Matthew
Transfiguration
Matthew 17:2
There he was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
Imagine being Peter, James and John on a high mountain and the Son of Man, Jesus, is transformed before your very eyes
We would call this a miracle, not natural, never seen before
His face shone like the sun
Light so bright you cannot look into it
The greater miracle is that Jesus was clothed in the flesh to cover His glory
Because Jesus conquered sin on our behalf
We too can experience the miracle of being transformed
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers….Hebrews 2:10
We have hope of being transformed if God’s Spirit lives in us
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Romans 8:11
When God gives life, He transforms
Transfiguration
Matthew 17:2…
There he was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became as white as the light.
Imagine being Peter, James and John on a high mountain…
And the Son of Man, Jesus, is transformed before your very eyes.
We would call this a miracle, not natural, never seen before.
His face shone like the sun.
Light so bright you cannot look into it.
His clothes were more than clean,
they became as white as the light.
Moses and the Israelites experienced something like
Peter, James and John and they called the light, Glory.
When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
Exodus 24:15-17
Moses asked to see the glory of God…
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
19 And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
21 Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." Exodus 33:18-23
God’s glory has been hidden from us at best we see His glory through a cloud
Jesus prays that His followers will be able to be with Him in his glory
"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
John 17:24
Jesus was given glory by the Father
before the creation of the world.
What Peter, James and John saw.
What Moses and the Israelites saw.
What they saw was the norm.
We are told John was shown on a great high mountain
the glory and brilliance in Revelation 20.
This time we not only see the light of God’s glory…
But the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem,
the followers of Christ shining with glory.
Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:9-12
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21:23-27
If you and I think about it…
The greater miracle or very unusual is that
Jesus, the Son of God, could hide His glory.
Jesus, the Son of God had to be
transformed to walk among us.
For the 33 years Jesus walked on the face of the earth…
His true glory and light was hidden.
Hidden so we might see that flesh
and blood could be transformed.
Jesus was full of glory and light before
the creation of the world.
He will come back for His people in glory and light.
When the glory and light of God
shone, people fell to the ground…
Fear and trembling at His voice.
Note after Peter, James and John saw
the glory and light and God spoke…
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
Note it was Jesus as they saw him before who touched them
7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
Matthew 17:5-8
At best, we see just a glimpse of God’s glory
yet, He is always full of glory.
The miracle is not that Jesus was transformed like God…
The miracle is that Jesus was transformed to be like us.
He was transformed like us so we could see how to live.
Jesus was transformed so we might have hope
of our bodies being transformed.
We should be so grateful Jesus hid His glory.
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers….
And again he says,
"Here am I, and the children God has given me."
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:10-18
We have hope of being transformed if God’s Spirit lives in us
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:11
When God gives life…
He transforms.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 17:1-13 NIV
17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
10 The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
11 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
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