Denying Jesus in Others

Luke 9:49-50 (NLT) John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.” But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

These verses are important to include in any discussion between Christians, because they teach us not to condemn other denominations that believe in Jesus. As a lifelong Christ follower, I notice that even the best churches have major flaws, but we have the most important thing in common, a saving faith in Jesus.

Christians as nomads

We used to speak of Christians as pilgrims on earth, but the word has fallen out of use and people don’t really know what it means anymore. Jesus alluded to this aspect of the Christian life in Luke 9:51-62. Paul spoke it in different terms saying that of our citizenship is not of this world but of heaven (Philippians 3:20). Like the children of Israel who had been freed from Egyptian slavery we wander in the wilderness like nomads not yet having fully experienced eternal life with God. We don’t always know where we are going, but we do know who is leading us. And so we are wandering nomads but also pilgrims on a journey to a holy place, heaven, just as the ancient Israelites traveled to their pilgrim festivals three times a year to worship God.

Not everything is black and white

Have you ever met people who claim that everything is either black or white, good or bad. Jesus would probably dispute that because in Luke 9:51-62 he reminds us that some choices are between two good things. Easy choices are between good and bad. We also know that sometimes we must choose between two evils, like a mother’s life or her unborn baby’s. Another example is Rahab who had to choose between the death of two Israelites and telling a lie, the lesser of two evils. Jesus set before us the choice between two good things, burying a parent versus following him, or saying goodbye to family versus following him. Both are good, but one is a greater good. The kingdom of heaven has priority over other good things that we could be doing. What is our choice today?

How to plow a straight line

Not many modern western farmers plow with oxen any more, although I knew a farmer from Maryland who returned to a team of oxen and claimed a far greater return on investment than spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on expensive farm machinery. He also said he was much happier. My father-in-law reminisced about farming with horses and told the story of how to keep a straight line. Just like the story in Luke 9:51-62 you can’t remove your hand from the plow or take your eye off your marker. To plough a straight line the farmer would choose a tree branch or other marker at the end of the field and stay fixated on that until the row was done. As farmers in God’s field, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and our hands on the plow.

Family values vs Kingdom values

Many Christians have jumped on the political bandwagon of “family values.” Perhaps we believe that it is a euphemism for “Christian values.” In Luke 9:51-62 Jesus seems to challenge that idea. One individual says he has to go and bury a parent and another wants to say goodbye to the family. They seem like perfectly reasonable requests. Jesus did not ask them to sever family ties, but used the situation to teach a valuable lesson. While many family values are also Christian values, they are not always the same thing. A family name can be an idol. A family business can be worshiped before God is worshiped. Family relationships can come between us and God. While family is very important, it is God who made family and God is more important. Kingdom values are higher than family values.

The priority of Jesus

In Luke 9:51-62 is a story of distractions and the priority of Jesus. Do we squeeze Jesus into our plans or does he shape our plans? Do we allow persecution to distract us from the mission of the church? Imagine a company violating our rights to freedom of religion. Most of us might take them to court and spend a lot of time and money seeking justice. It is not an evil thing to do, but does it distract us from the priority of the Gospel? Most of us spend hours feathering our nests and preparing a home. This too is not an evil thing, but can the comforts of home distract us from the priority of Jesus? Honoring parents has a very high priority in the Bible, but can family distract us from an even greater priority, Jesus?

Allusions in the Transfiguration

In the transfiguration are many allusions. It occurred possibly on Mount Tabor. Peter wanted to build something and something was finally built there, the Church of the Transfiguration. Jesus, Moses and Elijah had some similar experiences. Each fasted 40 days (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Matthew 4:2). Elijah was lifted up into the heavens before he died (2 Kings 2). The discussion between the three during the transfiguration included Jesus’ upcoming exodus or departure from this life (Luke 9:28-43), an obvious allusion to Moses’ exodus. The passage also alludes to the eighth day, which in the early church was also a way of speaking about Sunday, a weekly memorial of Jesus’ resurrection. The appearance of glory uses words that are only found in places describing the return of Christ, an obvious allusion to the second coming.

Sacred places

The mountaintop became a sacred place during the transfiguration because the disciples experienced an incredible vision of Jesus, Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:28-43). The first such sacred place was the garden east of Eden, which our first parents regretfully disrespected. Other sacred places were the burning bush and the tabernacle. In all such sacred places we experience a taste of God. A sacred place can be where we pause for daily prayer. For me a forest pathway has always been a sacred place where I am reminded of the presence of God in the majesty of his creation. For most of us our church buildings become sacred places, because there we hear the word of God expounded, pray and sing praises to his glory. Sacred places can be anywhere that we are reminded of the ubiquitous presence of God.

Failure in the valley

Why is it that immediately after the “mountain-top” experience of a lifetime, the disciples failed in the valley (Luke 9:28-43)? They could not heal a demon possessed boy. But Jesus was with them and he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. They were all amazed at the mighty power of God, in the valley. Many Christians look for that mountain top experience, but we live in the valley. Sheep climb out of the valley to escape predators, but must go back to the valley to eat. The valley is where the food is. It is where we live. Though we meet God on the mountain top, he is with us also in the valley. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of the shadow of death, let’s remember that he is with us.

In heaven or asleep

Present or future, heavenly or earthly? Those are questions that many ask about the transfiguration in Luke 9:28-43. There are two main theories of eternity which struggle with this scripture. Are Moses and Elijah alive in heaven now or asleep and awaiting a resurrection? Was the vision Moses and Elijah as they are now, or as they will be after a future resurrection? There are also two main theories about our future. Will it be in heaven or on earth? Actually after Revelation, heaven and earth come together and the point becomes moot, but in the in-between time, there are two main theories. Are Moses and Elijah in heaven now, or waiting to reign on the earth after Christ’s return? I lean towards the popular belief, but the truth is, it is all a mystery. We’ll all know then.

Happy days

What have been the happiest days of our lives so far? The birth of a child, a wedding, a baptism or confirmation, a special trip, a graduation, a party are all occasions to remember. What about a theophany, a special appearance of God. The disciples Peter, James and John experienced one of their happiest days as a time on the mountaintop with Jesus (Luke 9:28-43). It was a day of prayer and intimacy with God. Throughout history people have recorded those rare moments of a special appearance of God, a near-death experience, a dream or a vision. The transfiguration was a life-changing experience and it began with prayer. Prayer is an opportunity every day to change our lives. It is an encounter with God, a time for an intimate meeting with the ruler of the universe. Don’t miss out.

A rendezvous with God

When Jesus prayed it was a rendezvous with God, not just a speech. In one such divine meeting he was dramatically transformed. The Old Testament is sometimes spoken of as two major parts, the law and the prophets. The major figure of each was Moses and Elijah. How appropriate that in his transfiguration, Jesus spoke with those two people (Luke 9:28-43). God spoke directly so that others could hear only a few times in Jesus life, at his baptism and here, saying this is my beloved Son, hear him. In a society where Moses and Elijah were “heard” every week in the assembly, this was a new instruction. Is Jesus the one to whom we listen? When we pray, do we just speak to God or also await expectantly the possibility of a dramatic experience of God’s divine presence?

An Encouraging Glimpse of Death

When we think of death, we may consider pain, unpreparedness, mystery, dreadful thoughts or in some cases, relief. Athiests only speak of a rather hopeless end. When Peter, James and John were on the mount of transfiguration in Luke 9:28-43 they witnessed Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus of his then future death, resurrection and ascension. They did not speak of it in terms that we may use in everyday modern speech, and they certainly did not call it an end. Rather they used the Greek word for Exodus, which some Bibles suitably translate as "departure." Now that presents a more interesting picture of death than popular ideas may. Certainly, it is Jesus' death and some may argue not ours. Yet, there were two others with Jesus who had likewise experienced an "exodus" from this life. They were very much alive and living in brilliant glory. That is wonderfully encouraging!

Mountaintops and Failures

As the disciples of Jesus descended from the mountain of transfiguration, they encountered their own failures. They were unsuccessful in service to a mentally ill child. The embarrassing moment is found in Luke 9:28-43 and it reminds us of our failures too. Whenever we try to help others, we will also fail many times. The road to success is riddled with failures. Many bosses would utter that famous line, "You're fired!" But this is God's kingdom and even though Jesus is quite blunt with everyone, "Oh, unbelieving and perverse generation," he does not give up on his disciples. Stern lessons are opportunities, not a reason to quit. The mountain top experience does not remove from us the harshness of life, but it helps us see what is beyond. One of life's greatest lessons is that human efforts will end in failure. That's why we look to Jesus to save us.

Interrupting God

Life is full of interruptions. Sometimes we do the interrupting, instead of listening. Some people talk too much. Some people don't talk enough. However, when it comes to listening, those who don't talk enough have the advantage. Peter interrupted events on the mount of transfiguration with what seemed to be an inane and pointless suggestion. I think that we all can relate to that. At this point, God interrupted Peter, not immediately with words, but first of all with an event. Luke 9:28-43 reveals how fog clouded his ability to see what was going on and then God told him to listen to Jesus. Do we have a tendency to interrupt God, telling him how we think things ought to be run, rather than just listening to him? Has God seemed to place our lives in a fog trying to teach us to listen more to him and talk less?

Mountain Top Experiences

In Luke 9:28-43 is a mountain top experience that teaches us a variety of good lessons. Here we see Jesus transfigured in what Matthew calls a vision, discussing his eventual exodus from this world. Immediately we may think of Moses' mountain top experience after Israel's exodus from slavery, where he encountered God. However, here it discusses a different mount, a hillside where Jesus would be crucified. A mountain top experience may be not only a pleasant one, but also sobering preparation for self-sacrifice. Luke also connects the mountain top experience with the lesson in the valley which follows. Unlike the exaggerated promises made by some preachers, a mountain top experience will not shelter us from reality. It will however, strengthen us to face the valleys of life. A mountain top experience can be wonderful as a preparation for the next hill of self-sacrifice and the next valley of selfless service.

When Jesus Ignores Us

When Peter witnessed the Transfiguration, he blurted out a rather odd request to fashion some temporary shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Luke 9:28-36 records no reply from Jesus at all, but a cloud covering the scene and God saying, "This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!" There are a number of theories as to what Peter's request was all about. Some suggest that an Old Testament prophecy picturing the kingdom of God like the Feast of Tabernacles prompted him to build booths. Some translations suggest that Peter wanted to erect memorials for the occasion. Others take it at face value as a mundane proposal to provide shelters from the weather. One thing that is clear is that Peter's request was totally irrelevant and seems to have been unanswered. Perhaps when God seems to ignore us, we too need to just be silent and listen to Jesus.

Glimpse of Life after Death

The last word about Moses as a person in the Old Testament leaves him in the grave. But what happened to him; what happens to us after that? The New Testament delivers a glimpse of Jesus transfigured and talking with Moses and Elijah. Soul sleepers are those who believe that the spiritual component of a human being is "asleep" until the return of Christ, yet that theory does not quite fit the story found in Luke 9:28-36. This is a vision, but it is not a vision of a future resurrection. They spoke of what was to take place at that time not in the future. There is no basis in the context for that theory. Most Christians take the verses at face value and do not even try and retrofit them to a half-baked notion. On face value, it is an interesting and encouraging glimpse of life after death.