Transfiguration. Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day. In fact, other than one day out of the church year, you might not otherwise hear it. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word “Transfiguration” as “a change in form or appearance” or “an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change.” Needless to say, it’s not something you see happen in your everyday life. But one day a year, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, is set aside to talk about a Transfiguration that happened 2000 years ago. As we do, you’ll see something glorious happen, but we’ll discover the transfiguration isn’t so much about what those disciples saw, but what they heard, that they were to take from that mountaintop that day.
What a time it was for Peter, James, and John. Here they are, Jesus “inner circle” of disciples, headed up a mountain with Jesus. As far as why they’re going up, we don’t know. One of the characteristics of Mark’s gospel is that he doesn’t add in a whole lot of detail, he tends to get right to the point of what happens. Jesus, and these three disciples are up on this mountain alone, and then, it happens! One moment, Jesus looks like he always had to the disciples, one of them, flesh and blood. The next thing they know, Jesus is transfigured, his clothes becoming “dazzling white, whither than anyone in the world could bleach them.” Matthew’s gospel tells us Jesus face was shining brighter than the sun. Now this had to have been impressive enough, to see this bright white light coming from Jesus, the Light of the Word Himself.
But wait, there’s more. Remember, up to this point, the only people on that mountain were Jesus, Peter, James, and John. Now, out of nowhere, Elijah and Moses appear. The last time anyone on earth had seen Elijah was recorded in our Old Testament reading for this morning in 2 Kings 2. Elijah and Elisha are walking together and talking one moment, then a chariot of fire and horses of fire separate them, and Elijah is taken up into heaven That happened 650 years ago. Moses died before the Israelites ever entered the promised land, and that had been over 1000 years earlier. And now, out of nowhere, Moses and Elijah, represented the law and the prophets, the Old Testament scriptures, are there with Jesus on that mountain, talking with him. Now if I were in Peter, James, or John’s shoes that day, I’d be a bit confused by everything that’s going on here, especially if I were Peter, and especially in light of what had happened a few days earlier..
You see, six days earlier, just after Peter had answered Jesus’ question of “who do you say that I am?” with the bold confession “You are the Christ”, Jesus “began to teach (the disciples) that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priest, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” Now Peter didn’t want to hear any of this talk, so he pulls Jesus aside and starts to rebuke Jesus, saying “This won’t happen to you. This isn’t the Messiah I was looking for. Messiahs don’t suffer and die, they bring victory and glory to us. So Jesus, this talk about dying and suffering, it ain’t gonna happen to you, not if I have anything to say about it” But Jesus replied “Get behind me, Satan, You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Ouch. Talk about being put in your place.
I wonder if Peter was still smarting from that rebuke as he sees all of this stuff unfold right before his very eyes. He sees all this glorious event take place, the light radiating from Jesus, Moses and Elijah’s presence there, and he thinks “Boy, it doesn’t get any better than this. Now this is what I was talking about the other day, Jesus!” Out of a desire to keep that glory there as long as he can, he says “It is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Mark adds in the comment that Peter didn’t know what to say, they were so frightened. Of course they had to be frightened. They’re getting a small glimpse of the glory of God himself, right there on that mountain. Whatever is going on up there on that mountaintop that day, it’s something that Peter wants to have last as long as possible. Maybe he thinks that by his work of setting up shelters, he can persuade Moses and Elijah to stay with Jesus for a while so that he can keep this glorious activity going. Maybe Peter thinks that he’d better do something to make sure this experience doesn’t end. Maybe Peter thinks that this is his chance to keep Jesus from suffering and dying.
But then, a cloud appears and envelopes the scene. The same kind of cloud that covered Mt. Sinai when Moses went up to receive the 10 commandments, the law. The same kind of cloud that led the Israelites out of Egypt. That same kind of cloud, that represented the presence of God himself, was there on that mountain. So it’s no doubt where the source of the voice is that comes out of that cloud; it’s the voice of God himself. If I’m Peter, James, or John, I’m listening to what that voice is going to tell me. And what is it that the voice says? Does it say “Great idea, Peter, get to work setting up those shelters, and James, you bring Moses, Elijah, and Jesus some food, they’re hungry, and John, you better go and make sure that they have some nice clean sheets for their beds, and that they have everything else they need to be comfortable here. And because the three of you did such a wonderful job setting the right atmosphere for this, you’ll be blessed beyond your wildest dreams?” No. The voice didn’t direct the disciples to what their eyes were seeing, the voice told them, “This is my beloved Son, Listen to him.” The voice directed them to the words Jesus had been speaking to them all along. Not the miracles, not the glory of the transfiguration, but Jesus’ word.
“Listen to him.” Strange words considering. What are they to be listening to? Well, what’s Jesus talking about with Moses and Elijah up there on that mountain? Are they talking about ways that Peter, James, and John can live their best lives now in this world? Are they talking about how if Peter, James, and John serve Jesus well enough, then they will be blessed with material wealth, power, and prestige? Are they talking about Jesus setting up a kingdom of worldly power and glory? No. Luke’s Gospel gives us the answer when he says “They spoke about (Jesus) departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31b) We’re right back to what Jesus had been talking about with His disciples six days earlier. Remember that conversation, Peter? Remember what Jesus said and how you responded to it? Remember why Jesus called you Satan? It’s being confirmed right here. If you listen to Jesus, Peter, you’re hearing Him talk about his upcoming departure, his suffering and death. This HAS to happen, Peter. If you get your way about it, and prevent Jesus from going to the cross, even though you may have the best intentions, you’re going to be a roadblock preventing Jesus from going to the cross and saving you from your sins. Peter, the real glory isn’t in the things of the world or listening to the voice within yourself, it’s in listening to Jesus, and His Word. And that means Jesus will go to Jerusalem, suffer, and die. But, it’s going to be for your good! Listen to Him!
And then, just as soon as God the Father had instructed those disciples on that mountaintop to “Listen to Him”, it was gone. Moses and Elijah had disappeared. Jesus’ appearance was back to what it was before. No more light. No more cloud. No more loud, booming voice from heaven. Just Jesus, Peter, James, and John, making their way down the mountain, and eventually to Jerusalem, where Jesus will suffer, and die, just as He had talked about on that mountain.
So, now the question is, what’s the big deal about this event? What are we to focus on? What did God the Father tell Peter, James, and John? “Listen to Him”. While maybe He didn’t get it at the time, later on, when Peter reflects back on the Transfiguration in 2 Peter 1, he writes: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Peter 1:16-21) Peter understood that glorious things in this world only last a short time. But the Word, listening to Jesus’ Word, would last forever. That was something we could be sure about. And we sure need something we can cling to in this world, don’t we?
Just turn on any of the news channels on TV, or pick up a newspaper, and what do you see? Continuing violence in the middle east. Missing or murdered children. Our economy continues to take its toll as more and more jobs are being lost, and maybe some of you here this morning are beginning to wonder when it will affect you if it hasn’t already? Some of you wonder if you will have a job 6 months from now, or how you’ll feed your family and keep a roof over your head. If you’re a high school student planning on going off to college, you’re trying to make a choice of where to go to school, and wonder if they money will be there for you to go or not. If you’re an adult child of an aging parent, you worry about those who once took care of you, as you watch their health deteriorate. You wonder why some relationships in your life are left shattered to pieces, with no hope of ever restoring them. You have real problems, real issues that you face.
Some would tell you this morning that the point of the Transfiguration is to get out there and seek out God’s glory in some sort of emotionally uplifting, mountaintop experience, and if you’re not having one right now, then you must not be close to God. That God is distant, and doesn’t care about you. They’ll tell you that you need to get to work, get all your ducks in a row, set up your shelters if you will, so that Jesus can come and dwell in your midst and give you glory in this life. They focus so much on the things of this world, the things the world considers to be glorious, that they refuse to listen to God the Father’s instructions on that mountaintop “Listen to Him.” Not “work hard enough and then I will give you this glory.” Because they don’t listen to Christ, they look at God’s law, and think that their good works will get them into heaven. In the end, they’re just like Peter was before the Transfiguration, so focused on themselves, their thoughts, their feelings, their emotions, their interpretations, that they refuse to listen to Jesus, and in the end, they’re setting up roadblocks to the cross. And remember what would have happened if Peter had His way instead of listening to what Jesus was saying
But Christ, through His Word, tells us what this event is all about. Today, we are reminded that He is the one who gives us true glory, which is forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven. He does it by doing exactly what He talked about with Moses and Elijah up on that mountain, by going to Jerusalem, suffering many things, being rejected, despised, spit upon, and sentenced to death on a cross. As Jesus is hanging up on that cross, he’s not going to look very glorious in the eyes of the world. For Peter, James, and John, when they see Jesus hanging there, bleeding and dying, this Transfiguration moment will seem so irrelevant and so far away, but because they listened to Jesus that day, they will realize that the sight of Jesus on the cross is the most glorious sight there will be. They will know that sight is the sight of Jesus defeating the power of sin, death, and the devil for all the world for all of time. And so, we today, continue to see the true glory of Jesus not in the things of this world, not in our own experiences, or emotions, which change so rapidly, but it is revealed to us through His Word, and as we listen to Him, we hear Jesus tell us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He is with us always, even to the end of the age. We may not always feel it, we may not always see it with our eyes, but we know He is with us, and that He loves us, because He has told us so in His Word.
This year during the season of Lent in our midweek services, we will be following Jesus’ journey that He talks about in on the Mount of Transfiguration. We will see various “Portraits of the Passion” as we see Him falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and crucified. We will listen to our Savior tell us what He did for us through His Word. I would encourage each and every one of you to carve out the time on Wednesday evenings, give up the things you think are more “glorious” in the eyes of the world, and sit here, and listen to your Savior tell you how much He loves you. Follow God the Father’s command on that Mountain to “Listen to Him”, as you hear what Jesus has done for you on the cross, how Jesus takes all your sins with him to the cross.
So remember the transfiguration, as Peter, James, and John did, not in terms of worldly glory, but with the reminder of the voice “Listen to Him”, listen to Jesus this day tell you that you are forgiven of all of your sin. Listen to Jesus call you His own. Listen to Jesus on your last day deliver you out of this life of tears, pain, and suffering, and into the eternal glory of paradise. Amen.
