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Significant men
- Moses and Elijah’s comparable ministries
- Moses and Elijah are two significant men. Their list of wonders, miracles, leadership, influence, and prayer lives is next to none. Not to mention their apparent future ministries in Jacob’s trouble.
- Both men called on God to change the weather.
- Both men called fire down from heaven.
- Both men had miraculous ministries.
- Both men fasted for 40 days; not because they set out to do so, they were just too busy serving the LORD to eat.
- Taken by the LORD in the same place
- Moses dies on this mountain outside Jericho that overlooks the entire promised land. Look at Deuteronomy 34:1-5. This is where Moses was allowed to see the promised land, but not allowed to go in.
- Elijah is taken up from this mountain. Look at 2 Kings 2:1-11.
- It looks like this is the same place this transfiguration happens.
- Moses and Elijah’s connection to Christ
- None of these incredible events are why Moses and Elijah were there with the LORD Jesus Christ on the mount of transfiguration.
- The connection is both men accompany the coming of Christ, the Son of the living God, in some way. In fact, these men accompany both the first coming and return of the LORD Jesus Christ.
- Guess which man – Moses or Elijah – represents Christ’s ministry as prophet of God?
- Moses is the prophet in Israel whose redemptive ministry was forged in face to face fellowship with the LORD.
- Look at Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
- Deuteronomy 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
- Elijah is the man that prepares the way of the LORD by bringing the nation to a point of decision.
- Look at Malachi 4:5-6. As Moses’ ministry of redemption, so Elijah’s ministry is of restoration.
- Look at Matthew 17:10-13. John the Baptist’s ministry served the same purpose that Elijah’s did.
Suffering of the Messiah
- The conversation these men are having is about Jesus Christ’s eminent suffering according to Luke 9:30-31.
- Matthew records five times the LORD Jesus Christ told the disciples that He would die and rise again.
- Matthew 12:39-40 Three days and three nights in the earth
- Matthew 16:21 suffering, death, and resurrection
- Matthew 17:12 Christ will suffer
- Matthew 17:22-23 suffering, death, and resurrection
- Matthew 20:17-19 suffering, death, and resurrection
- The suffering of the LORD Jesus Christ seemed to be a blindspot for many. Even after the LORD explained it plainly to the disciples they would still not get it.
- Isaiah 53 prophesied it. The Ethiopian man in Acts 8 had a question about it.
- Perhaps even Moses and Elijah weren’t clear on it. I don’t know.
- The last half of Matthew 16 is dedicated to the truth of suffering preceding glory.
- Philippians 2:4-13
Son is magnified
- The last point is this. Jesus told his disciples there would be some there who would see the glory of God’s kingdom before they died. And that’s why this weird event called the transfiguration happens. Look at Mark 9:1-2. When the LORD says some disciples will see this glory shortly, it apparently takes them a week to get to this place where Moses and Elijah were taken by God. Seeing as that’s where they probably are when this happens.
- God the Father speaks on a rare occasion here and His message is, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
- That means there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
- That means the law given to Moses is not a way to get to the Father. It served other purposes, but God the Father’s instruction to man is listen to my only begotten Son. He would actually raise the standard from don’t commit murder to don’t even be angry with your brother without a cause. He would raise the standard from the letter of the law to the spirit of the law.
- Acts 3:19-26
