The Transfiguration of Our Lord (2023)

Matthew 17:1-9

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what a beautiful sight Peter, James, and John get to behold, they witness Christ in his manifest glory. This was an amazing moment for the disciples, they saw Christ in his glory and their reaction is not surprising.

A Glorious Sight

It is tempting to build faith on good experiences.

Who can deny that this is a wonderful thing to witness, the glory and majesty of God on earth. The disciples had already seen Jesus perform many miracles and Peter had confessed You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.

These three see Jesus shining like the sun.

A brilliant light has transformed him and they cannot even look at for its radiance. What they had hoped for was confirmed on this day and they were astonished to see not only Jesus’ face shining but his clothes as well. This glory that he had set aside when he came to earth.

There with Him are Moses and Elijah.

Now Moses and Elijah are two of the great heroes of old, Moses who God used to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and Elijah a prophet who God blessed with many miracles during a time of Israel’s unbelief.

They represent the Torah and Prophets.

Symbolic this means the whole of Scriptures, Moses had the Law that God gave at Mt. Sinai, and the Prophets pointed ahead to the Christ, the Messiah, who would come to redeem God’s people.

Faith Built on Glory

Who wouldn’t want to witness this?

They see those who they had heard about for years, whose works were read every sabbath day, and they see now Jesus who has been performing miracles with them, what a glorious moment!

Peter hopes to stay there.

This is understandable, why would you want to come down from this mountain, why not stay here with Jesus, with Moses, and Elijah setup the tents and make a dwelling place there with them all, and then others can come and see this too.

This happens 6 days after Peter was rebuked.

Peter had been rebuked because Christ started to speak about his coming suffering, Crucifixion, and Death, and that He woudl rise again, Peter, after confessing that Jesus is the Christ, begins to rebuke Jesus and tell him that he’s wrong. Jesus sharply rebukes him calling Satan.

This time it is the Father who rebukes the Disciples.

The Father comes in the presence of the cloud and says to the disciples, this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.

Jesus’ Purpose on Earth

Jesus didn’t just come to perform miracles.

Although these miracles foreshadowed what His Kingdom would be about, and showed that He is God in the flesh. They were a wonderful blessing

Jesus came to earth to suffer and to die for our salvation.

This is a harder message and a bitter pill to swallow. For after seeing Jesus, perform miracle after miracle, after watching him care for so many, to hear that he will be handed over to bloodthirsty men and die for being the Son of God to pay for your sins. It is hard to hear and realize as Peter preaches on Pentecost, you crucified him by your sins. It is true, and this is why...

This is why the voice from heaven said, listen to Him.

Heed his Words for He has the Words of eternal life. It is easy to see that He has those words when He radiates the glory of God and it is right before your eyes.

Clinging to the World

As sinners, we tend to rely on anything else.

We look to our abilities, our health, our intelligence, honor, pride, family and friends. There is a list of things that we will rely on keeping us safe and well, and that as long as we have them it is going to be ok.

We often look for blessings instead of the Word.

When the blessings are there, we feel great, and everything is working out well, and often at those times we set aside the word. This becomes a problem though when the blessings fall away, and if we have not learned to rely on the word in good times, it will be especially hard during the bad.

This is man’s natural religion.

This belief dominates the religions of the world, if an ancient greek won the battle, he assumed that Ares was on his side, if your love loved you back then aphrodite had blessed you, but when you lost a battle, or lost your love it means the gods have abandoned you. This belief is still here today affecting Christians.

Faith Clings to Christ’s Words

We heed that voice from the cloud.

This is important that we learn not to rely on the good times as proof of God’s love, but rather rely on His Word. For His Word Endures Forever, His Word stands in good times and bad.

Jesus was talking to Moses and Elijah about His Crucifixion.

It is what these two men had been pointing people towards. The Torah and all the sacrifices that had been listed by Moses would finally be done on Golgotha, and all that the prophets had proclaimed by the Holy Spirit pointing ahead to the Messiah would be fulfilled. This is what Moses and Elijah had long waited to see.

This was not what the disciples wanted to hear.

They wanted good times, not hardship, but Christ assures us that whoever loses their life for his sake will find it. So why should Cross and Trial Grieve Me? Christ is near.

The Cross is our Theology

The Cross is not pretty.

It is a dark and ugly means of death, we have them on display all around us and there is a reason for that. The Cross reminds us to cling above all else to God’s Promises.

To the world it looks like Jesus lost.

Indeed the leaders were glad that Jesus had finally passed, the disciples were terrified and hiding away for they had just seen Jesus put to death, but what does God say? Listen to him.

But we hear Jesus’ words, it is finished.

His great and might work atoning for the sins of the entire world, that He had taken upon himself our guilt, our shame, our sins rest upon that precious head that is crowned in thorns. For there is my friend, my friend indeed who at my need his life did spend.

So Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus’ transfiguration shows to the disciples the great and majestic glory of God here on earth. Even after witnessing the glory and majesty and power of God, they are told to Listen to Him. We have not seen that glory, but we do have Christ’s Word. They are words that will sustain us in good times and in bad. For Christ is our savior who has suffered for us, died for us, and rose again to assure us that our sins are forgiven and that we have peace with God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.