Putting God in a Box and the Power of Transfiguration
Have you ever put God in a box? And in that box, you expected Him to operate the way you thought best? Have you ever thought about what happens when we do this? Well, in our finite wisdom, according to Romans 11:33, God’s immense wisdom, knowledge, and grace are unsearchable. In that box, we limit His power to our own understanding, traditions, or comfort zones. We may try to divine God by our thoughts, expectations, or reasonings, but it is of utmost importance to let God reveal Himself in His glory. God cannot be contained, He is sovereign, eternal, and has always done the unexpected.
In the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36, NKJV), Jesus explodes the box of earthly expectations by revealing His truth, authority, and mission in ways that confound all traditions while clarifying identity. Well, guess what? I’ve attempted to put the Lord in a box, but soon realized it is impossible. In this article, I explore four key ways Jesus breaks the box of expectations and how it transforms our understanding of who He truly is. And for further learning, explore the PDF Bible Study Tool attached as a supplement. But before you begin, I have a question. What boxes are you keeping Jesus in?
Breaking the Box of Human Perception: His Glory Revealed
Luke 9:28-29 (NKJV) shares the journey of the transfiguration. In Luke 9:28-29, NKJV it is written, “Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He gook Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.” Jesus didn’t just glow, He transfigured. He revealed His glory that the disciples did not expect.
“Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’, not knowing what he said.” Peter, being familiar with the Pilgrimage Festivals (The Feast of Tabernacles), is what Peter knew because of the Festival of Booths (The Feast of Tabernacles), where he would live, worship, and remember for a week how God sustained them through the wilderness during the Exodus.
Peter, along with John and James, saw Jesus for who He is, but still saw Him as “a moral teacher” instead of recognizing Him as being fully God. “Dive Deeper” to explore the biblical terms ‘transfiguration and transformation’ with NKJV and KJV references.
Tradition, Fulfillment, Law, and Prophets?
“And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” In this encounter, we read of Moses, who represents the Law, and Elijah, who represents the true Prophets.
Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) are two titans of the faith (had similar theophanies at Mount Sinai) who appear in glory with the Lord, but not to teach or instruct. They converse with Jesus about “His decease” (His death), in Jerusalem, that He would finish. But what did the conversation accomplish, and why did it happen? As we can possibly imagine, this was no casual chit-chat, but a confirming conversation of His redemptive plan through Him, Jesus Christ. Moses and Elijah were not peers of Jesus; they were witnesses to the One in whom all the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled.
Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17, NKJV ) In this moment of revelation, Jesus shows that He is not a continuation of the prophetic line, but the achievement of everything the Law and Prophets prepared for us through Him.
Moses gave the Law, but Jesus fulfilled it entirely. Elijah called for repentance, but Jesus provided a way of escape through redemption, that repentance points to proving at Jesus doesn’t just fit into history as an event, He defines it all, being Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end by complete definition.
Prophetic Fulfillment
This moment confirms the messianic prophet and the Lord’s timeline. Moses and Elijah’s appearance affirms that Jesus is exactly who prophecy said He is by speaking first of His “decease”, which in Greek, is exodos confirming the Exodus that points to Jesus as deliver, not from Egypt in this case, but from sin and death of what He would accomplish on the cross. An appointed time spoken in the prophetic timeline of God’s redemptive plan. (Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 15:6 NKJV, Isaiah 53, ESV). This moment, confirming prophecies like Deuteronomy 18:15, Malachi 4:5, and Isaiah 53, that the suffering servant will be “cut off” for the sins of all people, not for his own.
Modern Misconceptions of Today
In our modern culture, Jesus Christ is often mingled with Buddha (enlightened teacher), Muhammad (prophet), Confucius (moral philosopher), and even modern influencers and thinkers. But this is a gross biblical error. The Lord Jesus Christ is not a wise teacher among many. He is the Son of the Living God, the Word made flesh, and the only way to the Father.
Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV). “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NKJV)
This misconception and others are explored in greater depth in my book, Exodus to Unity: Bridging the Gap Between the Traditional Christians and Millennials, which challenges this very mindset offering hope to unite as one body in Christ Jesus. Grab your copy here.
Spiritual Tradition or The Foundation of your Faith?
Jesus should be part of our actual routines, not just a Sunday “box-check”, the legacy in our families passed down like heirlooms and recipes or just our moral example you quote when life is challenging, but not who leads you with His council for each step. Think about this for a moment, if He is, then Jesus us only a figure in your life, not the solid foundation of it.
When Jesus Christ is truly our cornerstone, everything else will align around Him, and Him alone. Our decisions, identity, purpose, peace…our entire being that rises and falls on who He is. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11 (NKJV).
This is where our transformation begins. Not when we selectively sprinkle Jesus over our lifestyles like our favorite seasoning. Not when we add Him to our visions, dreams, or ambitions, or even our denominational preferences, as we choose. But when we surrender all! Our will, our way, our lives, and our emotions. It’s in what we say and live rather than what we do. “Lord, You’re not just part of my life, You are my life.” This is when Jesus becomes our foundation, and not just tradition. He becomes our source, not a supplement.
Just Another Figure?
Don’t reduce Jesus to another figure in your life. Moses and Elijah stood in glory before Him, not overshadowing Him. They knelt before the One who is greater. Jesus fulfilled the Law. He is the voice behind the true Prophets. He is the Lamb, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/KatarzynaBialasiewicz
