In Contrast: Jesus and the Disciples from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Some restaurant this past week gave my kids some cheap, kitschy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cards. They’ve not seen the show, I don’t believe, but they do like these turtles with different color masks. And they want their daddy, who did watch the show a bit back in the 90s, to tell them the names of each individual ninja turtle.

Which naturally brings me to famous Italian High Renaissance artist, Raphael. When he died on April 6, 1520, at his head––laying nearly completed––was his final masterpiece, “The Transfiguration.” Within weeks, it was displayed in the Vatican. Napoleon thought this was Raphael’s finest work.[1] Therefore, a couple hundred years later, during Napoleon’s short pillaging, French troops took the painting and placed it in the Louvre. Today you can view it in the Vatican Museum.

I put a terrible copy of it on the sermon notes. At the top of the painting is a representation of last week’s text, where Jesus’ glory was seen by three of the disciples on the mount. That’s the top half. The bottom half is this week’s text.

I must note that the Transfiguration was more glorious than this, Raphael made Jesus a bit too European, and all the disciples’ clothes are too clean, but the contrast Raphael pictures is compelling. If you put your hand over the bottom half, you see up top symmetry and power. Put your hand over the top half and you see darkness and chaos. Raphael puts them right on top of one another. According to Goethe, “The two are one: below suffering, need, above, effective power, . . .  Each bearing on the other, both interacting with one another.”[2] In the Gospels, that’s exactly what happened.

The contrast is clear in Raphael’s painting; and it’s clear in our text today. But what Luke contrasts is Jesus and His disciples.

In Contrast: Jesus’ Power and the Disciples’ (vs. 37–43a) 

Before we dive into the details of the text, we need to quickly orient ourselves in the context of the entire book. Almost all the scholars I’ve read assert that today’s text is the end of a major section in Luke’s Gospel. That section began in 4:14 and goes to 9:50, often called things like “The Ministry in Galilee.”[3] Beginning at 9:51 is a new section, often called things like, “Jerusalem Journey,”[4] going all the way to chapter 19 and the cross. You could almost say that in a five-chapter book, South Woods started chapter three in February and will be completing it today.

As the close of this section, Luke gives us four vignettes that appear to be disconnected (healing of the boy; Jesus talking about Him being delivered over; the disciples sticking their chests out; and the rogue exorcist). At first, it seems that as Luke’s concludes the chapter he thinks, “Oh yeah, let me tell you this story. Oh, that reminds me of this one, And by the way, etc.” But it’s more connected than we might initially grasp.

Speaking of connections, note v. 37, On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. The next day is the day after the Transfiguration. This is one reason many believe the Transfiguration happened at night.

So, the next morning Jesus and the three come down the mountain to a flock of people. It’s safe to assume that’s one of the main reasons they hiked up the mountain to pray. They wouldn’t be able to at the foot. I don’t want to belabor the point, but consider the lengths Jesus went to in order to commune with His father.

After the transformative experience of the night before, the crowds await. They wait for a reason. V. 38: And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. If we were to picture this crowd, we probably need to imagine many men and women crying out. But Luke shines the spotlight on this one man.

Maybe this guy was louder than everyone else, we’re not told. But Jesus came down the mountain in part to meet him. Luke’s detail[...]