A Glimpse of Glory

Introduction

One of the hardest things to learn during counselor training was silence. There are times when silence produces the result you want from a client. Allowing a person to process what was spoken, to digest and internalize a point, often goes a long way in helping someone move from wrong thinking to better thinking. The old saying “silence is golden” fits in some situations. There are times when nothing is said because whatever is said doesn’t come close to adequately expressing emotions and thoughts. Revelation 1:17 tells of the apostle John seeing an image of Jesus and his response is to fall down at his feet as though dead. Complete silence. No words spoken because silence is the appropriate response.

About a week has passed since Jesus asked his disciples what the crowds were saying about him. It has been a week since Peter made the confession that Jesus is the Christ. It has been a week since the disciples first heard that Jerusalem would not mean triumph but suffering and death. It has been a long week as each disciple has had to think about what Jesus has said and then to decide what Jesus meant by suffering and death. At some point, Jesus takes three of the disciples—Peter, James, and John—up a mountain. He took them up to pray. There is nothing unusual about such an event. Jesus often removed himself from the crowds and even his own disciples in order to pray. But this experience would not be like the others. This one would be much more dramatic. This experience would in some ways answer some questions and in other ways just produce even more. We are going to the top of the mountain tonight and we will see what those three disciples saw and by faith we will learn something about the need for silence.

The Story

This story is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. If we compile these three records we find some interesting facts. Luke tells us that the four—Jesus, Peter, James, and John—went up the mountain in order to pray. While they were praying, Jesus’s face and clothes changed appearance. Matthew tells us they became white as light. Mark says they were whiter than any bleach on earth could whiten cloth. Luke tells us they became like a flash of lightning. One thing is for sure: Jesus looked different.

Two men appeared with Jesus. We are told that they were Moses and Elijah. Luke tells us that they were discussing Jesus’s departure or literally “exodus.” This is significant. Moses, the one who led the Exodus out of Egypt, and Elijah, the one whose exodus from this world was equally miraculous, are speaking with Jesus about his exodus. This tells me something important. First, death doesn’t take away from identity. Moses and Elijah are recognized for who they are. Peter recognizes them and he has never seen pictures. Unless their name tags told them, Peter and the others recognized them as they stood with Jesus. Second, with death there is some explanation about mysteries. Both Moses and Elijah knew that God was planning something spectacular, but they didn’t know what it was fully or completely. After time on this earth, that mystery was either explained to them or revealed to them. Either way, the three are speaking of Jesus’s exodus.

Luke tells us that the three disciples are sleeping when all of this begins. They awaken slowly. This tells us that there isn’t a lot of noise of triumph with this sign. Peter, James, and John slowly awaken from their sleep and see what is happening. From Luke’s account it appears that what the disciples see doesn’t last very long. It appears that Moses and Elijah are getting ready to leave about the time the disciples awaken fully to see what is happening. It is at this point that Peter makes a recommendation that they build three shelters or literally tents. Possibly Peter is recommending that they have a celebration similar to the Feast of the Tabernacles. This was an annual feast in which the men lived in homemade tents for a week thanking God for his harvest provision and looking forward to a fuller provision in the future.

But it could be and seems more plausible that Peter is just wanting to prolong Moses and Elijah’s stays. Build a shelter and we can all spend some time on this mountain top. Luke is the only one who tells us that Peter didn’t know what he was saying. This is one of those times when it would have been better to be quiet, but impetuous Peter just speaks what is on his mind. But then God comes along in the form of a cloud and envelopes all those who are on the mountain. And in very clear language God says: “Jesus is the one I have chosen. Listen to him.” And with those words Elijah and Moses disappear leaving Jesus as the lone figure standing in front of these disciples. Matthew and Mark tell us that on the way down the mountain, Jesus tells these three not to mention what they have seen.

Application

There are two points that I think we are supposed to get from this episode. The first is easy to see. We are to listen only to Jesus. The central message of Scripture is that Jesus is God in the flesh and as such is to be heard and obeyed. If one wants to come to the Father, then one must come through Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through him. The disciples are to understand the centrality of Jesus in comparison to Moses and Elijah. They are instructed to listen only to him. Nothing else is to take his place or make us lose focus of him and his words. In very practical ways this means that like these disciples walked with Jesus for over three years we should walk with Jesus through the scriptures regularly. It is when we spend time with Jesus that we listen only to him.

The second point is more obscure. Peter wanted to stay on top of the mountain. His desire was to prolong this experience. He wanted this spiritually high experience to continue. He didn’t want to come off the mountain. He was allowing his emotional experience to determine what he was thinking. Dangerous. Peter was allowing this spiritual experience to validate what he believed was truthful. Let me make this practical.

First, mountaintop experiences are important but they cannot last. We have all had spiritual highs. We have all experienced something which pumped us up and excited our emotions. But we can’t stay on the mountain. Jesus and the disciples leave the mountain and are confronted with a demon-possessed boy who needs attention. This is not to say we shouldn’t have mountaintop experiences. Jesus obviously wanted these three to have one—but that is not where life is lived. Life is lived in the valley with the demons.

Second, an emotional experience cannot be used to validate truth. Our culture places a lot of emphasis on emotions. In our culture, an emotional experience is used to validate the truth. So if you have an indescribable emotional experience it must mean that something special has happened.

A Christian will say that while in prayer they had this warm feeling come over them and that at that particular moment they knew the presence of God. Now the emotional experience validates the presence of God. What happens when the emotions give way or the next time in prayer one gets a sick feeling? Does that mean that God is no longer present?

A Christian will speak of joy and peace which they have obtained from Christianity. A Muslim will speak of joy and peace which come from Islam. When we push experience to validate truth, then we open ourselves up to others pushing vastly different experiences to promote their own understanding of truth. This is the reason why God said to listen only to Jesus.

Henri Nouwen said, “Experiences of the heart may remind us of God’s presence, but their absence does not prove God’s absence. God is not only greater than our mind, He is also greater than our heart, and just as we have to avoid the temptation of adapting God to our small concepts, we also have to avoid adapting Him to our small feelings.”

When Peter remembered this experience he did so in light of objective truth. Second Peter 1:16–21 says that while this transfiguration made an impact on Peter, he would not have his readers forget the words spoken and recorded by the prophets through the help of the Holy Spirit. In essence Peter is saying that personal experience must bow to scripture. Our generation says, “I had this wonderful experience and it changed my life. It must be right. You can’t take it from me.” When we place experience as the validation for truth we have no defense against those who claim life experiences as truth in Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, or any other eastern religion.

The impact of the early church was not based on emotional experiences but on the truth of the gospel as seen in objective truth in the life and actions of Jesus. That is what turned the world upside down. It is the same thing which will turn our world upside down. Do you believe in what Jesus did at the cross? Have you given your life to God through Jesus? Why not now?

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