|
by
Doug Ward |
Like many people these days, I subscribe to several digital newsletters from my
favorite writers. Typically, these writers share some articles free of charge
and offer additional material for a monthly subscription fee.
Long
before the days of Substack, You Tube, and podcasts,
Jesus of Nazareth used a similar model. He was a popular teacher who frequently
spoke to crowds. From that large group of listeners, a much smaller group
decided to travel with him and become his full-time students. These disciples
of Jesus received what today we might call "premium content." For
example, Jesus might tell a parable to teach a certain principle to a crowd,
then later discuss the meaning of the parable with his disciples (see Luke
8:4-15).
In
one instance Jesus hiked up a mountain with three of his closest followers,
Peter, James, and John. While they were there praying, Jesus' "face shone
like the sun, and his clothes became white as light" (Matthew 17:2). Moses
and Elijah, two great prophets from the past, appeared and spoke with him. Then
they were covered by a cloud, and a voice from the cloud stated, "This is
my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!" (Luke 9:35)
This
event, traditionally known as the Transfiguration, was a memorable experience
for the three disciples. In a letter to early Christians, Peter later recalled
what he had seen and heard on the mountain. The things they had been told about
Jesus, he wrote, were not "cleverly devised myths" (2 Peter 1:16). He
had heard with his own ears the words spoken by the voice in the cloud (verses
17-18).
Those
words were especially meaningful to people like Peter who were familiar with
the Hebrew Scriptures. The phrase "this is my Son" comes from the
second Psalm, which pictures God adopting a Son and granting him dominion over
the nations of the earth (Psalm 2:7-9). The voice in the cloud was identifying
Jesus as that Son of God.
The
second phrase spoken by the voice, "my chosen one," had a similar
thrust. This was an allusion to Isaiah 42:1, where God introduced a special
servant who would be led by the divine Spirit and "bring justice to the
nations."
The
third phrase ("Listen to him!") referred to Deuteronomy 18:15. There
Moses, shortly before his death, told the children of Israel that God would one
day "raise up for you a prophet like me." Moses added, "It is to
him you shall listen." Jews in the first century eagerly anticipated the
appearance of that prophet.
The
three phrases in the voice's declaration come from the three major divisions of
Israel's Scriptures, the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms. Together they imply that
Jesus is the one spoken of in these phrases, the promised Messiah. These words
affirmed the faith of Peter, James, and John in an unforgettable way, and they
still inspire Christians today. They are part of the "premium
content" available to disciples of Jesus. Subscribe today!
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On 29 Feb 2024, 16:12.
