Transfiguration

Matthew 17

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Verse 1 Jesus Brought them.

Six days after Jesus said that some standing here (in is presence) would not taste death until they saw Him coming in His Kingdom, Jesus takes His inner circle apart to teach and show then something. Sometimes we need to get alone with Jesus in order to see something of His Glory. Sometimes those small group studies are more effective large classrooms where you do not get to interact. I also see here a family affair, James and Jon are brothers. How sweet it is to have devotions with your family. It is much harder to be angry and fuss with someone with whom you are communing with Jesus with. So here we see Jesus leading. The Bible says He brought them. Remember last chapter and Peter tried to pull Jesus aside? Do we follow the leading of Jesus? He brought them. I am so glad that Jesus brought me to God the Father. That is the way that it is. God sends us to Jesus, Jesus has promised not to lose any that God sends His way. Then Jesus brings us to the Father.

Verse 2 Jesus was Brightened for them.

Here we have the Transfiguration. Jesus is all white, as pure light, no blemish from His face to His clothes. The disciples were privy to a wonder glimpse of heaven. The Son of Man transfigured in front of their eyes to the radiant Son of God. This event (BTW is history, not a story) is recorded for us in Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36 and alluded to in John 1:14). Years after this event Peter distinctly makes mention of it in 2 Peter 1:16-18). Paul also takes about it in Rom 12:2 and 2 Cor 3:18

Do you want to know why they saw Jesus transfigured? Because they were looking at Him. It’s that simple, if their eyes were not on the Lord of Glory, they would not have seen Him. Jesus had just told them that some of them there would see Him coming in His Kingdom. I have to assume that there were certainly looking for that. He told them that he was going to go to Jerusalem, suffer, die and be raised up. Sometime in the last week they had to have been getting it, at least some of it. Now they are expecting. Do we expect to see Jesus, High, Holy and lifted up? Or do we expect to see Jesus, downtrodden, humiliated and defeated by His enemies, powerless to help us? I tell you that He is the all-conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the one who has the keys to death and hell itself. My God is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Transfiguration means to be transformed. In the Greek it is ‘metamorphoomai’. In the Bible it only refers to this instance in the life of our Lord and the change brought about in a person through fellowship with Christ. (Romans 12:2 and 2 Cor 3:18).