Episode 818
The Intersection of Glory and Struggle: Insights from Luke 9. | Ep 818
This podcast episode elucidates the profound significance of Transfiguration Sunday, wherein the divine glory of Jesus is revealed, as detailed in the reading from Luke 9:28-44. The episode emphasizes that this pivotal moment serves as a bridge between Jesus' earthly ministry and his impending journey to the crucifixion, thus unveiling the nature of divine love and solidarity. We explore the contrast between the transcendent experiences on the mountaintop and the stark reality of human suffering in the valley, urging listeners to translate spiritual insights into actionable engagement with the world's pain. Furthermore, we reflect on the ongoing process of transformation, highlighting that growth in faith is not merely a momentary event but a journey fraught with both clarity and struggle. As we prepare to enter the Lenten season, we encourage our audience to identify areas of need within their communities and take tangible steps toward healing and justice.
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Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
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The reading from Luke 9, verses 28 to 44, encapsulates the profound moment of the Transfiguration, which serves as a pivotal juncture in the Christian liturgical calendar. This event, wherein Jesus reveals his divine glory to Peter, James, and John, signifies both a culmination of his earthly ministry and a prelude to the impending Passion. The narrative unfolds as Jesus ascends a mountain to pray, accompanied by his closest disciples. During this sacred moment, his visage transforms, becoming radiant and awe-inspiring, paralleled by the presence of Moses and Elijah, thus highlighting the continuity of divine revelation through the Law and the Prophets. This encounter not only unveils the divine nature of Christ but also foreshadows the trials he must endure in Jerusalem, inviting contemplation upon the duality of spiritual elevation and earthly suffering.
Furthermore, the discourse encourages reflection upon the contrasting experiences of mountaintop revelations and the realities encountered in the valleys of life. The vision of Jesus in glory prompts Peter's impulse to construct memorials, a desire to linger in the transcendent moment, yet the narrative reminds us that the true essence of faith is not in the evasion of life's struggles but in the engagement with them. Thus, the Transfiguration serves as a call to action, urging us to translate our spiritual encounters into tangible assistance for those enduring hardship, thereby affirming that our mountaintop experiences should empower us to confront the injustices and sufferings present in our communities.
Takeaways:
- The Transfiguration Sunday reading from Luke 9 highlights a pivotal moment in the Christian calendar.
- The profound revelation of Jesus's divine nature occurs just prior to his journey to Jerusalem.
- Spiritual experiences should empower us to engage with the world's suffering and injustices.
- Transformation is a continuous process, often involving moments of clarity as well as challenges.
- The voice from heaven emphasizes the importance of listening to God rather than mere worship.
- We are encouraged to identify and engage with valley situations that require our attention and action.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
The glory of Jesus, A Transfiguration Sunday reading of Luke 9, 28, 44 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:And hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:That's me coming to you here today on Transfiguration Sunday.
Speaker A:We'll say a little bit more about that in a minute, but this is a part of the Christian year.
Speaker A: million years by the year: Speaker A:That's a million people two years apiece generally.
Speaker A:So we do that by reading from the New Testament every day in an understandable way because we read it from the message version of the Bible and we also read it from the New Testament only.
Speaker A:Relatable.
Speaker A:We offer you two or three points to ponder, things to think about applicable, give you an action step to take.
Speaker A:And we do all of that in under 10 minutes.
Speaker A:And we're all brought to you by voiceofgod daily.com that is the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.
Speaker A:So let's get into today's reading.
Speaker A:From Luke, chapter 9, verses 28 through 20 through 44.
Speaker A:It is the Transfiguration Sunday, Jesus in his glory.
Speaker A:About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John and James along.
Speaker A:While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white.
Speaker A:And at once two men were there talking with him.
Speaker A:And they turned out to be Moses and Elijah.
Speaker A:And what a glorious appearance they made.
Speaker A:They talked over his Exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.
Speaker A:Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep.
Speaker A:When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him.
Speaker A:When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, master, this is great.
Speaker A:This is a great moment.
Speaker A:Let's build three memorials, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
Speaker A:And he blurted this out without thinking.
Speaker A:And while he was babbling on like this, a light, radiant cloud enveloped them.
Speaker A:As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God.
Speaker A:Then there was a voice out of the cloud.
Speaker A:This is my son, the Chosen.
Speaker A:Listen to him.
Speaker A:When the sound of the voice died away.
Speaker A:They saw Jesus there alone, and they were speechless.
Speaker A:And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.
Speaker A:When they came down off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them.
Speaker A:A man called out from the crowd, please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son.
Speaker A:He's my only child.
Speaker A:Often a spirit seizes him and suddenly he's screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming.
Speaker A:And then it beats him black and blue before it leaves.
Speaker A:I asked your disciples to deliver him, but they couldn't.
Speaker A:And Jesus said, what a generation.
Speaker A:No sense of God, no focus to your lives.
Speaker A:How many times do I have to go over these things?
Speaker A:How much longer do I have to put up with all of this?
Speaker A:Bring your son here.
Speaker A:And while he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions.
Speaker A:Jesus stepped in and ordered the foul spirit gone, healed the boy and handed him back to his father.
Speaker A:They all shook their heads in wonder, astonished at God's greatness, God's majestic greatness.
Speaker A:Your business is life.
Speaker A:While they continue to stand around exclaiming over all the things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, treasure and ponder each of these next words.
Speaker A:The Son of Man is about to be betrayed in the human hands.
Speaker A:And that ends the reading.
Speaker A:This reading is called the transfiguration reading.
Speaker A:So let me unpack that word transfiguration in terms of what this day means a little bit.
Speaker A:Transfiguration Sunday is really a pivotal moment in the Christian calendar.
Speaker A:And really it's the marks, the last Sunday after Epiphany and the first Sunday before Lent.
Speaker A:And it's this profound moment, a revelation where Jesus divine nature is unveiled to his disciples in this glorious situation we have here before his disciples.
Speaker A:And this occurred just before his journey to Jerusalem.
Speaker A:And all the events which led to the crucifixion, which we call the Passion, which we begin at Lent here in a few days.
Speaker A:So to understand this moment, understand this reading here today is all about this understanding that this appearance of the radiant Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah.
Speaker A:And this is a bridge moment between Jesus earthly ministry and the approaching journey to the cross.
Speaker A:And it starts to reveal the divine nature of God.
Speaker A:And it points out also the opportunity to transformation or the transfiguration of you and me.
Speaker A:I think that's enough setup.
Speaker A:Let's get into a couple points to ponder.
Speaker A:I just want you to consider sacred moments in everyday reality.
Speaker A:This text here, this story of the transfiguration presents a striking contrast between the mountaintop experience and the valley experience.
Speaker A:While Peter wants to build memorials and stay in the transcendent moment, real human suffering awaits in the valley.
Speaker A:And this reminds us that spiritual experiences should empower us for engagement with the world's pain, not an escape from it.
Speaker A:Our mountaintop moments must translate into valley service.
Speaker A:Another point, the power of divine solidarity.
Speaker A:Jesus.
Speaker A:Transfiguration isn't about establishing superiority, but demonstrating solidarity.
Speaker A:He stands between Moses, who's representing the law, and Elijah, who represents the prophets and showing how divine love has always been present in human history.
Speaker A:It always is working for justice and liberation.
Speaker A:The voice from heaven doesn't command worship, but listening, suggesting that God's divine authority is more about relationship than domination.
Speaker A:One more point to ponder.
Speaker A:Transformation and transfiguration as such is a process.
Speaker A:The disciples had an inability to heal the boy in the valley.
Speaker A:Remember that part of the story and followed by Jesus kind of frustration with the situation.
Speaker A:And this reveals an important truth that transformation is a process.
Speaker A:It's not a single event.
Speaker A:Even after witnessing the transfiguration, the disciples still struggled.
Speaker A:This suggests that growth in faith and justice work involves both moments of clarity and wonder and those mountaintop moments and periods of learning through failure.
Speaker A:Let me give you an action step for the day.
Speaker A:Identify some valley situation in your life or in your community.
Speaker A:A place where there is some suffering or some injustice that really needs attention, maybe even your attention.
Speaker A:Rather than staying in the comfort zone of a some sort of a spiritual or higher experience like that, take a concrete step towards engaging with that valley situation, using as motivation your mountaintop experience.
Speaker A:This might mean volunteering or making a financial donation or maybe just listening to those people who are part of that.
Speaker A:We're going to pray about all this in just a minute.
Speaker A:But I did want to remind you that we do have a great resource to help you with your daily Bible study.
Speaker A:It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Guide.
Speaker A:And it really makes Bible study as easy as ABC in 1, 2, 3.
Speaker A:And you could find out all about it at our Show Notes, which is at our website, voiceofgoddaily.com we have over 800 episodes of Daily Bible Refresh there for you to check out.
Speaker A:But I really want you to stick with me as we transition now towards the Lenten season very soon.
Speaker A:Let's pray.
Speaker A:Oh God, you have a divine presence who meets us both in moments of glory and in valleys of struggle and help us to hold these tensions with grace when we want to build monuments and stay in a comfortable place.
Speaker A:Nudge us towards places where healing is needed.
Speaker A:When we feel inadequate in the face of overwhelming need, remind us that transformation is a journey, not a destination.
Speaker A:Give us courage to listen deeply, to act justly, and to love persistently even when the path is unclear.
Speaker A:May we be agents of your transforming love in both the mountaintops and in the valleys of our world.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Hey, it's always a wonderful, exhilarating experience for me to be with you here on Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:Always appreciate.
Speaker A:Appreciate it.
Speaker A:Well, I want you to know I'll be with you again here tomorrow on this journey that we are on here together on Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:You can find everything we're about@voiceofgoddaily.com for now.
Speaker A:I'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker A:Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.
