The Transfiguration of Christ 2018 Beauty Marks Luke 9
Transfiguration Day Prayer
O GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in his beauty, who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
2 St. Peter i. 13. I THINK it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
St. Luke ix. 28.
AND it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
St Paul’s Cincinnati
Beauty Marks – Transfiguration – August 2018 - Charles Scott
Americans are constantly bombarded with announcements about the latest products; foods, make up, clothing, medicinal, medical and even surgical procedures that will make us beautiful.
Then, once we are beautiful, the media magicians will show us the way to beautiful homes, yards, automobiles, entertainments and vacation retreats where we can show our newly purchased beauty. Then we will be heavenly and admired, so they say.
After following Jesus around the Holy Land for 3 years, we can imagine Peter, James and John were a little worn out from the heat, the dirty roads they traveled and the assaults on them by the political and religious leaders who felt threatened by Jesus’ popularity. Even though Jesus healed the sick and comforted the sorrowing, not everyone was happy to see him.
Artists for centuries have rendered beautiful pictures of Jesus; stained glass windows have transfigured the carpenter from an ordinary laborer to a person with radiant beauty.
What was there about Jesus that made him attractive; that brought out so many crowds that the religious and secular leaders feared He might be the cause of a rebellion?
That question is as old as the history of Israel-Judah! David asked a similar question about himself and mankind as a whole in Psalm 8. Here is his prayer to God, a meditation, a conversation with God expressing David’s doubts about whether there is anything beautiful about the human race.
Psalm 8:
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
David wrote this either after he was made King or was on the way. When he looked at other men, and himself – he saw beauty in creation – but turning to himself and those around him, he asked in almost sarcastic way – what is man? Why God, do you even think about us? What are we compared to the stars, or even the animals and creation over which you put us in charge?
I can understand David’s question. As I consider the disappearing forests and the polluting of our streams and oceans and the junk we leave behind not only on the earth but even in outer space, on the Moon and on Mars – where is the beauty in our humanity?
Our expansion has already brought about the death of species of animals and plant life.
It is as if we are at war with the nature that God provided for us, and He declared to be good (Genesis 1).
– I’m ashamed before the wildlife, the birds, and the beautiful flowering trees. What is man? What are we doing here? We are mean, uncouth, wretched polluters and too often angry and dangerous. What is man? And what good are the churches and cathedrals that are now disappearing from our land?
Jesus had a sizeable following after only a year of public ministry. At the time of the feeding of the 5000 he had been making public appearances in Jerusalem and Judea for only a little over a year.
Two more years would pass before he made his way to Jerusalem for the last time – Luke in chapters 4 through 9 described a few of Jesus’ healing sessions and the raising from death bed the daughter of Jairus, a man in charge of a synagogue. Luke had not been a companion of Jesus; but he, a second generation Christian, traveled the area where Jesus was born. Luke was a careful historian, like a reporter he followed the footsteps of Jesus. Luke wrote this introduction to his Gospel:
Luke 1 New International Version (NIV)
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Today’s Gospel describes when Jesus was with the Peter James and John on Mt. Tabor. Luke wrote a bit about the physical beauty of Jesus:
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.
Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory
At Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, at the end of an adult Sunday School where we studied this event in Luke, a well educated, thoughtful man asked me “what is glorious?” What does it mean?
What were Jesus’ beauty marks? Luke carefully checked out Jesus life and his effect on others. There were few times in His life like this one that captured the imagination of artists. Peter didn’t know what to make of the light, brighter than a flash of lightening. Jesus radiated light, it was a glorious moment.
Peter didn’t know what to say – he occasionally blurted out the wrong things and this was one of those times. He wanted to build a shrine to Moses, Elijah and to Jesus.
No Peter, this is not the time. A voice from heaven corrected Peter – “This is my Son, my chosen one – Listen to Him!” Don’t go building tabernacles until you hear Jesus.
Prior to this Transfiguration scene – this scene where Jesus facial appearance changed and He glowed, Jesus had fed the 5,000 who had been following him in the area around the Lake of Galilee. They had a discussion about Jesus and His mission, his purpose.
Jesus asked Peter – do you know me? Do you know where I came from?
Peter made some wrong guesses, he related what others had said – finally he gets it right, “You are the Christ, the one God promised would come, the Son of God, the Messiah.”
Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”
Jesus told him plainly that he should not broadcast that fact yet.
Jesus Predicts His Death Luke 9
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
Jesus made that declaration shortly before leading Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor where they witnessed Jesus prayer and the glorious transfiguration.
The meaning of Jesus’ teaching and the healing ministry made this an Aha, now I get it moment for Peter, James, John and all other disciples. Jesus had said they were “slow of heart”, slow to deeply learn the meaning of His life.
Jesus said this is not the time to announce it to the world, because the Good News was not yet complete. The healing and teaching ministry was just the beginning – the teaching of the prophets sent by God had not yet been completed.
The healings, the teaching, the feeding of the 5000 were just the beginning – there were more beauty marks to come not only for Jesus, but also for the Disciples. Then after they had learned obedience by suffering – they would be advised to go to the whole world that Jesus was the one sent from God to lead us all back to the Father.
What were the other beauty marks to be revealed ?
According to Isaiah Isaiah 53:4 they were many and painful.
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
Isaiah 53 New International Version (NIV)
53 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem
4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b] 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied]; by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53 contains the Gospel, the Good News hundreds of years before the Christ walked the roads of Galilee and Judea. The prophets described the stripes from brutal beatings that Jews had suffered, and the pain of the swords that pierced them. The prediction that the Messiah would have such beauty marks makes us re-think the role of Christ and Christians in this world.
Jesus advised the 3 with him on the Mount of Transfiguration not to reveal the glory they had seen, as the Christ had yet to receive the mark of the Cross.
As Jesus was transfigured – He also advised the disciples that the followers are not above their Master; all who would follow the Christ would also receive the Beauty Marks which not only are signs that they followed the Christ, but that they also were prepared to follow His request that they Go.
The Beauty Marks revealed their changed character – they were capable of not being self-centered, but of caring for others as their Lord had done when He walked in sandals around the Galilean Lake. They too could pray for healing, offer comfort and caring, and doing for others as they would like to be cared for.
Jesus was only beginning to show how his followers could be changed and receive the glory of walking in His steps, carrying the sign of the cross in their own bodies.
The Transfiguration points to Jesus as special. He is God’s son who converses with important people like Moses. But Jesus points the disciples to something more important. They are to be transfigured (or transformed) by being engaged in living the Christ life by the aid of the Holy Spirit.
ity. They will be transformed, not by hanging out on mountain tops or cathedrals of their own making, but by suffering by bearing the Cross daily.
Jesus advised his disciples to Go and tell the Good News of God’s redeeming love. He didn’t want them to remain huddled in a closed room.
That is the heart of Jesus’ transfiguration. He didn’t stay on the top of that mountain, he set his course for Jerusalem and to his crucifixion. Are you ready to take on the world and transform both it and yourself?
Now to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit be ascribed, as is most justly due, all Might, Majesty, Power and Dominion, now and forever. Amen.
