Good Morning!
As I mentioned in my posting yesterday, my
initial intent was to write about the Wonderful Wednesday message about the transfiguration
of Jesus that the members of HFBC heard. The focus was on the actions of the disciples
(Peter, James, and John). Let’s look at
all three reports given in the gospels …
Matthew 17:1-8 English Standard Version (ESV)
17 And after six days Jesus
took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a
high mountain by themselves. 2 And he
was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became white as light. 3 And
behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we
are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for
Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He
was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them,
and a voice from the cloud said, “This
is my beloved Son,[a] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the
disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus
only.
Footnotes:
a.
Matthew 17:5 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
Mark 9:2-8 English Standard Version (ESV)
2 And after six days Jesus took with
him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his
clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one[a] on earth could bleach them. 4 And
there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,[b] it is good that we
are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one
for Elijah.” 6 For he did not
know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a
cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;[c] listen to him.” 8 And
suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
Footnotes:
a. Mark 9:3 Greek launderer (gnapheus)
b. Mark 9:5 Rabbi means my
teacher, or my master
Luke 9:28-36 English Standard Version (ESV)
28 Now about eight days after these sayings
he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain
to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face
was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,[a] which he
was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those
who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully
awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good
that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses
and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and
overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One;[b] listen to him!” 36 And
when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and
told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 9:31 Greek exodus
b. Luke 9:35 Some
manuscripts my Beloved
The phrase that jumps off the page for me comes
from “a voice came out of a cloud, saying …”.
One wonders why the human authors didn’t just say “and God spoke”. The message that was spoken is very clear …
the preeminence belongs to the Christ – not from the Law or the Prophets. Peter’s
suggestion placed the Law and the Prophets on the same plane as the Christ. Peter
didn’t realize the impact of his suggestion.
As Paul would later write: “The natural person does not accept the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to
understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Peter’s understanding was limited at the time he
witnessed the transfiguration as he was yet to be indwelt by the Holy
Spirit.
The transfiguration was a
turning point in Christ’s ministry … as the subject being discussed was Jesus
heading to Jerusalem to accomplish His purpose.
As our preacher pointed out, when Jesus was praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane, He states that His purpose was complete (John 17:3-4). He had been
tempted without failing; He had demonstrated His Messiahship throughout the nation;
He had offered Israel an opportunity to respond. He was the one and only worthy sacrifice for
the sin of humanity. Later, when on the
cross, He uttered the words “It is finished.”
It is one word in Greek … a commercial
phrase meaning “paid fully”.
One of the benefits of
being a believer in our era is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If we are listening to the teachings of
Christ, we understand that salvation is found only in the person of Jesus, who
is the Christ. We honor the Law and the
Prophets … but we recognize that each point to the One who is our Savior and
our Lord.
God bless you this good
day and this good weekend. By the way,
if your house of worship is not holding services … or if you just want another
inspiring message from God, join us at Helenfbc.com. The message is pre-recorded so you can access
it during the service (10:30 Sunday morning) or later.
Agape’
Mr. Jim
Prayer: Father, thank You for
Jesus. And thank You for the Law and
Prophets that point us to our Savior and Lord. May we honor Christ by
understanding the Law and the Prophets so that we might live in accordance with
Your desires. In Jesus’ Name … Amen.
Scripture for today: Matthew
17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36; 1st Corinthians 2:14
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