Synoptic Gospels 4: Lord and Lamb (5)
Pray Psalm 16.8-11.
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Sing Psalm 16.8-11.
(All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
You are ever with me, LORD; in You I shall not fall.
But rejoicing in Your Word, I abide within Your call.
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.
Soon Your glory I shall see, for as Jesus rose again,
You will come to gather me to my home with You in heav’n.
Refrain
Read Matthew 17.1-8; Mark 9.1-13; Luke 9.28-36; meditate on Matthew 17.1-8.
Preparation
1. What happened to Jesus on the mountain?
2. How did His disciples respond?
Meditation
Jesus took the inner group of His disciples with Him, knowing what was going to happen. They saw Him become transfigured, so that He shone with His eternal glory, and everything about Him was radiant with heavenly brightness. Moses and Elijah appeared to Him there—symbols of Old Testament revelation, talking with Jesus (as Luke tells us) about His “departure” (Lk. 9.31). By this we learn that the entire Old Testament points to Jesus and His glory, depicts and predicts His suffering, and shows the way to redemption through Him.
Naturally, the disciples were excited about this experience, and sought to prolong it. Until, that is, a bright cloud overshadowed them all, and “a voice came out of the cloud saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” Then they because terrified and fell on their faces—a natural response to being exposed to the glory of God.
Jesus calmed their fears, and when they looked up, they were alone with Him again. Jesus had allowed these three disciples to see His glory, thus giving them a foretaste of their own destinations (1 Jn. 3.1-3), and a proper incentive for the work He would assign to them. They were to understand that all the revelation of Scripture, given in the past, and all that might be given in the days to come, were for the glory of Jesus and the furthering of His divine will.
In these three disciples, all the disciples are represented, just as in Moses and Elijah all the Old Testament is represented. This includes us. It is the will of God, for the glory of Jesus Christ, that we listen to Jesus, obey His Word, and seek His glory in everything we do. Faith that does not have these parameters and objectives is not true faith at all.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“For You will light my lamp;
the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Ps. 18.28).
“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (Jn. 1.5).
“He was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and
His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17.2).
“He was transfigured before them.
His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow,
such as no launderer on earth can whiten them” (Mk. 9.2, 3).
“As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered,
and His robe became white and glistening” (Lk. 9.29).
“But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light…” (Is. 60.19).
“The LORD is my light and my salvation…” (Ps. 27.1)
“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps. 36.9).
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119.105).
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light” (Prov. 6.23).
“Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
Jesus Christ’s miraculous transfiguration on earth was a foretaste of His glorious reign in heaven.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—for now and for Him—we:
Fight the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life, to which we have been called; and we have confessed the good confession of our faith in the presence of many witnesses (1 Tim. 6.12).
Since this is true for us, Paul speaks words of encouragement to us:
“I urge you in the sight of God Who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus Who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing,
which He will manifest in His Own time,
He Who is the blessed and only Potentate,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
Who alone has immortality,
dwelling in unapproachable light,
Whom no man has seen or can see,
to Whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen” (1 Tim. 6.13-16).
Jesus—the Promised Light; the One foretold by Moses and Elijah and all the prophets—invites us to step into His light, out of the darkness of sin, by loving Him and keeping His commandments.
Here and now. And someday, there and then, we will dwell with Him in heaven—in approachable light.
“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it.
The Lamb is its light” (Rev. 21.23).
The disciples were to understand that “all the revelation of Scripture, given in the past, and all that might be given in the days to come, were for the glory of Jesus and the furthering of His divine will.”
Jesus wants us to understand the same. The glimpses of glory we see in Scripture—the “enlightening of our darkness”—are a mere foretaste of what we will experience when we see Him face to face.
Reflection
1. What does it mean for us to be lights in the darkness of this world?
2. What can keep you from shining the light of Jesus today? How should you prepare to be a light in the darkness?
3. How can believers help one another keep their light shining each day?
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ’s glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have to witness his crucifixion; and would give them an idea of the glory prepared for them, when changed by his power and made like him. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Matthew 17.1-13
Pray Psalm 16.1-7.
Pray that you may know the glory of the Lord in everything you do today, and that you will hear the voice of Jesus as He directs and leads you in the path of righteousness.
Sing Psalm 16.1-7, 11.
(All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
Preserve me, O my God; I refuge seek in You.
You alone are all my good, my LORD and Savior true!
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.
The saints within the earth, majestic in their day,
delight me with the worth of all they do and say.
Refrain
They endless tears shall weep who worship idols vain;
their ways I will not keep, nor speak their empty names.
Refrain
My portion and my cup are You, my Savior dear;
You help and hold me up and ever keep me near.
Refrain
I bless Your Name, O LORD; my mind instructs each night;
You teach me by Your Word and guide me in the right.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. In our twice-weekly Crosfigell column we have begun a new series on Brendan, called “The Navigator.” Why was he called that? Join us and find out. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, enters the home stretch now by leading us to pray for our church’s impact. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
