Most unwisely Peter put Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah. Don’t equate Jesus with anyone.
It is horrible to contemplate the possibility that we could be an offence, obstruction, hindrance to God. What am I talking about? How could that be possible? Listen to what Jesus said (Matthew 16:23) to Peter. You are an offence to Me. How? Because you base what you say on men’s opinions and not on God’s declared Word. Peter had temporarily joined Satan’s team and tried to come between Jesus and His Cross. What a warning to us not to be influenced by the world’s viewpoint but to stand steadfast on the authority of God’s Word. Peter needed to know what we desperately need to know.
WHO is Jesus?
Where can we find the revelation of this Truth?
The transfiguration is recorded by Matthew 17:1-9 and Mark 9:2-10 and Luke 9:27-36 and John 1:14. We beheld His glory.
Dr. David Jeremiah – “The Transfiguration is not a masquerade which changes only the outward appearance. Transfiguration transforms the outward appearance because of the true reality within. The blinding, brilliant light did not shine down from heaven upon Jesus. It came from within Him because of WHO He is. He is GOD in a body”.
I spent time on the mountain watching, listening, learning. I saw deeper than ever before into God’s revelation, holy intention and purpose for every detail and for His externally significant declaration. I’d like to share some of my discoveries with you. I can understand why the light came from within Jesus because in Him Colossians 2:9 dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. Although Jesus never used the power of Deity while on earth, He was, is and always will be fully GOD.
Come with me on a journey. Are you up to some mountain climbing? Jesus led them up on a high mountain and the climb was almost a day’s trek. The disciples were tired (Luke 9:32) and fell asleep.
I was shocked by the true answer to a question from Dr. Jeremiah. “How much time do we spend meditating on the most important event in the life of Jesus between His birth and His death? Or are we asleep?
Suddenly Moses and Elijah showed up and were in conversation with Jesus. About what? His death! Why? Dr. Jeremiah reminds us that Moses had been dead (Deuteronomy 34:5-6) for 1400 years and is a type of going to heaven through physical death. Elijah had been translated 900 years before (2 Kings 2:11) in a chariot of fire and is a type of going to heaven through the Rapture. As I listened to that amazing discussion, I realized that Moses and Elijah understood what the disciples must come to understand – that God so loved the world, the sin-cursed world, that He planned to redeem it through the sacrificial, atoning death of Jesus. They knew that without the death of Jesus, heaven would be closed to every human forever. I tried to absorb every detail of that marvellous discussion. Then Peter woke up and didn’t know what to say but he opened his mouth anyway. He said something both foolish and very dangerous and it brought an immediate reaction and declaration from God the Father. Most unwisely Peter put Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah. Suddenly a shining cloud of light overshadowed them and God’s voice thundered out of the cloud - - THIS is my beloved Son, not Moses, not Elijah or anyone else. Don’t you dare equate Jesus with anyone. Not surprisingly, when the cloud was gone, Moses and Elijah were gone with it. They finally saw Jesus only, and He outshines everyone and all others are shadows in comparison. Who or what fills your vision? Why did Jesus command them not to tell anyone? It is most unwise and confusing to speak of anything without full understanding. I’m very thankful for what I learned on the mountain and it won’t be my last trip.
Something is tugging strongly at my heart and compelling me to take all this glory of WHO Jesus was, is and always will be and connect it with Isaiah 53:5 “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are made whole.” Are we ever overwhelmed by what Moses and Elijah grasped as they talked with Jesus on the mountain? If Jesus had not been tortured, punished, crucified – we would never know peace. If His body had not been whipped, lashed, scourged, beaten, torn and bleeding, grossly swollen – we would never experience spiritual wholeness.
Spend some time – please – spend some time on the mountain with Jesus – maybe including the next time you take communion - - and continually deepen your knowledge of WHO Jesus is and your intimacy with Him.
Our lives are mostly spent in the valley of this broken world and it is our time on the mountain that prepares us to abide in Jesus no matter what.
The first recorded Words that God Spoke were (Genesis 1:3) “Let there be light” AND THERE WAS LIGHT! But – as Dr. Swindoll reminds us – the sun was not created (Genesis 1:19) until the fourth day. That Light was the (1 John 1:5) Shechinah glory of the very Presence of the Living God. That was the very same Light that shone from Jesus (Mark 9:2-3) on the Mount of Transfiguration.
As believers we are born anew (2Corinthians 5:17), new creations and therefore (Ephesians 5:8) children of light. We are indwelt by the risen Lord Jesus which means that the Light of the Shechinah glory is within us. The sun gets its light from God, the moon gets its light from the sun and we get our light from Jesus. Like the moon which has no light of its own but reflects the light of the sun, we also have no light of our own but like the moon we are mirrors to reflect (John 8:12) the Light of the world. People who are trapped (2 Corinthians 4:4) in spiritual darkness are all around us. We have the Light of God’s Presence within us only because (Titus 3:5) God by his mercy has saved us. Are we not responsible and accountable to let our light shine wherever we are?
If we are faithful to reflect the shining, our shining will bring hope to those who thought there was no hope.