. Elijah was born around 910 B.C. Elijah ascended to heaven about 850 B.C.
It is obvious that these people were not still living. They had died centuries before. If they had died, then how could they appear in the presence of Jesus and the disciples? It is much easier for us to understand because we have the documentation which is the Word of God. We have the privilege of knowing what took place before, during and after the transfiguration.
What was Moses part in the transfiguration? Why was he one of the two to be present? Let me ask you this, “What did God give to Moses to give to the people?” It was the Ten Commandments or The Law. Moses appearance here represents the Law.
Elijah was a prophet carried away to heaven without dying. That is kind of unique and special is it not? Elijah represents the prophets.
Do you know what Jesus, Moses, and Elijah talked about? Scripture tells us, “They spoke about His departure, which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem” (v. 31). They talked about why Jesus was going to Jerusalem and what would happen there.
Jesus earthly mission was to end at the Cross. The transfiguration experience was a confirmation that He would carry out His mission. This was the Father’s plan and was for the benefit of all mankind.
There is a good possibility that there was talk of the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Crucifixion.
Verse 32 tells us that Peter, James, and John were sleepy during the transfiguration, but were somewhat awake. If they had not been awake to a degree, they would have not been able to experience this phenomenon. When they became fully awake, the disciples were able to see “…His glory and the two men standing with him” (v. 32).
The disciples had been with Jesus for some time. They had seen some of the miracles brought about by the power of Jesus. Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ. The other disciples probably followed suit, but Jesus wanted to be sure they knew Him intimately. Jesus felt that He needed to give them a little more proof of who He was.
He told the disciples several times how His earthly life would terminate. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Luke 9:22).
From this point on, Jesus taught the disciples in plain language as to what was going to happen to Him. He wanted them to understand that when things began to happen to Him, this was the way it was to be. The disciples were not to be surprised.
He was not the military type king who came to conquer their earthly enemies, but He would be placed under arrest and put through times of physical and mental torture. He would be put to death, but He would rise again. This would not be the end. He would return one day in the greatest of glory and set up His kingdom that would last forever.
Jesus wanted to be sure the disciples understood what He was saying. He said, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:27). In other words, those people with Him now would not die before seeing the kingdom of God.
Peter, James, and John would witness the transfiguration, others would witness the resurrection and the ascension, and others would become a vital part of the church after Pentecost. People would not have to wait for a Messiah, because His kingdom was already with them.
When the Peter, James, and John became fully awake at the transfiguration, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he said (v. 33).
Peter was thinking worldly when he said these words. Perhaps, Peter was thinking of the festival called the “Feast of Tabernacles” where shelters were erected to celebrate the deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of slavery. Peter wanted to do what he thought was the right thing. In his mind, this seemed to be appropriate, but this is not what God had in mind.
Another thought is that Peter was thinking about faith. He might have thought that faith was built upon three things; the Law, represented by Moses, the prophets, represented by Elijah, and the Messiah, who is Jesus.
Peter would later learn that there was only one cornerstone, the chief cornerstone, being Jesus.
Later on, Peter talked about the cornerstone when he said, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ….And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame” (I Peter 2:4-6).
Peter, James, and John did not want the transfiguration to end. They did not want Moses and Elijah to leave them. In many ways, you and I are just like the disciples. There are times good things are happening to us and we do not want them to end. We tend to get in a comfort zone and desire to stay there.
Perhaps an opportunity comes our way and we know it is a good thing, but we resist because we are comfortable where we are. We are afraid to step out in faith. We are afraid to make a mistake. We are not sure what other people may think. We don’t want to fail or be unsuccessful. We want to hold on to what we now have.
As Peter was talking about the shelters, “a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the aloud” (v. 34). What is this cloud that overshadowed them? Did you ever think about the cloud? What was the cloud or what did the cloud represent?
The cloud signified or represented the presence of Almighty God. I say this because the next verse says that a voice was heard from the cloud which said, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (v. 35) They heard a voice and did not see anyone else.
The disciple’s eyes were upon Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, but the cloud represents the ever presence of God. The transfiguration was a great event, but the important Person present is God who plays an integral part in the destiny of man.
Many times our eyes are focused upon obstacles, mountains, or wide rivers of trials and tribulations we think are impossible to overcome, when they should be focused upon Almighty God who is ever present and wants us to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom.
We don’t always listen to the wee small voice of the Holy Spirit who talks to us. We don’t ask for guidance before stepping off the deep end. We count on our own wisdom and understanding instead of the One who knows all. We can’t see the forest from the trees because we are not focused.
We have in our hands and mind more than the disciples had. We know the history of the past. We know what the present is all about and we know what the future holds. We know all this because we have the Word of God in our hands and the Person of the Holy Spirit in our heart. We need to heed the words, “Hear Him!”
God is proud of His Son just as we are proud of our children. The words in red were spoken by His Son for our benefit. His love for us was so strong that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Let’s heed the words spoken from the voice out of the clouds, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (v. 35).
Amen.
