Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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Click play to listen to the audio version of this sermon. If ever there was an episode in the gospels that was susceptible to a spiritual or figurative interpretation its the Transfiguration of Jesus. Light emanating from within a body and illuminating the clothing. Two men, long dead seen talking with Jesus and then they disappear. It’s got all the makings of science fiction or wild fantasy. Maybe that’s why all three gospel writers who record this episode carefully anchor it in time and space – much the same way the Creeds connect the life of Christ to actual history by saying, “He suffered under Pontius Pilate” – to make sure we understand this as an actually event.
Mark writes, “After six days…” Six days anchors this in reality. It really happened. “Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves.” It had been six days earlier while Jesus with His disciples were on their way to the villages of Caesarea Philippi He had asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” ‘And they told Him, ‘John the Baptist, and some say Elijah, and others, one of the prophets.’ And He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29).

It had been six days since Peter made that great confession of faith that men and women have been making ever since and upon which Christ builds His Church. “Jesus, you are the Christ – the Messiah – the one that all the Old Testament pointed and led us to. You are the One whom we have been waiting for to take us from darkness to light – from despair to joy – from death to life. You are the one whom John the Baptist prepared us for, whom Elijah had foretold, whom all the prophets had spoken of. Jesus, the fate of the all the world rests in your hands and You and You alone can save us.” All of that is packed into those four words – “You are the Christ.”

Peter was seeing everything clearly, with 20/20 vision and so do we when we see Jesus in just this way.

Of course, what Peter had in mind by his great confession was that Jesus would rescue and deliver the world with great power and might. Rather a bit of a set-back for Peter and the disciples then to hear Jesus speak of the NECESSITY that He ”suffer many thing and be killed.”

But this is not the way Peter saw it. “And Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him.” Can you imagine? Peter rebuking Jesus, correcting the Christ, giving Jesus advise. Can you imagine anyone being so arrogant as to question Jesus and His Word and His will and His plan and His way?

The devil had led Jesus up a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of this world and offered to give them all to Jesus for a little bow of the knee and a quite pledge of allegiance, all very private and confidential to be sure. This was a better way to be the Christ than “to suffer many things.” This is far more sensible than to be killed. There’s ways to avoid all the trouble and the sacrificing. It’s all about choices really. You’re a product of the choices you make. “Make a different choice Jesus.”

Suddenly Jesus turned to Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of man.” Good point. Who does? Who really has in mind the things of God? Who thinks God’s thoughts and whose ways are God’s ways? Well, there is one really. Only one actually. And He is Jesus. He is the Christ. And we all live with the consequences of the choices He made. Because of the choices that He made we have hope. We have life because He chose death. Because of Him and thanks be to God, we’re not the product of the choices make.

Peter wasn’t seeing things very clearly. He didn’t see that what the Old Testament had foretold about the Christ was that He would rescue and deliver and save by suffering and dying. “He was oppressed and afflicted… By oppression and judgment he was taken away… He was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?” (Isaiah 53:8).

Peter wasn’t seeing clearly. We never see Jesus clearly unless we see Him “oppressed and afflicted,” “stricken for the transgressions of my people.” That’s us. You and me. Even in heaven Jesus looks like a Lamb who was slain. In heaven, everyone sees clearly with 20/20 vision.

So, “after six days…” the time it took God to create the heavens and the earth, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain to correct their vision – and ours.

“And He was transfigured before them. And His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.” Matthew and Luke also make mention of his clothes but they both add, “His face shone like the sun.” He was metamorphosed before their eyes. His divinity overshadowed His humanity. Jesus is fully divine and fully human. The two natures of Christ is one those aspects of the Christian faith that, as Paul says, “we see as though a glass dimly.” We won’t fully understand this until we get to heaven. “Then we’ll know even as we are fully known.” In the meantime, we take the Scriptures at their word. Jesus is fully divine – the entire Godhead dwelling in Him. Always has been. There never was a time when Jesus was not and He is always divine. He took on humanity. In time and space. He became human, flesh and bones, skin and blood, when He was born of a woman in Bethlehem when Herod was king of Judea. And His humanity conceals His divinity.

It’s not that He doesn’t want us to see His divinity – He does. And we will. Everyone will – those who make the great confession and those who don’t and those who won’t. But for now, we see Jesus in the flesh. We need to see Him in the flesh, human just like us, so that when He is crucified on the cross we know that it was just for us. Seeing His divinity apart from His humanity, that is apart from Christ crucified, is too scary for us to handle.

Just look at these three disciples. Eyes opened to see the divinity of Christ without the cross, and Mark writes, “and they were terrified.” “Sacred out of their minds.” Apart from the cross, the divine nature of terrifies us too. We think we’re doing pretty good – we look at others around us and see how much better we are, how much worse we could be – we count all those ways we’ve improved – we start to feel pretty good about ourselves. And then we see His divinity and it shatters us. It’s Isaiah before the Lord in the temple – “I am undone.”

Or we see our sin dripping from us like sap and our life is drained because we didn’t listen to Him. We thought we knew better. We wanted to do it our way. And in our trouble we turned inward instead of outward. And we see His divinity and it’s Peter’s “depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man.”

We never see things clearly unless we see Jesus in the flesh and on the cross, crucified for our transgressions. Apart from the cross, there is always that veil over our face and we don’t see Him clearly.

“And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” What were they talking about? Inquiring minds want to know. Certainly not the weather. This was no time for small talk. This was time for great talk. They were talking about the only thing that matters, the only thing that counts, the only thing that makes any difference and the one thing that makes all the difference – the atoning sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world and the resurrection from the dead.

Here is what all of heaven continually talks about. Angels, archangels and all the company of heaven, giddy with joy, cannot be silenced because the Christ has done what the Christ went to do. The conversation of heaven is never sour or sad but only happy and delighted that innocent Jesus took upon Himself the guilt of all mankind. Their mouths overflow and their talk often turns to shouting and singing with enthusiastic praise that Jesus has been lifted up on the cross to draw all men to Himself. And they dance the dance of angels every time one of those “all men” says, “You are the Christ.”

And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my believed Son, listen to him.’” Oh, but it’s hard to just listen. We want to do something. We want to participate, take our turn, do our fair share. Peter wanted to make three tents, one for each Moses one for Elijah and one for Jesus. Why? I really don’t know. Neither did Peter. “He did not know what to say.” But he just felt he should say something, do something.

“Listen to him.” If you’d just listen to Him, you’d hear Him say – “I’ve done it all. “It is finished.” There’s nothing more for you to do.” “I’ll speak for you. There’s nothing for you to say.” “I will blot out all of your sins with my blood – just listen to me. I will conquer all your foes, you need only be still.” “Just trust Me.”

“And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.” What a disappointment. “Jesus only.” Here is the object of your faith dear Christian. “Jesus only.” Not Jesus and all your good works. Not Jesus and all your good intentions. Not Jesus and all your excuses. They saw Jesus only.

It is Jesus only whom the Father sees when He has mercy on you. He doesn’t see your good works, nor your good intentions, nor your social standing. Nor does He see your sins. He sees Jesus only, perfectly faithful and obedient unto death – “stricken for the transgressions of my people” and for His sake He does not count our sins against us.

It is Jesus only who will satisfy you. Jesus only who will save you. Jesus only who will deliver you and present you to His Father as a radiant bride adorned for her husband. (Rev.21:2).

“Fix your eyes on Jesus,” and Jesus only. He has cleansed you by His blood and made you radiant like no one on earth can do. And soon, you will stand as Moses and Elijah already do – metamorphosed and radiant by the light of Christ.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” (1Cor.11)

But our time for transfiguration has not yet come. We may not build three tents and remain on the mountain top. We follow Jesus and Jesus only. And He leads us to His cross. A tree that He will transfigure by His body and blood from the tree of death to the tree of life.

It is as we follow Him to His cross, and as we gladly take up our own, that we see clearly, with the perfect vision of faith. “For we have beheld His glory, the glory of the One and Only full of grace and truth.”

Related Entries:

» The Significance of the Transfiguration of Our Lord – Matthew 17:1-9
» Sermon – Transfiguration – "This Is My Son, My Chosen One" – Luke 9:28-36 – 2/14/10
» Sermon Index – Lutheran – LCMS
» Sermon – Transfiguration of Our Lord – Luke 9:28-36 – 2/18/07
» Sermon – Transfiguration – "Coming Attractions" – Matthew 17:1-9 – 2/3/08
» Sermon – Transfiguration – "The Greater Glory Of Jesus" – Mark 9:2-9 – 2/22/09

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