The Glory of God (Luke 9:28-36) Mari Ikea
A. Jesus: Both God and human
1. Suffering as a human (28)
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
2. Glorified as God (29)
29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
3. Glory through suffering (30-31)
30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.
B. Listen to him (32-36)
32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters―one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
Summary
This episode where Jesus changed in appearance, demonstrates our limitation in understanding God and how he appears. Jesus relinquished his splendor and glory as God and took on human form so that we could relate to him. Having suffered, he returned to heaven. Because of his suffering, our relationship with God was restored. The Bible teaches that in order to know God, we need to listen to Jesus.
For Discussion
1) What was "his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem” (verse 31)?
2) What is God's glory?