Now about eight days
after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on
the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was
altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 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. Now Peter and those who were
with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his
glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him,
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three
tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he
said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and
they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had
spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those
days anything of what they had seen” (Luke 9:28-36).
Jesus made an extraordinary promise… “There
are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of
God” (Luke 9:27). By the “kingdom of God” he meant the
sight of the glory in which he will appear at his second coming as King of
kings and Lord of lords… “Which he will display at the proper time—he who
is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no
one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1
Timothy 6:15-16). He will come in the glory of God the Father and not in a
humble condition as He first came. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
Luke gives truth seekers in every age a precious glimpse of the soon returning Lord
we all long for. We are exhorted to keep our hearts and minds focused on Christ
and we are encouraged to share His gospel in this dark world by the transfiguration
that keeps us looking up!
Christ is the confirmation of our
resurrection. When Jesus returns He will be different. He will forever bear the
marks of the crucifixion…”Between the throne and the four living
creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been
slain” (Revelation 5:6). But He will also be glorified… “The
hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a
flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and
his voice was like the roar of many waters. (Revelation 1:14-15). These
two characteristics of our eternal Savior are a reminder to keep looking to
Christ, in whom we are overcomers in this temporal world and with whom we’re on
our way to an everlasting and glorious victory… “For this light momentary
affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison, as we look not to the things
that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen
are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians
4:17-18). Christ’s transfiguration confirms our glorious destiny!
Christ is the consummation of the law
and the prophets. Moses represented the law and Elijah the prophets. They testify
about Christ… “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them
you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John
5:39). Christ’s transfiguration exhorts us to diligently search God’s Word because
He is the consummation of the scriptures.
Christ is the coeternal Son with His
Father. God’s visual and audible acknowledgement of Jesus as His Son and
Messiah reveals that He is more than a teacher, prophet, or founder of a new
religion. This is confirmation that Jesus is part of the Trinity, God
incarnate, Savior and Lord forever… “The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever”
(Revelation 11:15). Christ’s transfiguration exhorts us to
confess Him as coeternal Lord with God.
As we grow up into Christ we find
encouragement to keep our focus on Him in…
The Transfiguration that Keeps Us Looking Up.
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