together please. We'll turn to the Gospel of Matthew and chapter 17. Matthew chapter 17. In the second half of chapter 16 we had the Lord asking his disciples, putting them on the spot, who do you say that I am? We've had the right answer, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And then the Lord began in verse 21 of chapter 16 to show onto the disciples how that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. There was even then Further, there's a rebuke of Peter who said, not so Lord, no, this has to be the way. And we saw last time the idea of not just Christ going forth, but also then a call for us to follow, to take up our cross and to tread this hard path. So that brings us to chapter 17 and reading from the first verse, let's hear the word of the Lord. And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto him Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, which said, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, arise and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision to no man until the son of man be risen from the dead. And his disciples asked him saying, why then say the scribes that Elias must come first or must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias is come already. And they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he speak unto them of John the Baptist. I will end there, the end of verse 13, and let's just briefly look to the Lord in prayer. Father, we pray now for the help of the Holy Ghost to come and to take up the inspired scriptures and to speak to us. We need thee, we need thy voice to be heard, and so we pray for your mercies. Be pleased to work in our hearts, each one, Show us more of our glorious Savior. Draw our hearts out after Him, we pray. May Christ be glorified. Amen. It must have been amazing to be one of those 12 disciples, and you spend a few years ministering side by side with the Lord Jesus Christ. You're learning from Him, you're following Him, you're observing Him along the way. Think of some of the things that those disciples saw. They witnessed all kinds of remarkable events. They watched in awe one day as Christ walked across the surface of the water. Or they heard him when he simply commanded the wind and the waves to be still and they saw nature obey him. Or they were there when they watched the Lord literally take a little boy's packed lunch and use it to feed 5,000 people. They saw something of the Lord just continually creating bread for the crowd. They've seen him perform all kinds of healings. They've seen him deliver people whose lives were just totally beyond hope, like the demoniac of Gadara. So they've witnessed so much that's just utterly astonishing. But of all the things that they witnessed during Christ's ministry, for three of them in particular, for Peter, James, and John, I suspect the most impactful moment came upon this mountain in the northern parts of Israel. Now, verse one tells us, after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart. And there on that mountaintop for a little season, you could say the veil is lifted slightly, and these disciples get a glimpse of the glory of Christ. And it has an effect. Writing a bit later, and Peter said in 2 Peter 1, we read it last week, he says, we've not followed cunningly devised fables. He says, that we were eyewitnesses of Christ's majesty. He received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And he's talking about this event. He says, I was there. I saw it. I heard the voice of God. And this experience had a radical effect on Peter. What an experience it must have been to see all this, to hear the proclamation of the Father. It's stuck with him and presumably with the other two as well. I can't say for sure, but I suspect that this scene was on John's mind to some extent when he says in John 1, 14, in his gospel, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father. I suppose there's a sense in which the world beheld his glory, but there's a special sense in which John quite literally beheld the glory Jesus Christ. Well today Matthew's Gospel helps us to ascend the mountain, to come along with these disciples and to enter into that experience at least to some extent. We're brought to stand with Christ in what Peter calls the Holy Mount. So we're giving our attention today to this astonishing scene on the Mount of Transfiguration and let's start by thinking about the great revelation on the mountain. The revelation, that is the revelation of Christ. When the Savior came into the world, it's important to remember on the surface, he was very ordinary. He wasn't particularly special on the surface. Now, he is special. He's the Lord of glory. There's no one more special than him. He's the creator of heaven and earth. But when he came into this world, he took on a real, a normal humanity. He became exactly like you and me, except for he was without sin. And so whenever he went about his ministry, he looked like your average everyday Jew. There was nothing particularly special to his appearance. Sometimes you get the illustrations of Christ's ministry and he's always in this sort of beautiful white robe and maybe a red sash and he stands out from the crowd visually. In reality, he didn't stand out, at least not visibly. I suppose his power, his teaching, his miracles, that made him stand out. But visibly, he looked like your average Jewish man. In fact, he's from a poor family, so he probably, he almost certainly wore very poor clothing, plain clothing, simple clothing. Visually, he did not stand out from the crowd. Visually, just your average everyday Jewish man. Except all that time, he had never ceased to be God. He'd never lost his glory. It was simply hidden. And on that mountain for a little season, the veil is lifted and Three of these disciples get a peek at the true majesty of their master. In Christ's glory, it's emphasized in a few different ways. First of all, you'll notice Christ's appearance. Now, if you're taking notes and you really like alliteration, you can maybe use the word complexion, because I'm about to give you two more Cs, but I'll stick with appearance, his appearance. Verse two says, he was transfigured before them. Now, that word transfigured, it's where we get our English word metamorphosis from, or at least that's the Greek word that it comes from, metamorphosis. The point is that suddenly his appearance is radically different. It's transformed. The plain, normal-looking Jewish man is gone, and now the sight of Christ is utterly different. We're told here, his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment, that is his clothing, it was white as the light. Back in the Old Testament, when Moses came to a different mountain, to Mount Sinai, because he spent so much time on Mount Sinai in the presence of God, whenever he came back to Israel, Exodus 34 says that the skin of his face shone. There was such a brightness from Moses' face that day that the other Israelites were afraid to come near him. He had to put a veil over his face. spending time in the presence of God, his face had begun to, you could say, reflect something of the glory of God. Well, here's Christ, and he's ascended a different mountain, and now his face is shining. But where Moses' face shone like the moon, a reflection of the glory of God, the moon reflecting the sun, here's Christ's face shining with the full brightness of the sun itself. That's how it's described. His face did shine as the sun. If you stand outside in midday and you look up, you can't look directly at the sun, or at least you shouldn't be looking directly at the sun. It's not good for you. It's so bright it's unbearable. And that's the sense here. This brightness from Christ, it's unbearable such as the greatness of it. It's shining. His face is shining like the sun. I can't remember which one it is. I think one of the other gospels describes it with like the sun in full strength, the full strength of the sun. Moses' face shone on Mount Sinai because he'd been spending so much time in the presence of God. Here, Christ hasn't been very long on the mountain, but his face shines even more gloriously because the glory is his. It's not just a reflection. It's his glory. It's a bit like the description you get in Revelation 1. where John was in the spirit on the Lord's day. Christ came to him, his head and hair white like wool, and John says, his countenance, this is where I was thinking of actually, his countenance, was as the sun shineth in his strength. That was from Revelation, not one of the other gospels. His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And we're told not just that his face was shining, but his raiment was white as the light. White as the light. Mark's gospel gives it even more descriptively and says, exceeding white as snow, so no fooler on earth. A fooler is like a launderer, someone who washes clothes. No fooler on earth can white them. Mark says, his clothing was so white, it would be impossible to get the clothing any brighter. And sometimes you see those adverts for the latest washing powder and they'll show you the shirt getting all messed up and then they'll hold it up and now it's bright and new and white. Of course, I strongly suspect that half the time those adverts are faked, and they're just holding up a new shirt. But even if it's not, you could say it doesn't even come close to the whiteness of the Savior that day. There are the disciples standing before him, and it's as if bright and pure light is just emanating from him. And on one occasion, he said himself, I am the light of the world. And here he is quite literally, light beaming forth from him. And you could say, well, what's the significance of that? Well, for one, it emphasizes his purity. He's the spotless one, pure, pure light. But more than that, it emphasizes his glory as God. It's one of the main ways God's glory is described throughout the Bible. In terms of light, glory, it's quite a difficult concept for us to even understand. What is the glory of God? What do we mean by that? Well, one of the ways the Bible sort of portrays it for us is this idea of the brightness of light. When God appears right throughout scripture, there's so often this brightness, this pure light. You see it when Moses met with God at Mount Sinai. That's why Moses' face shone. It reflected the light of God whose presence he'd been spending time in. 1 John 1.5 says, God is light. In him is no darkness at all. You see something of it as well, even in this passage, this idea of light connected with the glory of God. And in verse five, it speaks of how when Peter yet speak, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And a voice out of the cloud, which said, this is my beloved son. If you like the glory of God, the father is peeking through the cloud. It's a cloud marked by light because God is there. Well, here's Jesus himself, and he's shining with glory before the eyes of his disciples. On your normal day, he might look like an average Jewish man, but here he is, and it's being emphasized, this is the glorious one. This is the majestic God. He's not merely man. He's the God-man. He's God in the flesh. The disciples don't get to see it all the time. They don't always see through the veil, but now they're getting this little glimpse. This is their God come among them. Now, that sight alone should make us bow in humility before Jesus Christ. It should make us sober about how we respond to him. There's plenty today who hear the gospel, hear the invitations of Christ, and they sort of think of him as this sort of somewhat weak prophet type figure. He says lots of good things, nice things, but they sort of see this image of the weak Christ. He's the one who is born in the manger. He's the one who suffers and dies. And then from that, you sort of get this half-hearted, like, well, what do I do with him? It doesn't really matter. I'll have a think about the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll maybe sort it out some other day. This little sight of Christ reminds us that the one we're dealing with when the gospel comes to us, he is the Lord of glory. He is the majestic light bearer, the God from whom all things come forth. He is the most high, and we had better take him seriously. In Revelation 1, when John saw Christ, he says, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. That was the impact a sight of Christ had on John. If you get a glimpse of the majesty of Christ, truly appreciate who we're dealing with when the gospel comes to us. It really removes any kind of reason to be half-hearted or indifferent about this whole thing. No, we're dealing with the majestic one, and we better deal rightly with him. Now, if Christ's appearance was the only startling thing, that would be quite a lot, but this scene gets even more dramatic. Notice then, not just Christ's appearance, but also his companions. Verse three says, Behold, there appeared unto him Moses and Elias talking with him. Now, Moses and Elias, or Elijah, these were two of the most prominent men in the Old Testament. Let me just quickly point out a simple observation. Both of these men, they have been removed from the earth long ago. Moses had died. Elijah had been taken away in a whirlwind. But here they are, after all the years since their earthly existence, and they're still very much alive. So it's worth just pointing out that little detail. It highlights, say, the description that the Apostle Paul gives to us. To die is to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Here are saints of God and they're not in some sort of soul sleep. No, they are very much alive. Here they are in the presence of Christ on the mountain. They, well, certainly Moses died long before this physically, but he's very much alive with his savior. The encouragement here for us, when your race is done, you who are saved will be with the Lord. It's not just some sort of soul sleep till the end. No, you'll be with the Lord. You'll be absent from the body, present with your Savior. So take encouragement in that. And when we grieve over saved loved ones who've gone before us, there's comfort here. They are very much still around, still alive in the presence of Christ. Physically, yes, dead, but spiritually, very much alive. Here are two saints of old, especially in the case of Moses, a man who died on the earth, and yet very much alive in the presence of Christ. Now, to focus on these two men in particular, we're given their identities, Moses and Elijah, two of the most important men in the Old Testament. Moses, of course, he's the man who led Israel out of Egypt and he brought them to Mount Sinai. And there at Mount Sinai, God met with Israel. Moses ascended the hill and there Moses became the instrument through which Israel got the law. Moses is the law bringer. Then you've got Elijah. He's one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament era. Through him, God revealed his glory on another mountain, Mount Carmel, when the fire came down from heaven and consumed Elijah's sacrifice. So here are two of the most important men in the Old Testament. Elijah often was considered among the Jews as one of or perhaps even the greatest of the prophets. So we've got the lawbringer. We've got one of the greatest prophets. And their identity is important here. If you like, they stand as representatives of the whole Old Testament. Moses stands as the representative of the law. Elijah stands as the representative of the prophets. This is one of the ways Christ even talked about the whole Old Testament, the law and the prophets. And here are these two saints and their fellowshipping with Christ. Earlier in Matthew 5, 17, in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. And if you like, what you've got here is a visible demonstration of that. Christ holds perfect fellowship with Moses, the lawgiver, with Elijah, the prophet, And he's come to, if you like, fulfill their whole ministry. What are they talking about? We're not told in Matthew's gospel, but we are told what they were talking about. In Luke 9 31, it says that Moses and Elias appeared in glory and speak of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. So these two men of old, they have come and they're speaking with Christ on the mountain, and they're talking about his coming death. They speak about his decease, his death, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. They're talking about the death that he has to die. They're talking about the work of the cross that's looming on the horizon. For a second, just set the identity of Moses and Elijah to the side. Just think of them purely as two Old Testament saints. What is it that they're particularly interested in? Well, they're looking to Christ for his atoning work. They're looking for Jesus Christ to go to that cross and to secure the fullness of their salvation. They were Old Testament saints, but they are looking forward to the work of the Savior, There's just a reminder there for us. The Old Testament and the New are not so radically different as if there are two different ways of salvation. No, these Old Testament saints are looking for salvation the very same way as you and me. They're looking to Christ and to his work. This is what they're interested in. Then think of these men as who they are, Moses, Elijah, the representatives of the law and the prophets. Moses was used of God to bring the law to Israel. That law was a schoolmaster with the purpose of leading lost mankind to see their need and to run to Christ. And here's Moses now talking together with the one that his law appointed to. He's talking together with the one who came to redeem even him from the curse of the law that he gave. Then there's Elijah. Along with the other Old Testament prophets, the task ultimately was to testify of Christ. They pointed to, they prophesied the great one who was coming. And finally, here's Elijah rejoicing to see Christ's day. All the Old Testament prophecies are on the brink of being fulfilled as the Savior marches toward the cross. So here's Christ, the glorious one shining. He's God in the flesh. He's the glorious delight of the Old Testament saints. He's the one that the whole Old Testament was pointing to. He's the one who came into the world not to carry out some new plan because the first one didn't work, but he's the one who came to fulfill the very plan of God that had been in existence from eternity. The work of the cross is this focus of Moses and Elijah. If you like, there's a wonderful hand over here. The two saints of old come as if to shake Christ by the hand and to pass on to him now. Here you are, come to fulfill our ministry. Here you are, come to bring it to its completion. And they delight in him. We ought to bear in mind that throughout the whole Bible, The focus is always directed to Christ. Through the Old Testament, it's always directed forward. Christ is coming. There's going to be this Savior. You need him throughout the New Testament. It's always pointing us back to Christ. He is the very focal point of all of history. And then the question comes to you and me. Is he our focal point? Is he the one that we are honing in on, focusing on, trusting with our lives, with our eternity, with our everything? Is it the focus of our attention that this Christ, that God should come in the flesh and die for you. So there's a wonderful revelation of Christ in terms of his appearance and in terms of these noble companions. And then notice also Christ's commendation. On quite a few occasions, Peter puts his foot in things. I suppose that just comes with the territory of being brave enough to speak up first. He certainly is that. But it does mean that he says some foolish things at times, and it seems to be another case of that here. In verse four, he spoke up, he said, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, one for Elias. Now to be charitable to Peter means That idea probably comes from an excitement about this wonderful experience. There's the desire to stay then and to see more of the glory of Christ. And also Moses and Elijah, he wants to spend longer in the Lord's presence. So I suppose that's something commendable enough. Maybe we ought to examine our hearts and ask, do I have the desire to stay in the presence of Christ and to see more of the glory of Christ? Because we ought to have a heart like that. But even if his general desire is understandable, his words, they seem to be a mistake. And I say that because in verse five, it's while he yet speak, it's while he's yet still speaking, still trying to fumble out his words, that the voice of God, the Father from heaven cuts him off. God interrupts him. And it certainly implies that what Peter was saying was foolish. The way it's described, it seems like a mild rebuke of Peter's words. And you might ask, well, what's the particular mistake? In part, it might still be that idea of wanting to stay there on the mount and enjoy the glory while neglecting the hard road that Christ has been describing, the road to the cross. It might be partly that. Probably the bigger thing is that Peter is essentially treating Moses and Elijah and Christ as if they are all equals. As if Moses and Elijah here are two of the great men of old, servants of God of old, and here's Christ, just another of these great servants. And there's maybe that idea of treating them all as equals of some sort. Now, Moses and Elijah, they were both important men in Jewish history, honored in many ways. But no matter how prominent they are, they are in no sense equal to the Savior. They are the backing cast to the play of history. Jesus Christ is the lead actor. They served their purpose in the hand of God, but here is Jesus, God in the flesh, shining with glory. He's no mere prophet to be put on equal footing with Moses and Elijah. So it seems fitting right at this moment, as Peter is sort of seemingly treating them fairly equal, let us make our three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. Right at that moment, the bright cloud comes overhead If you like, God the Father rides in upon his cloud chariot, and from that cloud the voice of God booms. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. Here's the Father's commendation of the Lord Jesus. And just as the case was the case at his baptism from the heavens, the Father declares, it's not Moses, it's not Elijah, this, this Jesus, is my beloved son. Here's the one of chief glory. Now think of it, you know, Moses and Elijah, here are two of the most prominent men in Jewish history. And they're standing in a lineup with Jesus of Nazareth. And the voice of the father speaks and picks out Jesus from the lineup. Here is the one that you need to listen to. Here is the glorious one. This is the pleasing one. Not Moses, not Elijah. No, this is the pleasing one, Jesus. He's the one who has to be heard above everything else. The father saying, you might esteem Moses, you might esteem Elijah, but this is my beloved son. Hear him, listen to him. And today that's a command that the father has for all of us. And it does emphasize, no one comes to the father, but through this Jesus. He is the well-pleasing one, the beloved son. No one comes but through him. The father says, hear him. Listen to this Jesus, hear his voice, hear his word. While others try to build their hopes on Moses, they listen to Moses, they listen to the law, and they say, right, I'll do this, I'll do that, I'll try to do my best at keeping this law, and that'll get me to heaven. They build their hopes on just Old Testament obedience. The gospel comes to you and says, hear Christ, listen to him, He comes to fulfill the law and the prophets. He comes to redeem us from the curse of the law. He comes to give you everlasting life. If you're going to go to heaven, if you're going to see the Father, you need to hear Him. And if we'll not hear Him, as He invites us to Himself, well, there is no other way to God. Hear ye Him, says the Father. You need this Jesus. You need Him alone. So we've thought about this astonishing revelation. What a sight of Christ's glory, his appearance, even as he speaks with these companions, Moses and Elijah, and there's this great commendation from God the Father, this is the beloved son, this is the one that you need to hear. What a sight, what a revelation. Notice then also the reassurance on the mountain. It's always amazing that you come across people who have such a low view of God that they imagine it'll be no big deal to stand in God's presence, or maybe even to argue with God, to state their case and argue back and forward. Throughout the whole Bible, you see example after example of people who are brought into the presence of God and the response is nearly always something like to fall on their face. I mean, that was the response of Abraham in Genesis 17. It was the response of all Israel in Leviticus 9 when the glory of the Lord appeared to the people. It was the response of Joshua in Joshua 5. He realized he was talking to the Lord and he fell upon his face. There was a similar kind of reaction with people like Noah, Manoah, who assumed he was going to die because he'd seen God. Or Isaiah cries out, woe is me, I'm undone. Or we mentioned John in the book of Revelation. He fell at Christ's feet as if dead. It was all too much. to be in the presence of the Lord and hear the Lord's voice. And that's how it is here. The disciples, they see the brightness of Christ's countenance and it's overwhelming. It's like the sun. And then they hear the voice of God. And verse six says, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. You know, when God is present, when Almighty God, our Creator, speaks. One who is not our equal, he is infinitely superior to us. When we meet with God, who can stand? Who can bear the gloriously, infinitely glorious presence of the Most High? Especially if the word of the Lord came as a mild rebuke against Peter. Well, even more so, who can bear it? He's extremely afraid. But who can bear the awesome presence of the Lord? And the answer is no one. Now that's a sobering thought when you consider the fact that every single one of us will one day have to stand in the presence of God at the day of judgment. There's a day when we will give account to God, the books will be opened and All our deeds done in the body shall be judged. There's a day when every sin will be brought into the light, and you can be sure that that day will be utterly overwhelming. Who can bear it to stand in the presence of the glorious one in the courts of heaven, to be under the microscope of his gaze? Who can bear it? If the disciples fell on their face that day, how much more will we be ready to do that on the day of judgment? But look what happens here next. In verse seven, Jesus came and touched them and said, arise, be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw a new man save Jesus only. Now take verse seven there. It's such a wonderful statement. You know, what a thing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious one. His face shines with splendor. He's the one who himself, his glory is too much to bear. And yet, at the very same time, he is the friend of his people who draws near to his people, who touches them, who puts strength into them, who reassures their hearts. You don't need to be afraid. Arise. All is well. Now, what a picture of the gospel that is, even just that little action where Christ comes to these trembling disciples who are overwhelmed by the glory of God. He lays his hand on them, raises them up. Be not afraid. Yes, there's a day when every single one of us must stand before God and that thought should utterly overwhelm us. How can I abide in his presence? And yet the answer is the majestic one himself whose glory ought to terrify us, Christ. He is our friend. He came into the world for we who believe. He draws near, and He lays His hand upon us, and He reassures our heart. He reassures us, through my work, all is well. You don't need to be afraid. Your sin is dealt with. Your guilt is put away. Arise, friend. I'm here for your good. On the day of judgment, what a blessing if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your friend. What a blessing if In that day, the one who is on the throne as the judge of all the earth, the one who will judge you and me, what a blessing if he's also the one who as your savior can come to you and say, you do not need to be afraid. All is well. I have redeemed you. What a difference it makes to know this Jesus as our friend, as our savior. What a terrible thing to face the day of judgment The awesome presence of God without Christ, without his friendship, without his salvation, without knowing him. How important that he should be our savior, that he might say to us on that awful day, be not afraid. Now we've thought about the revelation on the mountain and the reassurance on the mountain. Let me finish by highlighting the reason. for this mountain. If we go back all the way to verse one, it's pretty obvious there that the Lord Jesus Christ had a real purpose in going up the mountain. He had an appointment to keep on a particular day in a particular place. Verse one says, after six days, Jesus takes Peter, James, John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart. It's not just that one day the disciples are out and about with the Lord and all of a sudden he's changed before them. No, Christ intentionally brings these three men with him up the mountain for the purpose of this event. This is an intentional meeting, an intentional time. And so you might ask, well, why does he do it? Why is this event so important? Some think it was just to strengthen the disciples against the the troubles they were going to face. They've been told they have to walk this hard road, carrying their cross, following the Savior who's going to die. And so they're just being encouraged. And I'm sure it was comforting to these three men to see the glory of Christ. But if the main purpose was just comfort, you've got to wonder why Christ doesn't bring all of his disciples. He just brings these three. If Peter, James, and John need comfort, well, surely the rest do too. That doesn't seem to be the purpose. In fact, This little preview of Christ's glory, it's not really designed for public consumption yet. In verse nine, as they're heading back down the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision to no man until the son of man be risen again from the dead. He says, don't tell anyone about this. And presumably that even includes the other disciples. Don't be telling anyone what you've seen until I'm risen from the dead. See, this preview of Christ's glory, it's not going to be important for most people until after his resurrection. Now, why does he bring three people at all? Well, the reason is they are there as his witnesses. Their task is simply to testify that this event took place. Three, that's the appropriate number to testify and to establish the truth of anything. Matthew 18, 16 says, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, Every word may be established. So the Lord here, he doesn't want a whole crowd to witness this just yet. He doesn't even want all of his disciples to witness this just yet. But he does bring these three men. Why does he bring three? Well, he doesn't just bring John because then how would we know that we could trust John that this actually happened and John's not just making it up. No, he brings three so that their testimonies can verify it. He brings this small number and yet a sufficient number. so that the event can be verified. It really did happen. He was changed before them. But again, why? Why is he giving this glimpse of his glory, and especially even when it's not really for public consumption, when it's just for these handfuls so that they can later be witnesses? Why is it so important? Well, the whole context of the section is on the fact that Jesus is going to the cross. If you notice how the chapter begins, mentions how after six days, Jesus takes these disciples. Now that's a bit unusual for Matthew. He doesn't usually tell us how many days happen between different events. But he does that here, and it emphasizes that this event is very much linked to what has just been taking place, where Christ revealed his identity and where he told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Even at the end of this little account, take say verse 12, again there's that focus. The son of man must suffer of them. He's on a path of suffering. Let me suggest the purpose of the whole event is this. Christ is describing how he has to go and suffer and die at the hands of the Jewish leaders. He's going to be despised and rejected. And only after all of that will he rise in glory. It's only after all of that that you can say after the cross will come the crown and the glory. But here in the transfiguration, you've got the key evidence seen by these handful of disciples, the key evidence that as Christ walks this hard road to the cross, he is not being dragged unwillingly to his death as a victim of circumstances. Nor is he helpless like he appears to be outwardly. I mean, outwardly, he just looks the image of weakness. He's just this lowly Jewish man with the weight of the Jewish establishment coming against him. What's he to do? Outwardly, he looks helpless. Outwardly, he looks feeble. But that's not the case. The Transfiguration proves that. I should stress it also proves that It's not just the case that Jesus is this weak, feeble individual who perhaps, if he does all things rightly, will someday regain his power and majesty. No. The transfiguration is this little evidence right here, as Jesus begins this hard road to the cross, that he has not lost one bit of his divine glory. For a few moments, the veil is lifted, and these disciples see it. The Lord, this normally lowly-looking individual who's heading toward the cross, he has lost nothing of his glory and power. His majesty and the might that he possesses, it's still his. He is God in the flesh. And this scene proves to us that at every point on the road ahead, as Christ is despised, as he's rejected, as he submits to the abuse of man against him as he submits to the mockery, as he submits to the false lies that are told about him, as he submits to the disgrace and ultimately to the death of the cross. This whole journey is to be understood in the light of the transfiguration, that he is not some helpless, feeble individual. No, he is the Lord of glory. He is the majestic one whose glory shines forth like the brightness of the sun. He is the one who has the power to leave every enemy in a trembling mess. And the point is, as he walks this road to Jerusalem and to the cross, he's doing it of his own free will. He's doing it voluntarily, intentionally. He will voluntarily lay aside the use of his power so that he might be our redeemer. Now think of it, that the Savior who offers salvation to sinners, the one who died for sinners, the one who was rejected executed with a gruesome death. He was subject to that death entirely because he desired it. As he says in John, I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me. Now you look at the Lord and we don't have this sight. We just see the meek and lowly man from Nazareth. Well, maybe then you think here's someone whose life was taken from him. Here's a poor victim of the wickedness of man. Maybe yes, used by God, but a poor victim of wicked man. No, no one takes his life from him. He is the Lord of glory and he chose the cross. That's the wonderful thrust of this whole passage. Here we see the glorious one. We get this little preview, a glimpse of his majesty, but This is the one who chooses the cross for you and for me so that sinners like us can be saved. The sight of Christ that God gives, it gives us a wonderful insight into his loving heart. He's the one who has power to resist the cross, but he doesn't. No, he will set his face as a flint. He will go forth to that awful death. He's the one with a heart to redeem them, with a love for us. power to redeem too, he is the glorious one. What a sight this is. Of Christ, the glorious one, who's come with all power to overcome his enemies, but he goes voluntarily to the death that he might be your redeemer. Today we're to marvel at this sight of Christ's glory on the mountaintop and marvel even more when we recognize that this glorious one is the one who intentionally gave himself to redeem us. In a sight like this, it should cause us to bow our hearts before Him. It should cause us to rejoice in who He is and all that He's done. It should cause us to entrust our souls to His care. Here's a Redeemer with the love to save. Here's a Redeemer with the glorious power to accomplish it. It was revealed on that Mount of Transfiguration. May the Lord help us to rejoice Let's buy it again.