~by Pastor Mike Middaugh

This post is part of a series on the miracles of Jesus. Each week I will look at one miracle performed by Jesus to explore its meaning and significance. I’ll be using several resources to help me out, including an excellent new book by Pastor Jared C. Wilson titled “The Wonder Working God,” published by Crossway.

The miracles are heating up now. And the hottest revelation of all comes when blood runs most cold. – Jared C. Wilson

The disciples waited sorrowfully for three long days. Jesus had told them he would die, but of course they didn’t believe it. On multiple occasions he explained that he would not be with them forever. He even told them he would rise again, though that promise must have been the strangest.

Yet, as they waited those three days we have to wonder if any of them would dare believe what he had said. The gospel writers seem to suggest there wasn’t an inking of hope. Only fear. Only dejection. Only longing for things to be different. Not even Peter, the impetuous one, seemed strong enough to rally the others.

Nonetheless their Lord was faithful to his word.

Rise again he did. And Jesus resurrection wasn’t a metaphorical one, like one of the spirits in Dickens’ Christmas Carol. This wasn’t the ghost of “Jesus past” back from the grave to teach the disciples a lesson. And no, he didn’t just resurrect “in the hearts” of his followers.

No, this was real. It was physical, complete and entire. Over and over again the Gospel writers take pains to make the point. His grave cloths were folded. The tomb was empty. The angels gave proclamation. The guards were paid-off to tell no one what they had seen. And if that wasn’t enough, some days later Jesus appeared the disciples and ate some fish where they were gathered. Ghosts don’t eat fish, and neither do spirits – surely this is the Son of God.

The first stanza from novelist John Updike’s Seven Stanzas at Easter states the essential point like this:

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

As Updike says, if the resurrection is not real, the Church will surely fall. Our faith has no power if this triumphant miracle really isn’t.

And here’s the reason: The death we face in this life is not metaphorical or symbolic. The pending death we face is real. It is final. It is ultimate. In light of this very real death we do not need one more feel good story, or another self-help solution. In death, we certainly cannot help ourselves.

What we really need is power. Power that is totally and infinitely beyond the realm of this creation. Power that could raise the dead. And that is what our faith offers. That is what this ultimate miracle of Jesus, his resurrection, provides.

Jesus died on a Friday. A day that we now call good. As his disciples sat those three days weighed down by crushed expectations, they thought it was the end. But on Sunday, the 8th day, with the tomb standing open and empty, they slowly began to realize that if Christ was raised, they could be too. And if they could be raised, then so could others. This was hope for the entire world.

That which they thought was the end was really just the beginning.

~by Pastor Mike Middaugh

This post is part of a series on the miracles of Jesus. Each week I will look at one miracle performed by Jesus to explore its meaning and significance. I’ll be using several resources to help me out, including an excellent new book by Pastor Jared C. Wilson titled “The Wonder Working God,” published by Crossway.

One of the most often overlooked and undervalued miracles of Jesus takes place just before his royal entry into Jerusalem. Maybe it is because the immediate value of the miracle is not easily defined. No one is fed, no healing takes place, and nobody’s sins are forgiven. But the Transfiguration event is nonetheless a miracle worth pausing to consider.

Jesus’ Transfiguration takes place at the top of a mountain with a small group of followers, and at first glance it seems like a strange event without a clear theological purpose. Perhaps it was one more step in preparing the disciples for what was about to come, or maybe it is more for our sake than theirs, so that we might see the fullness of his glory even before its revelation on Easter morning. Either way, this event is an incredible moment in time when Jesus throws open wide the window into heaven so that his followers might look in.

Up to this point in Jesus’ life his humanity has obscured his divinity, his humility overshadowing his exaltation. But in a moment the reverse takes place. Jesus’ humanity is eclipsed by a glimpse at his radiant glory.

This event brings to mind several major Old Testament events. Moses, after the command to leave Sinai, requests to see the glory of God (Ex. 33:18-23). Years later Isaiah experiences the glory of God in the temple (Isa. 6:1-7). Fire descends from heaven upon the prayers of Elijah (2 Kings 1). And back to Moses who met with God as a burning flame overtaking a bush, but not consuming it (Ex. 3).

Each of these Old Testament events show that seeing God can be a frightening and awe inspiring experience. Imperfect people try to hide themselves from the full glory of a perfect God. The result of the fall is that God usually remains hidden. So as not to harm his people, the fullness of his majesty and power are usually enshrouded and obscured.

But in this moment at the top of the mountain Jesus lets it all hang out.

As a further acknowledgment of Jesus’ authority Moses and Elijah appear alongside him. After a brief conversation these two representatives of “the Law and the Prophets” disappear from view with Jesus left alone (Mark 9). Just as everything in the Old Testament was written to point to Jesus, the transfigured Jesus shows that he is now the summation of all those expectations. He is perfect enough, brilliant enough, righteous enough, and majestic enough to fulfill every Old Testament promise. Simply put, Jesus is enough.

Without boasting or bragging, without pomp or circumstance, Jesus uncovers the truth of who he is. As Jared C. Wilson writes:

He surpasses all the Old Testament “heroes”; he subsumes them in his brilliance, as he is infinitely greater than they. He is the Passover lamb, the manna in the wilderness, the brazen serpent of Moses held aloft to heal all who behold him.

He is the great high priest, surpassing all priests.
He is the good shepherd, surpassing all shepherds.
He is the great judge, surpassing all judges.
He is the King of kings, surpassing all kings.
He is the Lord of lords, surpassing all earthly masters.
He is the bridegroom, surpassing all husbands.
He is the Rabbi Christ, surpassing all preachers.
He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, surpassing all the best of everyone, the best there’s ever been.

It is important to note in the Transfiguration event that Jesus is not reflecting God the Father’s glory. He is not shining as the moon shines when opposite the sun. Rather, Jesus’ glory is from himself. He is the perfect savior, the fulfillment of the law, the answer to the prophets, and his radiance is his own.

We can be glad for this Transfiguration miracle because it stands above the rest. Providing food, healing the sick, or chasing out of demons all alleviate the symptoms, but the Transfiguration teaches us that Jesus is also capable of becoming the ultimate cure.