Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Over the past several decades the entertainment industry has been fascinated with the idea of space aliens coming here to earth and encountering normal people, like you and me! Movies, books, and all types of creativity have drawn us to imagine what such an encounter might be like! Some people might say the Bible is also fascinated with that idea, considering the number of Biblical accounts about angels coming to earth and encountering normal people.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been carefully tracing the journey Jesus and His disciples walked as recorded in the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament and today let’s watch what some have described as an extraterrestrial encounter! Matthew records it for us in the 17th chapter of his account of the life of Jesus.
While the exact location is unnamed, Mount Tabor is the place most often pointed to for this event. A few days after they left Caesarea Philippi Jesus invited three of His disciples to walk with him up this mountain. Let’s join them there to watch what happened! Interestingly two other times Jesus chose these same three men for a special, exclusive experience with Him, remember? The resurrection of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:51) and a special time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matt. 26:37)
It seems to me in each case Jesus was helping these three men, Peter, James and John, take additional, important steps of growth in understanding Jesus and His mission on earth. All three experiences would strengthen their faith in Jesus when they faced great persecution.
Jesus evidently gave no explanation to these three men why He was asking them to follow Him up the mountain that day, but we can safely assume they were alert and watchful that something special might happen. Matthew describes it with these few words: “There Jesus was transfigured before them.” (Matt. 17:2) Now that’s a word you may have never heard before… transfigured! What does it mean? Matthew describes it this way: “Jesus’ face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (Matt. 17:3) So, how do you explain what was happening here, my friends?
I have come to the conclusion the change in Jesus’ appearance was a work of God, giving these three disciples a temporary glimpse of the indescribable GLORY of Jesus which He had left behind in heaven when He came to earth. It is this great glory that Jesus regained upon His return to heaven in His ascension after His resurrection.
One of these disciples, John, who was there that day, had another, similar experience many years later when he was exiled on the island of Patmos and resurrected, glorified Jesus appeared to John giving him the Revelation which John wrote down as the final book of the New Testament. (Revelation 1:9-19)
I think Saul of Tarsus had a similar encounter with the magnificent glory of Jesus Christ during his life changing encounter on the road to Damascus as he described in Acts 9:1-9.
Jesus’ face shining like the sun and his clothes turning as brilliant as light sure sounds like what the angel of the Lord looked like on Easter Sunday morning, as recorded in Matthew 28:2,3, doesn’t it?
But WHY? Why would Jesus give these three disciples this overpowering, brief glimpse of His heavenly glory? I believe it was because the time was now growing short and very soon the unthinkable events of Passover weekend would happen right before their eyes. It would be essential that these disciples stand convinced of Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God incarnate while they witness the death, burial and resurrection of their friend Jesus.
In fact, for the rest of their lives these three men would look back to this mountain top transfiguration as a defining moment for their relationship with Jesus. This James, by the way, would be the first of the disciples martyred, killed by King Herod. (Acts 12:1,2) I’ve often wondered if this transfiguration experience may have been the memory of Jesus which James held tightly too as the soldiers were killing James!?
But there’s more, my friends, in this extraterrestrial experience, for Matthew 17:3 says: “Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” Now as much as I cannot explain exactly how Jesus was transfigured, I really can’t explain how Moses, who’d been dead 1400 years, and Elijah, who’d been dead about 850 years, could suddenly appear and be talking with Jesus!?
Of all the possibilities, I believe this may have been a temporary glimpse of what Moses and Elijah will be like in their glorified, immortal bodies, when the resurrection takes place and all the Old Testament saints receive their heavenly bodies. (Daniel 12:13)
Regardless of exactly HOW God did this, I urge us to seek to understand WHY God did this miracle of transfiguration. What were Peter, James and John supposed to understand God was teaching them here? I believe some of the answer is what happened next: “…a bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, Listen to Him!” (Matt. 17:5)
Do you remember another time when the audible voice of God spoke, giving clarity and confirmation to WHO Jesus is? Yes, it was Jesus’ baptism, and God said almost exactly these same words! (Matt. 3:17) Why? May I suggest, my friends, it is because, as we saw with the ‘keys to the kingdom’ Jesus spoke about at Caesarea Philippi, EVERYTHING about any human being’s relationship with God, and everything about life after death for any person, hinges on the absolute truth of WHO Jesus Christ is!
Peter would write two powerful letters to suffering Christians across the Roman empire and John would write five books of the New Testament proclaiming their confidence in the truthful identity of Jesus, God the Son!
Over and over, I’m convinced, it was Peter, James and John who bolstered those disciples in those first months and years after Jesus returned to heaven leaving them to take His Gospel to the world. This encounter with glorified Jesus, Moses, Elijah and the audible voice of God was a catalyst for the confidence of these three men for the remainder of their lives!
We need to pause right here and ask ourselves how strongly we are convinced about the identity of Jesus and the truthfulness regarding everything about Jesus: His words, His miracles, His incarnation, His atonement death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension, His reign in heaven, His soon return to earth?
More study notes are at the link below, and a great worship song, and then I’ll be preparing to meet you here again tomorrow as we continue this journey with Jesus.
Today’s Scripture: Matt. 17:1-5.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
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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