The experience in the ninth chapter of Luke is called "The Transfiguration Experience of our Lord Jesus," and is recorded in two other gospels - Matthew and Mark. Preachers, teachers, scholars, and theologians are all aware that something significant happened. I'll join with the ignorant and say like most of them that I don't know what happened, but something special and very unique made an indelible impression upon the minds of those who experienced it. It is as if there is almost a shroud of mystery surrounding this experience. What did it mean to Jesus? What did it mean to the disciples both then and later on? What did it mean to God who is the true actor in this scene?

Jesus had just told his disciples for the very first time that he was going to die. For the first time, they understood that he was not here to set up an earthly kingdom, but was here to die as a suffering servant for the sins of mankind. This threw the disciples' world into an upheaval - Jesus, the Son of God - die? "Wait a minute. Give me a moment or two to process that."

We talk a lot about what we are living for. Do we talk enough about what we are living from? We're living for this and for that - what are we living from? What is the source of our power and strength? For Jesus there was no question: He lived from his relationship to the Father. In every major experience in the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus in prayer. Jesus was praying when this wonderful transfiguration experience occurred. He took three disciples with him. The leader, of course, was Simon Peter. It is interesting to just imagine in our minds, guided by the Holy Spirit, what this meant to Simon Peter. At first glance, it seemed to mean very little because he was asleep.

Now imagine this, God has brought from heaven both Elijah and Moses, the two greatest historical personages of the Old Testament, symbolic of the Law and the prophets. Elijah and Moses have been raised from the dead and the disciples are asleep. Are these folks dullards or what? They missed it completely. "As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning," and just as this situation was about to be over, Simon woke up and, realizing what was going on, responded in his usual over-emotional way and says, "Lord, this is great, this is fantastic. We ought to put up three tabernacles to commemorate what has happened here!"

Simon is the perfect example of the person who, when he doesn't know what to say, still speaks. Even Luke comments. Look at verse 33. Luke said that Peter knew not what he was saying. It's just Simon babbling again - open mouth, insert foot. We cannot confine God. We cannot freeze-dry life until we can come back and own it again. When the cloud appears, Simon is afraid. I could identify with that. Moses, Elijah, a cloud, and suddenly there's the voice of God: "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." I would have been afraid. The disciples are just there and have no idea whatsoever what is going on, and they are told to keep it to themselves. First, they didn't understand it and second, it would be of special significance to them later. What did it mean to the disciples? Very little. What did it mean to God? Why did God do this? Why did God bring Moses and Elijah back from heaven and put them upon earth to go through this experience? I don't know, but maybe God in some way is like us. He was a proud parent. Is there anything more satisfying to a parent than to see your child whom you have prayed for and nourished and loved to be on their own and accomplishing exactly what you equipped them to do? Could God have been sharing some of those heavenly, parental feelings here? "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; and he is doing exactly what I want him to do."

When I was thirteen and fourteen years old, I played on a baseball team. One of the men who helped coach and train us in a different and special way was R. L. Penland. We all called him "Snuffy." He was a wonderful man. He loved youth. His son, Greg, was the catcher on our team and was a great athlete. During that year, R. L. Penland died prematurely. The Emma Sansom High School in Gadsden, Alabama, gives an award every year, the R. L. Penland Memorial Trophy, to the most outstanding athlete of the school. One of the very first to receive that award was his son, Greg. All of that training, nourishing, and love was so concentrated into that young man by his father that he was carrying on just as if R. L. was there. Could God be the proud heavenly parent here? I think that could be true.

Very possibly, God is also realizing what a tremendous risk he has taken. He put his reputation on the line in Jesus. Think about that just a moment. I heard this statement this past week: "God bared his face in Jesus Christ." God said to an entire world, "If you want to know what I am like, look at Jesus." God risked his reputation on Jesus of Nazareth, and don't think for one minute Jesus did not have the choice to do otherwise, or else the temptations would have no meaning. In every situation, Jesus did exactly what the Father wanted him to do. No wonder God was proud.

What did it mean to Jesus? Understanding the mind of the Son of God is not the easiest thing in the world to do. First of all, we begin to understand that Jesus does very little here. Jesus is not the actor, God is the actor and Jesus is the one being acted upon, yet Jesus receives the benefits of the transfiguration experience. Here, in a moment of prayer and retreat, Jesus is encouraged and energized and receives the very hand of God upon his life and ministry.

Can you imagine what it meant for Jesus to hear the voice of the Father? The one he wanted to please most of all to say, "I am pleased with you. You're on the right track. You're doing what I want you to do. Go ahead and do it." I think that Jesus went back to the task of setting his face toward Jerusalem, of suffering and death and humiliation on the cross. The task had not changed, the circumstances had not changed, his mission and ministry had not changed, the hatred of the groups that were plotting against him had not changed. Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed, because now he was energized and invigorated and encouraged by the Father.

Several of us were at a WMU convention and others were at a minister's and spouse's retreat. This was a time of recharging the batteries, being energized and encouraged. It was a wonderful time of hearing speakers such as Dr. Paul Simmons and Dr. Fred Craddock. It was great not being an actor, but being acted upon, and, for just a few moments, letting someone else take care of our spiritual needs. If Jesus of Nazareth, the sinless, perfect, Son of God, had to have a time of retreat and prayer and revitalization and encouragement, how much more do we need that? Jesus went from this experience encouraged and energized by the Father.

Maybe we sold the disciples a little short. I really believe this was a meaningful experience to them. They possibly did not understand its significance then, but by the fact that it is recorded in three of our gospels shows that it made an unforgettable impression upon their minds. Why? They had seen the future. They had seen this man called Jesus of Nazareth being transformed by the very Spirit of God, to the point that his face shone with the glory of God and God spoke. He was transfigured. He was not only transfigured then, he would be transfigured later on. They had seen the future.

When a doctor reads the x-rays and has knowledge of the patient's future, he has a present responsibility to act upon that knowledge. A stockbroker gets advance knowledge that a company is about to be bought over by another company and he or she has to act responsibly. In light of that future knowledge in the present, the disciples had seen the future. They knew what was going to happen.

They knew that Jesus was going to be victorious over death, hell, and the grave. They knew that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, full of the glory of God. They had seen the future, but they had responsibilities for it in the present. They had been privileged to be in a special moment never to be repeated in all of history. When we are on those mountaintop experiences and see the future, then we have a present responsibility to help others to see and understand.

Later, when Jesus was transfigured, it all fit together. "Let me tell you about it. Let me tell you what Moses said. Let me tell you what Elijah said." They understood it as Jesus was preparing to go to Jerusalem and die. "Let me tell you about the future. We know what is going to happen."

It is our responsibility as Christians to see that others know about Jesus and understand about him as much as possible. We know the future belongs to Jesus. We know he will be victorious. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way - there are troubles, problems, temptations, worries, anxieties, conflicts, and hostilities. And we say victory?

I am a very poor golfer. When I'm playing and the performance of three other people depends upon me, often I hear, "Carver, watch the ball. Get in the right position. Watch the ball." When I played baseball, people were always telling me to watch the ball. Tennis - same way. When I played football, on defense particularly, they would say, "Now you don't know what they're going to run. You don't know the play they're going to execute. What you've got to do is watch the ball. Stay focused, and watch the ball." I think that is the message that we have for the world. We don't know what play the opposition is going to run so we must stay focused upon Jesus. We must get ourselves first of all, in the right position, in the right stance, living from the Father as the source for our lives, and stay focused upon Jesus Christ. Watch the ball. Become disciplined. Become focused.

Just as God encouraged Jesus, it is our business to encourage others. Does the church have a more meaningful ministry than the ministry of encouragement? Just as Jesus was revitalized and invigorated and encouraged, is that not our ministry to a world that desperately needs a word of encouragement, a word of love, and of mercy?

Isn't it true that sometimes in the church we shoot our wounded, and the very people who need our help the most? We sometimes turn a cold shoulder to them. Just because someone has failed in one area of their life, what difference does it make? We may have failed in another area. We're all sinners. Could there be a greater ministry of the church than that of encouragement?

If Jesus, who never failed, needed encouragement, how much more do we who fail daily need a word of encouragement? "Hang in there. God is alive. God is with you even when you don't feel him." Some things are true, as Fred Craddock says, "Even when we're asleep. We have seen the future. We know. We've read the last page. We know where our world is going and we know in the end Jesus will be victorious."

In Rome in 1520, a young artist was dying at 37 years of age. He had just a few days left. How would he express himself as an artist in the last few days of his life? His name was Raphael. He chose to spend his dying hours painting The Transfiguration. He never finished, but he got one part completely finished and that was Jesus. The critics say that Jesus' garment is so white and glistening that no one could bleach it as white. Raphael stayed focused. He had seen the future and that future was a victorious Jesus. His way of telling the world was through his painting.

What's your way of telling the world about the victory of Jesus? When people see your life, will they see a victorious resurrected Jesus Christ? Are we helping others to understand that one day the dwelling place of God will be with men and he will live with them and they will be his people and he will be their God? He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more mourning, crying, or pain; for the old order of things has passed away and behold all things have become new.