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“O WONDROUS TYPE!”

Luke 9:28-36



The first words in the title of the hymn which we just sang together are, “O Wondrous Type.” The word, ‘type’ is a theological term for a symbol or a picture which represents or reminds us of something else. For example, in the text of that hymn, the author says that the glory of the Mount of Transfiguration is a picture of the glory which we all look forward to when we get to heaven one day, when we will be there in Christ’s visible presence, surrounded by all those who have been resurrected to eternal life. It is a type—it is a symbol or a reminder of what is to come.

The Bible is full of types, especially in the Old Testament as they relate to the coming of Christ. So, we have the story of the children of Israel who grumbled against God and against Moses in the Sinai desert—and you might remember how God responded by sending fiery serpents to inflict deadly bites upon the people. When the people panicked and confessed their guilt, asking Moses to intervene with God on their behalf, God responded by instructing Moses to fashion a serpent out of bronze and place it up on a pole for all the people to see; with the promise that whoever would look upon the bronze serpent up on the pole would live.

Well, that was a type—a picture of what Christ Himself would do for the world. Jesus would tell us, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life,” (Jn. 3:14). The bronze serpent represented Jesus. He would take the sin of the world upon Himself—just as those fiery serpents represented God’s judgment upon the sins of the people of Israel. And just as the bronze serpent was lifted up on the pole, so also Jesus would be lifted up on the cross. And just as whoever looked at that serpent on the pole would have his or her life spared, so also whoever looks in faith to Christ upon the cross will be spared—in this case, they will be spared eternally.

That’s what a type is all about. It’s an image or a reminder of something else which has its fulfillment in Christ.

Well, St. Luke, who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote this Gospel account from which today’s text is taken, was well aware of the existence of types as well. And that is why he chose to use a specific word to describe the subject matter of the discussion which was taking place between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Our text says, “Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” That word, which is translated as ‘departure,’ is the Greek word, exodon; and if that sounds familiar, it’s because it is supposed to. It’s literally the English word ‘exodus.’ Moses and Elijah were speaking to the Lord about His ‘exodus’ which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

Now, when you think about the original Exodus, you think about the way in which God delivered the children of Israel from their slavery in Egypt. You think about the ten plagues which the Lord sent upon the land of Egypt in an attempt to get Pharaoh to let God’s people go in freedom, culminating in the tenth and final plague of the Passover, when the children of Israel painted the doorframes of their homes with the blood of the sacrificed lamb—so that, when God saw that blood, He would pass over that household and spared the inhabitants, while in all of the other households of Egypt which were unprotected, the firstborn children and animals were struck dead.

And when you think about the Exodus, you think about those forty long years of wandering in the Sinai desert, which included that stop at Mount Sinai itself where God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments. But we also remember the sin of the Israelites who built a golden calf to worship instead of the true God.

And, yes, we also recall the episode of the fiery serpents which was mentioned before. And, finally, we remember God’s promise to deliver the children of Israel to the promised land of Canaan.

And through it all, the Old Testament Exodus served as a type of the ultimate Exodus of Jesus Christ, Who, would journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to arrive at another mountain, Mt. Calvary, in order to free us from our slavery to sin. So, Jesus became the Lamb of God Whose blood would spare us all. Jesus would receive the Ten Commandments and keep them perfectly for us, who are so prone to the sin of idolatry in putting our wishes and our desires before God’s will. And Jesus would be lifted up on the cross, bearing our transgressions, but offering the promise that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life; so that, finally, we will be delivered from this veil of tears unto the promised land of heaven.

We see, then, how from start to finish, from Genesis to Revelation, all of the Holy Scripture points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ—whether it is by the types—those images and pictures of what was to come—or through the fulfillment of those types, in the person of our Lord—it is all about Jesus!

Peter, in our Gospel reading, was impressed with the company at hand on the Mount of Transfiguration. He blurted out that he wanted to build three tents—one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. Interesting, that we never hear Peter making that offer when it was just Jesus Who was at hand. It’s almost as if Peter didn’t fully realize Who this was Who had been with him thus far, day in and day out.

And just so that there was no mistaking the matter, the cloud enveloped them and the voice of God the Father was heard declaring, perhaps with a bit of earnest impatience on His part, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the cloud disappeared, they saw no one but Jesus alone.

There is a reason why everything in the Holy Bible points us to Jesus. It is because Jesus is none other than God Himself clothed in the humility of ordinary human flesh. Nevertheless, He is the eternal God through Whom all things were made and Who came to redeem His own by way of His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

Which means, we no longer have mere images or shadows to deal with. We have the real thing. The Son of God is here with us—so close that He speaks His Word to us, breathes His Spirit into us, and feeds us with His true flesh and blood.

And though Peter could not remain up there on the mountain, basking in the glory of the moment, it didn’t matter. Jesus was going to travel down the mountain with Peter. Even though there would come a moment some time later when Peter would deny even knowing Jesus—Jesus would not deny Peter. He would see this unworthy Israelite, out of the wilderness of his unbelief and fear, and into the promised land of faith and eternal peace.

And what that means for us is that the type of Jesus’ commitment to the people of Israel and to His disciples like Peter hasn’t ended with the Biblical account of two thousand years ago. Jesus is still with you, dearly beloved. And please recall the earnest voice of God the Father that directs you to take in all that those which Christ wants you to hear.

Continue to listen to the voice of the Lord as He bids you to remain close to Him throughout your exodus. You see, it’s not just in those wonderful, joyful, mountaintop experiences that Jesus is near. He also will ask you to suffer with Him in this wilderness below. When you are mistreated by others, Christ is right there to hold His life up before you and to remind you what it means to turn the other cheek, and to love and pray for those who have offended you. When it seems like you are without the essentials of this life, Jesus is right there with you to tell you that, while He was on earth He had no place to rest His head, but that in His Father’s mansion are many rooms, and that He has gone to prepare a place for you.

And even in the midst of death, Jesus is here to say to you that He has walked through that valley of the shadow—He knows the way through it, and therefore, He will walk the entire way with you into life everlasting.

And, through it all, never doubt, for an instant, the true identity of this constant companion; He is none other than true God. The Lord God is with you. And He has something vital to say for every situation that you will ever encounter in this life—if we will only listen to Him!

Listen to Him, for He is telling you how your life will be mirrored after His own life of patience, humility, love and forgiveness. Listen to Him as He tells you that in this world you will have tribulation, but to be of good cheer—for, He has overcome the world. And listen to His voice as He assures you that He has saved you from your sins so that, in His grace and power, you will rise from the dead to eternal life just as He has. It is, indeed, a wondrous type—the life of Christ Himself pictured in your our own lives.



Deuteronomy 34:1–12

1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. 7Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 9And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.



Hebrews 3:1–6

1Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.



Luke 9:28–36

28Now about eight days after these sayings [Jesus] took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.