Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13, “A Lesson in Listening”
  by Rev. David McKinley

Subject: What the transfiguration is.
Complement: The transfiguration was Jesus being changed to His preincarnate glory in the presence of His disciples. 
Date: February 22, 2009

INTRODUCTION
          This morning, I want you to think of a significant event in your life that was life changing.  Something that occurred that made an impression on you.  Maybe it was your baptism- a time when you made your commitment to follow Jesus Christ.  For others, it could be the day you graduated, finishing a course of study from a school or institution.  Still for some, you think of the day you got married.  Your life would never be the same after that day that you pledge to become a husband or a wife.  Or there are those that remember crossing a figurative bridge from one point in your life to another. 
Today is Transfiguration Sunday, where Christians all over the world recognize the event of Jesus’ life when he was changed upon the mountain, appearing with Moses and Elijah. 

Raise the need.  Why preach on the Transfiguration?  What is significant about these dates and events in Scripture?  They are more relevant than you think.  For in each of them there is a timeless lesson that shows us who Jesus is and why He should be the most important person in our lives.  Let’s look at the Who, What, Why, How and When of the Transfiguration.  Matthew 17:1 tells us when this event took place: “And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.”

           This event, one of the most unique in Scripture, probably took place on Mount Hermon, which was not far from Caesarea Philippi, the place of Peter’s confession.  Now notice this event comes after some difficult things Jesus said in Matthew 16:20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”  Then the strange statement in verse 28: “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."  Some scholars believe that Jesus was referring to the transfiguration in this statement. 

The transfiguration can be compared to the revealing of an identity from a disguise or a covering being taken away.  We get the English word “metamorphosis” from the Greek, metamorfo,w meaning: to transform.   We get our English word metamorphosis from the Greek, which means: “a change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means.”   We might be more familiar with what a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly.  Parallel passages are Mark 9 and Luke 9.  Only Peter, James and John are privy to this experience.  These three were closest to Jesus. 
         

What did they see?  Jesus’ face show like the sun.  His clothes became as white as light.  Luke’s version says they became as bright as a flash of lightening.  Mark says they were white like bleach.  How are we to understand this?  This was a revelation of Jesus’ preincarnate glory that He enjoyed with God the Father.  Jesus spoke of such glory in His high priestly prayer found in John 17:5: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”  Hebrews 1:3 says: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” 

This glory was accompanied by two others: Moses and Elijah.  Verse three tells us: “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Luke gives the content of their conversation- speaking of Jesus’ mission in 9:31: They, “…appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” 

What is the importance of Moses and Elijah?  They represent the Law and the Prophets.  These were God’s spokesmen.  Their appearance functioned as a reassurance that everything foretold of Jesus in the Old Testament would come true, regardless of Christ’s suffering and death.  The three: Moses, Elijah and Jesus, represent a visual unity of the Scriptures.  Stephen Short writes that the purpose of the transfiguration was, “…doubtless so that the disciples might see the giver of the law and a representative of the prophets both testifying to Jesus as being the one to whom they had pointed forwards.”   Peter wanted to build each one a shelter or a memorial of some sort- a gesture that indicated he believed that the three were equal.  But they were not- due to the voice from heaven.  Peter would later comment on that voice when he said in 2 Peter 1: 16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

What can we understand from this?  J.C. Ryle points out three very specific applications.   I thought they were important enough to share them with you today.

1. This account is meant to encourage us.  The disciples just got the bad news that it was necessary for Jesus to go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of sinful men and be crucified.  The transfiguration functioned as a reassurance that even though the bad was looming, the good would eventually come.  Jesus’ death was but for a moment, compared to the victory displayed through His resurrection.

2. This story is meant to prove that there is life after death.  Moses had been dead for 1,500 years.  Elijah, although caught up and never tasted death, had been gone for 900 years.  Yet both were alive and well.  Through faith in Christ, we too will live with Him eternally in heaven.  This is a great hope that we as Christians have- death is not final!

3. Lastly, the transfiguration is meant to point to Jesus’ superiority over every other human being that has every lived.  Only Jesus got the recognition from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him!”  Notice there is not the presence of any of the other religious leaders of the world.  There is no Mohammed; no Buddha, no Confucius.  Only Jesus.  Therefore, we must look to Christ.  He is the object of our faith.  We must listen to Him first and foremost.

Verse 7 concludes: “And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus Himself alone. 9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead." Why did Jesus give them this order?  Probably because it would take them a while to understand this- and only then after Jesus rose from the dead.  They needed to understand the transfiguration before telling others about it. 

CONCLUSION
Faith involves seeing something without the eyes, but with the soul.  The following might shed light on our need to look further than just with our eyes.  “The African impala can jump to a height of over ten feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet.  Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall.  The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. 

Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.”   Although none of us can see the afterlife, through following Jesus, we can not only believe in it, but prepare for it.  That’s part of what being a disciple about.