The Acts of the Apostles 7

Subtitle: Peter Preaches to the Crowd III

Acts 2:25-33.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 3, 2022.

We are continuing to look at Peter’s sermon to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the disciples of Jesus.

Let’s review his main points so far.

• He countered the mockers who said they were drunk.
• He then reminded them of the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 where God promised to pour out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh in the last days.
• He then points them to everything that has just happened with Jesus: he was publicly proved by God to be from Him, he was given into the hands of the religious leaders, they had him executed and buried, but he was raised from the dead.

This last point that Jesus has been raised up from the dead leads Peter to point out another prophecy to Israel.  Why would Peter say it was impossible for Messiah to remain dead in the grave?

Peter points to Psalm 16:8-11 (vv. 25-28)

Psalm 16 speaks to Peter’s point of the impossibility of Jesus being held by death.  Peter will interpret this psalm in the next verses, so let me just point out some secondary points from these verses.

This whole psalm lays out the confidence that David has in the Lord to be his ultimate shepherd.  David had confidence in the present because he knew that the Lord was at his right hand (Psalm 16:8; Acts 2:25) no matter what he faced.

Do you have confidence that God is by your side?  That kind of confidence can only truly be ours if we are repentant of our sin before God and working to do His will in our life.  This world needs Christians who have a confidence that is not just based on theory, but on the reality of a repentant, humble relationship with Jesus the Messiah who is our savior and Lord.

Yet, this confidence also had a forward-looking hope while he was in the present.  God had given David a promise that was a secure hope that gave him rest, inner peace, in the now.

The world often argues that Christians are too focused on heaven and the future.  They don’t do enough for the present.  Whether that is true or not, the fault is not in having a future hope promised by God.  Just like David, we have promises from God of a future glory that cannot be taken from us.  This can enable us to have an incredible peace even when we face great obstacles and threats from the Goliaths of this world.

In Psalm 16:10-11, David brings up the hope of resurrection.  The truth of the resurrection of the righteous filled David with the knowledge that he would one day be full of joy in the presence of God.

We are given a measure of joy in this life that can even reside with us in troubled times.  However, David foresees a time of dwelling in God’s presence like we see pictured in Revelation 21-22.  The joy of the Lord in this life is a foretaste of that eternal joy that will know no subsidence.  What we have ahead of us can only be described as Life Eternal, of which we get a taste in the present. 

May we become more like David in these difficult days that require us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Yet, Peter is focused on why Jesus couldn’t stay in the grave, and that is found in Psalm 16:9, Acts 2:27.

Peter applies the passage to Jesus (vv. 29-33)

In verse 29, Peter respectfully points out that David is still dead and buried.  His flesh saw corruption, or the full process of decay. His tomb in Jerusalem stood as a witness to this.  It would be easy to ignore the words and say that it is not clear what he means.  Yet, Peter points out that David was not speaking about himself.

Now, I would point out that Peter clearly sees all of Psalm 16:10 as speaking about Christ.  However, he doesn’t exactly explain the interpretive method that he is using.  I am of the opinion that his “interpretive method” was simply witnessing the events and then learning from Jesus what it meant.  Even without a special revelation from Jesus, there is something going on in this verse.  David first says, “You will not leave my soul in Hades…”  Yet, in the second phrase he speaks of “Your Holy One.”  Though we can see this as pointing to David, it is quite possible that it is scoping out and David has in mind a greater being, the Holy One of God.

On top of this, the lives of the Patriarchs, and later men like David, were often prophetic enactments of things that pertained to God’s dealing with humanity.  So, even David’s reference to his soul not being left in Hades can speak to a greater Son of David, the Messiah, (of whom David is a picture) not being left in Hades as well.

Peter points out in verse 30 that David was a prophet.  Yes, his psalms were not collected and placed among the books of the prophets, but David was a prophet nonetheless.  In fact, all three Hebrew sections of the Old Testament have prophecy.  The Torah, or the Law, has plenty prophecies throughout it, even Moses pointing to “the prophet like me” in Deuteronomy 18:15-18 that Israel should listen to.  Psalms is placed among the Writings, or Wisdom literature.  However, not only are the psalms full of prophecies, but the book of Daniel, and even Job speaking of a time in Job 19:25-26 when his Redeemer will stand in the last days and, even though Job’s skin will be destroyed, he will see God “in my flesh.”  Our categorization of Scripture can be helpful, but it can also get in the way of hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying.

David was a prophet and Psalm 16 is not just some quaint worship song to sing at the temple.  It contains a prophecy about resurrection, yes of David, but even more so, of the ultimate Son of David, Messiah.  Yes, David had the hope of his own personal resurrection, but he knew that this hope was pinned in the person, the One, who would come from among his descendants that would be the Anointed One of God.  He foresaw that the Anointed King who would rule upon the throne of David forever, would also run into trouble just as he did.  He recognized that the spirit of this world would come against Messiah and slay him too.  Like Job, David knew that he had a redeemer that would come down into the grave and release him from its grip because it was impossible for the grave to hold Messiah, or to deny his plundering of its spirits.

Peter wants them to take David seriously.  David stated that the Holy One would not be held by the grave or see decay, which means he must first be killed and then resurrected!  Thus, in verse 32, Peter states that the 120 people that had been filled with the Holy Spirit were witnesses of all that Jesus had done, especially his resurrection.

I will point out that verse 24 and verse 32 use a word saying that God “raised up” Jesus.  This word can also be translated as to set up, or to establish something above.  In this sense there is a dual raising up.  To his enemies, it looked like Jesus was down and out as he died and went to the grave, Sheol, Hades.  However, he had been raised up from the dead and set, established, upon the earth.  For 40 days, he interacted with his disciples.  Yet, another raising occurs in verse 33.

Jesus has been exalted to a position at the right hand of the Father in the heavenlies.  It wasn’t enough to just raise Jesus up out of the realm of the dead like Lazarus.  He was raised up with an immortal body and further raised up into God’s heavenly domain, and further raised up to sit at His right Hand, the highest place.

This point is always difficult on our flesh.  Like the disciples in Acts 1 speaking to the resurrected Lord, will you now restore the kingdom to Israel?  Why didn’t he (doesn’t he even now) remain on earth and fix it?  The point is that in our flesh, we will always have an enemy to fight due to the fact that the enemy of sin is inside of us all.

It is at this highest position that Jesus receives from the Father the Promise of the Holy Spirit.  In a sense, this is talking about authority.  It is given to him, or he is authorized, to pour out the Holy Spirit as he sees fit.  In fact, that is exactly what Jesus was doing.  He was in heaven pouring out the Holy Spirit on that very day (and today as well!). 

Back in John 16:7, Jesus had told Peter and the disciples, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”  The sending of the Holy Spirit is the same as the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  The first accentuates his personhood.  The Holy Spirit is another comforter who is like Jesus, but different.  The second phrase accentuates the water analogy.  We need to be baptized, cleansed, by the Holy Spirit in order to be filled with Him to overflowing.

This is the same Spirit that we need in this hour.  We need the same Spirit that David had when he faced Goliath (an uncircumcised Philistine), and later King Saul (an uncircumcised in heart Israelite).  We need the same Spirit that Peter had as he spoke to the crowd that day and later gave his life in the Roman Colosseum.   We need the same Spirit that Jesus had in all that he did while he was on this planet.  This is the same Spirit that we can have as we daily open our hearts and minds to His leading and His purposes.

Let’s ask Jesus every day to fill us with the Holy Spirit in order that we may be his voice, his hands, and his feet in these the Last Days!

Peter Preaches III audio

The Acts of the Apostles 1

Subtitle: Jesus Promises The Holy Spirit

Acts 1:1-8.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on April 24, 2022.

Today, we begin a journey through the book often called Acts.  We will take our time to go verse by verse, which will make this a long journey.  From time to time along the way, we will pause the series for special occasions.

The setting of the book (1:1-3)

First up, let’s talk about the setting and situation that gave rise to this book of our New Testament.

The author is not identified, but there is basically no dispute that the author is Luke the physician.  This is attested within the 2^nd century and there is no dispute from anyone at the time. 

We should note that even the Gospel of Luke does not identify the author in its verses.  However, the oldest copy of the Gospel of Luke that we have dates back to the 2^nd century (AD 100’s) and has written on it in Greek “According to Luke.”

In verse 1, the author refers to a former account, “The former account I made…”  He explains the subject matter of the earlier account.  It was about “all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up…”  This clearly describes a gospel account, and makes Acts a second volume that essentially starts where the Gospel of Luke leaves off.

As for the title of the book, there is no title given by the author.  It is simply an account describing what happened from the ascension of Jesus forward.  Thus, it is historical with a theological emphasis throughout it, much like the gospel.  Since the Gospel is about what Jesus did and said, so this book has been referred to as The Acts of the Apostles, and the shorter form Acts.  Of course, we should recognize that Jesus is still acting through his disciples by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are addressed to an individual named Theophilus.  The name means “friend of God,” and is used only in Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1.  It is a Latin name, so the person is most likely a gentile convert.  I say this because Luke states that he wants Theophilus to be certain of the things in which he had been instructed (Luke 1:4).  Also there, Luke states that he had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first that he was writing about.

All of the Gospels portray a transitional period after the Resurrection of Jesus.  There are 50 days between the feast of Passover and the feast of Pentecost (called the feast of Weeks in the Old Testament).  Note that Pentecost is a Greek word for 50.  During the first 40 days, Jesus appeared on multiple occasions giving them commands, proving that it was really him, and that he was not just a spirit.  Luke states in Acts 1:3 that Jesus gave them infallible proofs of his resurrection to establish its reality beyond a doubt.  We see this with Jesus having them touch him and eating food in their presence and yet appearing and disappearing within locked rooms.

These first appearances happened in and around Jerusalem.  Then, there was an appearance in the area of Galilee.  This seems to be the situation that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 15:6 in which he mentions Jesus appearing to “over 500 brethren at once.”  The end of the Gospel of Luke places the ascension of Jesus on the east side of the Mt. of Olives near Bethany.  This is a short distance from Jerusalem towards the east.

Verse 3 also tells us that Jesus used this transitional time to speak of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.  This would be particularly important to the disciples because they were perplexed at how the crucifixion, and now resurrection, of Jesus would connect to the awaited Kingdom of God.

Jesus instructs the disciples (1:4-8)

This opens with the last appearance to them in this transitional period.  Jesus is giving them his last instructions before going into heaven.  Jesus commands them to wait in Jerusalem for the “Promise of the Father.”  This idea of waiting may seem strange or unimportant to us.  However, the followers of Christ (and even the followers of God throughout history) are to be characterized first as a people who have waited on God the Father. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength and be able to fly, run, and walk without growing weary.  We are not an inactive people, but we are not driven by the mission or task itself.  We wait upon the Lord and follow His leading like the righteous of every age.

The Promise of the Father is a reference to the prophecies regarding the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  In Joel 2, the Father promises that a time will come when He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.  This is as opposed to being poured out on a few individuals hear and there, which was how it was experienced before then.

If there is any doubt about what promise Jesus means, it is put to rest in verse 5.  John the Baptist baptized people in water, but they were about to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  We should remind ourselves of Matthew 3:11 at this point.  John himself said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  (NKJV). 

Salvation is sometimes pictured as the Spirit of God putting or baptizing a person into Christ.  The disciples present were all saved members of Christ and his body.  Here the picture is reversed and Jesus will immerse his disciples into the Holy Spirit.  Notice that this picture shows a person being completely surrounded by the Holy Spirit.

There is another picture that is used of the Holy Spirit and that is being filled with the Spirit.  At salvation, Christ dwells in the believer through the Holy Spirit.  However, being filled with the Spirit pictures the Spirit flooding forth and filling our whole inner being until it overflows.  Both these inner and outer pictures are pointing to the same idea. 

Of course, salvation and Spirit baptism can happen simultaneously or separately.  The reason the disciples had to wait was mainly about the fact that the coming of the Holy Spirit in this new outpouring needed to coincide with the feast of Pentecost.  Just as the death of Jesus happened on Passover and conceptually tied to the sacrifice they made in Egypt, so the coming of the Holy Spirit conceptually tied to Pentecost.  This was a celebration of the harvest that God had given up to that point and the further harvest that would be realized in the months ahead.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is connected to the harvest of believers who would come into the Kingdom of God through the work of the apostles and the Early Church.  They would be like a rock in the pond causing ripples down through history to our very hour. 

We see in verse 6 that the disciples are more concerned about Israel and what Jesus was doing in regard to reestablishing the kingdom.  Old Testament prophecy pointed to a time when the Anointed One of God (Messiah/Christ) would: break off the Gentile dominion over Israel, bring back those of Israel who had been dispersed to Gentile lands, fix all that was wrong with Israel, and bring the world under his righteous administration.  They believed that this would happen up until the cross, where their hopes were dashed.  Yet, these hopes were now restored since the Resurrection of Jesus.  They are like kids often are, asking the Lord, “Are we there yet?” 

Jesus tells them that it is not for us to know the times or seasons that are under the Father’s authority.  The Father would determine when that would happen and He was not giving the disciples more information.  It is important that Jesus expects it to happen.  He doesn’t berate them for not understanding that the Kingdom was only a metaphor and would never happen literally.  This is the approach that many liberal Christians take with such prophecies.  However, Jesus refocuses them.  Our focus is not to be on the “when” of God’s Kingdom restoration of Israel. 

Instead, their focus is to be on receiving power to be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth (verse 8).  This power would come when they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  We will talk more about this when we get to chapter 2.  However, we must always remember that the power behind our activity must always be the Holy Spirit.  We must not let the lesser power of institutional momentum and pride of a brand fuel the task of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.  The pouring out of the Holy Spirit would essentially be about giving a witness to the world of who Jesus is, what he did, what he has made available to us presently, and what he will do in the future.  We can be filled with the presence of God because of what Jesus has done.

In verse 8, Jesus highlights the concentric circles of the expansion of this witness.  It would start in Jerusalem, move to Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.  Imagine, here we are today at the ends of the earth from Jerusalem talking about Jesus!  Yet, there are still many who need to hear about Jesus, and they also need to see Jesus in us.

May God help us not to run ahead without the help of the Holy Spirit in doing this work.  Without Him we will fail, but with Him we will succeed at doing the work!  That said, neither do we want to hang back when the Spirit of God begins to move.  May God help us to walk in step with His Spirit, and to stop in sync with His Spirit.

Acts Jesus Promises audio

The Most Negatively Positive Message

Hebrews 13:5-6.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 28, 2021.

The promises of God are “yes,” and “amen!”  If He promises something then all that is left is for us to say, “Amen,” and then believe it. 

Today, we are going to look at a promise from Jesus that we need to hold onto more tightly in these days.  It is the promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us, even to the end of the age (where we are).

Let’s look at our passage.

We should choose to be content

The verses that we are looking at are in a series of exhortations to godliness.  In them, we are reminded to live in a contented way.  On one hand, we have very little excuse for not having contentment.  We are surrounded by plenty compared to others in the world.  Yet, on the other hand, that very fact can stir up a fear within us that we are going to miss out on what others are enjoying.  We can adopt an entitled attitude.  It is here that we see; contentment begins in the mind and heart of a person.

The writer to the Hebrews reminds Christians that they should live without the love of money.  The idea for conduct or living is that of the turnings of our mind in looking at things, which then lead to the turning of our life in its choices and decisions.  This “way of living” should not be directed by the love of money (the word is literally not a lover of silver).  People love money because of the power that it gives us to obtain whatever it is that we need, or desire.  The money is just a proxy, a stand-in, for the multitude of things that our hearts and minds desire.

As Christians, we must choose to be drawn into this world where the power of money becomes the source of our thinking, the director of our life, and even the hope of our heart.  The reality is that there is no contentment in that world.  How much more money does a millionaire need to be content?  The answer is just one more million.  It doesn’t matter how much money you have, if your heart looks to it as your answer, then you will always need more to be content, which is another way of saying that you will always be discontent.

Instead of looking to money to get us the “things that we need,” believers are told to be content with what they have.  It is literally “the things that are present.”  What do I have right now?  This is what God has provided for me, and part of gratitude is learning to be content with what we have.  This doesn’t mean that we cannot pray and ask God for things.  However, it would be better for us to ask God for His help rather than asking for things.  When our focus is on the “things” themselves, we see God as a cosmic means to satisfying ourselves.  God knows how to help us, and what we need, far better than we do.

When Joseph was taken captive to Egypt, or later when he was in prison, he probably did not feel like he had everything that he needed, but God was helping Him all along, even through those very bad things that others did to him.  His brothers bound him and sold him as a slave.  Potiphar’s wife lied and said he tried to sexually assault her.  These were not good things, but God used them to put Joseph in the right place at the right time in order to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and cupbearer.  We can choose to be content and embrace the things that we have, and the situations that we find ourselves in, because we know that God has supplied them for us and is working it towards a good end (Romans 8:28).  Learn to embrace the things present in your life instead of always looking to the hills for something “better.”

Our Lord has given us a promise

The writer then reminds us of a promise from the Lord to his followers in the last part of verse 5.  In English, we see that he promises something good by stating that he will not do a bad thing.  He will not leave us.  This is a positive message that is stated in a negative way.  If he will not leave us, then that means he will always be with us!  However, there is more going on here than can be seen in English.  Here is the Greek text of the statement translated as “I will never leave you.”

Οὐ  μή  σε  ἀνῶ

The first two words that are underlined are both negations.  They are essentially the word “not.”  The third word is the pronoun “you,” and the last word is the verb, “I will leave” (roughly). 

Normally, to say “I will not leave you,” you would just use words 2-4.  However, in this case, a double negative is used.  Of course, they are not the same word, but more on that in a second.  In English, double negatives would cancel each other out.  “I will not not hurt you,” means that I will hurt you.  This is not the case in Greek.  A double negative actually emphasizes, or intensifies, even more that one will not do the thing.  It could be translated, “I will not, no not, leave you.”  The NKJV uses “never” to cover both negatives; “I will never leave you.”  This is well enough, but there is one more layer to this double negative.

They are not the same word, and therefore do not negate in the same way.  Together, they form a more powerful negation than either one of them can give alone.  The first word of negation negates that it will ever be a fact.  It will never be a fact that I have left you.  You may think and feel this, and others may say this, but it will not be a fact.  The second word of negation negates that it would ever be a possibility, or that it would never be a desire of the Lord.  Not only will it never be a fact, but it would never even be a thing that I could possibly desire.  It is hard to bring all that across in English, but now you have a sense of how strongly our Lord is trying to tell us that he will not leave us.

The second half of this promise from Jesus says the same thing, but it uses a different verb and adds another word of negation.  Here is the text of the second part translated as “nor forsake you.”

οὐδ  οὐ  μή  σε  ἐγκαταλίπω

Words two, three, and four are exactly the same and have the same meanings.  The last word is a verb, but is clearly a different word.  This verb is more than just leaving, and has a sense of leaving so as to abandon or forsake someone.  This would broaden or deepen the first statement.  I will not leave you, and even more, I will not abandon you.

Now, the first word is another type of negation and would fit our word “neither.”  As in, I won’t do this, neither will I do that.  Again, it will never be a fact, neither something that Christ could possibly desire, that he has forsaken us.  The Greek has 5 negatives in this one promise, and is why I entitled this sermon, “The Most Negatively Positive Message.”  It is impossible to translate this word for word in English and still make sense.  “I will not not leave you, neither, I will not not forsake you.”

I have taken the time to go through this to ask this question.  Why would it be stated with so many negatives rather than just stating it in the positive?   This is exactly what Jesus does in Matthew 28:20, “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV).  This is speculation on my part, but I think the prevalence of negatives has a power to it that is very different from the positive.  It reminds me of the circumstances of life that cause us to doubt the promises of God.  Such negative thoughts and fears, and turnings of our mind, are a kind of inner negative world that we can fall into.  It is as if the Lord says, “You want to be negative?  Then, I will say it in a way that might break into your negative mindset.”

Oh friends, if we really knew just how much He is committed to us, we would never doubt him.  It is one of the reasons why he hung on a cross for you and for me.  He did it so that we would never doubt his love for us.  The cross is itself stating a positive thing within a negative event.  “I love you this much!”

We must deal with fear

So, why do we doubt his promise to always be with us, even to the end of the age?  It is because we fear all the wrong things.  If I fear the Lord, then I would dare not doubt His promise to me.  But, if I fear not having all sorts of things that my heart wants, if I fear people and what they can do to me, then I will never have contentment.

Verse 6 says that we are to say, “The Lord is my helper!”  We are not to say this because we are arrogant and conceited, but because the Lord of heaven has stated it in such a way that you can’t deny it.  Wow, the Lord has come alongside of me to be my helper.  I don’t deserve such a thing, but I can’t deny it either.  He has loved me this much anyways.  Now, we might be tempted to say that we are supposed to be his helper and on his side.  That is true, but it is not what the Bible says here.  It is also true that he is on your side in order to help you.

This first statement should spur the next choice.  “I will not fear!”  Again, of course we will fear the Lord because He is our judge, but the context is everything else that we tend to fear.  I won’t be afraid of things that I don’t have, or enemies that I do have.  In fact, when we fear things other than the Lord, we diminish him and act as if he really isn’t enough.  The Lord is on your side; nothing else should matter.  Joseph didn’t need anything else, and neither do you!

Verse 6 pictures a person who is realizing that God is on their side and so they are choosing not to fear what they see around them, or the lack thereof.  They are choosing to disregard the messages of fear that come from their heart and mind, and instead, choose to trust in the Lord.  This is David before Goliath.  David did not do what he did because he thought he had the perfect slingshot, rocks, and aim.  He went against the giant because he knew that the Lord was with Him.  He was not cocky and arrogant like Goliath, but acted with faith in God alone. 

Satan’s greatest weapon against us is our own fear that God has left us, and abandoned us.  We fear that if we don’t try to make it happen, and “leave it up to God,” it will never happen.  Such cynicism, does not lead us to the joy and peace of God.  It leads to emptiness.

This leads to a question, “What then can others do to me?”  This question is not being asked in the literal sense.  Of course, others can beat me, put me in jail, kill me, etc.  The question is not about that.  The question is grander than that.  I mentioned Joseph earlier.  His brothers intended and did great evil to him, and so did Potiphar’s wife.  It appeared that no one cared for Joseph, and was on his side, but the truth is that God had not left Joseph, nor forsaken him.  His brothers couldn’t really hurt him because God was on his side.  What they meant for evil, God was turning to the good.

So, why doesn’t God get rid of Satan and his minions, and the countless people who do his bidding?  At least for now, He doesn’t because He is using it for our good.  Like Joseph, God is bringing us to that place where we can be raised up into an exalted position, and when we get there, we will be tried and proven faithful, warriors who know how to stand in truth against evil.  In the end, all man can do to you is promote you, unless you give into fear and do to yourself what they can’t.

Negatively Positive audio

The Spectacular Transfiguration of Jesus Christ

Mark 9:1-13.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, January 05, 2020.

This passage has a unique event that is more than just your average miracle (if such can be said about miracles).  The transfiguration of Jesus demonstrates that supernatural things are not only happening around Jesus, but that there is also something supernatural about him.  He is not a man who has figured out how to get God to help him all the time.  Rather, his origin is supernatural.  He is from the Father and thus he is from heaven.

Let’s look at the passage.

Jesus gives a promise

The scene begins in verse 1 where Jesus gives a promise to a gathering of his disciples and other people.  This is mentioned in Mark 8:34. The stands out as a singular statement against the event that follows it, the transfiguration of Jesus.  The disciples and the people had been kept guessing as to when Jesus might begin to bring in the Kingdom of God that they were expecting.  Yes, they are grateful for miracles and all, but they want to see Jesus get serious about taking on the greater role of Messiah by kicking out the Romans and reforming the corruption of Israel.

The basic promise is that some of those who were in attendance that day would not die before they saw the kingdom of God coming in a powerful way.  This verse is sometimes used to substantiate the claim that Jesus taught the disciples that his Second Coming would happen in the first century.  Atheists see that it failed and thus reject Christ.  Believers that do this will find events within the first century and present them as metaphorical fulfillments of such promises.

Of course, we should note that the Second Coming is not mentioned in this promise.  It is only about the Kingdom of God and how it would be coming in.  This presents a wrinkle.

The New Testament does present an odd twist on the Old Testament promise of the Kingdom of God.  In short, the apostles proclaim that the Kingdom of God has been established in the hearts of believers through the Spirit of God.  Yet, the physical reign of Jesus (Messiah) on this earth and the judgment of the nations has been put on hold, or is not yet.  So, we get this “now, but not yet” presentation of the Kingdom of God throughout the writings of the Apostles.

Does anything happen within the lifetime of those who were living at that time which reflects the Kingdom of God coming powerfully?  All three gospels that record this bold statement follow it immediately with an account that is called the Transfiguration of Jesus.  It is contextually clear that they saw this event as the fulfillment of what Jesus promised.  Modern sceptics may not like this explanation, but it is the one that the disciples themselves give to us.

For modern people to reject such an explanation, smacks of arrogance.  Who are we to tell people from a culture within which we have never lived that they didn’t actually understand what Jesus said?  Who are we to force our thinking upon the situation?  The disciples present themselves as often misunderstanding Jesus.  They really didn’t “get it” until after the resurrection.  There we have Jesus fully explaining the Scriptures, and another promise that the Holy Spirit would enable them to remember the things Jesus said along with what it meant (John 16:12-13).  The truth they came to see is that the transfiguration was exactly what Jesus was talking about in this promise.  He is not talking about the end times and his Second Coming.

Jesus is transfigured

We are told that Peter, James, and John go up on a high mountain with Jesus six days later.  These three are the “some” that Jesus was talking about in the previous promise.  We are not told what high mountain this is although they were last described as being in the area of Caesarea-Philippi.  So, it could be somewhere in the Golan Heights.  However, the importance of the high mountain is more in its symbolism than it is in its literal location.  There is a clear parallel happening here between Moses going up on the mountain to hear from God at Sinai, and the disciples going up on the mountain and hearing from God with Jesus.  Jesus is the “greater than Moses” one.  Yet, his disciples are the ones who are going to come down from the mountain, and speak to Israel and the nations about what God has told them.

So, what does transfiguration mean?  We should recognize that what is described in this passage did not happen and so they had a word for it.  In seeking to describe what they saw, the disciples take up the Greek word “metamorphosis,” which has the basic meaning of a change of form.  This should not be connected to the concept of shape-shifting, even though the word could allow for it.  Jesus clearly does not change shape, and the word is used in two other places in the New Testament to describe the believer being transformed into the image of Jesus (no literal shape-shifting there either).  Romans 12:2 tells believers that they should not be conformed to this world, but rather to be “metamorphed” by the renewing of your mind so that you might prove what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is.  In 2 Corinthians 3:18 the Christian experience is described as one who sees Christ in the mirror of God’s Word and is “metamorphed” into the same image from one level of glory to the next level of glory.  Thus, the change they are describing with the word “metamorphosis” is not about the shape, but rather the outward presentation of the person.  The word appearance would be a better concept here than shape. 

Mark tells us that the clothing of Jesus began to shine exceedingly white.  We can imagine something like a mantle in a gas or oil lamp.  In Matthew 17:2, we are told that his “face shone like the sun.”  Thus, the shining is actually coming from the person of Christ and is affecting his clothing.  Within that culture, such a description would clearly imply that Jesus is not just human.  He is a spirit being from the spirit realm.  Spiritual beings are often described as shining, and even metaphorically referred to as stars or celestial lights.  The intention is clear.  There is something heavenly about this being.  The glorious Son of God was cloaked by human flesh, but in this moment the three disciples are given a glimpse of his true glory, the glory he will have when he returns at the end of the age in order to set up the physical reign of his kingdom. 

This also connects to Moses on Mt. Sinai because there Moses was given a glimpse of the receding glory of God, whereas here, the disciples are given a limited glimpse of the glory of Christ.

It is amazing enough that Jesus is shining like the sun, but then two figures appear and begin talking with Jesus.  The disciples come to know that they are Elijah and Moses (probably through what they say).  These two men are representatives of the Law and the Prophets.  They both were remembered as operating in powerful signs and wonders.  This also underlines what Jesus taught elsewhere.  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  Those who have gone before us are still alive.  They are just not in earthly bodies.

So, what are they talking about?  We are not told.  Yet, it is reminiscent of the angels who appeared to Jesus in the wilderness after his 40-day fast and tempting by the devil.  They may be simply encouraging him for the road of suffering that lay ahead.

Although this scene is still happening, we are told that the disciples are very afraid.  In his fear, Peter asks Jesus if they should build three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  This glorious appearing of Jesus along with the powerful prophets of old was more like what the disciples had been wanting.  A glowing, shining Messiah should have a tabernacle in which to dwell.  The word for tabernacle is the same word used for the portable temple that Israel used in the wilderness wanderings coming out of Egypt.  It was later replaced by a permanent temple.  Perhaps Peter sees that this could be a religious site of worship, and a political site of the rule of Messiah.  Clearly, they needed to be silent and just watch.  The impulsive nature of Peter causes him to interject an idea that will not even be considered.  Peter does not understand what God is doing, and in a sense is interrupted by the Father Himself in what happens next.  We must be careful that we are not building things that are not what God is desiring, even though they sound thoughtful and worshipful.

At this point, a cloud overshadows them and a voice speaks from the cloud to them.  It says, “This is my beloved Son.  Listen to Him!”  The suffering and death that Jesus was going to experience would threaten their perseverance in listening to Jesus and following him.  This event serves to show that, no matter how inglorious the life of Jesus would look, he was the very glory of God.  The disciples could trust the one who would become the crucified Lord of Glory.  This is also God’s word to you and I.  God commands all men everywhere to repent of their sins and listen to Jesus.  This also connects back to the cloud that led Israel through the wilderness and would descend on the tabernacle when Moses would meet with God to receive His words.  The cloud was a visible sign that God’s presence was there.  No Israelite would miss the connotation of what is happening here. 

On top of this, Moses told Israel in Deuteronomy 18:15 that God would eventually raise up another prophet like him and that they should listen to him.  This is the exact same message that the father gives to the disciples.  Listen to Him!

The scene suddenly disappears.  The cloud, Moses, and Elijah are all gone.  Jesus is not glowing anymore.  At this point, Jesus instructs his disciples that they should not tell anyone about this event until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead.  They are still stupefied by these references that Jesus keeps making about the Son of Man being killed and then rising from the dead.  It just goes to show how hard it is for us to see things that are right in front of us when we are not expecting them, or they are so far outside of our frame of reference.  Later, the disciples would tell all about this event as they spoke to Israel and the nations.  Peter clearly mentions this event in 2 Peter 1:16-19 where he says, “We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.  And so, we have the word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart.”

The disciples question Jesus

In verses 11-13, the minds of the disciples are still spinning with the spectacular event that they have just seen.  Thus, a question surfaces in their minds to ask Jesus.  Why is it taught by the scribes that Elijah must come before Messiah?  Such teaching was no doubt based upon Malachi 4:5-6.  It basically says that before the Wrath of God comes, Elijah would appear and turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children back to their parents.  Wow, what an apt description of our problems today.  Satan ever seeks to divide us along lines that God intended for us to be unified.  Our hearts should be toward one another, instead they are often only towards ourselves, and even worse, against one another.

Jesus clearly affirms the teaching, but he gives them more understanding.  He does so by reminding them of the passages that teach about the suffering of Messiah.  To understand the prophecy about Elijah returning before Messiah, one needs to understand the suffering of the Messiah to whom he would point.  The prophecies concerning the Messiah had two aspects about them: the suffering of Messiah and the glorious rule of Messiah, the dealing with our sins and the destruction of the wicked.  We know that this dual aspect required two comings of Jesus, or we could say, required a pause before God completed the mission.  Thus, there would be something similar with Elijah.

In a way, Elijah had already come.  There are several other places where Jesus speaks of John the Baptist and whether or not he was Elijah who was to come.  The best way to sum up these passages is to put it this way.  John was not literally Elijah, but he did come in the power and the spirit of Elijah.  He came out of the wilderness in animal skins and called Israel to repentance.  “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”  Jesus was the Messiah of Israel, but they rejected him.  Because of this rejection, Jesus would leave them and come back to them at the end of the age.  Similarly, this prophecy of Elijah would require Elijah to come before the Second Coming as well.  This may seem strange, but Revelation 11 speaks of two witnesses or prophets who would show up in the end times and powerfully call Israel and the world to repentance.  It is quite possible that these witnesses are Elijah and Moses.  In support of this conjecture, we see the fact that the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will do signs and wonders similar to that of Elijah and Moses.

As we close, it is important to understand the glory of Christ.  From his glory, he stepped down into this world and into human flesh.  He restrained his glory so that we could see, hear, and interact with him.  This moment of clarity about the true glory of Jesus is intended to give the disciples and us confidence in Jesus even after the stark reality of the cross slams into the faith we have.  Though we did not see this event, those who did are faithfully witnessing to us that they are not making up fables and stories.  Rather, they are telling us what they saw with their own eyes.  May God strengthen our faith in a day and age that seems hell-bent on rejecting the message of John the Baptist, and, more importantly, the Lord Jesus Christ.  You may not be so close to the image of Christ that you are glowing yet, but one day we will shine like the stars because we kept our faith in Jesus to the end!

Transfiguration Audio