Sermon Title: Transfigured.
Scripture Text: Matthew 17: 1-9
The Passion of Christ is the story of Jesus Christ's arrest, trial and suffering. His Transfiguration took place 40 days before His Passion, so it is always closely tied to the Crucifixion.
Six days after something or other, Jesus took three of his disciples up a high mountain and was transfigured before them.
Some scholars believe that the six days refer to a six-day period of ritual preparation, fasting, and ritual purification. Jewish holy men of the time underwent similar periods of preparation to enter a heightened spiritual state of awareness and obtain a vision or revelation. Likewise, the Master and His disciples may have spiritually prepared themselves by fasting and ritual purification for six days before their ascent up the high mountain.
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If we look out into the barren landscape that this occurred we see a flat, dry, treeless, sand and rock that stretches the limits of imagination and to see anything here as sacred. But the prophets of several faiths have wandered this land, and so, for countless followers, it is called sacred.
Peter's reaction (very human) is to memorialize it, make it special, and to capture its sacredness.
Jesus won't allow it. A valuable lesson emerges, I think. Sacredness in not in clouds, mountains, and memorials (tabernacles or even days on a calendar. So what is it then?
Christ touching something, be it a mountain, a cloud, a word, a human soul - transforms it into "sacred"
When Jesus departs the mountain, it is just a mountain.
-Until Jesus said, "This is my body and this is my blood," it remains bread and wine. Until He touches our souls, We are merely flesh and bones.
-Have you been Transformed and made sacred by Jesus the Christ by accepting Him of your own freewill?
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Matthew 17:1-9 NLT
The Transfiguration
17 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.
4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials[a]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
7 Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.
9 As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man (a title Jesus used for himself) has been raised from the dead.”
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Why did Peter find it necessary to speak and ruin this moment? Could it be Peter wants this moment to last forever, so he suggests building something permanent - the three memorials or tabernacles. How many of us want some special encounter with God to last forever?
But Jesus calls us to go back down the mountain. We can not remain with him on the mountain forever. We must do ministry (We must go about the Fathers work.) in the real world. We can be in church on Sunday, but we must be prepared for Monday.
Are you prepared for Monday?
I was doing some checking on the roots of the word transfigure, and going way back, it is rooted in kneading dough to make bread. I am thinking about working some dough this morning with me. This is a worthwhile activity because it will eventually become bread. When the disciples looked at Jesus on the mountain, they could see that the work they were doing was eventually going to become the kingdom -- it's a vision thing, being able to figure a new way of seeing something.
Kneading dough without the vision, not knowing what it will turn out to be is hard work, and kind of pointless for those wanting an immediate return – As we mix and roll and beat it as it to get it to rise to brown and smell so good when its finished makes it easier to work with the dough. It’s wonderful when we can see the outcome in our minds and we can see the brown bread and smell how delicious it will be.
Getting up, not being afraid of following Jesus is hard work, and kind of pointless in an "immediate gratification" world -- but how valuable it is when we know the outcome!
Do you know the outcome in your heart? Are you ready to leave the mountain and walk out into the world know that Jesus is by your side.
Are you prepared for Monday?
