WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:05.639 Well, if you're a parent of little girls like me, and I know many of you are, you are probably 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:10.200 well-versed in the world of Disney princesses. 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:17.460 In fact, Ashlyn and Harper both enjoy not only to watch the princess movies, but they 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:22.460 love to actually dress up and pretend to be those princesses really almost on a daily 00:00:22.460 --> 00:00:23.339 basis, right girls? 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:29.980 In fact, you wouldn't believe it, this week Julie and I were treated to a private presentation 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:35.980 of both the little mermaid and the princess and the frog, and it happened in our kitchen. 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:40.719 We were preparing dinner just the other night, Julie and I were, and all of a sudden we heard 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:45.799 music playing, and then comes around the corner as this song is playing a beautiful little 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:51.480 princess named Harper who had turned into the little mermaid, and she began to sing wanting 00:00:51.480 --> 00:00:54.480 to be part of your world, and then we thought it was over, and we got back to dinner, and 00:00:54.480 --> 00:00:58.420 all of a sudden another song begins to play, and don't ask me what that song was, I don't 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:03.320 remember it, but then all of a sudden we see Tiana come around the corner, and this time 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:07.960 it's Ashlyn that has been transfigured into Tiana, and Tiana comes in and sings this song, 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:08.960 and it's just fun, right? 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:09.400 It's fun. 00:01:09.460 --> 00:01:10.140 You know what that's like. 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:12.900 You've done that with your kids, and of course they enjoy to do that. 00:01:12.900 --> 00:01:16.580 We enjoy to have a taste of what their imaginations are. 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:20.100 Their characters that are their favorite are constantly changing. 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:24.340 In fact, you never really know what answer you're going to get when you ask them that, 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:28.100 but if you were to ask Ashlyn that today, what would you say, Ashlyn? 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:29.300 Belle. 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:31.540 And I'm glad that you said that because that's what's in my notes. 00:01:33.360 --> 00:01:35.360 Right now she says that Belle is her favorite. 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:41.120 Of course, Belle is from Beauty and the Beast, and if you've seen the most recent live action 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:46.500 remake of Beauty and the Beast, then you will remember that in the opening scene of the movie, 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:53.359 it tells a story that illustrates what happened to the prince that became a beast. 00:01:54.020 --> 00:01:57.320 And if you remember the way the story went, he was hosting a party. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:02.540 He was very arrogant, and he was hosting this party with all the people, and a beggar woman 00:02:02.540 --> 00:02:10.000 came to the castle and intruded into the party and offered the prince a single rose. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:16.699 And instead of humbly and graciously receiving the rose, the prince mocked her and dismissed 00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:21.039 her in that moment, and she warned him in the process of that, be careful because looks 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:22.080 can be deceiving. 00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:27.319 And then, of course, he continues to laugh and to mock and continuing to dismiss her. 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:34.180 And then suddenly, this beggar woman transforms into what the movie would tell you is a beautifully 00:02:34.180 --> 00:02:38.560 shining enchantress, which is really just another word for a witch. 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:43.960 And she becomes a witch, and she then curses the prince, and he becomes a beast. 00:02:44.259 --> 00:02:49.539 In Mark chapter 9, there is a similar transformation that takes place. 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:56.860 Just as in that fictional party in the movie, this once beggar woman transforms into something 00:02:56.860 --> 00:03:02.219 that they had never seen before, something much brighter, shining, but more powerful than 00:03:02.219 --> 00:03:02.740 what they had seen. 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:07.900 We get to this particular passage, and we see something happening with Jesus much the same 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:08.340 way. 00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:13.540 The disciples had seen him in one form up to this point, and then all of a sudden, he is 00:03:13.540 --> 00:03:19.879 transforming and transfigured into something like they had never seen before. 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:30.539 But of course, unlike Beauty and the Beast, the transfiguration of Jesus is not a fairy tale that is meant 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:31.960 to entertain us. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:43.620 It is in a historical event that proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Messiah 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:46.060 that has come to save us from our sin. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:54.980 And maybe if I can, after just saying all of that as a precursor to this statement, all the things that my 00:03:54.980 --> 00:04:05.140 family enjoys together, can I just say that as parents, we would be wise to consider what we're actually 00:04:05.139 --> 00:04:10.839 encouraging our children in their young age to believe in as truth. 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:16.860 Because at some point, they're going to figure out these fictional stories, these other things are not 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:17.759 actually truth. 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:18.779 It's not real. 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:24.120 And when we take the things that are not real and encourage them to believe them as truth, and then we 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:30.599 take the Bible that is very much real, and it is absolute truth, what are they going to think when they get to a 00:04:30.599 --> 00:04:34.659 fantastic story like this and say, well, that could never happen, just like it could have never actually 00:04:34.660 --> 00:04:36.040 happened that way in the beauty of the beast. 00:04:36.080 --> 00:04:36.820 That would never happen. 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:38.420 Surely Jesus didn't do that either. 00:04:39.580 --> 00:04:46.260 We need to constantly affirm with our kids the reality of what is fiction and what is not, and the 00:04:46.260 --> 00:04:52.180 Bible is not fiction, and we need to prepare them so that when the day comes that their faith is tested 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:56.760 and they are questioning these things, they have clearly been taught that there is a difference between 00:04:56.760 --> 00:04:58.280 beauty and the beast and the Bible. 00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:01.300 And we need to be careful about that. 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:07.780 And you may find yourself skeptically approaching this passage, maybe considering it to be a 00:05:07.780 --> 00:05:17.020 fabrication or a myth, but would warn you not to dismiss God's word as if it's fiction for a number of 00:05:17.020 --> 00:05:23.780 reasons, but one is the record of the supernatural and the unexplainable is not a sufficient ground to 00:05:23.780 --> 00:05:25.139 deny the truth of the Bible. 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:31.300 Just because you can't comprehend it doesn't mean it's not true. 00:05:32.819 --> 00:05:40.419 Neither are the gospels the product of a man's imagination, but they're the eyewitness accounts of 00:05:40.419 --> 00:05:46.939 real historical people that were really with Jesus when this took place, and they wrote it down so that 00:05:46.939 --> 00:05:53.379 we may know, so that we may have this witness of who Jesus is and understand his gospel in a more 00:05:53.379 --> 00:06:01.540 profound way. This is not the work of fiction. This is not a myth. And we need to make sure 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:09.740 that when we come to God's word, we are constantly affirming the inerrancy and the sufficiency of God's 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:16.240 word. Peter later wrote about this account in 2 Peter chapter 1. Here's what he said. 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:23.040 We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:30.360 Jesus, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:36.660 Father, and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory, this is my beloved son with whom I am well 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:43.439 pleased. We ourselves heard the voice born from heaven. We were with him on the holy mountain. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:49.540 This is not a myth. And Paul, or Peter, excuse me, you can tell just on that statement, 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:53.980 beyond the resurrection of Christ, this was a massive part of his preaching. 00:06:54.740 --> 00:07:00.279 As he went through preaching that Jesus is the Savior, that he is the Messiah, and he's the Son of 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:07.000 God, this had to have been a part of it because later on, he's addressing here in this passage the 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:11.899 skeptics that maybe denied what he was saying. He said, look, I wouldn't tell new stories. I was there. 00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:18.839 I heard the voice. I saw the glory. We were with him on the mountain. This really happened, and it's 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:25.039 proof of who he is. We say, well, how can we know that Peter's not lying? Well, we have to trust the 00:07:25.039 --> 00:07:35.459 word of God because the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will endure forever. 00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:42.159 Remember, this is the word of God. It's not a collection of fairy tales. It's the word of God 00:07:42.159 --> 00:07:48.079 that testifies even of itself that it is inerrant, and that it is infallible, and that it is our 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:53.679 sufficient guide for all things in faith and practice in our life. That's what the scripture is. 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:59.620 It is the two-edged sword that pierces to the dividing of sunder of soul and spirit, and it 00:07:59.620 --> 00:08:06.920 discerns the thoughts and intents of our hearts. That's what this book is. It testifies of who God 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:14.560 is. It tells us the story of redemption as he has sent his only son to bear our sins on the cross in 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:20.399 order that we may be given life. It is the perfect word of God, and we need to come to every passage 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:24.740 despite the fact that we may not always be able to comprehend exactly what's happening, 00:08:24.740 --> 00:08:35.200 and trust that it is God's truth. A transfiguration of Jesus is a significant moment that's contextually 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:41.659 linked to the events of chapter 8 that we've just finished studying, and it's meant to be understood 00:08:41.659 --> 00:08:48.399 in light of what Jesus had just revealed to his disciples in chapter 8 about his identity as the 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:56.600 Messiah, his messianic mission of suffering, execution, and resurrection, and then also their call to follow 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:04.100 him as faithful disciples. And all three of those elements are evident in this story of the transfiguration 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:12.019 and the subsequent discussion as they come off the mountain. Now, if you have a Bible whose layout is 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:19.840 in paragraph format, you'll notice that the actual transfiguration paragraph doesn't begin until verse 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:28.679 2, because verse 1 is actually the conclusion of Jesus's teaching in verse in chapter 8. Look at it 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:34.319 with me in verse 1. And he said to them, truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not 00:09:34.319 --> 00:09:42.000 taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. Now, as Alistair Begg says, 00:09:42.019 --> 00:09:48.639 this is one of those verses that can derail your home Bible study group in a hurry. And you know what 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:53.720 I mean by that. You decide that you're going to come and you're going to study all of Mark chapter 9, 00:09:53.860 --> 00:09:58.039 but you don't really get past verse 1 because everybody has to try to figure out what did Jesus 00:09:58.039 --> 00:10:04.600 mean when he said that some of those people wouldn't die before they see the kingdom. What is that all about? 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:11.259 And of course, all sorts of explanations have been given for that, and there probably are maybe even 00:10:11.259 --> 00:10:16.819 varying opinions in the room present today. Some have said that this is a reference to the resurrection, 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:21.919 and it could be a reference to the crucifixion and resurrection. Some have said this could be a 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:29.279 reference to Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and empowered the apostles and the believers there. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:36.960 Some have said this must be a reference to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, that 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:43.440 perhaps Jesus returned as a form of judgment on the temple at that time. There are those 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:47.759 who believe that. There's lots of things that we could think through in regards to this, but there 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:51.860 is one that I think would be helpful for us to dismiss in our time this morning. 00:10:51.860 --> 00:10:59.860 In verse 38 of chapter 8, at the end of his call to discipleship, what was it that Jesus said? 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:06.940 He basically said, I'm coming back. The Son of Man will return, and whoever has been ashamed of the 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:13.180 gospel now, he will be ashamed of him in the judgment. And so he's speaking of that second coming, 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:15.480 the return of Christ when he will judge the earth. 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:24.879 Okay? Now, it cannot be that Jesus is referring to that second coming in chapter 9 and verse 1, 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:31.740 and here's why. Jesus has not yet returned, and all of the people that were present in this moment 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:38.379 have been dead for two millennia. Okay? It can't be that. And to suggest otherwise means that we have 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:45.100 to invent an event that has never been spoken of in the Bible. We have to say that there must have 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:48.759 been another time that Jesus came back that he just didn't bother to tell the church about, 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:53.480 that he didn't bother to tell the apostles about. It can't be that. So when you're reading through 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:58.240 in your studies in the gospel of Mark or in Matthew and Luke as well, and you come to this statement, 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:04.300 and you stop for a second, and you think, did I miss it? Did I miss the coming? You haven't missed 00:12:04.300 --> 00:12:08.779 the coming. Jesus hasn't returned. That's not what he's referring to here. Okay? He's not referring 00:12:08.779 --> 00:12:15.240 to the second coming. So what is he referring to? Well, when we consider the lifespan of these people, 00:12:15.659 --> 00:12:22.379 there are a few reasonable conclusions that we can draw. We're not going to draw those conclusions 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:28.079 because pinpointing the exact event is not the purpose of Jesus' statement here. 00:12:30.319 --> 00:12:35.360 His point in making this statement in verse number 1 was not so that we would have these discussions to 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:40.639 try to pinpoint an exact event of when this was happening. And if we get so distracted by trying 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:44.360 to figure all of that out, we're going to miss the point of why he made the statement to begin with. 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:51.240 He's saying this in order that we might know that there is a future event that some of those people 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:57.560 will experience that will prove his messiahship and the fact that he is the son of God. That's the 00:12:57.560 --> 00:13:02.420 point. Something is coming. It doesn't matter what it is, but it's coming, and it's going to be a 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:07.620 proof to some of the people that are standing here so that they may take my gospel and proclaim it to 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:12.740 the rest of the world so that you might believe in who I am. That's the point. That's the point. 00:13:15.579 --> 00:13:22.179 He is the son of man from Daniel 7. He will return to judge the earth. And so he makes this statement 00:13:22.179 --> 00:13:33.639 as a way of presenting urgency, urgency to the call of the crowd that they would take serious his call to follow him 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:36.219 because he is indeed coming back. 00:13:37.979 --> 00:13:42.039 Well, Matthew 17 and Luke 9 also record this story of the transfiguration. 00:13:43.219 --> 00:13:46.399 All three insert this statement in the same sequence. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:50.620 It follows the same discussion, the same call to discipleship. 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:55.639 There's always a note of timing, and it always goes right into the mountain of the transfiguration. 00:13:56.139 --> 00:13:58.860 The gospels don't always follow a chronological order, 00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:01.860 but this is a case where all of them do. 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:07.319 In this particular instance, every recording of it includes this sequence. 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.519 So it seems clear to me that the gospel authors 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:15.159 considered Jesus to be referring to the transfiguration itself. 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:23.259 So Jesus intended then that this event be a witness of who he is 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:27.919 and what he came to do in making an atonement for our sins. 00:14:29.219 --> 00:14:34.639 And so in this one event, we see a summary of Mark's purpose. 00:14:35.199 --> 00:14:36.360 And what is Mark's purpose? 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:41.399 To proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and the Son of God 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:46.120 and therefore persuade us to believe in him and follow him as faithful disciples. 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.039 We're going to divide it into three portions. 00:14:48.199 --> 00:14:51.759 What they saw, what they heard, and then what they asked. 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:54.620 We're only going to get through what they saw this morning, okay? 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:57.699 We'll cover the other two next Sunday, Lord willing, okay? 00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:58.980 Would you look with me at verse two? 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:05.019 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John 00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:08.659 and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:13.980 Now, Mark otherwise is never really concerned with notes of timing 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:17.500 in regards to the various events of Jesus's life. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.500 When we get to the timing of the resurrection, 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:23.060 of course, all of the gospels are clear about that. 00:15:23.300 --> 00:15:27.019 But Mark's gospel is written in such a way that there's constant movement. 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:30.079 He's constantly pushing the story forward. 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:36.299 So it's very unusual for him to actually notate a specific time frame as he does here. 00:15:36.379 --> 00:15:39.159 So I think it should give us pause to at least consider why. 00:15:40.039 --> 00:15:45.559 And perhaps it's just a literary dynamic here of connecting the two stories. 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:47.319 I think that's probably what it is. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:52.079 He doesn't want the reader to consider this moment of transfiguration 00:15:52.079 --> 00:15:55.939 apart from what Jesus has just previously written. 00:15:55.940 --> 00:16:01.840 And so he writes in this time frame here that connects the previous story to this story 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:04.300 as all of the gospels do. 00:16:04.800 --> 00:16:08.920 Now that Jesus had taught them about his identity and purpose, 00:16:08.920 --> 00:16:12.780 he was taking a few of the disciples on a bit of a field trip 00:16:12.780 --> 00:16:16.620 to demonstrate what it was that he was then teaching them. 00:16:17.400 --> 00:16:18.900 Jesus didn't take all the disciples. 00:16:19.040 --> 00:16:22.800 Instead, we're told that he took Peter and James and John. 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:26.479 They were the only ones who would accompany him on this trip up the mountain. 00:16:27.199 --> 00:16:28.740 And that's not exactly unusual. 00:16:28.979 --> 00:16:35.439 There's several instances in the scriptures where Jesus took these three men apart from the other disciples 00:16:35.439 --> 00:16:42.039 to places and through experiences that the others did not experience along with them. 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:46.000 Many people have referred to them as Jesus's inner circle. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:50.620 I don't know if that's the best language for us to use when describing their relationship, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:54.120 but it's clear that they had a leadership role amongst the 12. 00:16:55.279 --> 00:17:00.139 These were probably the men that the others relied on, that they followed, that they listened to. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:01.460 Maybe that was age. 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:04.660 Maybe it was just a matter of how the relationships were built, 00:17:04.779 --> 00:17:08.779 but they clearly had a role to play in leading the other disciples. 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:14.099 It was going to be their responsibility after coming down from the mountain after the resurrection 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:19.099 to communicate to the other disciples what they were about to witness. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:25.940 The setting of what's happening here is most likely Mount Hermon or Hermon, 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:27.559 however you is right to say it. 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:28.059 I'm not sure. 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:29.960 So I'm just going to say it different ways. 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:34.399 This mountain is located in the district of Caesarea Philippi. 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:37.960 That's where Jesus has just had this previous interaction and lesson, 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:41.180 and it's the highest mountain peak in Palestine. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.880 Some 9,000 feet above sea level is where they would have climbed, 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:50.600 or at least potentially climbed, in order to go to this moment of prayer. 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:53.560 The hike would have taken most of the day, 00:17:54.080 --> 00:17:59.560 which explains why Luke also says that the three disciples were heavy with sleep 00:17:59.560 --> 00:18:02.060 as Jesus continued in his prayer. 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:06.899 And what they woke up to was something that they would not soon forget. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.519 So look with me again at verse 2. 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:11.679 As they were sleeping, they were woke up to this, 00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:13.940 and he was transfigured before them. 00:18:14.919 --> 00:18:17.819 His clothes became radiant, intensely white, 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.379 as no one on earth could bleach them. 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:29.519 It seems to me that Mark's way of conveying this story seems understated, right? 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:32.779 In fact, it would be so easy to read through this passage 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:40.500 and really miss the phenomenal experience that the disciples were going through. 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.559 Because all he says is, 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:45.319 and he was transfigured before them, and he talks about his clothes. 00:18:45.379 --> 00:18:46.099 That's all he really says. 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:47.700 It seems understated, doesn't it? 00:18:47.779 --> 00:18:49.279 But think for just a moment. 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:51.359 What is happening here? 00:18:52.139 --> 00:18:53.400 He's transforming. 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:56.940 His clothes, Mark says. 00:18:57.019 --> 00:18:58.660 This is the only way he knew to describe it. 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:00.700 His clothes became radiant. 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:01.759 They were shining. 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:05.640 They were exceedingly white and bright, 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:08.660 so much that no launderer in all of the earth 00:19:08.660 --> 00:19:11.759 could ever bleach a garment to be as white and as shining 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:16.240 and as bright as Jesus' clothing was in this moment. 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:18.819 And then Matthew and Luke added in a note 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:21.799 that it wasn't just Jesus' clothing that was transformed. 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.579 It was his face even. 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:25.880 He says his face was changed. 00:19:26.120 --> 00:19:27.980 And in the process of his face being changed, 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:29.319 it was like the sun. 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:30.160 It was beaming. 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:31.120 It was radiant. 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:34.839 They were witnessing something unlike anything they had ever dreamed before. 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:38.940 They didn't quite understand it. 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:43.160 The three disciples were witnessing Jesus 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:49.940 in the glorified state in which he had existed before his incarnation. 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:52.279 That's what's happening here. 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:56.539 They're seeing Jesus as he has always been, 00:19:56.980 --> 00:20:01.860 not just in the way that they had seen him for the last three years 00:20:01.860 --> 00:20:02.860 or two and a half years. 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:03.779 Let me explain. 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:08.200 Do you remember studying metamorphosis in elementary school? 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.900 If some of you kids have maybe learned that, 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:11.980 you're learning it right now. 00:20:12.600 --> 00:20:17.580 Maybe you or your teacher had a container of caterpillars in your classroom 00:20:17.580 --> 00:20:19.840 and you, over the course of the school year, 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:23.519 were able to witness the process of metamorphosis take place 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:26.080 where a caterpillar creates a cocoon 00:20:26.080 --> 00:20:29.120 and crawls into the cocoon. 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:31.860 And after a matter of time, the cocoon opens up. 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:33.759 And what emerges from the cocoon? 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:37.100 A beautiful butterfly, right? 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:41.359 A beautiful, maybe a moth, but maybe a beautiful butterfly, right? 00:20:41.879 --> 00:20:43.639 And so you know what this is. 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:48.259 Metamorphosis, the word we get metamorphosis from, 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:52.399 is the same word that Mark is using here when he says transfigured. 00:20:53.299 --> 00:20:54.939 It means transformed. 00:20:55.119 --> 00:21:01.779 It means to actually change shape just like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:04.740 And it's only used a couple of other times in the Bible 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:07.799 outside of the gospel's accounts of the transfiguration. 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:11.519 Paul used it in Romans 12 and verse 2. 00:21:11.619 --> 00:21:12.660 You remember that passage? 00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:17.139 Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. 00:21:17.379 --> 00:21:20.599 And then he uses it again in 1 Corinthians 3.18. 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:27.819 And in both of these cases, Paul is describing the transformation of a person's life 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:30.319 after they come to faith in Christ. 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:34.679 That salvation produces in us a transformation. 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:38.599 So that when individuals come to faith in Jesus Christ, 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:40.719 he does not make them better. 00:21:41.139 --> 00:21:42.939 He makes them new. 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:49.680 In fact, the Bible uses that language that in Christ, we are a new creation. 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:53.700 And that's what Paul had in mind when he was using this term 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:57.519 in Romans chapter 12 and 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 00:21:57.900 --> 00:22:02.240 Now, the difference between the transformation of a believer 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:03.600 when they come to faith in Christ, 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:06.620 that sanctifying transformation, becoming new in Christ, 00:22:06.759 --> 00:22:09.600 there's a difference between what happens to a believer 00:22:09.600 --> 00:22:12.880 and what was happening to Jesus in this moment. 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:17.340 Jesus wasn't transforming into something new. 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:19.400 That's not what's happening. 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:24.759 I think particularly the translators of the gospels have intentionally said 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:29.539 transfigured as opposed to transformed to insinuate this truth. 00:22:29.539 --> 00:22:32.140 That he was not becoming something new, 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:37.759 but what he always was had been momentarily revealed. 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:45.779 That this pre-human glory of Christ was temporarily unveiled 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:49.019 and revealed to these disciples on the mountain. 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:52.460 It wasn't that he was transformed into something that he had never been before. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:56.519 It's what he had always been was now finally being seen by these other men. 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:59.099 It was a glimpse of his glory. 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:05.959 And in that, we understand that Jesus was not a man that became a God, 00:23:05.959 --> 00:23:11.219 but he is the God who became a man. 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:14.279 And it reminds me of Philippians chapter 2. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:16.579 We've studied that before as a church. 00:23:16.899 --> 00:23:20.619 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:23.799 who though he was in the form of God, 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:27.339 form meaning the very essence and nature of who he is, 00:23:27.399 --> 00:23:30.219 the unchanging quality of who Christ is, 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:31.839 though he was in the form of God, 00:23:31.959 --> 00:23:34.539 did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:39.359 but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:42.299 being born in the likeness of men. 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:48.539 The miracle of the incarnation is that God became a man, 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:53.579 but in doing this, he never ceased to be God. 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:56.319 When Paul says he emptied himself, 00:23:56.419 --> 00:23:58.940 he didn't mean that he emptied himself of his deity. 00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:02.240 He means that he emptied himself of the glory, 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:05.779 the demonstration, the manifestation of glory 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:09.680 that is inherently his as the second person of the Trinity. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:14.080 In his deity, this is how Jesus had existed before his incarnation. 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:18.240 But in the incarnation, that glory was veiled. 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:22.480 It was covered by his humanity. 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:25.840 And for just a moment on this mountain, 00:24:26.560 --> 00:24:30.840 Peter, James, and John were witnessing Jesus 00:24:30.840 --> 00:24:33.940 in his pre-human glory. 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:36.660 So he's not becoming new. 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:38.779 He's just being revealed. 00:24:40.420 --> 00:24:44.380 John, one of the other apostles here on the mountain, 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:47.259 in his gospel, in John chapter one, 00:24:47.340 --> 00:24:49.180 he wrote about the incarnation of Jesus. 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:52.240 And in the process of that, he alludes to this moment. 00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:53.840 Let me read it to you. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:56.779 In John chapter one, I'm gonna read the first five verses 00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:57.820 and then verse 14. 00:24:58.039 --> 00:24:59.039 Here's what John says. 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:01.700 In the beginning was the word, that's Jesus, 00:25:02.100 --> 00:25:03.700 and the word was with God, 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:06.420 and the word was God. 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:08.559 He was in the beginning with God. 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:11.000 All things were made through him, 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:14.440 and without him was not anything made that was made. 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:17.620 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:19.559 The light shines in darkness, 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:21.720 and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:25:21.980 --> 00:25:23.920 So John says, Jesus is God. 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:24.740 He's always been God. 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:25.559 He's the creator. 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:28.400 And we get all of the things that Jesus was before his incarnation. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:31.000 And then in verse 14, here's what John says. 00:25:31.840 --> 00:25:37.280 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:41.900 And then he says, and we have seen his glory. 00:25:42.780 --> 00:25:45.800 Glory as of the only son from the father, 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:47.080 full of grace and truth. 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:49.140 What does John mean by we have seen his glory? 00:25:50.040 --> 00:25:53.320 Well, you couldn't see Jesus's glory in his regular human form 00:25:53.320 --> 00:25:56.420 because Isaiah 53 said that he would come 00:25:56.420 --> 00:25:57.460 and nobody would even notice 00:25:57.460 --> 00:26:00.400 that they would actually be despised by his appearance. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:03.200 But John's referring to the mountaintop experience 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.120 when he sees literally the glory of Christ. 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:08.759 We have seen his glory. 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:11.460 So after spending three years with Jesus, 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:13.600 witnessing his divine power, 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:15.740 listening to everything that he taught, 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:19.880 John concluded that Jesus is nothing less 00:26:19.880 --> 00:26:22.940 than the eternal God who became a man 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:25.299 in order to save us from our sins. 00:26:25.299 --> 00:26:29.279 And how was it that John was so confident for this to be true? 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:32.779 Because on the mountain, when Jesus was transfigured, 00:26:32.919 --> 00:26:35.399 he witnessed the divine glory of the Lord. 00:26:35.639 --> 00:26:37.619 We have seen his glory. 00:26:38.399 --> 00:26:41.759 So that Jesus's purpose in taking these three men up 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:45.460 was fulfilled in the writing of John and of Peter both. 00:26:46.159 --> 00:26:47.720 Because both of them said, 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:48.839 we have seen him, 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:51.960 therefore believe him and follow him. 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:54.579 That's the purpose of the transfiguration. 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:56.539 Alistair Begg said, 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:58.759 Christ became what he was not, 00:26:59.319 --> 00:27:00.539 namely man, 00:27:00.940 --> 00:27:03.779 without ever ceasing to be what he was, 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:05.579 namely God. 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:08.960 So the glory of God is not obliterated, 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:10.160 but it is veiled. 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:13.880 And so what we have in this description 00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:16.580 is a little pulling back of the curtain, 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:18.040 a little inkling, 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:19.440 a little seed, 00:27:19.779 --> 00:27:20.700 a little moment, 00:27:20.800 --> 00:27:21.680 a little flash, 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:22.580 as it were, 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:23.759 up into the sky 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:25.460 and on the mountainside 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:27.980 and into the consciousness of these disciples. 00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:30.460 What Calvin refers to as 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:34.320 a temporary exhibition of his glory. 00:27:34.840 --> 00:27:36.960 A temporary exhibition of his glory. 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:38.540 Verse four. 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:41.799 And there appeared to them, 00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:44.039 Elijah with Moses, 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:46.700 and they were talking with Jesus. 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.960 This is wild enough as it is. 00:27:54.379 --> 00:27:55.960 They've just woken up 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:57.460 after a hike up the mountain. 00:27:57.599 --> 00:27:58.579 They're probably cold. 00:27:59.500 --> 00:28:01.500 And Jesus has been transfigured. 00:28:01.559 --> 00:28:02.240 And then all of a sudden, 00:28:02.299 --> 00:28:03.379 as they're gazing on Jesus, 00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:05.279 trying to figure out exactly what is happening, 00:28:05.420 --> 00:28:06.599 is this a dream? 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:09.419 And as they become more and more awake 00:28:09.419 --> 00:28:11.679 and they're realizing what is happening in this moment, 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:12.639 they look up, 00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:13.599 and now all of a sudden, 00:28:13.679 --> 00:28:14.639 Jesus isn't alone. 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:16.939 The four have become six. 00:28:17.679 --> 00:28:19.919 There's two other men with Jesus, 00:28:19.919 --> 00:28:23.959 and we're told that it is Moses and Elijah, 00:28:24.639 --> 00:28:26.859 two dominant figures from the Old Testament. 00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:32.459 How they knew that this was Moses and Elijah were not told. 00:28:33.439 --> 00:28:35.799 Perhaps in this moment of revelation, 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:38.779 all things God saw fit to make known, 00:28:38.859 --> 00:28:42.359 and they were just aware of it in some supernatural way. 00:28:43.699 --> 00:28:44.579 Perhaps Jesus, 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:46.159 as they were awakened, 00:28:46.699 --> 00:28:49.219 had a moment of greeting to introduce them. 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:50.859 Can you imagine what this would have been like? 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:54.039 Moses and Elijah weren't fairy tales. 00:28:54.139 --> 00:28:55.439 They were real historical figures. 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:56.959 They were heroes to the Jews. 00:28:58.259 --> 00:29:00.099 These men had grown up their whole lives 00:29:00.099 --> 00:29:01.979 hearing of how Moses had delivered 00:29:01.979 --> 00:29:04.879 the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. 00:29:05.179 --> 00:29:07.319 They had listened to and read about 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:09.259 and understood the stories of Elijah 00:29:09.259 --> 00:29:11.399 and the miracles that God performed through him. 00:29:12.159 --> 00:29:13.979 They had heard all the stories 00:29:13.979 --> 00:29:16.439 of how he had opposed Ahab and Jezebel 00:29:16.439 --> 00:29:17.439 and how he got on the run. 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:18.339 They'd heard all the stuff. 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:20.619 These were heroes of their faith. 00:29:21.399 --> 00:29:23.480 Real historical figures for the Jews. 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:24.659 And now all of a sudden, 00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:26.500 Jesus is transfigured, 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:27.199 and now he's saying, 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:30.240 hey guys, I want you to meet Moses and Elijah. 00:29:30.659 --> 00:29:32.599 No wonder Mark says they were terrified. 00:29:33.179 --> 00:29:35.079 Who wouldn't be terrified in this moment? 00:29:35.639 --> 00:29:36.659 Well, what's this all about? 00:29:36.740 --> 00:29:38.119 We have to now ask this question. 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:40.579 Why are Moses and Elijah there? 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:43.299 And if somebody was gonna be there 00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:44.519 with Jesus in this moment, 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:47.659 why does it have to be Moses and Elijah? 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:50.440 Elijah, and it's important for us to understand this, okay? 00:29:51.320 --> 00:29:53.700 Remember, this whole event 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:56.820 is about uniquely revealing to the disciples 00:29:56.820 --> 00:29:58.960 what Jesus had just taught them 00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:01.860 about his identity and about his purpose. 00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:04.380 And there's two things worth noting 00:30:04.380 --> 00:30:06.060 about the presence of Moses and Elijah. 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:07.400 The first one is this. 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:09.340 Consider for just a moment, 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:13.860 what was the Jewish custom for establishing a fact? 00:30:13.859 --> 00:30:18.139 It necessitated two or three witnesses at least. 00:30:19.219 --> 00:30:21.279 For something to be established as a fact, 00:30:21.459 --> 00:30:23.419 for an accusation to be brought, 00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:27.599 for something legal to actually transact, 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:31.179 it required at least two or three witnesses. 00:30:32.179 --> 00:30:33.879 Jesus teaches this over and over. 00:30:33.959 --> 00:30:36.099 In Matthew 18, when he's talking about church discipline, 00:30:36.199 --> 00:30:38.119 he says, where two or three are gathered in my name, 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:39.379 there I am in the midst of them. 00:30:39.380 --> 00:30:41.440 In other words, where there are two or three witnesses 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:42.980 and that are thinking biblically 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:44.420 and living in the spirit, 00:30:44.660 --> 00:30:46.040 there I am to direct them 00:30:46.040 --> 00:30:48.000 in this process of church discipline. 00:30:48.620 --> 00:30:49.800 This is what he means by that. 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:51.920 It establishes a fact. 00:30:52.100 --> 00:30:53.520 Now think about this for just a moment. 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:55.840 The presence of Moses and Elijah 00:30:55.840 --> 00:30:58.040 are establishing a fact. 00:30:58.460 --> 00:31:01.480 They're establishing a witness about Jesus. 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:03.800 Maybe this is the reason Jesus took 00:31:03.800 --> 00:31:05.880 three disciples with him on the mountain. 00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:08.780 It established a fact that they could then proclaim 00:31:08.780 --> 00:31:10.140 to others later. 00:31:11.160 --> 00:31:13.920 Moses and Elijah stood as two formal witnesses 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:17.300 of Jesus's identity and purpose. 00:31:18.040 --> 00:31:20.600 But how can we know that this is the purpose 00:31:20.600 --> 00:31:21.400 of them appearing? 00:31:22.080 --> 00:31:23.400 That brings me to my second note, 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:25.180 at least that I've made, and it's this. 00:31:26.280 --> 00:31:29.920 Moses and Elijah were representative heads 00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:31.680 of the law and the prophets. 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:33.980 Do you know what I mean by that? 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:37.019 The law and the prophets were two divisions 00:31:37.019 --> 00:31:39.519 of the Old Testament that the Jews regarded 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:40.200 of the scriptures. 00:31:41.120 --> 00:31:43.700 The law represented by Moses 00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:46.140 was the first five books, the law. 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:48.480 Maybe it was shuffled in some different ways 00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:49.200 by different people, 00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:51.180 but normally we would think the first five books. 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:53.380 The Pentateuch, that's the law. 00:31:54.420 --> 00:31:57.039 Moses wrote the law given to him by God. 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:59.339 He is the representative head of the law. 00:32:00.299 --> 00:32:02.599 Elijah then becomes the representative head, 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:04.439 at least in this moment, of the prophets, 00:32:04.619 --> 00:32:05.919 which is the rest of the Old Testament. 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:07.579 Sometimes there was a third division 00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:08.980 where the Psalms would be placed, 00:32:09.099 --> 00:32:11.740 but it's perfectly fine to include the Psalms 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:14.480 with the prophets because they often prophesy 00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:15.480 of the coming Christ. 00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:18.679 And so we see the law and the prophets, two witnesses. 00:32:19.219 --> 00:32:20.480 And what are these two witnesses, 00:32:20.639 --> 00:32:21.839 the law and the prophets doing? 00:32:22.299 --> 00:32:24.899 They are witnessing to who Jesus is. 00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:27.459 They are witnessing to what he will do. 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:30.340 They are witnessing to the gospel. 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:33.860 And though this appearance was literally taking place, 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:36.759 the presence of Moses and Elijah was symbolic 00:32:36.759 --> 00:32:40.220 of the fact that all of the Old Testament 00:32:40.220 --> 00:32:44.100 witnessed that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah. 00:32:45.059 --> 00:32:46.019 Or do you see the importance? 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:47.059 Am I making sense here? 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:48.079 Do you get it? 00:32:48.779 --> 00:32:50.620 Why is Moses and Elijah there? 00:32:51.340 --> 00:32:54.160 Because the law and the prophets speak of Jesus. 00:32:54.160 --> 00:32:56.259 They speak of Jesus. 00:32:56.500 --> 00:32:58.100 And here in a visible form, 00:32:58.180 --> 00:32:59.560 these three disciples are seeing 00:32:59.560 --> 00:33:00.800 after everything they've heard. 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:02.840 Remember, they didn't wanna buy 00:33:02.840 --> 00:33:04.500 what Jesus was saying about his purpose. 00:33:04.600 --> 00:33:05.600 They didn't wanna accept that. 00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:07.480 And now they're seeing in a visible way, 00:33:07.820 --> 00:33:09.340 two witnesses to the things 00:33:09.340 --> 00:33:10.860 that Jesus has been telling us. 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:13.680 All of the scripture testify to him. 00:33:13.820 --> 00:33:15.460 They testify to his suffering. 00:33:15.620 --> 00:33:17.120 They testify to his death. 00:33:17.120 --> 00:33:18.860 They testify to his resurrection. 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:21.259 All of the scriptures speak of him. 00:33:21.340 --> 00:33:23.060 That's why Moses and Elijah are there. 00:33:23.059 --> 00:33:26.619 Remember, Jesus himself says this in Luke 24 00:33:26.619 --> 00:33:27.619 after his resurrection. 00:33:28.339 --> 00:33:30.519 You remember Jesus appears to the two disciples 00:33:30.519 --> 00:33:31.559 on the Emmaus road. 00:33:31.659 --> 00:33:32.240 Do you remember that? 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:33.960 And they're discouraged. 00:33:34.220 --> 00:33:35.059 They're leaving Jerusalem 00:33:35.059 --> 00:33:36.539 and they're headed home to Emmaus 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:38.259 and someone comes alongside him 00:33:38.259 --> 00:33:39.079 and begins to talk. 00:33:39.259 --> 00:33:40.480 They don't realize it's Jesus. 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:44.399 He is veiled in some way in that moment 00:33:44.399 --> 00:33:46.240 where they couldn't understand that it was him. 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:47.819 And he says, what's wrong with you? 00:33:48.119 --> 00:33:50.059 And they said, are you a stranger to Jerusalem? 00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:51.599 Do you not know what has taken place 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:53.019 in the last couple of days 00:33:53.019 --> 00:33:53.899 and now his body's gone? 00:33:53.919 --> 00:33:54.519 We have no idea. 00:33:54.619 --> 00:33:55.439 Somebody stole him. 00:33:56.439 --> 00:33:58.959 And Jesus says, Luke 24, 00:33:59.959 --> 00:34:03.619 oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe 00:34:03.619 --> 00:34:05.859 all that the prophets have spoken. 00:34:06.659 --> 00:34:08.639 Was it not necessary that the Christ 00:34:08.639 --> 00:34:09.659 should suffer these things 00:34:09.659 --> 00:34:10.719 and enter into his glory? 00:34:11.159 --> 00:34:12.279 And here's what Jesus did. 00:34:13.039 --> 00:34:14.579 And beginning with Moses 00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:16.659 and all the prophets, 00:34:16.980 --> 00:34:18.699 he interpreted to them 00:34:18.699 --> 00:34:19.980 in all the scriptures, 00:34:20.379 --> 00:34:23.000 the things concerning himself, 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:24.119 himself. 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:27.679 Jesus, what would it have been like 00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:28.559 to have been on that road, 00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:29.859 to be in that conversation, 00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:31.719 to have Jesus himself 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:33.719 take his Old Testament Bible 00:34:33.719 --> 00:34:36.279 and say, let me show you all the places 00:34:36.279 --> 00:34:37.879 that testify of Christ. 00:34:38.039 --> 00:34:39.239 Let me show you all of it. 00:34:39.799 --> 00:34:40.679 And then he does it again. 00:34:41.399 --> 00:34:42.839 Just after that in Luke 24, 00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:45.059 he peers to the apostles in the room 00:34:45.059 --> 00:34:47.719 as they're sulking after the loss of Jesus 00:34:47.719 --> 00:34:48.699 and they've lost his body 00:34:48.699 --> 00:34:49.519 and they don't know what to do 00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:50.820 and some people are saying he's risen 00:34:50.820 --> 00:34:52.239 but they don't know if they should believe them. 00:34:53.460 --> 00:34:54.320 Jesus appears 00:34:54.320 --> 00:34:56.079 and he said to them, 00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:57.820 these are my words that I spoke to you 00:34:57.820 --> 00:34:58.900 while I was still with you. 00:34:59.360 --> 00:35:00.599 Everything written about me 00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:01.880 in the law of Moses 00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:03.440 and the prophets and the Psalms 00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:04.719 must be fulfilled. 00:35:05.119 --> 00:35:06.500 And he opened their minds 00:35:06.500 --> 00:35:07.920 to understand the scriptures. 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:10.019 And he said to them, 00:35:10.139 --> 00:35:10.920 thus it is written 00:35:10.920 --> 00:35:12.840 that the Christ should suffer 00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:14.559 and on the third day rise from the dead. 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:17.139 That repentance and forgiveness of sin 00:35:17.139 --> 00:35:19.299 should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. 00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:21.059 Beginning from Jerusalem, 00:35:22.019 --> 00:35:23.739 you are witnesses of these things. 00:35:24.219 --> 00:35:25.940 What's the purpose of the transfiguration? 00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:28.219 That's the purpose of the transfiguration. 00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:31.960 He's showing to these disciples in this moment 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:38.500 that God's word is the source of truth. 00:35:40.799 --> 00:35:42.239 That these weren't things 00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:44.420 that Jesus was just making up off the cuff. 00:35:45.279 --> 00:35:46.420 What he was teaching, 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:48.019 what he was doing 00:35:48.019 --> 00:35:50.559 was prophesied by the law 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:52.019 and the prophets that would be done. 00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:54.099 This is who he is. 00:35:56.759 --> 00:35:58.000 Even though the disciples 00:35:58.000 --> 00:35:58.739 were in the midst 00:35:58.739 --> 00:36:00.559 of this extraordinary experience, 00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:02.279 it was the scriptures 00:36:02.279 --> 00:36:04.440 that Jesus intended for them to see 00:36:04.440 --> 00:36:06.460 as the primary witness 00:36:06.460 --> 00:36:08.440 of his identity and purpose. 00:36:08.440 --> 00:36:12.360 So then why do we so often dismiss it? 00:36:14.860 --> 00:36:17.940 Why do we so often lean into the processes 00:36:17.940 --> 00:36:20.800 of our own logic and reasoning ability 00:36:20.800 --> 00:36:23.260 or search for some other type of experience 00:36:23.260 --> 00:36:24.300 in order to believe 00:36:24.300 --> 00:36:26.460 what Jesus himself has pointed out 00:36:26.460 --> 00:36:27.260 to these disciples? 00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:29.579 The source for this truth is the word. 00:36:29.800 --> 00:36:31.079 Go to the word. 00:36:31.079 --> 00:36:33.679 You may be here today 00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:34.699 and you're trying to figure out 00:36:34.699 --> 00:36:35.239 whether or not 00:36:35.239 --> 00:36:36.799 you're truly going to believe 00:36:36.799 --> 00:36:37.739 and follow Christ. 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:39.480 Listen, you need not search 00:36:39.480 --> 00:36:40.539 for some type of 00:36:40.539 --> 00:36:43.079 existential experience, 00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:45.819 some supernatural sign in the sky. 00:36:45.820 --> 00:36:48.559 You need only to open your Bible 00:36:48.559 --> 00:36:51.820 because it is the word of God 00:36:51.820 --> 00:36:54.080 that the spirit of God uses 00:36:54.080 --> 00:36:56.140 to draw us to faith 00:36:56.140 --> 00:36:58.559 and make us children of God. 00:36:59.120 --> 00:37:00.360 It is the word. 00:37:01.720 --> 00:37:03.160 I quoted that passage 00:37:03.160 --> 00:37:04.840 in 2 Peter chapter one. 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:06.100 Maybe you'd want to study it later. 00:37:06.539 --> 00:37:07.880 Peter refers to this moment 00:37:07.880 --> 00:37:09.260 and he's talking about seeing it. 00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:10.460 This wasn't cleverly devised. 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:10.980 I was there. 00:37:11.059 --> 00:37:11.600 I heard the voice. 00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:13.500 And then he says immediately after that, 00:37:14.059 --> 00:37:15.280 this is an amazing experience. 00:37:15.340 --> 00:37:15.680 He says, 00:37:15.820 --> 00:37:18.680 but you have a more sure word of prophecy 00:37:18.680 --> 00:37:20.100 and he begins to talk about the scriptures. 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:20.680 And he says, 00:37:20.780 --> 00:37:21.900 greater than this experience 00:37:21.900 --> 00:37:22.860 that I had on the mountain 00:37:22.860 --> 00:37:24.240 is the proof of the scriptures. 00:37:24.460 --> 00:37:25.400 All of it's there. 00:37:25.700 --> 00:37:26.480 Read your Bible. 00:37:26.720 --> 00:37:28.280 You'll see that Christ is the one. 00:37:28.980 --> 00:37:29.680 He is the one. 00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:31.620 Read your Bible. 00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:34.240 Proclaim the Bible. 00:37:35.100 --> 00:37:36.660 Teach the Bible 00:37:36.660 --> 00:37:38.180 and let everything else 00:37:38.180 --> 00:37:39.880 be a servant to the scriptures. 00:37:40.539 --> 00:37:42.580 Even your own experience. 00:37:42.579 --> 00:37:46.980 In light of our communion service, 00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:48.239 I want to conclude this way 00:37:48.239 --> 00:37:51.619 by just looking very quickly 00:37:51.619 --> 00:37:55.819 at what Jesus and Moses and Elijah 00:37:55.819 --> 00:37:56.519 were discussing. 00:37:57.739 --> 00:37:59.119 Mark just says they were talking. 00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:01.539 Matthew just says they were talking. 00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:04.279 Luke tells us what they were talking about. 00:38:04.639 --> 00:38:06.420 You can find it in Luke chapter nine 00:38:06.420 --> 00:38:07.900 and verses 30 and 31. 00:38:07.900 --> 00:38:10.180 Let me read it to you. 00:38:10.960 --> 00:38:12.639 Behold, two men were talking with him, 00:38:12.720 --> 00:38:13.559 Moses and Elijah, 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:15.700 who appeared in glory 00:38:15.700 --> 00:38:18.000 and spoke of his departure, 00:38:18.380 --> 00:38:20.740 which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:23.240 So what was it they were talking about? 00:38:24.240 --> 00:38:25.119 It was about something 00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:26.900 that Jesus would soon accomplish 00:38:26.900 --> 00:38:27.960 at Jerusalem 00:38:27.960 --> 00:38:32.119 and it was described as a departure. 00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:33.880 Let me read it again. 00:38:33.880 --> 00:38:36.579 They appeared in glory 00:38:36.579 --> 00:38:38.860 and spoke of his departure, 00:38:38.860 --> 00:38:41.880 which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 00:38:42.680 --> 00:38:44.320 Now this word departure 00:38:44.320 --> 00:38:46.059 is the word exodus. 00:38:46.860 --> 00:38:48.019 You know that word 00:38:48.019 --> 00:38:49.619 because of your familiarity 00:38:49.619 --> 00:38:50.740 with the Old Testament. 00:38:51.420 --> 00:38:52.660 The book of Exodus 00:38:52.660 --> 00:38:54.780 telling the exodus of God's people 00:38:54.780 --> 00:38:55.660 coming out of Egypt. 00:38:56.480 --> 00:38:58.720 This conversation was not about 00:38:58.720 --> 00:39:00.940 Jesus's departure from earth to heaven. 00:39:01.059 --> 00:39:01.940 That's not what it's about. 00:39:01.940 --> 00:39:07.539 It was about a new exodus 00:39:07.539 --> 00:39:10.440 that Jesus would accomplish at Jerusalem. 00:39:10.579 --> 00:39:11.099 Now hang with me. 00:39:11.139 --> 00:39:12.119 We're almost there, okay? 00:39:13.360 --> 00:39:14.960 What was the exodus about? 00:39:15.019 --> 00:39:15.639 The first one. 00:39:17.260 --> 00:39:18.880 The exodus was when 00:39:18.880 --> 00:39:21.240 God delivered his chosen people 00:39:21.240 --> 00:39:22.639 from bondage in Egypt. 00:39:23.720 --> 00:39:26.480 What is Jesus going to accomplish in Jerusalem 00:39:26.480 --> 00:39:29.059 just a few months after this moment? 00:39:29.059 --> 00:39:32.559 He will accomplish the deliverance 00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:33.880 of God's chosen people 00:39:33.880 --> 00:39:36.659 from the bondage of sin and death. 00:39:38.279 --> 00:39:39.759 And how would he do it? 00:39:40.360 --> 00:39:41.699 It can only happen 00:39:41.699 --> 00:39:43.599 through his crucifixion 00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:44.900 and his resurrection. 00:39:46.019 --> 00:39:48.099 And it wasn't that Moses and Elijah 00:39:48.099 --> 00:39:49.599 had to inform him of that. 00:39:49.699 --> 00:39:50.599 He already knew it. 00:39:50.980 --> 00:39:52.059 This wasn't for Jesus. 00:39:52.059 --> 00:39:53.960 This was for those three men 00:39:53.960 --> 00:39:56.980 who are gazing on 00:39:56.980 --> 00:39:58.219 and hearing 00:39:58.219 --> 00:40:00.639 what Jesus has said. 00:40:01.559 --> 00:40:02.960 This suffering, this death. 00:40:03.420 --> 00:40:05.159 Moses and Elijah are saying it too. 00:40:05.400 --> 00:40:06.779 And why are they saying it to Jesus 00:40:06.779 --> 00:40:07.320 on the mountain? 00:40:07.460 --> 00:40:08.619 Because they had already said it 00:40:08.619 --> 00:40:09.360 in the books that God 00:40:09.360 --> 00:40:10.460 had inspired them to write. 00:40:10.460 --> 00:40:12.920 It was all about Christ. 00:40:13.480 --> 00:40:14.880 It was all about his suffering. 00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:16.780 It was all about his death. 00:40:17.280 --> 00:40:18.800 It was all about his resurrection. 00:40:20.500 --> 00:40:21.860 Matt Boswell, Matt Papa 00:40:21.860 --> 00:40:22.940 wrote a song last year 00:40:22.940 --> 00:40:24.440 called Christ the True and Better. 00:40:25.240 --> 00:40:25.840 In the song, 00:40:26.139 --> 00:40:28.960 each verse traces a different type 00:40:28.960 --> 00:40:30.300 of Christ in the Old Testament. 00:40:30.460 --> 00:40:32.519 That Christ is the true and better Adam. 00:40:32.659 --> 00:40:34.380 He's the true and better Isaac. 00:40:34.639 --> 00:40:36.300 And so on and so forth. 00:40:36.320 --> 00:40:37.019 They do a few of them. 00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:39.240 And they have a verse about Moses. 00:40:39.239 --> 00:40:40.579 Here's what it says. 00:40:41.279 --> 00:40:43.559 Christ the True and Better Moses 00:40:43.559 --> 00:40:47.479 called to lead a people home. 00:40:48.799 --> 00:40:52.000 Standing boldly to earthly powers. 00:40:52.739 --> 00:40:55.139 God's great glory to be known. 00:40:56.219 --> 00:40:58.359 With his arms stretched wide to heaven. 00:40:58.959 --> 00:41:00.479 See the waters part in two. 00:41:01.719 --> 00:41:04.799 See the veil is torn forever. 00:41:05.839 --> 00:41:07.000 Cleansed with blood. 00:41:07.459 --> 00:41:08.819 We pass now through. 00:41:09.239 --> 00:41:12.099 Do you see the symbolism in Moses? 00:41:13.199 --> 00:41:14.539 Do you see it? 00:41:15.259 --> 00:41:17.239 What was Jesus going to accomplish? 00:41:17.599 --> 00:41:18.819 Your salvation. 00:41:19.899 --> 00:41:21.839 That's what they were talking about. 00:41:22.539 --> 00:41:26.219 That's what the transfiguration was about. 00:41:27.219 --> 00:41:29.899 The path of his messianic purpose 00:41:29.899 --> 00:41:32.319 led directly to the cross of Calvary 00:41:32.319 --> 00:41:35.359 where he would provide deliverance for sin 00:41:35.360 --> 00:41:38.700 for all who will believe and follow him. 00:41:38.700 --> 00:41:41.920 And through his subsequent resurrection 00:41:41.920 --> 00:41:42.700 he offers life. 00:41:44.579 --> 00:41:45.700 Eternal life. 00:41:48.039 --> 00:41:50.380 As a trade for death. 00:41:50.380 --> 00:41:55.099 And is this not precisely why we gather 00:41:55.099 --> 00:41:56.559 the first Sunday of every month 00:41:56.559 --> 00:41:57.980 in order to observe this meal? 00:41:59.680 --> 00:42:01.079 For hundreds of years 00:42:01.079 --> 00:42:03.400 the Jews gathered on the Passover 00:42:03.400 --> 00:42:05.700 to have this meal 00:42:05.700 --> 00:42:08.579 to remember the first exodus. 00:42:08.579 --> 00:42:10.519 And now 00:42:10.519 --> 00:42:11.980 today 00:42:11.980 --> 00:42:14.799 Christians gather together 00:42:14.799 --> 00:42:17.039 to observe this meal 00:42:17.039 --> 00:42:19.799 to remember the second exodus. 00:42:21.099 --> 00:42:23.059 To remember his cross. 00:42:23.719 --> 00:42:25.679 To remember his blood. 00:42:26.679 --> 00:42:28.920 To rejoice in his resurrection 00:42:28.920 --> 00:42:30.000 and to proclaim 00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:31.900 that he will return. 00:42:32.220 --> 00:42:33.619 That is what we do now.