Luke 9:28-36 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. (29) And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. (30) And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: (31) Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. (32) But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. (33) And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. (34) While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. (35) And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (36) And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
In our text today, we find Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. In this event, Jesus is seen by Peter, James and John speaking with Moses and Elijah. What a monumental occasion this must have been for these three men. Moses is certainly known and revered by anyone that is a Jew due to the great leadership that he demonstrated and the enormous trust that God put in him by making him the great law giver. We don’t call it the Mosaic Law for nothing! And then Elijah was the great prophet of the Old Testament. The one that had the faith and courage to take on King Ahab of Israel and the 850 prophets of Baal single-handedly on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. These to men, to devout Jews were more than heroes. They embodied the essence of the kind of men that God wanted as servants.
Without looking at verse 31 in our text, what would you imagine that Jesus would have to talk to Moses about? From a human perspective, I would think that if I that opportunity that Jesus had I would want to know all I could about what it was like to take on Pharaoh or to take on King Ahab. I would want to know what it was like to be them.
But here is the whole point of this event. They did not talk about the past. They did not talk about Moses or Elijah. They did not talk about being a Jew or Israelite. They talked about the present and future for Jesus. The three of them discussed the impending death of Jesus on the cross. So many religious folks today want to look to the Old Testement for guidance and doctrine, but even the Old Testement pointed to the future of Jesus!
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Let us, like Moses and Elijah, keep our eyes on the cross of Christ. May we truly understand the enormous sacrifice that God made for us and strive to live in a manner that demonstrates our gratitude for what he has done for us.
Reflecting the SON,
Dennis Hogan
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