The Glory of Jesus

May 29, 2025 | Read and think about Luke 9:28-36

The events in today’s passage occurred about a week after Peter’s spiritual insight we read about from the just-completed “You are the Christ” passage.  Here we have the account from Luke’s gospel of Jesus taking 3 of his apostles onto a mountain, similar to Matthew’s account of the same event.

It was, literally and figuratively, a mountain-top experience.  The apostle John was there, and it must have been part of why he wrote these words in the opening paragraphs of his gospel:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The glory of this moment is evident from Luke’s gospel passage, which contains all these phrases:

• “as bright as a flash of lightning”

• “glorious splendor”

• “a cloud that enveloped them”

• “a voice from Heaven, God’s voice”

It all harkened back to Moses going up on Mount Sinai and receiving the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments.  It was something so amazing!

Notice, however, a verse in this passage that is not so glorious.  “The two men, Moses and Elijah, spoke to Jesus about his departure, which He was about to bring to completion in Jerusalem.”

I have read this passage a few times.  Usually, I would see it as being all about the glory of Jesus on that mountain in that moment, with just a quick mention of Jesus’ soon-to-be passion and death (and I’d want to think of it like it was only a passing reference). 

But this struck me differently today.  What if the central point of the passage is the passion and death of Jesus?

Perhaps this moment was all about

“the glorious splendor” + “the cross”  

Perhaps both were mentioned because God’s plan of salvation could not have one without the other.