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Jesus-The Transfiguration
May 2, 2020

As often it would be, Jesus and His disciples found themselves at odds with the Pharisees and scribes, who saw themselves as worthy in the eyes of God, and who had made religion a burden for the people. The religion they created made themselves look righteous and left others looking like sinners. What they created was based on what is in the scriptures and went so far beyond what was in the Bible, that their religious teachings made the word of God to be meaningless. God, in the mind of the people as a result of these religious teachings, had become a burden to the people. God’s ways are not burdensome, His commandments are not grievous. When man interprets the word of God, especially when they see themselves as worthy, the interpretation becomes burdensome and grievous.

Jesus knew that the Pharisees were hypocrites who turned the law of God into an incredible burden and it is very easy for any person in a position of religious authority to turn the words of the Bible into a burden, and these burdens are tied to traditions of people and interpretations of what is in the Bible. Jesus told us not to be like the Pharisees who on one occasion saw some of the disciples eating food without first washing hands. Hand washing was part of the religious ceremonies of the priesthood in the Old Testament, and hand washing is an important defense against contaminating food that we are going to eat as well as protecting us from diseases like COVID-19. There were many instances in the Old Testament where individual people were also required to thoroughly wash themselves. There was no specific requirement for there to be ceremonial handwashing prior to a meal. This was a requirement of the tradition of men. The Pharisees thought that they were righteous because they could perfectly follow the traditions of men, and where do we find traditions of men today? We find these traditions in churches. The pomp and ceremony of a church service is not what we find in the New Testament. What we see as church services and church buildings are traditions of men, and just like the Pharisees sought to oppress people through the established traditions, the church establishment is much more likely to oppress their congregants for nothing more than self-preservation. No church comes between us and salvation through Jesus Christ, ever.

Just like the Pharisees who followed the traditions of the elders, when you are taught the sacraments of the church, you are being taught the traditions of the church. You need to prove for yourself that what you are being taught is what is taught in the Bible. When you become part of a church, one part of you the church will want is your money, and it was no different in the times of Jesus. When Jesus attacked the scribes and Pharisees, He hit them where it hurt the most, their pocket books. There was a tradition to give extra money to the temple, called Corban, and if money was given as Corban to the temple the people were released by the priesthood from their responsibilities. By giving Corban, Jesus reminded them that in doing so, they told the people to give to the temple instead of taking care of their family, and in so doing, made the word of God to be meaningless.

Mark 7:1-13
Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

On several occasions, Jesus found Himself to be surrounded by large crowds, and sometimes these large crowds had no food. Even though these people should have understood it was their responsibility to feed themselves, Jesus had compassion on these people and fed them. Jesus had already fed a crowd of about five thousand. This time the crowd was slightly smaller at four thousand. Again, when the disciples saw no way how to feed the large crowd with the limited food supply they had, Jesus once again showed them that with God anything is possible.

Mark 8:1-9
In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

Later, Jesus took three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John with Him into the mountains, and when they were near the summit of one of the mountains and apart from everyone else, these three disciples witnessed the power of the Kingdom of God when Jesus was transfigured before them. His body changed to spirit and his clothes were bright and pure white. Joining Jesus for a brief time were Moses and Elijah. This scared the disciples at first because they did not understand what they were seeing. Finally a cloud came overhead and through the cloud they could hear a voice that told them to listen to Jesus who was the beloved son.

Mark 9:1-13
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to 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. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

As often was the case with Jesus and the disciples, they came across scribes and Pharisees, who thought of themselves as worthy, who also exploited the people they encountered in the name of God. Jesus not only showed the Pharisees and scribes how hypocritical their practices were, he showed how their practices made the word of God to be meaningless. Knowing His time with the disciples was short and that these men would become the first leaders of the church, Jesus gave a group of three disciples, Peter, James, and John the opportunity to see the power of the Kingdom of God. The disciples were learning about the power of Jesus Christ.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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