"Transfiguration"

"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light." (Matt. 17:1-2; NKJV)

The account of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ is so central to the gospel that we find it recorded in the first three Gospels (Matt. 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). 

John as well may be referring to it in John 1:14. The apostle Peter referred to it in his writings in 2 Peter 1:13-19.

This beautiful event has been considered one of the most astonishing of all of The Lord's experiences while He was here on earth.

This special privilege was only granted to three of the disciples, Peter, James and John.  We can almost sense the awe in the words of John when he said, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

The word "transfigured" comes from the Greek word "metamorphoo," that means, "To be transformed" and the description given to us shows to what great extent this occurred.

Mark's gospel says, "His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them." (Mark 9:3)

In the presence of this change we notice that the Lord's identity was not lost, but His form was changed so that His deity shined through His humanity.

By seeing this tremendous glory of the Lord, when these same disciples would later see His humiliation and death, this wonderful experience would be what kept them faithful.

The disciples had trouble connecting the dots to this supposed contradiction of the suffering and the glorifying of The Christ.

This transfiguration was a visual for them that the glory that was to be the Lord's would only come through His suffering.

Moses and Elijah appeared speaking with the Lord about His death at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Elijah, as we remember, fought the great battle with the false prophets of Baal and had been taken up into heaven. He appears to represent the prophets of the Old Testament period.

As we know, Moses was the great leader and lawgiver of the Mosaic period.  As these great men talked with the only begotten Son of God, Peter interrupted, "because he did not know what to say" being afraid, and said, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Mark 9:5-6)

Mark tells us, "A cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!'" (Mark 9:7)

This seems to be God's clearest identification of Jesus as Messiah. The last part of that statement explains the significance of the identity of Christ when it says, "Hear Him."

If Jesus is The Messiah, the Christ of God, and He is, then we all had better listen carefully to Him and stop listening to our own dictates or the dictates of denominational-ism. Men live and die but His Word, after many centuries, is still true and will remain true forever.

1 Peter 1:24:25 "because 'All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you." (NKJV)

The Hebrew writer said, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." (Hebrews 1:1-2)

The transfiguration symbolizes the passing of the reigns of authority from the hands of Moses and the prophets and placing all authority into the hands of The Lord Jesus Christ.

One day it will be too late to make a decision to be a child of God. Do it today before eternity takes time from us. 

God bless as you continue to search and serve...