Copyright 2007, Philip McLarty. Jesus was crucified on Mount Calvary and ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. Jesus glorified like the sun. Consider the wider context of Luke here. They confirm that this is the will of God for him. Hed come back a different man revived and ready to go back to work. 3. That Jesus perhaps needed this boost is testament to his true humanity. They will not understand Jesus prediction of his death and resurrection (18:31-34). But on a different note: its always been a mystery to me how the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah. Or they respond to Jesus talk about sacrifice and humility by incarnating its opposite in a wrangling over and jockeying for power and privilege in Jesus coming kingdom (see Luke 9:46-50). (In more cheeky moments Ive wondered about these two men sporting Hello! 32Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him. Metamorphosis. 7-9). Second, how could these disciples walk away from this event and yet, as verse 36 informs us, tell no one what they saw and experienced? Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Dont doubt him. My wife and a few friends are reading a book trying to describe the grandness and majesty and transcendence of God. Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth: Show Me a token for good: Father, glorify Thy name.". Methinks, as I steal by His side, I hear from Him these plaintive sounds, "Lord, who hath believed Our report? Moses seems to represent the OT Law, while Elijah represents the Prophets. What is it thats so apparent about those whove been in the presence of God? Even Peter keeps his mouth shut. The second feature is that the disciples are said to have dozed off during that conversation, but saw the glorified Jesus and the two men with him (9:32). In the preceding section, Jesus was with the larger group of disciples. The cloud was gone, Moses and Elijah vanished, and Jesus was left alone with his disciples. Peters idea goes nowhere. 9:29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. While he said these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them (v. 34a). Hebrews 5:7 ESV In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. He is glorious in power and light and majesty and holiness. Marks Gospel says six days, and we are not sure why Luke changes it to eight. WebJesus Heals a Centurions Servant. Prayer is a transfiguring, transforming duty, which makes the face to shine. Mark 9:6 says, he did not know what to say, for they were terrified., We might say he was out of his mind. Some of us might relate to this. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. But the subject matter of their conversation is clear: They spoke of Jesus departure and what he would accomplish in Jerusalem.. WebLuke 9:28-36, (37-43) Commentary by Scott Shauf The transfiguration of Jesus follows immediately on the scene where Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah (Luke 9:20). Our Associate Pastor Nominating Committee went to Dallas for a Face to Face conference, where churches looking for ministers and ministers looking for churches get a chance to meet each other. ), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sundays Text. from doing this; but my feet. Scott Hoezee. A cool one. 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. Matthew says they were terrified when the Voice spoke to them (Matt 17:6). Let us proclaim our faith in Jesus. It is interesting to note that although Luke tells us that Jesus garments shone as bright as a flash of lightning, we are not told that Jesus face shone, only that it changed. In the Greek this is literally that the EIDOS of his face changed, the image, the appearance, of his face was altered. What is this departure and events in Jerusalem? Action is both his strength and his weakness. There will be a time to speak, but they are not yet ready for the witness that they will bear a few weeks later in Jerusalem (Acts 1-2). WebLuke 9:28-36 The Radiance of God Dr. Philip W. McLarty The scripture lessons from the Old and New Testaments this morning are like bookends. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! To see Gods glory provokes an intense response. But who can adequately translate those "strong cryings and tears?" 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. There is the voice from heaven, declaring that Jesus is Gods Son, recalling the same declaration at his baptism (3:22), followed by the saying that the disciples are to listen to Jesus (9:35). That chapter is all about the resurrection. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exo. Amen. Luke 9:28-36 - Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary. He heard with his own ears the voice from heaven, This is my Son, my Chosen One.. Peter will refer to it as the holy mountain (2 Peter 1:18). The first step to such a prayer is stillness and silence, or what should have been Peters response on the mountain. Commentary on Luke 9:28-36 [37-43] The transfiguration of Jesus follows immediately on the scene where Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah (Luke 9:20). Mark, the shortest Gospel, gives the most complete account of this exorcism. This is not an issue of cowardice. The disciples were bewildered. You can turn there. ), which the WEB has updated. Our bodies will be glorious. The story takes place about eight days after the Confession of Peter (9:18-20), Jesus first passion prediction (9:21-22), and his admonitions about following him (9:23-27). Neither do Peter, John, or James offer an explanation. Moses had prophesied, Your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me. They enclose a portion of the church year that is now fast coming to an end, just before the period of Lent. Probably, he just wants to do something. At the base of the mountain, they find themselves confronted by a great crowd and a distraught father who pleads for his son, who is possessed by a demon. If they were not there to encourage Jesus in the direction he had to go, I cannot think of what else they would have had to say about that departure. A few years ago, I had an elder in my church whod disappear every two or three months. A Sermon Based on Luke 9:28-36 March 4, 2019; Rev. and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud (v. 34b). It took a bit, apparently, before they even fully woke up (and then saw something so odd they must have wondered if they were not, in fact, still asleep and seeing a dream). "Complete Commentary on Luke 9:36". But maybe behind these questions something of the core truth of the gospel starts to come out. Moses and Elijah, who were leaving Jesus prior to the voice from the cloud (v. 33), are gone. Later, however, they succeeded in healing everywhere (9:6). Changed into another form. His disciples, Peter, James and John, were privileged to see Christs glory on the Mount of Im convinced every one of us would have responded similarly. The event takes place about eight days later (9:28), rather than after six (Mark 9:2; Matt 17:1); there appears to be no particular significance for the change. Not for nothing are they called Mountaintop Experiences! It increases our motivation to work for Jesus, for everything we do matters. Does the radiance of God sparkle in your eyes? So it is possible that this little detail on the timing of the Transfiguration could be a hint pointing toward Easter and the glory that awaited Jesus also then. The Feast of Booths was observed in the fall each year at the completion of the harvest. Used by permission. Moreover, the disciples of Jesus are to listen to him. WebCommentary on Luke 9:28-36 (Read Luke 9:28-36) Christ's transfiguration was a specimen of that glory in which he will come to judge the world; and was an encouragement to his disciples to suffer for him. But as Buechner says, there are moments of transfiguration in all our lives. Christ shares Gods glory. For THAT your friends will follow you to the bitter end!. Several times over the years, Ive prayed that I could see an angel. Luke starts with the accounts of Mark and Matthew, which list Peter and James and John (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2 and 14:33), and changes the order of the names. Well, Peter as usual is the first one to speak up. Luke 9:28-36 - Center for Excellence in Preaching Not for nothing are they called Mountaintop Experiences! Though sinless, Jesus experienced pressures and grief and sorrow. The disciples are terrified because they understand the cloud as the presence of God. Listen to him! There is a sermon in these words. They said it was as if a ring of light encircled her face. Dont disobey him. The way of God for Jesus cannot bypass the cross. Talk to someone you trust about this. Bring your son here. 42While he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. Christ has transformed more lives than we can count. And it speaks to us what Christ did a few months later in his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Check out these helpful resources Jesus reproach says that the disciples failure is due to their own faithlessness and perversityimplying lack of faith. Now, heres Jesus on Mount Herman. One you try to capture with a camera. Now, were tempted simply to think of this as a Kodak moment, one youd like to hold on to, that Peter was simply trying to concretize the experience and preserve it for all time. This event was not some simple stunt someone videos and posts on YouTube. He is a royalty but He suffered a lot for our sins. To me, its one of the more remarkable biological events. I write these lines just after hanging up the telephone. The face of the man walking with his child in the park, of a woman baking bread, of sometimes even the most unlikely person listen to a concert or standing barefoot in the sand watching the waves roll in, or just have a beer at a Saturday baseball game in July. What was his response? It would be too much for us. But other times he swings at the pitch, completely whiffs, and strikes out. Luke helps us to know that proclaiming the good Luke says, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem. (9:51). This is more a theological than a geographical statement. Its still there today in the church if only we dont just sleep through it. Where others failed, Jesus prevails. Luke says they were afraid when the cloud came upon them (Luke 9:34). The disciples will also have a problem with sleep at the Mount of Olives (22:45). They were to do this that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. A beautiful, delicate butterfly. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!. The Gospel accounts call it, The Transfiguration. Our Bible passage this morning is in Luke 9. The Exodus from Egypt led Gods people to the Promised Land. They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen (v. 36b). At least 9 times that I could find in this Gospel. It also reveals a quality we tend to overlook, that those whove walked with God glow with the radiance of Gods presence. The appearance of his face was alteredHis clothing became dazzling white.. The glory of Moses and Elijah is not intended to compete with the glory of Jesus, which is described in much more dazzling terms, but only confirms their status as heavenly beings. It was a thanksgiving celebration. 35A voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son. Though its hard for us to grasp what happened here when Moses and Elijah appeared, to see them would have been sort of a pledge to the disciples of their own immortality. Fill me, radiancy divine; They went up onto the mountain to pray (v. 28c). More importantly, it marked a renewal of Gods covenant with Israel. At a time when anyone else would sit in stunned silence, Peter says, Lets make three tents! None of the Gospels tells us why he wants to build three tents: Perhaps he wants to prolong the mountaintop experienceto keep Jesus safe on the mountain rather than seeing him exposed to suffering, rejection, and death (v. 22). These were not fables or tall tales. TRY SERMONWRITER! 19-20). Simply he may have not wanted the experience to end. Henry, Matthew. 28 dNow about eight days after these sayings he took with him ePeter and John and James and fwent up on the mountain to pray. His departure. All of that was to happen in and near Jerusalem. Test of true discipleship (Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-1; Luke 9:23-27) Immediately after telling his disciples of his coming suffering and death, Jesus told them they had to be prepared for similar treatment. Christs cross was necessary so that he might enter into his glory (Luke 24:26; see also Philippians 2:5-11). "It never entered thy thoughts to pay me the homageand yet I had helped thee, too, a littleof pouring oil on my head"; "but she hath anointed, not my head, she shrank, poor soul! And we get a lot of positive reinforcement for being responsible, predictable and easy to get a hold of. LUKE 9:28-31. Commentators have long pointed out that Moses represented the Sinai Covenant/Law (as well as the Exodus) and that Elijah represented the prophetic voice of the Old Testament as well as Gods covenant faithfulness in sending servants to continue speaking to and ministering to even a wayward Israel. 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