Public Reading: Luke 9:28-45

The Story

•    Eight days (six in Matthew and Mark) after visiting Caesarea Philippi, Jesus takes Peter, John and James up to the top of a mountain

o    Traditionally this was Mt. Tabor (since the 3rd Century) just south of the Sea of Galilee
o    However, some scholars now think that the location might have been at Mt. Herman in the north

•    While at the top of the mountain, Moses and Elijah appeared and started talking to Jesus

o    God is the Lord of the living and the dead

*    Elijah => Carried away into heaven by a whirlwind
*    Moses => Died in the desert and was buried by God Himself

o    Jesus fulfills everything

*    Elijah => the prophet coming at the end; represents the Prophets
*    Moses => the Law, given to the people of Israel by God

o    The conversation

*    They talked about what Jesus must do

•    His death, torture, and resurrection

*    It must of given Him hope and strength to keep going

•    Peter’s comments

o    As Elijah and Moses were leaving, Peter tells Jesus that they should build three shelters for all three of them (Elijah, Moses and Jesus)

*    Shelters => connected to the Feast of Tabernacles

o    This was meant as a great honor for Jesus as Elijah and Moses were/are two of Judaism’s greatest figures

*    Even though Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah a week before, he still didn’t get the full picture
*    He was still thinking of Jesus as just another man whom God was using

•    Yet Jesus was not just another human, He was God Himself in human form

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!  (Philippians 2:5-8)

•    God’s response

o    At this point, the mountain is covered in cloud

*    The last time this happened – or, I should say, the other recorded time of this happening was at Mt. Sinai

•    God came down on Mt. Sinai when Moses was on the mountain
•    God gave Moses the Law to give to the Israelites

*    The cloud represents the presence of God

•    Peter, James and John were afraid

•    This should be our natural response to the full presence of God

o    It is not a ‘bad’ fear => fear of punishment
o    It is a ‘good’ fear => being overwhelmed with the glory and majesty of the King

o    Out of the cloud came a voice

*    “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” –Luke 9:35
*    This is the second time in the Gospels that we have an audible voice recorded

•    The first time was at Jesus’ baptism

*    This time, God adds the phrase “listen to him” which goes back to Deuteronomy 18:15

•    “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.”

*    We also are to listen to Jesus!

•    His words and actions carry extra weight
•    We are not to put other teachers or leaders at the same level as Jesus

o    Mind you, we can listen to them
o    Elijah and Moses were two great teachers and leaders

•    They then came down the mountain

o    Found the other disciples struggling to cast out a demon

*    Even though they had recently gone out by themselves and done just that (Luke 9:1-9)

o    Jesus got upset at their lack of believing

*    This, to me, mirrors Moses’ trip down the mountain years before
*    Moses came back from talking to God to find the Israelites worshiping a golden idol
*    Jesus came back to find His followers forgetting what He had taught them

•    Instead of being the new Israel and casting out the evil one, they failed

•    Jesus then casts out the demon

o    God rules!!
o    Evil is defeated!!