Luke 9:28-36
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come. Amen. (Revelation 1:4b)
“This is My Son, Whom I Have Chosen”
Transfiguration Sunday is something that most Christian churches celebrate every year. Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox churches traditionally celebrate it in August. The Protestant churches have celebrated it between Epiphany and Lent. Celebrating it once a year means that many here have perhaps studied the Transfiguration or heard about it upwards of 40 or 50 times. And yet, you don’t hear many people referencing it for comfort regarding God’s protection, providence, or forgiveness. The Transfiguration may not be the first Bible story you think to share with someone in the hospital. It’s probably not the story you run to for encouragement when you’re having trouble making ends meet financially. You may not have turned to these words to save your marriage. We’re tempted to think to ourselves, “What is it good for? Why have I spent approximately 2% of the Sundays in my life in church on this?” It seems a bit hollow to think of it merely as a transition Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. Some churches have sensed this feeling of irrelevance towards the Sunday and tried to turn the Transfiguration into a personal event that we all need to do, make a Transfiguration and transformation in our lives. But a brief reading of the account indicates clearly that this is not what the Transfiguration is about. So what is this event that we find in all three Synoptic Gospels? Today, let’s ask ourselves the good Lutheran question, “What does this mean?” as we examine the Transfiguration, hearing the words of God the Father, saying:
“This is My Son, Whom I Have Chosen”
I. Behold his glory
II. Remember his mission
III. Listen to his Word
In the verses leading up to our lesson for today, Jesus had asked for somewhat of a confession of faith from the disciples. They were about to enter a rocky period in ministry, where there would be increased resistance for all of them. A statement of where they stood spiritually was appropriate at this point. With Peter leading the confessions, the disciples acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. This was obviously the correct response. But, in somewhat of a surprising twist, Jesus then told his disciples that, for the time being, they were not to tell this to anyone. He went on to explain how he had work to finish before they spread the news about him any further.
About a week after this conversation, Jesus took Peter, John, and James up onto a mountain to pray. We’re not exactly sure which mountain this was. Scholars dispute it. It was somewhere in the northern part of Israel. Mt. Tabor or Mt. Hermon, the exact location isn’t really important. What happens there, however, is. As was the case in several important situations, Jesus brought along his three closest disciples. Why just the three? Maybe it was convenience. Maybe it was an issue of spiritual maturity. Maybe it was just that Jesus was human, and we naturally feel more comfortable with some people more than others. At the very least though, it was a statement of the trust that Jesus had in these three, two of whom would later become inspired writers of Scripture.
At the top of the mountain, Jesus began to pray, and we’re told “the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” What do you think that was like? Normally, Jesus looked like a man because, after all, he was true man. Here, Jesus allowed for himself to look like God. After all, he was true God. We cannot say much about the details of his appearance. Certain artists throughout history like Raphael, in his famous deathbed painting of it, have tried to depict the Transfiguration. Obviously none could do it justice though. All we can really say about what the Transfiguration looked like is that Christ’s face changed from what it was, and he radiated an extraordinary light. The scene was glorious and brilliant, just like God, just like the place where God lives. It was unlike anything you or I have ever seen. But if we are to be blinded by the light of Christ’s glory, it’s important for us to remember his mission.
“Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” Now, I don’t know about you, but that seems a bit odd to me. Why Moses? Why Elijah? Well, thinking it through, we know that these were two of the most prominent figures of the Old Testament. Moses was the Lawgiver and the Great Deliverer of the nation of Israel. Elijah was the embodiment of all that a Great Prophet in the Old Testament should be. He was such an important figure in Jewish culture that it was commonly believed among the Jews that he would return before Judgment Day. Together, the two summarized the law and the prophets, i.e. the whole Old Testament. Here’s a piece of information that I find incredibly fascinating: Moses’ successor was named Joshua. Elijah’s successor was named Elisha. Another Hebrew name for Elisha is Joshua. Jesus was the ultimate successor of both Moses and Elijah. He was the one who was the perfect Law-keeper, who would deliver people from their sins, and then prophesy that Gospel message to the world. Jesus’ Hebrew name was Joshua. Joshua is a name that means “the LORD saves.” It’s hard to miss God’s intricate foreshadowing in the Old Testament. It’s clear to us that God has an important, well thought out plan here. But what exactly was that plan that Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus about?
We don’t receive any quotes from the dialogue between the three, but we do know what the topic of conversation was. “They spoke about his (Jesus’) departure?” Reading a little further, we learn what this “departure” was. We find out that Jesus was about to complete his work very soon and that it would take place in Jerusalem. This informs us of a sense of urgency as well as a sense of focus for the rest of Christ’s ministry. That is why this lesson of Transfiguration is such a fitting transition from the church season of Epiphany, where we see the brilliance of Christ shining forth as true God, to the season of Lent, where the final stages of Christ’s redemptive work unfold before our eyes. As Christ is glowing in a radiant light, he begins to speak about his departure from this world. The word used here for “departure” is actually the word “exodus.” Just as God had saved his physical nation of Israel with an exodus under the leadership of Moses, he was now about to save his spiritual nation of Israel with an exodus in the death and resurrection of Christ.
Believe it or not, the three disciples present, undoubtedly exhausted from the journey up the mountain, had been in deep sleep throughout all this. At some point during the astonishing occurrence, the three woke up. We don’t hear any words from them until Moses and Elijah started to leave. It’s as if the disciples were too blown away by the glory of the Transfiguration to speak. Finally, Peter utters out a couple of words when it’s coming to a close. He says, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” This is followed by a parenthetical statement in the Bible which says that Peter “did not know what he was saying.” Peter was never one to let an opportunity pass him by. That much we can give him credit for. But he didn’t always think things through. Instead, he often reacted to his instincts. He didn’t really know what it was that he was witnessing, but he knew that it was “good.” He wanted to remain in the presence of this glory as long as possible, so he throws out a somewhat ridiculous offer to set up some tents. We look at him and say, “Yeah, Peter, like you’re going to pop up a couple of Coleman’s and have a slumber party with these three heavenly figures,” and it sounds kind of silly. But Peter just wanted to trap and house that glory of God right then and there.
And we can understand where Peter is coming from. We’ve all probably at some point experienced a good time we hoped would never end. Not necessarily that the activity or event wouldn’t end, that might get boring, but that the sensation we experience during it wouldn’t end. Did that sensation happen on the day your child was born? Did it happen when you got married? Did it happen when you landed your job? We just celebrated Valentine’s Day this past week. Maybe you experienced that satisfaction of a marriage that has gone through a lot of trials but has still come out on top, and a true sense of peace and joy came over you. Maybe you experienced the satisfaction of a marriage that hasn’t undergone too many troubles. Maybe you even met someone new on Valentine’s Day and you got that initial rush of excitement of falling head over heels for someone. Whatever your most enjoyable moment was, don’t you wish you could store it in a tent and make it last a little longer? Sometimes today we use the expression “savor the moment.” That’s what Peter wanted. Literally, this Transfiguration was a little slice of heaven on earth. Who could blame him for wanting more?
But the time for the presence of that glory had not yet come. There was still work to be done, something Peter didn’t fully grasp. “While he (Peter) was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.” You would like to think the disciples, especially Jesus’ closest ones, wouldn’t be afraid while in his presence. But what was happening was so radically different from anything they had seen, that the fear of uncertainty had gotten a hold of them. Dispelling their fears was the voice of God, which said to them, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” The word “choose” means that you select something for a reason, with a purpose. God’s purpose for Jesus to come to earth was to die on the cross. It had to happen if God was going to reconcile a world of sinners back to himself. The reason he chose Jesus, his only Son, was because he was the only one capable of such a task. The Law needed to be kept perfectly if there was to be salvation. If it was going to be salvation for the entire world, it would need to be the Son of God who kept it, yet was sacrificed for it. At the Transfiguration, Jesus stood at the top of that mountain as an unblemished sacrifice, ready to descend all the way down that mountain into his grave. The Father’s charge to the disciples there was to “listen to him.” “Don’t get in his way. Don’t start a rebellion on his behalf. His work needs to be done. He’ll tell you what he needs from you.” “Listen to him.”
If we are to remember Christ’s mission, we too will need to listen to his Word. These disciples have passed this command from God on to us – “Listen to him.” Listen to him because he’s got good things to say. Very soon, on Maundy Thursday, he’s going to tell us about how our faith is strengthened in his body and blood. On Good Friday he’s going to tell us about how his redemptive work is absolutely complete when he utters the words “It is finished” from the cross. He is going to comfort his disciples and us by saying, “Peace be with you” before he ascends into heaven. He will say countless other profound things that have every bit as much meaning and application to our lives as they did to the disciples then. Just “Listen to him.”
These disciples have passed this command from God on to us – Listen to him because he’s got good things to say. Very soon, on Maundy Thursday, he’s going to tell us about how our faith is strengthened in his body and blood. On Good Friday he’s going to tell us about how his redemptive work is absolutely complete when he utters the words “It is finished” from the cross. He is going to comfort his disciples and us by saying, “Peace be with you” before he ascends into heaven. He will say countless other profound things that have every bit as much meaning and application to our lives as they did to the disciples then. Just “When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.” In the parallel gospel account from Matthew 17:9, we learn that it was Jesus who instructs the disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen. Now later on they would certainly tell of it. In Peter’s second letter he writes, “We were eyewitnesses of his (Christ’s) majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). In John’s recorded Gospel, he writes, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only” (John 1:14). But for the time being, Jesus did not allow them to tell anyone. Why would he do such a thing? If you recall, I mentioned that he said the same thing to all twelve of the disciples in the verses prior to our lesson for today. Simply put, Jesus didn’t want to disrupt his work of dying on the cross and rising from the grave. This needed to be done. In addition, the disciples still did not fully understand what Jesus was doing—his plan of action, as was evident by Peter’s behavior. They wouldn’t fully grasp it until his resurrection, so they weren’t really equipped to teach about it until then. The time would come for them to tell this gospel story. This moment was not that time.
But that time is now. It has been 2000 years since Christ died and rose from the grave. There have been times and nations in history, as there are still today, where it was and is a crime to tell about Jesus Christ’s free forgiveness for sins. But now, for us, it would be a crime not to tell about it. We are lucky enough to have been born into a time and society of almost unprecedented freedom. Christ’s redemptive work is done and the message of it is waiting to be delivered. As we listen to Jesus’ encouragement to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation” (Matthew 28:19) we find the desire and the privilege to do so. Our human nature sometimes wants to trap the glory of God here on earth—to store up treasures here, to seek pleasure and fame and gloryhere. But the Holy Spirit living in us tells us to put down those tents, walk down from the mountain with Christ, and take care of the work that still needs to be done. It is not redemptive work. That was completed in Jerusalem. Our work is tell about it. God will grant us the strength to tell about his Son, Whom He Chose to grant us the brilliant glory of salvation. Amen.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more! Amen. (Jude 24,25)
–Vicar James Hein