The Transfiguration of Jesus

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Okay, so we left off with Peter, James, and John going to a high mount with Jesus to pray. Let’s read:

The Account from Luke

October 20th 2019
Meat
Luke 9.33-35

28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as he (Jesus) prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

And we covered these verses last week. On to verse 33.

33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. 34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

Peter's Reaction

So, we left off with Peter saying in the face of Jesus and Moses and Elijah standing there:

33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.

This is an unusual passage as the wording is cumbersome – at least to me. But the way I have come to understand it, it could also read: And as Moses and Elijah were preparing or appearing to depart from Jesus, Peter said, “It is a good thing that we are here with you all because we can make three tents or tabernacles for you guys – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. (Then Luke adds) Not knowing what he said, meaning,”having no idea what he was talking about.” Mark puts it more bluntly, adding: “For he did not know what to say, being very afraid.” And Matthew's account has Peter saying, “I will make you tabernacles,” not “we will”, which I think better illustrates both the natural man in Peter and his impetuous way of jumping before looking.

In the end, Peter seems to be frightened and being a man sought for immediate solutions to his fear, to solve the issues before him – so what does he do? He suggests that he make three tents or tabernacles for the three glowing figures. I personally love the addition of, “Hey, Lord – it’s a good thing we are here! I can make three tents for you guys! I mean, they’ll be awesome! Comfy and well built!” Of course, I’m being facetious, but along those lines.

The tents of those days were of two types – the cloth supported by posts and cords and tents made of tree branches – both of which would become temporary shelters from the elements. Apparently, because the two were appearing to depart, Peter made the suggestion as a means to prolong their visit, as if to say, “Hey, it’s good that we came along, guys! I can make your visit more comfortable for you if your let me,” sort of thing.

Luke continues:

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

Matthew's Account

And Matthew 17, which I will use to round out Luke’s account, reads:

5 While he yet spake (or while Peter was talking), behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

The word overshadow here means, rather,

The Symbolism of the Cloud and the Voice of God

A cloud, of course, going all the way back to the Tanakh, was a symbol of the Divine Presence as God went before the Israelites in a cloudy pillar–dark by day, and bright by night, (Exodus 14:19-20) and he appeared on Mount Sinai in a cloud bright by fire, (Exodus 24:15-17) and a cloud was also the symbol of the Divine Presence–called the Shechinah–which dwelt continually in the Most Holy Place in the temple, (according to 1st Kings 8:10,11; Ezekiel 1:4; 10:4). It seems pretty sure that when the three apostles saw this cloud and heard this voice it was a fairly terrifying thing, but it is also likely that they would have anticipated hearing some sort of words – which they did, as God from the cloud said:

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

Thus far, this is the second time that, in a remarkable manner, God has declared this about Jesus of Nazareth – the first being at his water baptism. At this place, it could be that what God was saying, in the setting of there being three beings there before the apostles: This is MY beloved son – hear Him now, and no longer give heed to the Law and the Prophets – a saying which of course would bolster their resolve in going forward and sharing with the Nation the fact that Jesus was the Messiah long prophesied about.

Peter's Reflection

Why weren’t the other apostles invited to witness this too? I don’t know. But what we do know is that after Peter witnessed this he wrote in 2nd Peter 1:17-18:

16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

The Distinction of Titles

But now for the mind-blower and it is something so important to our understanding of God and Christ that it has to be addressed. We know that God has referred to Jesus twice now as His “beloved Son.” Did you know that when Jesus walked the earth this is the ONLY way God speaks of Him, and that in most of the cases He adds: “In whom I am well pleased.”

Does God, while Jesus walked the earth ever refer to Jesus as His Only Begotten Son? Never. Why? What is the difference between beloved Son and being His Only Begotten Son? We typically refer to Jesus as God’s only begotten Son when we speak of the incarnation, of when the Word of God was made flesh. We speak of this was when Jesus earned or was given the title of Only Begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth.

WITH “WELL PLEASED” ARE UNDERLINED “BELOVED SON”

What GOD calls Jesus over the course of His earthly life. Beloved is AGAPETOS and it merely means, “well loved” with God’s love.

God's Voice During Significant Moments

AT HIS WATER BAPTISM (WATER BAPTISM) Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (WATER BAPTISM) Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (WATER BAPTISM) Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

AND ON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION (MT OF TRANS) Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (MT OF TRANS) Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (MT OF TRANS) Luke 9:35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Beloved is used also ONE TIME BY JESUS CITING HIS FATHER IN A PARABLE (PARABLE) Lu 20:13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall…

Begotten in Biblical Context

I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

BEGOTTEN in the GREEK Is monog-enace and it simply means ONLY or sole of something, in this case, Son. “BEGOTTEN SON” is always used in the New Testament in the past tense written description of Jesus and ONLY used by John the Beloved – with one exception, which we will get to in a minute):

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (Past tense reference TO Him)

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Past tense Reference to Him)

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Past Tense Reference TO Him)

1st John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (Past tense Reference TO Him)

Begotten Used Alone

WHEN BEGOTTEN IS USED ALONE (not ONLY begotten but begotten – in reference to Jesus) THREE EXAMPLES

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten (Mono-genace- of the Father – the only of the father,) full of grace and truth. (Again, from John only and again, in a past tense description of him by John) But then we come to the remaining examples which speak of Jesus and being begotten but the Greek term used is NOT

Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Ghost. (And the Greek word is GENNEO (GHEN-AH-O) – which means, created, made, bear, regenerated, bore, sprung) REREAD IT WITH THESE WORDS. This verse is speaking of Jesus of Nazareth being made in Mary – His flesh.

Begotten in Resurrection

The third time begotten is used is in Acts 13:33, where Paul, being cited by Luke, and says, speaking of His resurrection:

Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” And the Greek there is Ghen-ah-o – which means the passage has God saying, all the way back in the Psalms RELATIVE to Jesus RESURRECTION – AGAIN, RELATIVE to JESUS RESURRECTION – “this day,” on the day of your Resurrection, God says, “I have created, made, born, sprung thee, my ONLY SON.”

So, what we can take from all this is the following: In the beginning of His mortal life God addressed Jesus as his beloved Son and NEVER as His only begotten Son – ever. Why? Because He was not YET seen by God as His only made or created Son yet. To be God’s ONLY created Son – with the emphasis on God’s ONLY made or created Son, Jesus had to overcome temptation – for God cannot be tempted neither does he tempt. Neither does God die, nor is God subject to demons, nor is He lacking in information.

So in His life, from birth to deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., God referred to Jesus as His beloved Son, and not His only begotten until? Until Jesus was resurrected, and in that day, as Paul says in Acts 13:33:

LISTEN CLOSELY

Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he (God) hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”

Meaning, Jesus was beloved monogenace Son at birth – God’s only beloved Son in the flesh. But at His resurrection, Jesus became God’s only Ghen-ah-o Son – or regenerated Son in every way then God. And the real impact of this is that it destroys the idea that Jesus is the second member of the Trinity, co-equal, co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the WORD of God was first made flesh as

The Beloved and Begotten Son

God’s only ever beloved Son, but at the resurrection, having overcome sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. and death and the grave in flesh, Jesus of Nazareth was FIRST called God’s only truly Son of God in flesh AND spirit. WITH “WELL PLEASED” ARE UNDERLINED “BELOVED SON” What GOD calls Jesus over the course of His earthly life. Beloved is AGAPETOS and it merely means, “well loved” with God’s love.

At His Water Baptism

(WATER BAPTISM) Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (WATER BAPTISM) Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (WATER BAPTISM) Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

And on the Mount of Transfiguration

(MT OF TRANS) Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (MT OF TRANS) Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (MT OF TRANS) Luke 9:35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Beloved is used also ONE TIME BY JESUS CITING HIS FATHER IN A PARABLE
(PARABLE) Lu 20:13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

The Only Begotten Son

BEGOTTEN in the GREEK Is monog-enace and it simply means ONLY or sole of something, in this case, Son. “BEGOTTEN SON” is always used in the New Testament in the past tense written description of Jesus and ONLY used by John the Beloved – with one exception, which we will get to in a minute): John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (Past tense reference TO Him) John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Past tense Reference to Him) John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Past Tense Reference TO Him) 1st John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (Past tense Reference TO Him)

WHEN BEGOTTEN IS USED ALONE (not ONLY begotten but begotten – in reference to Jesus) THREE EXAMPLES John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten (Mono-genace- of the Father – the only of the father,) full of grace and truth. (Again, from John only and again, in a past tense description of him by John) But then we come to the remaining examples which speak of Jesus and being begotten but the Greek term used is NOT Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Ghost. (And the Greek word is GENNEO (GHEN-AH-O) – which means, created, made, bear, regenerated, bore, sprung) REREAD IT WITH THESE WORDS. This verse is speaking of Jesus of Nazareth being made in Mary – His flesh.

The third time begotten is used is in Acts 13:33, where Paul, being cited by Luke, and says, speaking of His resurrection: Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” And the Greek there is Ghen-ah-o – which means the passage has God saying, all the way back in the Psalms RELATIVE to Jesus RESURRECTION – AGAIN, RELATIVE to JESUS RESURRECTION – “this day,” on the day of your Resurrection, God says, “I have created, made, born, sprung.

The Concept of Begotten Son in Scripture

In the beginning of His mortal life, God addressed Jesus as His beloved Son and never as His only begotten Son. Why? Because He was not yet seen by God as His only made or created Son. To be God's only created Son, Jesus had to overcome temptation; for God cannot be tempted, neither does He tempt. Neither does God die, nor is God subject to demons, nor is He lacking in information. So in His life, from birth to death, God referred to Jesus as His beloved Son, and not His only begotten until? Until Jesus was resurrected, and in that day, as Paul says in Acts 13:33:

The Shift at Resurrection

LISTEN CLOSELY
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he (God) hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”

Meaning, Jesus was beloved monogenace Son at birth—God’s only beloved Son in the flesh. But at His resurrection, Jesus became God’s only Ghen-ah-o Son—or regenerated Son in every way then God. The real impact of this is that it destroys the idea that Jesus is the second member of the Trinity, co-equal, co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Word of God was first made flesh as God’s only ever beloved Son, but at the resurrection, having overcome sin and death and the grave in flesh, Jesus of Nazareth was first called God’s only truly Son of God in flesh and spirit.

Instances of Beloved Son

"BELOVED SON" What GOD calls Jesus over the course of His earthly life. Beloved is AGAPETOS and it merely means, “well loved” with God’s love.

AT HIS WATER BAPTISM
(WATER BAPTISM) Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(WATER BAPTISM) Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(WATER BAPTISM) Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

AND ON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION
(MT OF TRANS) Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
(MT OF TRANS) Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
(MT OF TRANS) Luke 9:35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Beloved is used also ONE TIME BY JESUS CITING HIS FATHER IN A PARABLE
(PARABLE) Luke 20:13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

Understanding Begotten Son

BEGOTTEN in the GREEK is monog-enace and it simply means ONLY or sole of something, in this case, Son. "BEGOTTEN SON" is always used in the New Testament in the past tense written description of Jesus and only used by John the Beloved—with one exception, which we will get to in a minute):

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (Past tense reference TO Him)
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Past tense Reference to Him)
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Past Tense Reference TO Him)
1st John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (Past tense Reference TO Him)

WHEN BEGOTTEN IS USED ALONE (not ONLY begotten but begotten—in reference to Jesus) THREE EXAMPLES
John 1:14 And the Word was made…

The Concept of Begotten in Scripture

The phrase "flesh, and dwelt among us" describes Jesus, emphasizing His unique glory as the only begotten (Mono-genace) of the Father, full of grace and truth, as seen in the description by John. However, as we explore further examples that speak of Jesus as begotten, we find the Greek term used is not the same.

Matthew 1:20 says:
"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Ghost."
The Greek word here is GENNEO (GHEN-AH-O), which means created, made, bear, regenerated, bore, sprung. This verse speaks of Jesus of Nazareth being made in Mary – His flesh.

The third instance of "begotten" appears in Acts 13:33, where Paul, as cited by Luke, speaks of Jesus' resurrection:
Acts 13:33:
"God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.'"
Here, the Greek word is Ghen-ah-o, indicating God’s declaration at the resurrection: "I have created, made, born, sprung thee, my ONLY SON."

Understanding the Transformation of Jesus' Sonship

From this analysis, we understand that at the beginning of His mortal life, God referred to Jesus as His beloved Son, not as His only begotten Son. This distinction was made because Jesus was not yet seen by God as His only made or created Son. Jesus had to overcome temptation, for God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt. God does not die, nor is He subject to demons or lacking in information. Therefore, during His life, from birth to death, Jesus was referred to as God’s beloved Son, until His resurrection when He was recognized in a new way. At that moment, as indicated in Acts 13:33, He became God’s only Ghen-ah-o Son, His regenerated Son.

Hebrews and the Resurrection Significance

The writer of Hebrews, like Paul in Acts, refers to the psalm and uses GHEN-AY-O, demonstrating that it was at His resurrection that Jesus was first seen by God as His fully equipped and fully God-Son. This passage strengthens the argument that Jesus was acknowledged fully by God after His resurrection.

Hebrews 1:5 states:
"For unto which of the angels said he at any time, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?' And again, 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?'"

This passage confirms in the context of the scriptures that Jesus' full recognition by God occurred at His resurrection.

Hebrews 5:5 also supports this:
"So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest; but he that said unto him, 'Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.'"

Jesus' Priesthood Through Resurrection

This evidence shows that Jesus became our High Priest by and through the Resurrection. He was not born our high priest, but earned it through His obedience to His Father, ultimately overcoming sin, Satan, and death.

Jesus as the High Priest

Because it was only then that Jesus of Nazareth would, could and did enter into the Holy of Holies on high and offer up His blood once and for all. Listen to some other passages from Hebrews and how the writer describes the Christ becoming or being MADE a high priest, saying:

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren (this refers to his carnal creation in flesh), that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Then Hebrews 5:5 says: So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. And then Hebrews 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Jesus' Resurrection and High Priest Role

When was he made a high priest after the order of Melchizedek? At His resurrection, when he had HAD the victory and became the Created Son of God! Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ had become a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.

The summation? At least at this point in my mind?

Jesus asked to have the glory that was his with the father before his incarnation. This glory was intrinsic to His being the Word or Logos of God, not the Son of God, but the actual literal word of God from the beginning. As the word or Logos of God the incarnate Jesus, prior to incarnation, was God. And the word or logos of God was made flesh and dwelled among us. In this incarnation into flesh and blood and bone, born of Mary, born under the Law, Jesus of Nazareth, was called by God the Father, the only true and living God, His BELOVED SON. The Son whom He truly loved with Godly love. Throughout His life and ministry God His father never announced Him as His only Begotten Son – that was always done by the New Testament writers who spoke of Jesus in retrospect, and it was always John who said it.

Jesus as the Only Begotten Son

Only when Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected, which was the result of His overcoming temptation, flesh, sin, death, satan and the grave, did God refer to Him as His only BEGOTTEN SON – which was a way of saying: This is my, God’s, only actually created, begotten, made, born, regenerated Son – who, overcoming sin, death and the grave, became our High Priest, and entered into the Holy of Holies once and for all on behalf of human kind. As God’s ONLY created Son at His resurrection, he was worthy and qualified to inherit ALL that His father has as the Lord, Savior and King – as God – over all the world – Jesus of Nazareth, both beloved AND begotten. Opening the way for all who look to him in faith to become sons and daughters of God by faith and love.

We will wrap up the Mount of Transfiguration experience when we open next week.

Comments/Questions/Prayer