Luke 9:28 – 44  Read this.  No seriously. It’s pretty wild.  If you don’t have a Bible, you can find the passage here. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A28-44&version=NLT

So remember in the last passage where Jesus said that some of his disciples would see the kingdom of God before they died.  There are a few theories floating around about what he meant by that because, obviously it’s been 2000 plus years and we are still not living in the beautiful, restored, redeemed world that the kingdom of God promises to be. But the one that makes the most sense to me is that this moment we witness here is when they see the kingdom.  

Let’s be real, what is described is like nothing I’ve observed.  Jesus goes up on a mountain to pray.  He did that a lot. He was always surrounded by crowds, so recharging quietly was important.  He brings Peter, James and John.  They were either his closest friends or just the guys who never had other plans because if Jesus brings anyone, it’s them. 

They climb a mountain and Jesus is praying.  Can we just note that the boys fall asleep? Spoiler alert, this is not the only prayer meeting they will sleep through.  

While they are sleeping Jesus’ face changes and his clothes become lightning white.  I like to think about what this would have looked like.  We can read a vision of Jesus in the book of Revelation which was recorded by the same John who is napping in this episode.  There he also describes Jesus as having a transformed face, his head and hair shining with a snow white beard and eyes like blazing fire.  As I read these descriptions, I realise that if I picture exactly what is written, I’m picturing it wrong.  These guys are using natural terms to describe the supernatural.  It’s not going to translate well.  In both passages, the people who looked at his transformed face knew it was Jesus, but he looked very different.  

I suspect this is a sneak peak of what it will be like in heaven.  We are told we will be transformed and we will be like him.  We will still be ourselves but we will have glorified bodies.  I’m really not sure what that is going to be like, but I’m confident that I want in.  So, once either the bright shining light or the chatter of Jesus and his visitors wakes them up, the boys realise Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah.  How did they recognize them?  I have no idea but they also were glorious in appearance and no one had to ask for an introduction.  How much information is stored away in our brains that we can’t access in our sin-broken form unless God supernaturally opens our eyes for a moment?  Cool to think about right?  I think this is a glimpse of the future heavenly form of humans.  

Clearly the boys were impressed because Peter, who is still waking up (and Luke explains “didn’t know what he was saying”) offers to build three shelters for them.  For what, I have no idea.  Maybe kind of like shrines? I dunno, if that’s what he was thinking it was a terrible idea.  I don’t imagine he was worried about them getting rained on.  He was excited, we are going to cut him some slack and move on.  Regardless, before he could start collecting palm leaves for the roof, a cloud envelopes them.  Again, it’s described as a cloud, but it made them afraid. So clearly it wasn’t just a cloud.  For one thing, a voice comes out of it announcing that Jesus is “my son, my Chosen One, listen to him.”  It’s interesting. Luke records a voice from heaven when Jesus was baptised.  That one was addressed to him and told him he was pleased with him.  This time it addressed his friends.  “Listen to him.”

And then the cloud is gone, Jesus is alone and all the shining glory has vanished.  Luke notes, “they didn’t tell anyone about it at the time.”  Fair. Who would believe it?  How do you explain or even describe it anyways?  When Jesus was teaching about the kingdom of heaven he often used parables to give glimpses of what it was like because describing it, well, that’s not easy.  But it does seem like the boys got a glimpse of it just like Jesus had promised they would.  And let’s take a moment for ourselves to acknowledge that if that is a tiny sneak peek of the kingdom that is coming, it’s going to be epic.

I guess they decided to take a day to soak it all up because Luke says it was the next day when they came down from the mountain.  

And they are immediately swarmed. 

There’s a fuss because a man took his son to Jesus’ disciples because he was being tormented by demons who were causing him to convulse and scream and hurt himself and the disciples hadn’t been able to help.  When Jesus comes into view the man runs to him.  Jesus’ response seems kind of cold, “Oh unbelieving and perverse generation, how long do I have to keep dealing with you people?”  And then he orders that the boy be brought to him.  On the way the demons make him convulse and Jesus tells the demon off, heals the boy and gives him to his father. 

What’s going on here?  Usually Jesus just passes through the crowd healing one person after another.  What’s with this apparent outburst?  

Well, as they say, I was today years old when I discovered he was quoting Moses.  Crazy right?  He had just been talking to him!  Jesus’ glorified future form had been briefly visible.  He had this kingdom of God moment and then he came down the mountain back to the mess that the people of Israel had become.  And guess what?  Moses predicted exactly this!  In Deuteronomy 32 Moses is about to die and is handing the reins of the leadership of Israel to Joshua.  He gathers the people together and gives them the Law that God has given him.  The law was God’s instructions to the nation of Israel for living in a way that invited God to live among them.  If followed, a perfect and holy God could be present among his people.  And Moses already knew they were going to screw it up.  Moses was the one who called Israel warped, crooked, and perverse.  He knew even then that they were going to stray so far that even children could be tormented by demons like this little boy instead of protected by the holy God who offered to live among them.  Jesus wasn’t telling off the dad or his disciples, he was reminding them of Moses’ prediction.  And they would absolutely have recognized the words because this passage was called the “Song of Moses.”  It was something Moses wrote for the purpose of instructing future generations.  

Jesus wasn’t saying, “I’m so sick of you people.” He was referencing a song that predicted that Israel would walk far from God.  AND that same song explains that God will let them experience the awful consequences of their wandering until the time that they have given up hope of being saved by all the other gods they pursue, and then God will rescue them simply to demonstrate how awesome he is.  This song of Moses predicts the rescue of Israel, and all the nations which was about to be fulfilled by the life and death of… drum roll please… Jesus. 

When Jesus said, “How long do I have to put up with you?”  He was literally referencing his death that would finally accomplish what was needed to rescue humanity.  

So it’s no wonder that he says to his disciples once again, “You need to listen to me.  They are going to betray me and kill me.” 

You are not going to believe how they respond.