2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. ¹³ We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

 Luke 9:28-36

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendour, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

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Today’s Gospel reading is a simple, vivid story that encapsulates the entire Bible. Of all the scenes in the Bible it is the picture worth a million words.

Do any of you remember flannel graphs? I started school before the introduction of television, so I was totally rapt with any storytelling with pictures. Still etched deep in my memory is Mrs Boyes my Scripture teacher in Infants School telling Bible stories with flannelgraph and those wonderful felt figures like Zachaeus who climbed the tree to see Jesus with.

Try and imagine a board covered in sky blue felt. Then there are the felt figures for sticking on this storyboard. They are:

1. A mountain top forming the background
2. Jesus with shining face and glowing white robe
3. Moses with the stone tablets and Elijah in his hair garment and leather belt
4. Peter, James, and John
5. A cloud
6. A speech balloon that says “This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him!”

Let’s try and visualise it:

First imagine the mountain,

• A place of retreat for Jesus and his friends. It is quiet, other than the breeze, such a change from his hectic ministry mobbed by the noisy crowds.
• A place of perspective on the scenery below. Spread out below is the Sea of Galilee and the surrounding countryside, Jesus’ and the disciples’ home territory. It’s been a safe place for ministry and training.
• But that season of ministry has now come a close. Only a few days before, Jesus had asked his disciples “Wo do say that I am?” and Peter had answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” The disciples had finally arrived at the right conclusion! However, they could not absorb it when he told them the Messiah had to suffer and be killed. The disciples were still stuck with the popular expectation that the Messiah was a conquering king who would go from victory to victory until all the enemies were under his feet. Frustrated and saddened at their thickheadedness Jesus retreated up the mountain.
• The break on the mountain gave Jesus the opportunity to clear his head and soberly contemplate the future. Down below in the far distance is the road south to Jerusalem. On descending the mountain, he intends to head to Jerusalem where his destiny awaits. In the Holy City the opposing factions of the Grand Jewish Council the Pharisees and the Sadducees will temporarily forget their bitter differences and unite to destroy him. But Jesus also knows deep in his heart that his Father will overthrow their plans and vindicate him in the most amazing way.

Now imagine how Jesus looks to his three friends

• His face and clothes are transformed to an angelic appearance – as bright as lightning. This is an outward physical glory, but we have the insight from the Four Gospels that his inner glory as the Beloved Son of God is always there. Sometimes this inner glory is manifest as in his miracles and other times it is hidden in his humility and suffering.
• Let’s remember that of the six people in this story Jesus is at the centre of the whole scene. Let’s also recognise that the glory of Jesus is that he’s at the centre of the whole Bible. Every story in the sixty-six books of the Bible either anticipates him, describes him or explains his significance.

Next let’s picture Moses and Elijah

• Moses is the pre-eminent representative of the Law God gave to his people, at the heart of which is the Ten Commandments but also the worship and sacrifices God commanded for his people. Elijah is the greatest of the Prophets who was taken up into heaven but was expected to return for the coming of the Messiah. Together they represent “The Law and the Prophets” which was the Jewish term for what we Christians now call the Old Testament.
• Moses and Elijah are talking in awed tones to God’s Son about his departure (Literally “exodus”) he would make in Jerusalem. In other words, they are discussing with Jesus how all God’s promises in the Law and the Prophets were to be fulfilled by Jesus, in that coming crisis in Jerusalem.

 Below Jesus, Moses and Elijah are Peter, James and John

• They are Jesus’s inner circle representing the Twelve Disciples (apprentices).
• After his resurrection Jesus will authorise them to be his Apostles (ambassadors).
• They have been sleeping and they awake gobsmacked to behold Jesus in all his glory and see him talking with Moses and Elijah about how he is to fulfil all the writings of the Law and the Prophets.

The Cloud comes down and envelopes the three disciples

• In the Old Testament God spoke to Moses out of a cloud on the mountain. The cloud represents God’s presence which is too wonderful for any human to directly gaze upon.

Finally comes the voice balloon with God’s words, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

• This is God’s rebuke to the disciples because of their thickheadedness. They have been hearing Jesus’ words about what type of Messiah he is, filtering them through their expectations and assumptions, but not really listening because what he is trying to tell them is too confronting. They have blanked out his message that the Messiah must go to Jerusalem, face deadly opposition, suffer a terrible death and rise in glory.
• The three disciples are frightened, but it does not cure them of their thickheadedness. It is only after his death and resurrection that they truly understand. Their new understanding of Jesus and how he fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, formed the foundation of the New Testament.
• After Jesus ascended to heaven, numerous written accounts about Him circulated. However, some writings were included in the New Testament, and some were excluded. The criteria for inclusion were that the writings had to be authored by the Apostles or align with their teachings.

So, in this one amazing scene we have it: the WHY and the HOW of reading the Bible:

The Why:

The reason we read the Bible is because it gives the only true picture of Jesus Christ in all his gory as the Son of God, as our Saviour, as our Lord, and as our Brother.

The How:

The way we read the Old Testament is to search for how it prepares for the coming of Jesus. We also need to recognise the cruel and vindictive passages of the Old Testament that Jesus would never condone. We don’t need to edit them out of our Bibles but let them be an encouragement to read with discernment in the light of Jesus’s character.

The way we read the New Testament is to keep in mind how God had to transform the thickheadedness of the disciples and allow God to transform our own minds into the mind of Christ.

Amen.