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Written by Pastor Darrell Cooper
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Friday, 01 August 2008 14:42 |
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Matthew 17:1-9
February 3, 2008 - Lindsborg Cov.
“Consider The Source”
(Jesus’ Divinity)
Sermon
Jesus was forever leaving. During His earthly ministry, Jesus became so popular that He was often surrounded by huge crowds of people. People would seek Him out, and then, when they located Him, masses of people would press in around Him. They came wanting to be healed of their diseases. They came wanting to be delivered from demons. They came to hear Him teach. They came because they just wanted to be close to the Master.
So, periodically, Jesus would have to withdraw from the crowds. In fact, He often had to sneak away to some lonely, isolated place in order to be alone with His Father. Sometimes He would take some of His disciples with Him. Today’s story is just such a case.
We are in Matthew chapter seventeen today, if you would like to turn there. In the first few verses of Matthew chapter seventeen, Jesus selects three of His disciples to accompany Him on one of these secret sneak-away trips. The ones He chooses are His inner circle, the three that are perhaps closest to Jesus: Peter, James, and John.
The four of them climb up to a tall mountain to get away. Scholars are divided about which mountain they were on, but I say, “What difference does it make?” The point is, they went up some mountain to get away.
Luke tells us they went up there in order to pray. So, here they all are, up on the mountain for a private prayer meeting. Luke also tells us that while they were praying the disciples fell asleep, which it seems they often did while in private prayer meetings with Jesus. How many of you have ever fallen asleep while you were praying? (Pause for response) Me too. Well then, you are in good company, right in there with Peter, James, and John.
So, get the picture. Jesus is talking with His father while His disciples are snoozing on the mountainside. Suddenly, something awakens Peter. I imagine that he woke up first because he seems to be the first one to do everything. Peter is startled awake by a bright light. When he opens his eyes he is overwhelmed by a blinding white light. At first, he cannot tell what it is or where it is coming from. As his eyes slowly adjust to the light he realizes that the source of the light is a person. It is Jesus! A brilliant white light is radiating out of Jesus’ face and clothing. In fact, Mark’s gospel says His clothes were whiter than anyone could bleach them. Luke’s gospel says His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightening.
As his eyes continue adjusting to the light Peter notices that there are two figures standing on either side of Jesus. Jesus is talking to someone. At first, Peter may have assumed it was James and John. But no, they are lying here beside him, just beginning to wake up themselves. Who is that talking with Jesus? They came up here alone, just the four of them, and now there are two more. Finally it dawns on him who it is. It is Moses and Elijah.
Now, this was not a costume party. This was not two men dressed up like Moses and Elijah. This was Moses and Elijah! This was the actual historical Old Testament figures, standing there chatting with Jesus! How is this possible? This was an unusual day to say the least!
I was wondering what they were talking about, and I found the answer in Luke’s gospel. He says they were discussing with Jesus His impending departure. They were talking about what was about to happen in Jerusalem. They were talking about how Jesus was going lay down His life and be crucified on a Roman cross and then rise again from the dead. And Peter, James, and John were standing nearby, eavesdropping on this heavenly conversation.
Luke also tells us that when the conversation was winding down and Moses and Elijah were preparing to leave, the disciples did not want this mountain-top experience to end. Mark tells us that the disciples were afraid and didn’t know what to say. So, Peter spoke up. It is just like Peter to do this, because whenever Peter does not know what to do or say, he says or does something.
Peter addresses Jesus. “Lord, I have an idea. How about we build three tabernacles, three booths, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for You, to commemorate this holy moment?”
So, Peter interrupts Jesus’ conversation with these Old Testament saints, but before Jesus has a chance to respond, God the Father interrupts him. Suddenly they are surrounded by a great white light. Matthew calls it a “bright cloud”, which is rather strange, because we usually think of clouds as being dark. But not this one. This was a bright cloud, and it completely surrounded them. Luke tells us that the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. I am sure I would be scared too.
Then a voice spoke from within the cloud. It was God the Father speaking. He said, “This is my son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” When they heard this voice, the disciples were absolutely terrified. They were so scared that they physically collapsed, falling on their faces before God.
Then it became very quiet and still. Jesus walked over to them, gently placed His hand on them and said, “It is OK. Get up. You don’t have to be afraid.” When the disciples lifted their heads and opened their eyes, they saw that the scene had changed again. The bright cloud was gone. The voice fell silent. Jesus was no longer glowing. Moses and Elijah had vanished. It was just the four of them again: Peter, James, John, and normal-looking Jesus.
Then Jesus said, “It is time to go, boys.” And they started making their way back down the mountain. On their way back down, Jesus said, “Oh, by the way, I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone, at least not until I come back from the dead, OK?”
Can you believe that? What an amazing story, huh? Talk about a mountain-top experience! Can you imagine what it must have been like to be there and personally experience that sound and light show? Almost unbelievable!
However, as amazing as all that was, what is far more important than what happened there is why it all happened. All of those events carried their own significance, but far more significant is the reason they happened in the first place.
To get to the bottom of that question we need to back up one chapter. We need to go back to chapter 16, beginning with verse 13. You can turn there if you like. This passage records for us a crucial conversation that took place between Jesus and His disciples.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’” In other words, “You guys have heard the gossip. You have heard people talk. What are they saying about Me?”
The disciples said, “Well, there is all kinds of speculation out there. “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Then Jesus makes it very personal. He says, “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Characteristically, Peter was the first one to speak. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Now, remember that this was before the transfiguration took place. Peter said, ““You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.’” Even Peter can get it right once in a while!
As I said before, this is an extremely important passage, because in these few verses Jesus asks the single most important question anyone can ever ask. There is a no more important question, and the question is this: “Who is Jesus?” Who is this guy, really?
Well, you know as well as I do that people answer that question all kinds of ways today. Some say that Jesus was a good moral teacher. He said some good things like “turn the other cheek” and “do unto others . . .”. He was a good moral teacher, but let’s not get carried away here.
Others assert that He was a Jewish rebel, an Israeli revolutionary. There are millions of Muslims in the world who insist that He was a great prophet, not the greatest prophet of all time, but still a great prophet. So, there are many different and conflicting opinions out there about who Jesus is. A lot of confusion.
Not much has changed, has it. It has always been that way, even in Jesus’ own day. Some of His peers thought that Jesus was John the Baptist, which, when you think about it, is kind of weird, because John the Baptist had just been executed. Jesus and John were close relatives. They grew up together. They were contemporaries. So, for anyone who knew them both, it would be strange to confuse the two. But some did. Jesus and John came preaching the exact same message: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Others believed Jesus was Elijah. Now, this was much more plausible, because Elijah was expected to return. If you read the last two verses of the Old Testament, Malachi prophesied that before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord, God would send Elijah back to earth. Remember, he never died. So, the people of Israel were waiting not just for the Messiah, but also for His forerunner, Elijah. Many people recognized Jesus as a great prophet and began to speculate that perhaps Jesus was in fact the returning Elijah.
Still others believed Him to be Jeremiah returned, while others argued for their favorite Old Testament prophet. The point is that there was tremendous confusion and disagreement as to the identity of Jesus. So, in chapter sixteen we hear a great deal of man’s opinion of Jesus’ identity. But at the beginning of chapter seventeen we hear God’s opinion.
You see, I believe that this is what the transfiguration is all about. The whole point of the transfiguration is that God the Father wants to answer the question Himself. He wants to weigh in on this issue and settle the matter once and for all. He wants to say that this man is God. And, like any good preacher, God does this with a three point sermon. He does it in three acts, if you will.
The first one is the transfiguration itself. Do you all remember a show called Touched By An Angel? Did you ever see that show? There were these angels, usually three of them: Tess, Monica, and Andrew, and they would show up in people’s lives during a time of crisis or danger and try to help them. Usually they would hide their true identity until they had established a relationship of trust. Then, late in each episode they would say, “I am an angel, sent by God.” Usually the person they were addressing was incredulous. “Yeah, right! You are an angel! Sure.” But then what happened? A bright white light would begin to glow from above and behind the angel’s head, and the moment the human saw the light all skepticism vanished. From that moment on they fully accepted the identity of the angel.
At the risk of trivializing the transfiguration, I want to suggest that that is kind of what happened here in this story on the mountain. Jesus had been teaching His disciples for some time. He has been showing them the Father and describing the nature of His new Kingdom, all the while dropping hints as to His divine identity. But now He is going to reveal His true identity, and it happens with light. The light came as a way to convince the disciples that Jesus is indeed who He claims to be.
Now, I think it is important that we not think about the transfiguration as an event that transformed Jesus Himself. The word “transfiguration” is just a fancy word for change. Keep in mind that Jesus did not change on that mountain. Not at all. His appearance changed, to be sure, but not Jesus. The light of God’s glory that now shone out of His face and clothes was always inherent in Jesus. But it was always hidden before. Now, for the first time, God the Father cracks that exterior and gives us a little glimpse of what was already there, the glory of God inherent in Christ.
This light reminds me of two things from the Old Testament. There are at least two clear Old Testament parallels to this light. When it says that Jesus’ face was shining, does that remind you of anyone in the Old Testament? Moses. In Exodus 34:29-35, as Moses was coming back down the mountain with the ten commandments, his face was glowing. He had to put a veil over his face so as not to scare the people.
This was not lost on the disciples. Being steeped in Biblical history, they understood that God was saying, “This is the new Moses.” He is the new Moses. He will bring you the new law, a law written not on stone, but on your hearts. So there is that parallel.
There is also the parallel of the temple itself. You may recall that periodically throughout Jewish history, the tabernacle at first and later the temple were filled with the glory of God (1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron 5:13-14, 7:1-3). And that was often manifested with what was called the shechinah glory. A brilliant light would fill the temple, manifesting God’s presence among His people, showing them that He is present and dwells among them.
Again, I don’t think that was lost on them either. It was as if God was saying, “You know, this entire Old Testament system of sacrifices is now complete in Jesus. He is the temple. The physical stone temple has been replaced. You don’t need that anymore. We have a new program and it is embodied in a person, and it is Jesus Christ. He is the new temple.
What is interesting is that He is also the lamb. We find out later that He is the Lamb of God who is sacrificed. In fact, Jesus is all three at once. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the high priest who performs the sacrifice. And He is the temple in which the sacrifice takes place. All of this, the entire Old Testament system, the old way of relating to God is all embodied in Jesus Christ. All of that was implied by the light shining out of Jesus, the shechinah glory of God coming from Christ. And that is just Act one.
The second point God makes is when Moses and Elijah appear. I got to thinking about this part and began to wonder, why Moses and Elijah? Why couldn’t it have been David and Daniel, or Abraham and Noah? Why those two in particular?
Well, the scholars are agreed on this that it was Moses and Elijah because they represent the law and the prophets. Moses was of course the first law-giver. Elijah was considered the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. If you put the Law and the Prophets together you have the Jewish Old Testament.
And so, in a sense, the entire Old Testament community of saints is present there on the mountain, represented by Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, the entire nation of Israel is there with Jesus, and all of their history.
But what I think is even more significant than the fact that they appeared with Jesus is the fact that they disappeared from Jesus. Moses and Elijah were taken away. They disappeared. I think the implication there, is again, that Jesus fulfills it. The Old Testament, the law and the prophets, and everything God has revealed so far about who He is and how He wants His people to relate to Him is complete in Christ. It is not that God is saying, “The Old Testament doesn’t count anymore. It is irrelevant. Just ignore it.” Quite the contrary. He is saying, “It is finished. It is complete. It is fulfilled in Jesus.” So, once Jesus arrives, Moses and Elijah disappear because it is all fulfilled in Christ. Jesus stands there as the mediator between God and man.
I also think it is significant when Moses and Elijah disappear. Notice that it is the moment that Peter speaks. Peter says, “How about we build three tabernacles, three structures, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for You, Jesus. Because Jesus, You are among the greats! You are in the hall of fame. You are hanging out with the big boys! This is incredible!” As if to imply that Jesus is on the same level as the others, that He is equal to them. And it is at the moment when Peter suggests this that Moses and Elijah disappear and God the Father speaks as if to say, “Don’t miss the point here. This is not about Moses. Nor is it about Elijah. This is about Jesus. This is about My Son. This is about the God-man. This is about God Himself. Don’t get distracted. Don’t get confused. Pay attention.” And so Moses and Elijah are taken away and only Jesus is left.
And then, just in case they still don’t get it, the third point is that God the Father just straight out says it. God’s voice speaks, and He says four things about Jesus. First of all, He identifies Jesus as His Son. Secondly, He confesses His love for His Son. Third, He affirms His approval and pleasure in His Son. Finally, He commands the disciples to listen to what His Son says. He says, “This is My Son, whom I love. With Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” Notice He did not say, “Listen to Moses”, or “Listen to Elijah”. He said, “Listen to Jesus.”
Here is the thing: If Jesus were not a messenger from God, then we wouldn’t really have to pay any attention to Him would we? It is true of any time someone stands up and speaks as if an authority on an issue. When someone claims to be an authority on an issue, we need to consider the source. Who is saying it?
It reminds me of one of my favorite marketing campaigns, a series of TV commercials. I remember one where a woman is injured on the street. Immediately a crowd gathers around to try to help her. A man rushes to her side and begins to administer first aid and give medical advice. Everyone seems to be deferring to him until someone finally interrupts him to ask, “Are you a doctor?” To which he replies, “No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!” Now, staying at a Holiday Inn Express qualifies him to do what? Absolutely nothing. That’s what makes the commercial funny.
The point is, you have to consider the source. When someone speaks as if with authority, you need to find out, who is this, what are the credentials which qualifies the person to speak in this way? If Jesus were not a messenger from God, we could simply ignore Him. We wouldn’t have to pay any attention to Him at all. But the point of this passage is that Jesus is not only a messenger from God, like Moses, or like Elijah. He is God. He is God Himself. So, when we consider that source, then God the Father says, “Listen to Him. Listen to Him.”
In chapter sixteen, God the Son asks the question, “Who is Jesus?” In chapter seventeen, God the Father answers the question: “He is God. Therefore, listen to Him.”
So, I want to close by simply asking the question, “Are you listening? Are you listening to Jesus? Am I listening to Him? Are we listening to Jesus? Are we really listening to Him? Are we listening for His voice in the pages of Scripture? Are we listening for His voice in the privacy of prayer? Are we listening for His voice in the words of those around us or the circumstances in which we find ourselves? Are we taking time to really listen and pay attention to what Jesus is saying? Because the Father says, “This is My Son, whom I love. With Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Listen to Him.”
Let’s pray.
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