Covenant Theology in Outline Form 18: Transfiguration & Triumph

  

The Transfiguration

28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,[b] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One;[c] listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

Jesus Again Foretells His Death

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus[d] said to his disciples,44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Who Is the Greatest?

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”[e] 55 But he turned and rebuked them.[f] 56 And they went on to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.”But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[g] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

People read a lot into these vignettes, don’t they? It’s not uncommon to hear the Disciples taught as if they were young & immature and needed a lot of work before the Crucifixion, Resurrection, & Ascension, and then suddenly the lights go ON, the Holy Spirit has arrived, & they turned into a group of men who changed the world.  Yeshua, being theandric, not only did not sin (and could not), was perfect from the beginning,   He never had a bad day — as if being theandric & unable to sin is recipe for zero character flaws as to His humanity.  Is that really true?   Let’s take a look. 

After the Transfiguration, Yeshua decides it is time to head to Jerusalem to draw His covenant lawsuit to a close. 

Pay attention to how this plays out: 

1. Yeshua heals a boy with an unclean spirit.   He rebukes the boy’s parents as part of a faithless & wicked generation.  All the kid & his parents want is some deliverance, but Yeshua rebukes them & serves them.   This shows us that even He who knew no sin had a bad day & expressed frustration.  The need is great & there just isn’t enough manpower to do the job.  

Yeshua prophesies His own death.   The text deploys Son of Man imagery.   His audience, probably composed of those who understood & others who did not, was afraid to inquire any further. 

Who is the greatest?  We typically view this passage as if those arguing among them were young & immature, so He corrects them by way of an object lesson about the faith of children. 

 

However, by way of its placement in the narrative structure of Luke 9, a pattern is emerging.   Yeshua has come to the conclusion that the time is right for him to head to Jerusalem.    Now, He is being tempted & tested by God & His own followers.    

 

When we think in those terms & keep the temptation narrative in Luke in mind, Yeshua is undergoing a number of tests of His own character, & His disciples are here bickering among themselves as a test of Yeshua’s character.   **He** is the greatest among them, & His disciples already knew this.  They are testing Him relative to power, prestige, & position by a real or IMO manufactured drama.   He passes the test & is shown to be no hypocrite.  

“Anyone not against us is for us” is both a test of His teaching that we ought to serve people who are different than we ourselves (cf. Matt. 5:41 - 48) & the subtext in Luke related to the nature of the Law & Gospel - it’s not just for Jews; Luke’s audience is largely Paul’s audience, ie. over time a Gentile audience.   Yeshua’s response recognizes that people who don’t necessarily follow us still have a role to play in Redemptive History & we ought not exclude them.   

James & John aren’t so much acting like immature brats who think calling down fire from heaven on a village of Samaritans is what they want to do.   Rather, this too is a test by two men associated with the Law (James) & the Gospel (John) who are analogous by way of their perspective to Moses & Elijah in the Transfiguration.     

This test reveals Yeshua’s mercy & also His determination.   This village doesn’t want to receive Him, from the look of it, unless He stays a few days.    Instead of unloading on the villagers like he unloaded on a man (& crowd) who wanted Him to help his son, He decides to just move on.     

Luke 9 closes with The Cost of Discipleship.    This pericope reminds us all that if we want to follow Christ, we have to be wiling to give up precious things to follow Him.   It also summarizes the verdict of the testing.     

If you look closely at the text, it is following the broad outline of a suzerain covenant, which is the outline of every covenant emanating from God. 

Shema: Transfiguration.  This is a theophany.   He’s in God Almighty’s presence. 

Historical Prologue, General & Specific Stipulations: How consistent is Yeshua with His own teaching?    He is being tested & refined each time. 

Document Clause, Witnesses, Covenant Renewal, & Verdict:  The Cost of Discipleship.   This speech is Scripture; His audience is Witness: the call to follow is an invitation to renew covenant with God (and each other), & the Verdict is made plain by the end result of the testing & refinement process.