Figuring out more Truths from the Transfiguration Experience!!!
Fuller picture of the Transfiguration account in Luke 9 (verses 28-36)👇👇👇 can be obtained by bringing into focus the parallel account preceding the Transfiguration in Mathew's Gospel also, which virtually necessitated the Transfiguration Experience of our Lord before His Core disciples. Let's also understand in and through this Message, why only Moses and Elijah (and not any other great OT Saint) appeared during that surreal experience and why that supernatural experience ends with the Heavenly Instruction to listen to The Son and obey Him...
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_*From that time on* Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life._
_*Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”*_
_Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it._Matt 16:21-25_
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Disappointment
It is important to know that the Disciples knowing that our Lord Jesus is the long-awaited, powerful Jewish Messiah were following him with the anticipation that He would *soon* overthrow the ruling Roman Empire, free the Jews from Roman rule and establish His Kingdom with the Disciples as his Cabinet of Ministers as evidenced in some Scripture portions like ...
_And another time when he appeared to them, they asked him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel from Rome now and restore us as an independent nation?”_
(Acts 1:6 TLB)_
The Disciples were still blissfully unaware that certain events like Disciples ruling alongside Him, would occur only after our Lord's Second Coming after liberation of Israel from Revived Roman Empire of Antichrist (Isa 2:2-5/Matt 19:28/Rev 20:1-6).
As such when Jesus *started* speaking for the *first time* about His Divinely-ordained and scheduled sufferings at Jerusalem in His First Advent, they (with Peter being the spokesperson of other Disciples as usual) were virtually outraged as their hopes ruling alongside Jesus was dashed to pieces.
Appointment (with sufferings)
Hence, *"some" (reiterate some) re- orientation* of their priorities had to be done (*complete* re-orientation would be done in Acts 2) in and through the Transfiguration Experience of our Lord which immediately (6 days later- Matt 17:1) follows the events recorded in closing verses of Matt 16...with our Heavenly Father also instructing the Core Group of Disciples to
_Listen to His Son (without any objections)- Matt 17:5/Luke 9:35_
Added to that was their exposure (just some minutes before) to Moses and Elijah themselves speaking about the impending sufferings of our Lord at Jerusalem...
_They were splendid in appearance, glorious to see; and *they were speaking of his death at Jerusalem, to be carried out in accordance with God’s plan.Luke 9:30-31 (TLB)*_
Why Moses and Elijah? And not any other Prophet? Jewish Bible (Pic of Cataloguing of The Books therein can be accessed at the following Link...https://images.app.goo.gl/GCwb2HKUH5Dy8iTn8) unlike the Christian OT section is divided into 3 sections *differently* (Psalms are not in the Middle Section in the Jewish Bible but in the Last Section as evidenced in the sequencing of Words of our Resurrected Lord ...Luke 24:44).
1. The Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy)
2. The Prophets (Joshua to Malachi) and
3. The Writings (Psalms to Chronicles)
Of which in Jewish Synagogues, *only Law and Prophets* would be given more prominence as only in this 2 sections the words of the Prophets preceding their Prophecies *"Thus says the Lord" in full possesion of the Lord's Spirit* figure more prominently (Prophesying is not only Foretelling but *also Forth telling with conviction and authority*) than in the last section from Psalms to Chronicles (that is why, even the Book of Daniel despite having many prophecies figures only in the Writings Section and not in the Prophets Section as the words *Thus says the Lord* spoken by Daniel in full possession of the Lord's Spirit _is conspicuous by it's absence in that Book_).
The relative greater importance of Law and the Prophets can be gauged from certain NT sections also such as...👇👇👇
_So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the *Law and the Prophets*.-Matt 7:12_
_After the reading from the *Law and the Prophets*, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” -Acts 13:15_
So who better than Moses (the greatest servant of God in the *Law Section*) and Elijah (the greatest Servant of God from the *Prophets section*) to re-orient the misplaced priorities of the JEWISH Disciples.
_They were splendid in appearance, glorious to see; and *they were speaking of his death at Jerusalem, to be carried out IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD'S PLAN-Luke 9:30-31 (TLB)*_
No Wonder (I am hitting the loopline)...than that even in the imminent Tribulation Period in the matter of convicting the Jews nationally, 2 Prophets/Witnesses resembling exactly Moses and Elijah (Rev 11:3-6) in the type of miracles being done through them (more than one witness is required as per The Law to authenticate The Truth- John 8:17/ Deu 19:15...that is why TWO WITNESSES) are seen preaching the Gospel AMONGST THE JEWS (the Ministry of this 2 Witnesses would be in JERUSALEM) during the Tribulation Period in order to
A) further soften the hearts of the Jews and
B) make them more receptive to the truth
that the person they rejected 2 thousand years back...JESUS IS INDEED THE MESSIAH!!! Finally the Jews under heavy pressure brought about by other turbulent circumstances would nationally repent and accept Jesus as the Messiah (Zech 12:8-14/Rom 11:26-27) towards the end of the imminent Tribulation time (Rapture of Church would precede the Tribulation Period).
Coming back to the main track/subject (Transfiguration Experience) the icing on the cake, figuratively speaking on the entire Transfiguration experience are the words of our Heavenly Father to the Core Disciples (not to argue with The Son on HIS impending sufferings in Jerusalem)...
A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”- Luke 9:35
Agreement (of the Gospels)...
Hmmm...one more apparent dichotomy in 2 Gospels after the account of the good Lord speaking about His sufferings in Jerusalem...
_After *six* days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves- Matt 17:1_
_About *eight* days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.- Luke 9:28_
So when did the Transfiguration Experience take place after 6 or 8 days after the dialogue between our Lord and Peter at scenic location of Caeserea Phillipi, (Matt 16:13)? Did one of the Gospel Writers get it wrong??? NO WAY!!! 😊
_Luke included the day of the initial event of Jesus speaking about His impending sufferings in Jerusalem and the day of the Transfiguration in his count, whereas Matthew counted only the full days in between._
HALLELUJAH!!! NO THEOLOGY CAN END WITHOUT DOXOLOGY!!!
Blessings,
Pastor Suresh Manoharan
Hyderabad -India
