Christian Living

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"Trans-," one of the most common prefixes in the English language, is used in words that signify change or movement from one thing or place or condition to another, and it has a lot of significant applications to the Christian walk. The following "trans-word" shows what God has envisioned for us, His victorious children, both in this life and in the next: TRANSFIGURE.

“Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Matthew 16:28 & 17:1-5

And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Mark 9:1-7

“But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” Now it came to pass, … that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. … a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Luke 9:27-35 NKJV

Next to His Resurrection, the Transfiguration of Jesus is the most graphic display of God’s plan for us that we can find in the Bible. In this miraculous event, God provided a quick view of how we will look in our glorified, heavenly bodies. The apostle Paul described this and gave a clue as to how it will happen in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58: “…Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed….” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NKJV)

In addition to a look into the afterlife, the Transfiguration accounts also demonstrate three interrelated aspects of an earthly life that is committed to following Christ.

The first application of the Transfiguration to the life of a Christian is found in the first verse in each of the passages quoted above – Jesus’ assurance to His followers that at least some of them would live to see the coming Kingdom of God. But what could this mean, in light of the fact that Jesus’ earthly kingdom clearly has not arrived as of 2009 A.D., and none of His early followers are alive today? Obviously, it can only mean that Jesus was not referring to His physical kingdom that will arrive at the end of this age. In my opinion, Jesus was referring to two things: the power and authority of the Kingdom of God evidenced by Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb and His ascension into heaven, and the power and authority He granted to His followers through a faith-filled relationship with Him. (See Matthew 6:33 & 28:18 and Ephesians 1:19-21) If we understand that the phrase “Kingdom of God” refers to God’s mode of operation, His M.O., the way God does things and wants them done, then we have the ability and even the duty to exercise awesome power on this earth for the glory of God.

The second application of the Transfiguration to our walk with Jesus in this life is that we can know how God sees us even while we are living in our imperfect, earthly bodies. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, quoted above, Paul explains that we will receive glorified bodies when we are taken to heaven, but other Scripture makes clear that God sees us in our glorified condition now. 1 John 4:17 (NKJV) states, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." 1 Corinthians 5:17 & 21 (NKJV) explain that Jesus’ death on the cross, and our acceptance of it, makes us new creatures who are righteous before God. Our new, born-again condition gives us the right to communicate directly with God. (See Ephesians 2:1-10, Hebrews 4:16) In fact, Paul’s letter to the early Roman church indicates that as born-again believers, we are obligated to see ourselves as new, glorified and righteous before God and to act accordingly. (See Romans 6 and 12:1-2) So, when Satan, your boss, your family, and life in general try to tell you who you are, remind them Whose you are and how He sees you.

The final application of the Transfiguration to Christian life is a quite practical one. In each of the accounts of this miracle, Jesus took Peter, James and John away from the other disciples to an unpopulated area on a high mountain. When the 3 disciples saw the event, they were stunned. Searching for something to say, Peter proposed that they set up 3 elaborate tents, one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Evidently, God didn’t like the idea because he spoke directly from the clouds and advised that Peter and the others be quiet and listen to Jesus. The lesson: it’s wonderful to go to a quiet place to commune with the Lord, and you should make it a priority, but you are not the one who should do the talking.

**Adapted from the author's website at http://www.seedwords.com/pages.asp?pageid=80744

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