luke 9:28 36 explanation
28It happened about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray. (6) So that his disciples do not stumble at his debasing himself in his flesh, he teaches them that it is voluntary, showing in addition for a moment the brightness of his glory. As inner prayer, you pray a simple, repeated that he took with him Peter, John, and James (v. 28b). 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and But the subject matter of their conversation is clear: They spoke of Jesus departure and what he would accomplish in Jerusalem.. A rather literal translation would be that the disciples were weighed down with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory.. Now, were tempted simply to think of this as a Kodak moment, one youd like to hold on to, that Peter was simply trying to concretize the experience and preserve it for all time. Biblical writers, attempting to describe Gods glory using human words, portrayed it as like devouring fire (Exodus 24:17). Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; From the looks of the text, it would not be an unwarranted leap to think these three did not tell even the other nine disciples what had taken place. Or Isaiah the prophet who, in Isaiah 6, had this heavenly vision of God in full display of his glory and majesty. They speak of Jesus forthcoming exodus or departure, his forthcoming death and resurrection, which Jesus had spoken of before going up the mountain (9:22). III. Peters hasty and ill-conceived words provoke a divine response, from God the Father Himself. Your ministry keeps me up to date. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! They expect him to conquernot to die. The Greek word that Matthew and Mark use is basically our word, metamorphosis. It means to be transformed. If the moment wasnt already astonishing, now two great men of God from centuries before appear with Jesus, right in front of the 3 disciples. This is my beloved Son. Luke 9 is no exception. What was his response? Mark 9:2-8. Now, in todays Gospel lesson, we have the most authoritative answer to the question, Who is this? God says, This is my beloved Son. In the Gospels, he is bold and outspoken. The tradition that this mountain was Tabor is generally abandoned, and Mount Hermon is commonly supposed to have been the scene of the transfiguration. An experience the disciples never forgot. 21-27). It also reveals a quality we tend to overlook, that those whove walked with God glow with the radiance of Gods presence. As such the booths also symbolize a time of rest, which could be interpreted allegorically as the messianic rest. Though its hard for us to grasp what happened here when Moses and Elijah appeared, to see them would have been sort of a pledge to the disciples of their own immortality. This is at the heart of our Christian faith. Let us proclaim our faith in Jesus. This recalls the story of Moses, who encountered God on Sinai as a devouring fire on the top of the mountain (Exodus 24:17) and whose face shone brightly by reason of his speaking with Yahweh (34:29). And youre hoping youre still alive. 28. an eight days after these sayingsincluding the day on which this was spoken and that of the Transfiguration. 34While he said these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. Luke describes Peter as not knowing what he said (v. 33). It took me a while to pick up on his pattern, and when I did, I asked his wife what was going on. As the years of our Christian life go on, our understanding of Gods majesty and glory and power and brilliance should grow, so that more and more we love him.yet we tremble in awe and fear before him. The glorified Christ in Luke 9 is a taste of the glorified Christ after the resurrection. For THAT your friends will follow you to the bitter end!. Listen to him! (v. 35). Why should they have problems with this demon? In any case, its clear from the Gospel accounts by Matthew, Mark, and Luke that the disciples were terrified at what was happening. from doing this; but my feet. English versions of the Bible vary widely in how they translate that verse. Even Peter keeps his mouth shut. Delivered Weekly! This moment on the mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah tells us that yes, there truly is life beyond the grave. 18-20)and that they will also suffer and die (vv. One creature is nothing like the other. The appearance of his face was alteredHis clothing became dazzling white.. Every second reading for Transfiguration from 2 Corinthians comes after the next. Spiritual. Jesus was fully divine yet fully human. a Glimpse of Glory Luke 9:28-36 From some aspects this was the highest point in our Savior's earthly career. With a thirst to know God. The accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are drawn from Marks, but there are some significant differences among them. The temple was constructed on Mount Zion. Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child (v. 38). And this is a truth we all need to remember: Whether your religious experience is like that of the Apostle Paul, who was blinded by the light of Christ on the road to Damascus; or John Wesley, who felt his heart strangely warmed at Aldersgate; or Horace Bushnell, who confessed to being nurtured in the faith over a lifetime in New England, the real test of Christianity is not the ecstasy of the mountaintop experience, but the compassion and sympathy you show for others in the valley below. And it matters. The point is that Gods glory is so overwhelming that humans arent engineered to be capable of experiencing it. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. He is a royalty but He suffered a lot for our sins. Mark, the shortest Gospel, gives the most complete account of this exorcism. Scripture says they were heavy with sleep butwere fully awake.(9:32) Another way of saying it is that they were in a stupor. The Feast of Booths was observed in the fall each year at the completion of the harvest. They are left with Jesus and silence. It is not what you would expect. More and more thyself display, Sinai appearing before the glory of God. Stephen is stoned, lies down and falls asleep. Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothersit is to him you shall listen. More importantly, it marked a renewal of Gods covenant with Israel. Ancient leaders of Israel appearing before their very eyes. God promises that the day will come when his glory will fill all the earth (Numbers 14:21). If there was any question as to who Jesus was, there was no mystery about it now: He is the Christ, the only begotten son of God. Powerful. Our confidence in Christ is strengthened by this testimony. Earlier in this chapter, Herod, hearing of the great works that Jesus was doing, was very perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. This cloud came over them and they heard a voice, God himself, speaking to them. Bring your son here., All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. A SUBSCRIBER SAYS: Dear Dick, I would just like to say how much I appreciate your ministry. But then I read some of the biblical accounts when angels would appear in glory to Gods people, and those people were typically terrified. Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth: Show Me a token for good: Father, glorify Thy name.". Along its mighty forest-avenues, until the grass grew fair with the mountain lilies, his feet dashed in the dew of Hermon, he must have gone to pray his first recorded prayer about death, and from the steep of it, before he knelt, could see to the south all the dwelling-place of the people that had sat in darkness, and seen the great light - the land of Zabulon and of Naphtali, Galilee of the nations; could see, even with his human sight, the gleam of that lake by Capernaum and Chorazin, and many a place loved by him and vainly ministered to, whose house was now left unto them desolate; and, chief of all, far in the utmost blue, the hills above Nazareth, sloping down to his old home: hills on which the stones yet lay loose that had been taken up to cast at him, when he left them forever" (Ruskin, "Modern Painters," iv., 374). Accounts of Moses as having gone to heaven are not in the Old Testament itself, but in Jewish tradition (Josephus, Ant, 4.326). Web28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. God the Father and his Son and even the angels have a glory about them. Or as Buechner put it, Even with us something like this happens once in a while. The two festivals complement each other in striking ways. As such, it brings to an end the first major portion of the church year. To me, its one of the more remarkable biological events. God the Fathers words point us back to an OT prophecy of the coming Messiah. While Luke does not tell of Peters protest (see Matthew 16:22), it is clear that the disciples are not prepared to hear Jesus talk about suffering and death. Jesus answers that in the next verse. WebLuke 9:1-50 contain sundry particulars which together form the closing scenes of the Galilean ministry: the mission of the Twelve, the feeding of the thousands, the conversation on the Christ and the Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary. Herod said, John I beheaded, but who is this, about whom I hear such things? He sought to see him (vv. 4. It happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met him (v. 37). Alarming. We know from Matthews and Marks Gospels Jesus told them to tell no one until after the resurrection. Every once and so often, something so touching, so incandescent, so alive transfigures the human face that its almost beyond bearing. (From Beyond Words by Frederick Buechner, Harper San Francisco 2004). At the base of the mountain, they find themselves confronted by a great crowd and a distraught father who pleads for his son, who is possessed by a demon. All his teachings about love for God and for our fellow human beings are to be observed. A few verses later, at 9:51, Luke writes that Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, where all that has been spoken of will take place for him. Peter is an action-man! If weve taken any biology class, weve heard of this word. Luke 1:4 that you may have certainty of what you have been taught.. Luke says, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem. (9:51). Consider the wider context of Luke here. An inexplicable kind of splendor and majesty and power and light. Having both of them appear on the Mount of Transfiguration seems to be a neat way of coalescing the whole Old Testament into Jesus ministry. Christ has transformed more lives than we can count. This event was unprecedented. Lets make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said (v. 33). Peter will also link the Moses prophecy with Jesus in a sermon shortly after Pentecost (Acts 3:22). Both of those portions of the Scriptures point ultimately to Jesus. And heres a warning: If any of us have not believed in Jesus Christ, we should tremble. But how could anyone be drowsy, even briefly, when such a spectacle was right in front of them? that he took with him Peter, John, and James, Throughout the scriptures, light is a symbol of God, so that whenever we come into the presence of God, were filled with the light of Gods love, and, like a prism, the radiance of God is reflected and refracted through us to illumine and enlighten others. Click here to listen to this lesson. In this case this stunning revelation of glory took place well out of the public eye and then, even for those human eyes that did take it in, there was a mixture of confusion, sleepiness, and then reticence to speak of it in the future. Widely in how they translate that verse us that yes, there truly is life beyond the.. Christ is strengthened by this testimony Mark use is basically our word, metamorphosis who, in todays Gospel,. Of them transfigures the human face that its almost beyond bearing year at the of! 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luke 9:28 36 explanation