Defining moments. There aren’t many of these throughout the course of someone’s lifetime. But when they occur, as you will hear in this PODCAST, they are utterly unforgettable.
We are talking about game-changing moments; history-altering moments; LIFE-altering moments. Rare snapshots of seminal events, frozen in time, after which your world will never be the same again.
Welcome to one such defining moment, courtesy of Jesus, after which the disciples — three of them — were never the same again.
And maybe, just maybe, after considering this spectacularly significant sequence of events, with all of its ramifications for our world today…
Maybe, just maybe, we too won’t ever be the same. Let’s find out.
Let’s begin by reading Matthew 17:1-2
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.
Defining moments are rare, though they do occur. Moments that happen to us, and our lives are never the same again. This was a defining moment in the lives of Peter, James and John. So much so, that two of the three wrote about it in the Bible:
And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. (John 1:14)
The evening that John witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration left such an indelible impression that he couldn’t help but write about how he actually SAW Christ’s glory, not only learned about it through Jesus’ teachings. Peter also wrote about that night:
For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets.(2 Peter 1:16-19)
So, what happened here, on this “holy mountain”, as Peter puts it, that was so pivotal?
Image: andrewpetrosoniak
The message of it all… and the message that is repeated throughout Scripture is this: “We are each so quick to forget.”
In fact, it is written 183 times throughout the Scriptures, “Do not forget”. One example is in Deuteronomy 4:9,
You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you.Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. 10 Do you remember the day you stood in the Lord’s presence at Mount Sinai?The Lord said, “Moses, bring the people of Israel here. I want to speak to them so they will obey me as long as they live, and so they will teach their children to obey me too.”
We are, as human beings, without exception, so quick to forget.
In fact, throughout Scripture, we are told 479 times “… to remember…”
Now, think of this: Have you ever wondered, “If only God would reveal Himself to me in the way that He revealed Himself to the people of the Bible! That would make it so impossible for me to stray from His will. It was so easy for them to believe because they saw it all. If we witnessed first hand Jesus’ miracles, or were led by day by a cloud and by night a pillar of fire like the Israelites, if we could have seen Elijah call down fire from heaven, if we could have been there to see the sun stand still for 24 hours, if we could have witnessed the parting of the Red Sea… WE WOULD NEVER DOUBT GOD AGAIN!”
Really? Well, let’s look at how the Israelites responded when they witnessed God’s presence at Mt. Sinai. (Why am I taking us back to the Israelites and Mt. Sinai? Well, who was with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration? Moses!)
In Exodus 3:1-2, we read this:
One day, Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and Moses decided to lead them across the desert to Sinai,the holy mountain.2 There an angel of the Lord appeared to him from a burning bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up.
Did you know that the event of the burning bush took place at Mt. Sinai – long before Moses received the Ten Commandments? God then spoke to Moses through the burning bush and told him this:
“I will be with you. And you will know that I am the one who sent you, when you worship me on this mountain after you have led my people out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:12)
Fast-forward now to that dramatic rescue of the Israelites, after 400 years of oppressive bondage, annually celebrated even today at Passover, just two months after escaping the Egyptians as the Red Sea parted… Moses and the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai. They set up camp there at the base of the mountain. Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God…
“Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
7 So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything theLordhad commanded him.8 And all the people responded together, “We will do everything theLordhas commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to theLord.
9 Then theLordsaid to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.” (Exodus 19:3-9)
So, it was at the foot of Mt. Sinai that the three million individual Israelites, former slaves each of them, were fashioned into one dynamic people – one nation under God. The Hebrews became Israel there at Sinai. Each of those people there saw and heard God Himself. It was absolutely remarkable!
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud covered the mountain, a loud trumpet blast was heard, and everyone in camp trembled with fear.17 Moses led them out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Image: Olive Press
18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because theLordhad come down in a flaming fire. Smoke poured out of the mountain just like a furnace, and the whole mountain shook.19 The trumpet blew louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder.(Exodus 19:16-19)
Yet, one short month later, we read this in Exodus 32:1-8,
When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to theLord!”
6 The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
7 TheLordtold Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.8 How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live!”
In other words, “How quickly they forget.” And we are no different. We would forget, too. So, may I humbly suggest that if we were to actually see God’s glory and hear God’s voice, it wouldn’t strengthen our faith at all in the long run. No more than it did the Israelites and no more than it did the disciples Peter, James and John who witnessed the exact same thing.
Which brings us back to the Mount of Transfiguration.
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. (Matthew 17:1-2)
This occurred just six days after Jesus and His disciples witnessed everything in Caesarea Philippi – all the pagan debauchery there in contrast with the reality of who Jesus Christ was and is, the Son of God and Messiah. Now, in Luke’s Gospel, he says that the transfiguration occurred eight days after their time in Caesarea Philippi.
28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray.29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31 They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. (Luke 9:28-31)
Now, some people may say that this is a contradiction between the two accounts, and therefore neither can be trusted. However, if you count the travel time between the two locations, it becomes eight days (not to mention the time it takes to climb the mountain). No contradiction.
3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.
4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
There’s a few things to notice here. First of all, just like the Israelites, when the disciples heard the voice of God they were terrified and fell face down on the ground. I think that too many Christians today approach hearing from God much too cavalierly. Time and time again, when people of the Bible hear God, they are stricken with terror and fall down as a response. Knowing that God is unchanging, I would think that if any of us actually heard His voice, we would react similarly.
Secondly, notice the similarities between when God appeared here and when He appeared to the Israelites at Sinai – the bright cloud, the voice, and the “stop you in your tracks” response that God’s presence elicits.
Thirdly, notice who was so eager to help Jesus, Moses and Elijah by building shelters, the guy who so quickly wanted to get to work and serve them… Peter. The very same Peter who in not too many months from this point will be denying he even knew Jesus on the night that He was arrested.
How quickly we forget.
It happens to us all.
So, if you ever catch yourself feeling “spiritually inferior”, be encouraged. It happens to us all.
Now, back to our story…
The transfiguration took place high atop Mount Hermon, which is Israel’s answer to Egypt’s Mount Sinai. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Moses to appear alongside the Son of God in the Promised Land of Israel – a place he had been told that he wouldn’t be able to enter during his lifetime!
Secondly, Elijah was there, in partial fulfillment to God’s promise to the prophet Malachi. This is how the Old Testament ends:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. (Malachi 4:5)
This prophecy was fulfilled, figuratively, in John the Baptist, and literally fulfilled here in Matthew 17 at the top of Mount Hermon.
And yet, despite the fulfillment of prophesy, despite the awe and terror inspiring moment of coming into the presence of God, despite the miraculous transformation that they witnessed, the disciples, the Israelites, and even you and I are so quick to forget.
On a similar note, Jesus, knowing and understanding how we are so prone to forget, said this to Thomas after He had been crucified, buried, and rose from the dead:
Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!” (John 20:29)
That’s you and me who Jesus is talking about.
We haven’t seen Him. We didn’t walk with Him. We didn’t see His transfiguration nor His resurrection. And yet we believe.
And there’s a special blessing waiting for us in heaven.
And when we put this into the context of this whole story, it is understandable that our faith might flicker and falter from time to time. Thomas walked with Jesus for over three years and he still had to see Him with his own eyes to believe. The Israelites cowered in terror in the presence of God and went back to drunken idol worship just a month later.
Image: thebeancounter.com
So, for us… we need to simply REMEMBER. DON’T FORGET.
When life rocks you – as it will – don’t forget.
We all have times in our lives that we can look back on, in terms of our relationships with Jesus, that are sweet. Times when you felt so close. Times when you almost felt like you could reach out and touch His presence. Times when you opened up His Word and it meant so much to you. Times when you felt so loved. Times when God felt so close.
But then there are times when you feel like you are in a spiritual wasteland. It’s almost as if God has forgotten you. You can sing the same songs, but they don’t mean the same thing. You can read the same stories, but they don’t grip your heart like they once did. You can sit amongst a group of people who love Jesus, just like you, but yet feel so totally disconnected – from God and from each other.
It’s at those times when we need to REMEMBER. DON’T FORGET.
