A Sneek Peek Into Glory

Luke 9:28–43

The Transfiguration

[28] Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. [29] And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. [30] And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, [31] who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. [32] Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. [33] And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. [34] As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. [35] And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” [36] And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

[37] On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. [38] And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. [39] And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. [40] And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” [41] Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” [42] While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. [43] And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

Throughout the gospels, and especially in Luke 9, one question keeps coming up: Who is Jesus? Herod asked, “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” Then Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” and, “But who do you say that I am?” Every Christian needs an answer to that question. Peter answers, “The Christ of God.” He is right, but he does not yet understand the full depth of what that means. He does not yet see that the Messiah must suffer and die for our sins. But in this passage, we are given the clearest answer, the answer from God.

In the transfiguration, we see who Jesus is, and we catch a sneak peek into glory. My prayer tonight is that each of us would know the answer to that question: Who is Jesus?

Let me walk us through this passage in three parts: the glory above, the conversation, and the glory below.

The Glory Above

[28] Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. Peter, John and James witness one of the most remarkable events in history. They go up the mountain with Jesus to pray, and in Luke’s Gospel, prayer often marks a significant moment. Something important is about to happen.

[29] And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. This was no ordinary prayer meeting. In that moment, Jesus revealed his divine splendour. The disciples had known him in the flesh, but now they see his glory. His face is altered, his clothing shines, and for a moment the veil is pulled back. Matthew provides us with a bit more information and says that “his face shone like the sun”. Mark tells us that His face was not just altered, but it was transfigured, literally metamorphosed.

The transfiguration shows us two things: Jesus is the glory, and this glory gives us hope.

There was a transformation. Peter, James and John saw visible glory. They saw a blinding light, like high beams straight in your eyes! It was bright as a flash of lightning. Have you guys ever driven at night and seen a high beam straight to your face? Imagine if the high beams were from heaven! Your eyes would burn. Jesus is not reflecting glory from somewhere else—he is the source of it. In this moment, his deity is revealed, and the disciples see Jesus in all his heavenly glory.

This was not only a revelation of who Jesus is; it was also a glimpse of the glory to come. The disciples had heard Jesus speak about suffering and death, but here they are given hope. Beyond the cross, glory awaits, where one day Jesus will return again. And that gives us hope.

The transfiguration was a source of hope and light for the difficult dark days ahead. They had heard Jesus’ talk about his suffering and death, but here is a sign that after the crucifixion, exaltation and glory awaits.

The Conversation

Suddenly Moses and Elijah, two great men from the Old Testament, join the group.

[30] And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, [31] who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Imagine being a fly on that wall. I would love to hear the conversation between Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Why Moses and Elijah though? Why not Daniel and Isaiah? Why not any other notable characters from the Old Testament? It was not by accident for Moses and Elijah to appear. Because together they represent the Law and the Prophets—the whole Old Testament. Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the Prophets. And both point to Jesus. He is not one more great figure among them; he is the fulfilment of all that came before.

Matthew 5:17 Jesus says: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

What were they talking about? Luke tells us they were speaking about Jesus’ “departure,” which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. The word departure doesn’t really do it justice, the Greek word used here is the word “exodus”. Straight away this reminds us of the Old Testament story of Israel’s salvation, the exodus from Egypt. And Moses played a huge role in delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. But Moses and Elijah were talking about the ultimate exodus of Jesus Christ.

Just as Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, Jesus would bring a greater deliverance—not from bondage in Egypt, but from sin itself. He would lead his people into the true Promised Land—eternal life with Him. This deliverance would come through Christ’s own exodus, his death and resurrection at Jerusalem.

What Jesus accomplished in Jerusalem is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us. Through his death and resurrection, we receive forgiveness, salvation, and the promise of eternal life. There is nothing we can do to fix the problem of sin, because the problem is within us. Christ has done what we could never do for ourselves. Is this something that we believe? Our role is to receive it by faith, and live in response to what He’s done.

[32] Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. [33] And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

The disciples were overcome with sleep, as usual! It seems to be the case every time they pray. When the disciples wake, they see his glory. As the men were about to leave, Peter starts to register what is happening, so what does he do? He suggests they make three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. This is what some commentators have said, the most “unfortunate” suggestion because Peter does not understand what he is saying. Why does he offer to pitch the tents? It’s possible when he woke up, he tried to make the glory last, he tried to prolong the mountain top experience. So, Peter said the first thing that came to his mind without thinking, which was to offer to build three tents. Have you met anyone who just speaks without thinking? If you haven’t you should come join my MC.

So why was this an issue? Well, it suggests that Moses, Elijah and Jesus are all equal.

There is no one, past or present, who is equal to Jesus. Moses and Elijah were not there to show that Jesus was just another prophet, but to show us that he is greater than all, that Jesus is the Lord and Saviour.

Moses and Elijah, no matter how great they are, worship Jesus.

[34] As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. [35] And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” [36] And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Before Peter can go any further, a cloud overshadows them, and they are afraid. And so they should be, this is the presence of God. The disciples were witnessing something extraordinary, the very glory of God, the same glory that filled the tabernacle in Exodus 40:35 when even Moses could not enter. In the Old Testament, Moses longed to see God’s glory, yet he could only glimpse it while hidden in the cleft of a rock, because no one could look directly upon God and live. But now, in Jesus, that same divine glory was present among the disciples. In Him, they could behold the glory of God, not from a place of fear or distance, but up close and live.

Then the voice comes: “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” That is the clearest answer in the passage to the question, “Who is Jesus?” He is the Son of God, and he stands above every prophet and every figure who came before him. Jesus is greater than Moses and Elijah.

So this passage presses the question on us again: Who is Jesus? He is not only a teacher or an example. He is the Son of God, the Chosen One, the true King and Messiah. And if that is who he is, then the right response is to listen to him.

And God said to the disciples “listen to Him!” This alludes to Deuteronomy 18:15:

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen

To listen to him means to receive him as God’s final and fullest word. The Law and the Prophets lead us to him. As Hebrews 1 says, God spoke in many ways in the past, but now he has spoken to us by his Son. Everything leads us to Christ.

And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

When the voice has spoken and the cloud departs, Jesus is found alone. The point is clear: he stands at the centre, and all attention belongs to him. He deserves all the glory.

That brings us to the final point.

The Glory Below

As they were coming down from the mountain, they were met with demonic powers. A father pleads for his only son, and the disciples are powerless to help. The contrast is striking: glory above, brokenness below. Yet the glory of Jesus is not left on the mountain. This is an absolutely heart-breaking scene. The disciples tried to cast out the demon, but they were unable too. They were powerless. It was only a moment ago in the beginning of Luke 9, where the disciples were given power and authority over demons, and were able to cure diseases. So, what happened?

[41] Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” Jesus exposes the unbelief around him, including the unbelief of the disciples. Can you imagine what’s happening? The disciples were probably getting stressed trying to cast out the demon, and they probably start arguing with one another and accusing each other, “Hey where is your faith? You don’t have enough faith!” But Jesus is teaching us, that it’s not about the size of your faith that matters but the object of your faith! If it was this easy for the disciples to drift away from their faith in Jesus, how much easier is it for us to drift away? And that is a warning for us too. We can drift so easily. The answer is not more confidence in ourselves, but deeper trust in Jesus by having faith in Him alone. We must keep listening to him.

[42] While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. [43] And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

Jesus does what the disciples could not. He rebukes the unclean spirit, heals the boy, and restores him to his father. The boy could hear, see, feel, think and hope again! And the crowd cheers! The same Jesus whose glory was revealed on the mountain now shows his glory in mercy, power, and compassion below. And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

The transfiguration reminds us that there is more going on than what we can see. The disciples were given a glimpse of glory so that they would know who Jesus is, the Son of God, the Chosen One.

And because he went to the cross, those who trust in him are not left with only a glimpse of glory. One day, we will see him as he is and rejoice in him forever. The cross was not the end of the story, and neither is suffering for those who belong to Christ. Glory lies ahead. He was forsaken so that we could be brought near. He bore wrath so that we could be forgiven.

You know if the Knicks won the NBA championship, it would be a huge accomplishment. They haven’t won in 53 years! All that emotion, all the tears, all the glory. But it will only be momentarily. That glory will fade after some time. But the glory of Jesus will never fade. It is eternal.

Years later, Peter was still speaking about this moment in 2 Peter 1. Why? Because this was no myth. He had seen the majesty of Christ with his own eyes.

[16] For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17] For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” [18] we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

Peter never forgot the glory he saw on that mountain, because he knew he had seen the majesty of the Son of God. And that same word comes to us today: this is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him. In a world full of confusion, fear, and suffering, there is no one more worthy of our trust, our worship, and our obedience than Jesus. As we respond to who Jesus is, we can sing with all joy and gladness, Glory be to God the Father, Glory be to God the Son, Glory be to God the Spirit, The Lord is my salvation.

So whatever you are carrying today, whatever fear, struggle, or uncertainty is weighing on you, listen to him. Trust him in the valley. Follow him through suffering. And fix your hope on the glory to come.

Discussion questions:

What struck you the most from the sermon?
Why did Moses and Elijah appear at the Mount of Transfiguration? What are some implications of this truth?
Can you see how easy it is for you to drift into unbelief? Share your story
How does the gospel assure you of the future glory that is to come?