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Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Probably you’ve had some experiences in your lifetime which were so outrageous you struggled to find words to explain them, right? The Bible is filled with them and today, let’s join one of those. Let’s return to the Galilee region of Israel, with Jesus and His disciples, in the last few weeks before Passover/Easter weekend. Jesus is preparing them for what they could not possibly imagine: The world changing Passover/Easter weekend which would be unlike anything they had ever experienced, for it would include the death, burial and resurrection of their friend and leader, Jesus!
These disciples didn’t know it, but Jesus was preparing them to live their lives without Jesus present, for soon He would ascend back to heaven, and entrust these disciples with the privilege and responsibility of telling His story and both proclaiming and writing the Gospel for our world. Now these 12 Jewish guys had no idea what they would be facing. I’m sure if they did, they would be asking Jesus lots of questions and filling notebooks with His answers.
But they were living then as we live now… day to day, not really thinking too much about how God is TODAY, whatever our today is, PREPARING us for what HE knows will be our TOMORROW!
Did you get that? No matter your age, as you think back over your life, can you now see it would have been to your advantage if you had learned many more wisdom lessons earlier in life to prepare you for your life now and your future?
Yesterday, I left you with Jesus as He had, for the first time, told His disciples they were soon heading for Jerusalem where He MUST “…suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and teachers of the law and that He must be killed and on the third day raised to life.” (Matt. 16:21) While Matthew has no record of it, I have to believe he and all those 12 guys were stunned by this news and wrestled with forming the questions to ask Jesus.
Matthew’s record continues with these words: “After six days, Jesus took with Him, Peter, James and John…and led them up a mountain by themselves.” (Matt. 17:1) We don’t know for sure, but we presume this was Mount Tabor, in the Galilee region. Matthew makes no mention of what explanation Jesus gave to the disciples why they were not ALL invited on this short excursion, but we must remember Jesus is preparing these disciples for what only Jesus knew was coming. These three specific disciples would be very significant after Jesus left the disciples on their own.
John was Jesus’ best friend, and he would write 5 books of the New Testament. He would be entrusted by Jesus with the care of Jesus’ mother as Jesus was dying. (John 19:26,27) History tells us John lived to be nearly 100 years old, by far the longest living disciple. He traveled widely, and his personal account of Jesus was treasured by all who were blessed to hear John speak of Jesus or read his writings.
Peter, of course, became the most well-known of these 12 disciples, and he boldly took Jesus’ message from town to town all the way to Rome, where he was finally crucified upside down, according to historical tradition. Along the way Peter wrote two powerful letters encouraging suffering Christ followers all across the Roman empire. These books are in our New Testament and bear his name.
James became the first martyr of these disciples, executed by King Herod. (Acts 12:1,2) We presume that James, in his short life after Jesus’ ascension and before his execution, shared the message of Jesus particularly in Jerusalem and the Galilee boldly and without hesitation.
I note that two other important times Jesus invited only these three disciples to join with Him in something special. First, was the miraculous raising of Jairus’ daughter from death to life (Luke 8:49-56) and secondly, their passionate prayer time in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Jesus went to the cross. (Matt. 26:36-46) Both of these experiences were very specific preparation for these three men in view of what Jesus knew they would be facing in the strategic times for all who heard of Jesus in those years immediately after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension.
Matthew makes an outrageous statement about what Jesus, Peter, James and John experienced up on that mountain that day: “There Jesus was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matt. 17:2,3)
No, I have no physiological, biological explanation for you regarding what happened to Jesus’ body in those moments. His appearance was evidently similar to what witnesses saw when the angel came on resurrection morning to roll back the large rock and announce that Jesus was raised from the dead! (Matt. 28:2,3) It is also similar to what the apostle John records in his encounter with the glorified Jesus when he was receiving the vision he records as the Revelation. (Rev. 1:10-19) I believe Jesus was taking on the appearance He NOW has in heaven, in His glorified, heavenly body, which radiates the glory of God!
Perhaps more important than exactly what Jesus looked like in that moment is the question WHY? Why was Jesus’ appearance transfigured to have this shocking, stunning, blinding appearance? I believe the answer is twofold.
First, when this experience was over, these three disciples would never forget it. Their lives would be changed for this experience would bolster their confidence in God when facing the most difficult, challenging, painful times, especially times when they perhaps felt all alone, felt that God was far away. Times like their persecution or torture or as their execution approached.
Secondly, I believe Jesus was, at least in part, fulfilling the prophecy of what He had said to them only a few days before: “The Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matt. 16:27,28)
The first part of that statement will be fulfilled when King Jesus returns to set up His victorious Millennial Kingdom in Jerusalem (Rev. 19:11-16) and then when Jesus reigns as Almighty Judge over the judgement of the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11-15).
But that second part, verse 28 of Matt. 16, is what I think may have been partly fulfilled here on the mountain with transfigured Jesus. His appearance radiated the glory of God in all its brightness and holiness. But His two guests, Moses and Elijah, were a reflection of the kingdom of God! How is that possible? I think it would be better if we wait till tomorrow to dig into that concept.
For today may I invite you to put yourself there on that hillside with Peter, James, John and transfigured Jesus who is radiating God’s glory. It’s not all that different from what Moses experienced standing before a burning bush which spoke his name and commissioned him back to Egypt! Let yourself be overwhelmed by the majesty of God and God’s passionate desire for you and me to know Him, understand His purpose in our world and His desire to involve you and me today, with Him!
I have found a great closing worship song today… filmed in both Jerusalem and Rome, it joins worshipers of Jesus in Israel and Italy praising Jesus and celebrating the kingdom of God with kingdom citizens from around the world! And I’ll meet you here tomorrow, again.
Today’s Scripture: Matt. 17:1,2.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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