Transfiguration: The Intersection of Glory and Mission

 

Summary

In this exploration of the Transfiguration, we delve into a profound moment where Jesus, in His incarnate form, encounters Moses and Elijah. This event is not just a meeting of historical figures but a significant convergence of the Law and the Prophets with the Messiah. Moses, the lawgiver, and Elijah, the prophet, represent the entirety of the Old Testament's testimony, which foreshadows and promises the coming of Christ. This moment is a pivotal intersection in human history, where the Old Testament meets the New Testament in the person of Jesus.

The Transfiguration occurs at a critical juncture in Jesus' ministry. After a period of growing hostility and retreat with His disciples, Jesus reveals His divine glory to Peter, James, and John. This revelation is a metamorphosis, a dramatic transformation where Jesus' divine nature shines through His human form. His clothes become dazzlingly white, a purity beyond earthly comprehension, symbolizing the divine glory emanating from within Him.

This event is not just about the visual transformation but also about the affirmation of Jesus' mission. Moses and Elijah converse with Jesus, likely encouraging Him to fulfill His destiny in Jerusalem. The disciples, overwhelmed and terrified, witness this divine encounter, culminating in the voice of God from the Shekinah cloud, affirming Jesus as His beloved Son and commanding them to listen to Him.

Peter's reaction, wanting to build tabernacles and remain on the mountain, reflects a common human desire to cling to spiritual highs and avoid the path of suffering and duty. However, the purpose of such mountaintop experiences is to prepare us for the journey ahead, to participate in the mission of Christ, which involves embracing both glory and suffering.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Convergence of Law and Prophets: The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus during the Transfiguration symbolizes the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Christ. This moment underscores the continuity and culmination of God's redemptive plan through Jesus, who embodies the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. [03:00]

2. The Revelation of Divine Glory: The Transfiguration reveals Jesus' divine nature, as His glory shines through His human form. This momentary glimpse of His true essence serves as a reminder of His divine identity and mission, offering hope and assurance to His followers amid impending trials. [09:05]

3. Affirmation of Jesus' Mission: The presence of Moses and Elijah, along with God's audible voice, affirms Jesus' mission to go to Jerusalem and fulfill His destiny. This divine endorsement encourages believers to trust in God's plan, even when it involves suffering and sacrifice. [17:34]

4. The Purpose of Spiritual Highs: Peter's desire to remain on the mountain reflects a common temptation to seek comfort in spiritual experiences. However, such moments are meant to equip and strengthen us for the journey ahead, calling us to engage in the mission of Christ with renewed purpose. [21:48]

5. Listening to the Son: God's command to "hear Him" emphasizes the importance of listening to Jesus' teachings and following His example. In a world filled with distractions and competing voices, prioritizing Christ's words and aligning our lives with His mission is essential for spiritual growth and fulfillment. [20:52]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:36] - Introduction to the Transfiguration
- [01:16] - Significance of Moses and Elijah
- [02:12] - The Law and the Prophets
- [03:00] - Intersection of Old and New Testament
- [03:52] - Setting the Scene: Mark's Gospel
- [04:36] - Jesus' Retreat and Revelation
- [05:17] - Peter's Confession and Rebuke
- [06:31] - Journey to Jerusalem
- [07:31] - The Glory of Christ
- [08:24] - Understanding Transfiguration
- [09:05] - Metamorphosis Explained
- [10:44] - The Dazzling Whiteness
- [13:50] - Moses' Reflection vs. Jesus' Glory
- [16:09] - The Divine Conversation
- [17:34] - The Shekinah Cloud
- [19:13] - God's Audible Voice
- [20:52] - The Call to Listen
- [21:48] - Peter's Desire to Stay
- [22:29] - Purpose of the Mountaintop Experience

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Transfiguration

Bible Reading:
1. Mark 9:1-8
2. Matthew 17:1-8
3. Luke 9:28-36

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Observation Questions:

1. What significant figures from the Old Testament appear with Jesus during the Transfiguration, and what do they represent? [01:16]

2. How does the Gospel of Mark describe the transformation of Jesus' appearance during the Transfiguration? [09:05]

3. What was Peter's initial reaction to witnessing the Transfiguration, and what does it reveal about his understanding of the event? [17:02]

4. What does the voice from the cloud declare about Jesus, and how does this affirm His mission? [19:50]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the presence of Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration symbolize the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Jesus? [03:00]

2. In what ways does the Transfiguration serve as a revelation of Jesus' divine nature and mission to His disciples? [07:31]

3. How does Peter's desire to build tabernacles reflect a common human tendency to cling to spiritual highs? What does this reveal about the purpose of such experiences? [21:48]

4. What is the significance of God's command to "hear Him" in the context of the Transfiguration, and how does it relate to the disciples' understanding of Jesus' mission? [20:52]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "mountaintop" spiritual moment. How did it prepare you for challenges or growth in your faith journey? [21:48]

2. In what ways can you actively listen to Jesus' teachings in your daily life, especially when faced with distractions or competing voices? [20:52]

3. How can you embrace both the glory and the suffering in your walk with Christ, as demonstrated by the Transfiguration? [17:34]

4. Consider the role of the Law and the Prophets in your understanding of Jesus. How does this knowledge impact your faith and actions today? [03:00]

5. How can you ensure that your spiritual experiences lead to active participation in Christ's mission, rather than just seeking personal comfort? [21:48]

6. Identify a specific area in your life where you need to trust in God's plan, even if it involves sacrifice or suffering. How can you take a step of faith in this area? [17:34]

7. What practical steps can you take to prioritize Jesus' teachings in your life, ensuring that His voice is the guiding influence in your decisions and actions? [20:52]

Devotional

Day 1: The Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets
The Transfiguration is a profound moment where Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah, symbolizing the convergence of the Law and the Prophets with the Messiah. Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the Prophets, embody the entirety of the Old Testament's testimony, which foreshadows and promises the coming of Christ. This event underscores the continuity and culmination of God's redemptive plan through Jesus, who fulfills the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. It is a pivotal intersection in human history, where the Old Testament meets the New Testament in the person of Jesus, affirming His role as the fulfillment of God's promises. [03:00]

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV): "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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

Reflection: How does understanding Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets change the way you read the Old Testament? Can you identify a specific promise or prophecy that Jesus has fulfilled in your life?


Day 2: A Glimpse of Divine Glory
The Transfiguration reveals Jesus' divine nature as His glory shines through His human form. This momentary glimpse of His true essence serves as a reminder of His divine identity and mission, offering hope and assurance to His followers amid impending trials. The dazzling whiteness of His clothes symbolizes a purity beyond earthly comprehension, representing the divine glory emanating from within Him. This revelation is not just about the visual transformation but also about the affirmation of Jesus' mission and His divine nature. [09:05]

2 Peter 1:16-18 (ESV): "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to be reminded of Jesus' divine glory and power? How can this understanding bring hope and assurance to your current circumstances?


Day 3: Affirmation of Jesus' Mission
The presence of Moses and Elijah, along with God's audible voice, affirms Jesus' mission to go to Jerusalem and fulfill His destiny. This divine endorsement encourages believers to trust in God's plan, even when it involves suffering and sacrifice. The conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah likely served as encouragement for Jesus to fulfill His destiny, while the disciples witnessed this divine encounter, culminating in the voice of God from the Shekinah cloud, affirming Jesus as His beloved Son and commanding them to listen to Him. [17:34]

Luke 9:30-31 (ESV): "And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."

Reflection: What is a difficult situation you are currently facing where you need to trust in God's plan? How can you seek encouragement and affirmation from God to continue on this path?


Day 4: The Purpose of Spiritual Highs
Peter's desire to remain on the mountain reflects a common temptation to seek comfort in spiritual experiences. However, such moments are meant to equip and strengthen us for the journey ahead, calling us to engage in the mission of Christ with renewed purpose. The purpose of these mountaintop experiences is not to avoid the path of suffering and duty but to prepare us for the journey ahead, to participate in the mission of Christ, which involves embracing both glory and suffering. [21:48]

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Reflection: Can you recall a spiritual high or transformative experience in your life? How can you use that experience to equip and strengthen you for the challenges you face today?


Day 5: Listening to the Son
God's command to "hear Him" emphasizes the importance of listening to Jesus' teachings and following His example. In a world filled with distractions and competing voices, prioritizing Christ's words and aligning our lives with His mission is essential for spiritual growth and fulfillment. This divine instruction calls us to focus on Jesus' teachings and to align our lives with His mission, ensuring that we are not swayed by the distractions and competing voices around us. [20:52]

Hebrews 1:1-2 (ESV): "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world."

Reflection: What are some distractions or competing voices in your life that prevent you from fully listening to Jesus? How can you create space in your daily routine to prioritize His teachings and align your life with His mission?

Quotes


There is significance in their appearance, because Moses, as the mediator of the old covenant, is most famous for, and noted for, the giving of what? The giving of the Law. Whenever we see portraits of Moses, or sculpture, we usually see him holding the tablets of stone, he's the law giver of the Old Testament. [00:01:37]

And the role of Elijah in the Old Testament is to stand at the front of a long line of men who are called of God and endowed charismatically with the gift and the calling of that of a prophet. And the Scriptures so frequently say, in summarizing all of the testimony of the Old Testament, the reference will be to what? To the Law and to the prophets. [00:02:12]

With the appearance of Moses and Elijah in the New Testament, we see the appearance, the confluence, the coming together of the Old Testament Law and of the prophets of the Old Testament with the Messiah who was to come, whose coming is foreshadowed and promised both in the Law and in the prophets. [00:02:46]

Jesus had carried on a public ministry for quite some time, and he had ridden the waves of popularity where he ascended like a meteor to tremendous fame and popularity in the land, but there was an increasing, growing hostility emerging at this time. And near the end of his ministry, in a sense Jesus and his disciples went on a retreat. [00:04:30]

How like it is of God in the midst of that kind of moment to burst through the veil of humiliation, and give his people a taste of glory. The record of the transfiguration, frankly, is one of my favorite passages in all of the New Testament. A few years ago I wrote a book called "The Glory of Christ." [00:07:18]

Normally, Jesus traveled incognito, willingly embracing his role as the Suffering Servant in this mist of humiliation, hiding his glory from the naked vision of mortal men, but on rare occasions, the glory would break through. And it was a delightful experience for me to write a whole book just focusing on those moments where the glory broke through. [00:07:56]

Now, that word "transfigured" is not a word that is commonplace in our vocabulary. In fact, the Greek word would probably be more communicable to us than the English word, because the Greek word is the word from which we get the English word "metamorphosis." And the word "metamorphosis" I think is more familiar to us than the word "transfigured." [00:08:56]

His figure changes into what? His clothes became shining, exceedingly white like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. Wow. The first appearance here is of a transformation in Jesus' physical appearance in his clothes and in his face. We are told that now, suddenly, the refulgent glory of God begins to shine. [00:10:25]

Whenever Scripture speaks of the glory of God, it speaks of that glory in terms of a shining. And it speaks of it in terms of a dazzling blazing light that is so bright it would hurt the eyes to look at it directly. And here, as the author of the New Testament seeks to somehow find in his finite arsenal of vocabulary words a way to describe this ineffable experience of glory. [00:11:06]

I want you to understand that the light that the disciples see in Christ is not a reflection; it is a light that is coming from inside of him, bursting through the shell of his body and of his garments, as the glory of his deity now explodes on the scene. And when they see this, what is their reaction? It's the same reaction all of us would have. They were terrified. [00:16:09]

And now, to make matters worse, what happens? A cloud came and overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the clouds saying, "This is my beloved son, hear him.” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one any more, but only Jesus with themselves. What kind of a cloud was this? What kind of a cloud do we always associate with the presence of God, but the Shekinah glory. [00:18:11]

Have you ever had a mountaintop experience where you didn't want to leave it? It was such a spiritual high, you just wanted to tarry, enjoy it, revel in it. Peter had that experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. He says, this is time for a celebration. Let's make a booth and we're going to make a house, little house for Elijah, little house for Moses, little house for Jesus. [00:21:28]

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Transcript
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