Hyperlinks in the Transfiguration
Tim Davis
The transfiguration of Jesus is filled with hyperlinks.
I’m sure you’ve been on Wikipedia before. When you click on an underlined blue word, the internet takes you to a new page. That’s a hyperlink.
Funny enough, the Bible works similarly. So for our passage, the gospel writer, Luke, “links” you to various Old Testament passages to help you make sense of the Transfiguration.
Specifically, Luke’s “hyperlinks” clarify Jesus’ identity and mission. Let’s take a look at Luke 9:28-36 and see how this works.
JESUS’ MISSION
What was Jesus’ mission?
In other words, why was he sent? What was his purpose? In Luke 4:8, Jesus says he was sent to proclaim good news to the poor. That mission is seen with greater brilliance in the Transfiguration—especially once we put on our “Old Testament glasses”.
So what do we see?
First, Luke “hyperlinks” the reader back to the Exodus narrative. Here’s a few examples.
· Jesus took his disciples onto a mountain. Likewise, God established his covenant with his people at a mountain called “Sinai” in Exodus 19-24.
· Jesus’ appearance—his countenance—changed. This is reminiscent of Moses’ face changing when he came down from the mountain in Exodus 34.
· In the transfiguration, Moses (and Elijah) appears next to Jesus. Elijah’s involvement is probably due to the fact that both Moses and Elijah spoke with God on a mountain. Check out Exodus 24 and following along with 1 Kings 19.
· During Jesus transfiguration, Moses and Elijah spoke about Jesus’ “departure”, or “exodus”, that he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Here’s what we learn: Jesus’ mission is one big exodus story.
What God did in the past, he’s about to do again through Jesus. Except this time, it’ll be better. Jesus is setting captives free from the tyranny of sin and death. Jesus is leading his people to the promised land.
This is really good news!
JESUS’ IDENTITY
Who is Jesus?
To make this more fun, I challenge you to answer that question using the Old Testament. Now here’s what’s fascinating: that is exactly what God does in this passage—and Luke records it!
In Luke 9:35, God says, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” Wouldn’t you know it…
This links us to the Old Testament. In fact, these words connect us to at least two places in the Old Testament.
The first is Psalm 2:7. In fact, Luke 9:35 is linked internally to Luke 3:22 where God refers to Jesus as his “beloved Son.” Both passages are linked to Psalm 2:7. Psalm 2 is all about God’s anointed one—the Davidic King. Moreover, it commends everyone who takes refuge in him. Ancient Israelites looked forward to the day when a Messiah like David would come. Alas, the king has arrived.
Second, God’s words, “my Chosen One” is linked to Isaiah 42:1—the first of several “Servant Songs” in Isaiah. This passage reads, “Behold me servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights, I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth Justice to the nations.” Now if you keep reading Isaiah, you’ll learn more about God’s “servant”. For example, we learn that this servant is a “suffering servant”—Isaiah 53 is a great example of this.
WHO IS JESUS AND WHAT DID HE DO?
So let’s wrap up what we learned about Jesus’ identity and mission. In other words, let’s answer the questions, who is Jesus and what did he do?
Following the “hyperlinks” from the Transfiguration to the Old Testament, we learn that Jesus is the anticipated king like David. But he’s a unique kind of king because he didn’t rule through power and force. Instead, he conquered by suffering. And this suffering-servant-king led an Exodus—a release from slavery—that changed the course of history forever.
I suppose the only thing left to say is, Behold your King!