Revealing Christ's Glory: The Transfiguration Explained

 

Summary

In this session, we explore the profound event of the Transfiguration of Jesus, a pivotal moment that reveals the glory of Christ in a unique and powerful way. This event, witnessed by Peter, James, and John, offers a glimpse into the divine nature of Jesus, showcasing His glory not as a reflection but as an emanation from within. The Transfiguration occurs as Jesus prepares to conclude His earthly ministry and head towards Jerusalem, where He will face suffering and death. This moment serves as a bridge between His ministry of teaching and healing and His ultimate sacrifice.

The Transfiguration is described vividly in Matthew 17, where Jesus' face shines like the sun, and His clothes become as white as light. This transformation is not merely a change in appearance but a revelation of His divine nature. The presence of Moses and Elijah during this event symbolizes the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, pointing to Jesus as the Messiah who must suffer and die to fulfill God's plan.

The disciples' reaction to this event is one of awe and fear, especially when they hear the voice of God affirming Jesus as His beloved Son and commanding them to listen to Him. This divine endorsement underscores the importance of Jesus' teachings and His role in God's redemptive plan. The Transfiguration serves as a foretaste of the glory that awaits believers in heaven, where the glory of God and the Lamb will illuminate the New Jerusalem, rendering any other source of light unnecessary.

This event is not just a historical moment but a theological revelation that invites us to reflect on the nature of Christ's glory and our future hope in Him. It challenges us to listen to Jesus, to understand His mission, and to anticipate the day when we will behold His glory fully.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Revelation of Glory: The Transfiguration reveals Jesus' divine glory, not as a reflection but as an emanation from within, highlighting His unique nature as the Son of God. This moment serves as a powerful reminder of the divine presence that dwells within Christ, offering a glimpse of the glory that believers will one day witness in full. [05:51]

2. Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets: The presence of Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration signifies the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Jesus. This event underscores the continuity of God's redemptive plan and the central role of Jesus as the Messiah who brings it to completion. [20:19]

3. Divine Endorsement: God's voice from the cloud affirms Jesus as His beloved Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him. This divine endorsement emphasizes the authority of Jesus' teachings and His pivotal role in God's plan for salvation. [21:06]

4. A Foretaste of Heaven: The Transfiguration offers a foretaste of the heavenly glory that awaits believers, where the glory of God and the Lamb will illuminate the New Jerusalem. This vision encourages us to live with hope and anticipation for the day when we will see God's glory unveiled. [14:07]

5. The Call to Listen: The command to "hear Him" is a call to prioritize Jesus' teachings and to align our lives with His message. It challenges us to be attentive to His voice and to follow His guidance in our journey of faith. [22:08]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:37] - Introduction to the Transfiguration
- [01:20] - Jesus' Earthly Ministry
- [02:17] - Matthew's Account of the Transfiguration
- [03:14] - The Voice from the Cloud
- [04:12] - From Humiliation to Exaltation
- [05:06] - The Meaning of Transfiguration
- [05:51] - The Radiance of Jesus' Face
- [06:51] - Moses and the Glory of God
- [09:27] - The Origin of Jesus' Glory
- [10:36] - The Brightness of God's Glory
- [12:19] - Paul's Encounter with the Light
- [13:08] - The Promise of the Beatific Vision
- [14:07] - The Light of the New Jerusalem
- [15:08] - The Whiteness of Jesus' Clothes
- [16:56] - The Nature of Light and Color
- [18:48] - The Whiteness of the Whale
- [19:36] - Moses and Elijah's Appearance
- [21:06] - The Voice of God
- [22:08] - Jesus' Comforting Touch

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Transfiguration of Jesus

Bible Reading:
- Matthew 17:1-8
- Exodus 33:18-23
- Revelation 21:22-23

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Observation Questions:

1. What significant transformation occurs to Jesus during the Transfiguration, and how is it described in Matthew 17? [02:17]

2. Who are the two figures that appear with Jesus during the Transfiguration, and what might their presence signify? [20:19]

3. How do the disciples react to the voice from the cloud, and what does Jesus do in response? [21:06]

4. What does the term "metamorphosis" mean in the context of the Transfiguration, and how does it relate to Jesus' appearance? [05:06]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the Transfiguration serve as a revelation of Jesus' divine nature, and what does this imply about His identity as the Son of God? [09:27]

2. In what ways does the presence of Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration highlight the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Jesus? [20:19]

3. What is the significance of God's voice affirming Jesus as His beloved Son, and how does this endorsement impact the authority of Jesus' teachings? [21:06]

4. How does the Transfiguration provide a foretaste of the heavenly glory that awaits believers, and what does this vision encourage us to anticipate? [14:07]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you experienced a glimpse of God's glory in your life. How did it impact your faith journey, and how can you seek more of these moments?

2. The Transfiguration challenges us to listen to Jesus. What practical steps can you take to prioritize His teachings in your daily life? [22:08]

3. Consider the role of Moses and Elijah in the Transfiguration. How can understanding the continuity of God's redemptive plan through the Law and the Prophets deepen your faith?

4. The disciples were initially afraid when they heard God's voice. How do you respond to moments when God speaks into your life, and how can you cultivate a posture of trust and openness?

5. The Transfiguration offers a foretaste of heaven. How can you live with hope and anticipation for the day when you will see God's glory fully revealed? [14:07]

6. Jesus' comforting touch reassured the disciples. How can you be a source of comfort and encouragement to others in your community who may be experiencing fear or uncertainty? [22:08]

7. Reflect on the concept of metamorphosis in your spiritual life. What areas of your faith are currently undergoing transformation, and how can you embrace this change? [05:06]

Devotional

Day 1: The Emanation of Divine Glory
The Transfiguration of Jesus is a profound revelation of His divine glory, not as a mere reflection but as an emanation from within. This event, witnessed by Peter, James, and John, offers a glimpse into the divine nature of Jesus, showcasing His glory in a unique and powerful way. As Jesus' face shines like the sun and His clothes become as white as light, the disciples are given a foretaste of the heavenly glory that awaits believers. This moment serves as a powerful reminder of the divine presence that dwells within Christ, offering a glimpse of the glory that believers will one day witness in full. [05:51]

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you seek to recognize and reflect the divine glory of Christ in your daily life today?


Day 2: Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets
The presence of Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration signifies the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Jesus. This event underscores the continuity of God's redemptive plan and the central role of Jesus as the Messiah who brings it to completion. Moses represents the Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets, both pointing to Jesus as the one who fulfills their teachings and prophecies. This moment highlights the unity of the Old and New Testaments, revealing Jesus as the culmination of God's promises and the one who must suffer and die to fulfill God's plan. [20:19]

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: How can you see the fulfillment of God's promises in your life today, and how does this encourage you to trust in His plan?


Day 3: Divine Endorsement
During the Transfiguration, God's voice from the cloud affirms Jesus as His beloved Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him. This divine endorsement emphasizes the authority of Jesus' teachings and His pivotal role in God's plan for salvation. The disciples' reaction of awe and fear underscores the significance of this moment, as they are reminded of the importance of listening to and following Jesus. This endorsement serves as a powerful reminder of the authority of Jesus' words and the necessity of aligning our lives with His teachings. [21:06]

"And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!'" (Luke 9:35, ESV)

Reflection: What specific teachings of Jesus do you need to prioritize in your life today, and how can you actively listen to His voice?


Day 4: A Foretaste of Heaven
The Transfiguration offers a foretaste of the heavenly glory that awaits believers, where the glory of God and the Lamb will illuminate the New Jerusalem. This vision encourages us to live with hope and anticipation for the day when we will see God's glory unveiled. The transformation of Jesus' appearance serves as a reminder of the future transformation that awaits believers, as they will be glorified and dwell in the presence of God. This moment invites us to reflect on the hope of eternal life and the promise of experiencing God's glory in its fullness. [14:07]

"And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." (Revelation 21:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: How does the promise of future glory and eternal life with God influence your perspective and actions today?


Day 5: The Call to Listen
The command to "hear Him" is a call to prioritize Jesus' teachings and to align our lives with His message. It challenges us to be attentive to His voice and to follow His guidance in our journey of faith. This call to listen is not just about hearing words but about actively engaging with and applying Jesus' teachings in our lives. It invites us to examine our hearts and consider how we can better align our actions and attitudes with the message of Christ. [22:08]

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matthew 7:24, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take today to ensure that you are not only hearing but also doing what Jesus teaches?

Quotes


I’ve always said if I had the opportunity to have been an eyewitness of anything in Jesus’ life, obviously I’d want to have been an eyewitness to the resurrection, but next to that, the one thing I would have wanted to see more than anything else with my own eyes was the glory of Christ in His transfiguration because that episode not only just gives us more information about Jesus, but it also communicates to us something of vital importance to the ministry that He had. [00:00:50]

One of the chief responsibilities of Jesus in His incarnation was to make manifest, to show forth the very glory of God. And this is what happens here to a small audience of three men, Peter, James, and John, who are known as the inner circle of the disciples of Jesus. Let me give you Matthew’s rendition of this event. In Matthew 17, he writes, “Now after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them. [00:01:17]

His face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light, and behold Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him, and then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, let us make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ And while he was still speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.’ [00:02:10]

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid, but Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, do not be afraid.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” Now if you recall when we looked at the very beginning of this series at the incarnation, I mentioned that there was a general progression in the life of Jesus that moved from humiliation to exaltation, and that for the most part, the deity that He shared with the Father and the Spirit from eternity was cloaked. [00:03:23]

It was concealed. It was hidden behind the veil of His human nature. But now, as Jesus is winding up His public ministry that mostly took place in Galilee and is about to direct His movements towards Jerusalem, knowing full well what awaits Him there in suffering and death, which He had just announced to His disciples at Caesarea Philippi. Before that trek to Jerusalem begins, He draws apart to a high mountain with Peter, James, and John, and we’re told that while they… the three… four of them were there, Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. [00:04:22]

The word that is translated “transfigured” comes from a portion… a form of the Greek word metamorpho. And we have an English word that comes directly from that, which is the word metamorphosis. We speak of metamorphosis in this world when we see the worm spinning a cocoon, and after a season going through a radical change of his form, and what emerges from the cocoon is the beautiful butterfly. And so what transfiguration is or metamorphosis is, is fundamentally an alteration, a change of the outward form. [00:05:20]

And the change that takes place now in Jesus’ form, which is viewed by these three disciples is nothing less than astonishing. Listen to how Matthew describes it. “He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” The first thing he says has to do with His face, His countenance. It began to shine. It began to radiate. There was a certain refulgence of glory that is now being put on, displayed as right before their eyes they see Jesus’ face starting to shine with such an intensity that it is as bright as the sun. [00:06:23]

Now, the thing that we know about that episode was that the glory of God that radiated in such a brilliant way from the face of Moses was a reflected glory. It was an echo of God’s own glory. It didn’t come from inside of Moses. It came from the back of God. But what is happening now in the transfiguration is not a case where Jesus is now reflecting the glory of God. This light, brighter than the sun, that is shining in His face is emanating from within Him, not bouncing off of Him. [00:09:22]

It is in His own being, touching His deity that this light finds its origin. You recall when the author of Hebrews wrote his epistle and talked about Christ, he said that He was the express image of His person, namely of God, and the very brightness of His glory. Now, you think about that for a minute – that God the Father manifests Himself throughout Biblical history with this blinding glory of the Shekinah cloud, that glory that burst out on the fields of Bethlehem when the angels came to announce Jesus’ nativity, that glory of God that shone round about leaving people terrified. [00:10:11]

The promise for our future in heaven is the beatific vision, where we will see God as He is. And in the book of Revelation, when we are told of the appearance of the New Jerusalem out of heaven, and John gives the content of his vision on the Isle of Patmos, he says in chapter 21, verse 22, about the New Jerusalem, “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” And the New Jerusalem, “the city had no need of the sun.” Can you imagine that in the new city, the sun doesn’t shine at all? [00:13:20]

There’s no moon. There’s no lantern. There’s no lamp. It sounds like John is about to describe a place of foreboding darkness, where there’s no light at all, but he explains why there’s no sun, and why there’s no moon, and why there’s no lamp in the New Jerusalem. Because the city doesn’t need it, for the glory of God illumined it, and the Lamb is its light. You see, when the radiance, the refulgence of God’s glory is unveiled plainly, not concealed, who needs a light bulb, who needs the sun? [00:14:07]

The place is perfectly illuminated, bright and open, by the radiance of the glory of God and of the Lamb. That’s the taste that Peter, James, and John are experiencing here on the Mount of Transfiguration. Here Jesus is showing them His glory and the very glory of God. Now, the second part of the description has to do with His clothes. His clothes became as white as the light. Luke adds that’s whiter than any fuller can make them – that is, any professional launderer can make them. Even Tide can’t make clothes more white than the clothes of Jesus were at this moment. [00:15:21]

They were absolutely white, not a fleck of gray, not a single blemish, not the most microscopic stain. His garments shine bright, as pure white, which is consistent with that light that’s coming from within that is more intense than the sun. When I preach on this passage, I always point to a child somewhere in the congregation and ask them a simple question. I’ll ask them the question, “What color is a lemon?” “What color is an orange?” is too easy, so I say, “What color is a lemon?” And the little kids all get it. [00:16:05]

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