The
Mount of Transfiguration
In the Holy Scripture there is really nothing that
is accidental or unimportant, the Holy Spirit has caused the Bible to be
written in such a way that it relentlessly and perfectly always point to Jesus,
even where an event or a conversation takes place can convey such meaning to
us.
After a time of ministry Jesus had taken His
disciples to the area in Northern Palatine called Caesarea Philippi, the town,
which was predominantly a gentile area, under the rule of the Tetrarch
Phillip, it was located at the foot of
Mt. Hermon which is one of the predominate high places mentioned in the Old
Testament. Ps: 133, describes Mt. Hermon as symbolic of where God’s
blessing flow to His people, coming down upon Israel from Mt. Hermon.
In the
far north of Israel, Caesarea was a quiet restful resort area – “a place to rest” –It was a place where
Jesus could spend time with His disciples and “just be with them”.
It is to this place of rest and quiet Jesus has led
His disciples and each of us as well. It is here Jesus has an important
conversation with His disciples, and with each of us, about whom people believe
that He is Matthew: 16:13.
It is in this place that Peter’s confession ,
that
Jesus is the "Christ the Son of the Living God" is spoken, and it is here that Jesus affirms that His
church will be composed of those who see this truth that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” Matthew:16:16
Away
From Jerusalem
Why does Jesus take
us here to Caesarea? What lesson is He speaking to us even through the
location? Jesus takes us here to Caesarea, away from
Jerusalem, away from the Temple, which was the heart of the Old Covenant
relationship which was the focus of the national and individual life of the
people of Israel, the place where God,
through the sacrificial and ceremonial tenets of the Old Covenant and the legalism that was added to it by the
religious establishment, was to be worshipped.
All those things should have pointed the people to Jesus. This was a works based or performance based
religion.
On
The Mountain
It is after this conversation in Caesarea, this
place of rest, that the following week Jesus takes Peter, James and John, and
us as well, to the summit of “ a high
mountain” Matthew 17:1 . In Luke’s
Gospel it tells us that Jesus has ascended the mountain for prayer, Luke: 9: There is no mention in
the Gospel narratives that Jesus and His group have left the Cesarean area,
and in that in area there is only one high mountain, Mt. Hermon.
“he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain
to pray. 29 As he was praying, the
appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of
lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in
glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.”Luke:
9:28-29
It is here on this “high mountain” that the three disciples, and, we through the
narrative of the Scriptures, see Jesus Christ Transfigured- that is His glory
is revealed; Moses and Elijah appear and speak to Jesus about His death, 31 They spoke
about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem” . They
talk of His impending death on the cross. That is the whole of the Old
Testament, Moses (the Law) and Elijah
(the prophets) looked forward to what
Jesus would do on our behalf, He would remove, through the cross, all of our
excuses to be excluded in Salvation , by dying for us all. The Law and Prophets spoke of Jesus. Luke: 24:25-24
Just a note: Some Christians do not understand the
difference between the Old Testament and the Old Covenant, simply put, the Old
Covenant is that agreement God had made with the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai,
its duration was from Sinai until the cross, which is Calvary. The Old
Testament however, is the written record of the people of Israel in that
covenant with God and as the Word of God it is never ending and good for all
time because of the cross.
Building
Tabernacles
When the three Apostles, while Jesus was in prayer, drifted
into sleep “Peter and
his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his
glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As
the men (Moses and Elijah) were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it
is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)” Luke: 24:32-33
Peter’s reaction upon wakening and seeing the glory of the Lord reveals much
about his and along with most of humanities view of a relationship with God.
Peter was viewing the experience through the eyes of the Old Covenant a works
based approach, as reflected in his statement “it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you,
one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)” Luke: 24:32-33
What Peter was really showing is
that he thought, that through his own effort he could contribute something to
what was happening, that is, the Glory God being revealed in Jesus. He approached the moment of awakening to
Jesus’ glory as being under the Old Covenant, which building tabernacles was a part
of Leviticus:
23. This shows us how he
believed God is approached through works, which is how he, and many of us, has
been taught. He thought, and we all too often think in the same terms, that we
can contribute to our Salvation, that we earn it, yet we see that it is accomplished
at Jerusalem for us, by Jesus alone.
The Father’s Voice
As Peter is still speaking his
misunderstanding of the situation, God the Father’s voice is heard out of Cloud
of Glory a reminder of the glorious presence of God with the people of Israel
with the Shekinah Glory
sitting atop of Mt. Sanai, Exodus: 24:16, just as it was atop of
this mountain, and even filling the Tabernacles in the Wilderness, “Then the cloud covered the Tent of
Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled
the tabernacle”.Exodus:40:34
God’s Voice show us the truth, we have the truth about Jesus established in the mouth of three, Moses (the Law) Elijah (the prophets) and now The Great God. “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Deuteronomy 19:15
Paul states “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2Corinthians: 13:1
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down 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. Matthew: 17:6-8
At The Summit
So what is the lesson in all of
this? Well we could spend an eternity looking at the Word of God and never
expend it and all the truth found within in it, but in short, Jesus leads us away from the works
based religion, symbolized by Jerusalem, to the place of rest and peace symbolized
by the resort area of Caesarea. When we enter this place of rest, we are entering the rest in
Christ. Hebrews 4 details
that it is due to Jesus’ work that
Christians enter the “Sabbath rest”
in Christ. That is we step away from works or performance based religiosity and
enter grace, entering the grace of God we can finely see through the eyes grace
and in doing so we catch a glimpse of the Glory of the Lord, we awake from
sleep so to speak as did Peter.
Through
The Eyes of Grace
Jesus takes us to the high place, where we can look
upon Him in all His glory Matthew 17:1-He
takes us to the mountain top: That is there is no higher place then seeing God revealed
in Jesus –and we see the Glory in Jesus.
The message of the Old Testament looked forward to
the coming of Jesus “For all the Prophets
and the Law prophesied until John”
Matthew: 11:1, that is the
message of the Scriptures spoke with Authority that the Christ was to come,
then there upon the banks of the Jordan River John point out to us all that the
Christ Is Come, not the message of the Gospel is that Christ is come. The message
is Jesus is the “Christ the Son of the
Living God” by Whom God reveals to us Who He is.
The Prophets wanted to Glimpse the Glory that we
Christian have the grace to see and experience through Jesus, for them they
wanted to understand, what we see now.
Grace
Reveals the Glory
What Jesus has done is to remove the curtain of the
Law, or any works based or performance based religiosity which obscures our
view of God, when this happens and the “law or works” are removed we see Jesus
standing as the Glorious Lord.The Law would place a veil over our eyes and would keep us from seeing all the Glory of God that Jesus shows to us all, but Grace lets us see the Glory.
"We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the Old Testament is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away”. 2Corinthians:3:12-16
When we read the Old Testament without the Law (works) but through Who Jesus is, we see God’s Glory emerge from Scripture and see our Great God revealing Himself in and through Jesus His Son. Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John: 14:9. This was and is and will ways be what Jesus does for all eternity showing us Who the Great God is.
Peter Remembered
16" For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 He received honor and glory from
God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying,
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We
ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the
sacred mountain”2Peter:1:16-18
Peter remember seeing the Glory of God and the Voice
of the Father speaking from the cloud, attesting that it is Jesus Who is His
Son, in which we see God’s Glory.
Jesus
Alone
5 “While
he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered 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 face down 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”Matthew:17:5-8We are admonished by God Himself to hear what the Son says, to “Listen to Him” the three disciples hearing this fell on their faces. It is here prostrate in the position of worship that Jesus comes to them, and us, and touches. The disciples and us; we look up together and see Jesus alone, meaning He is all that they and we need.
Jesus speaks kindly to them and us “don’t be afraid” . We are not to fear, but rest in Him and His finished work on the cross and continuing revelation of Who the Great God is…
The Mount of Transfiguration is that High Place to which our Lord leads us; to that place were we come see God revealed in Jesus where we fall in worship and see that it is He and He alone that we need, we are free of the blinding veil of performance based religion, free to see God's Glory as He always meant us to see Him , we can rest in Christ with no fear in the Glory of His Son Jesus Christ. Amen
Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor
Fountain of Life Church
Washington, Pa
Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on RKP Radio 1710 & 1670 in Washington, Pa.
And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com
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