Luke 9:28-48
Summary
Jesus takes Peter, John, and James to a mountain to pray.
While Jesus prays, His face becomes different, while His clothes spark lightning bolts.
Moses and Elijah appear to talk about Jesus’ departure that will occur in Jerusalem.
Peter and the others awoke from sleep to witness the appearance of Moses and Elijah, and Peter suggests to Jesus that they make each of them three dwellings. But Peter doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
While Peter’s going on about the dwellings, a cloud blows in that casts its shadow over them, whilst a voice echoes forth declaring Jesus as His chosen Son who should be listened to.
Afterwards, Jesus is alone again.
The disciples with Him are silent and don’t tell anyone what they experienced.
Upon their return from the mountain the next day, they find a huge crowd awaiting them.
A man requests Jesus’ help with his possessed son, who screams, convulses, and foams at the mouth, saying he already asked the help of the other disciples to no avail.
Jesus is fed up with this faithless and twisted generation. How long does He have to put up with this?
He tells the father to bring his son to Him. Jesus prays, issues the spirit its fleeing orders, and restores the boy to his father.
While the people were amazed, Jesus tells His disciples that He’s going to be betrayed. The meaning eludes the disciples for it was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. Meanwhile, the disciples are afraid to ask Jesus to explain.
The disciples start to argue about which of them is the greatest. Jesus, knowing what they’re thinking in their hearts, made a demonstration, in which he places a child by His side and states that receiving a child in His name, is equivalent to receiving Him and God.
He further shocks the disciples by saying that the least amongst them is the greatest.
Life Application
Prayer is an invitation of the heavenlies. When you pray, you pull down from heaven and unusual manifestations will be your possession.
Our need to listen to Jesus can never be overemphasized. As we follow the leadings of Jesus, the best comes to us, we live a joyful life and the end will always be victory.
Faithlessness is equivalent to powerlessness. If you do not aim at life’s issues with a heart of faith, you would become handicapped. The just SHALL live by faith!
Greatness is not in ability or size, it is a factor of receiving Jesus and allowing His Lordship to take pre-eminence in our lives. You want to be great? Then give it all to Jesus!
Personal Declaration
Lord, I’ll trust and obey you all the days of my life! I give it all to You, have Your way in me!
Reading – Luke 9:28-48
The Transfiguration
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 splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a] 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.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
Footnotes:
- Luke 9:31 Greek exodos
Clearly, Peter had missed the significance of Christ’s transfiguration for he consodered Jesus at the same level of Judaism’s most revered biblical figures – Moses personified the Law an Elijah the prophets. Jesus was transfigured before their eyes because God wanted Peter, James and John to realize that Jesus’ teachings supersede all traditions and beliefs of Judaism.