God’s
grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is based on our Gospel (Luke
9:28-36). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I
rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now
that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we
listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply
as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Generically speaking the word,
transfiguration, means a change in form or appearance. It also means an
exalting, glorifying or spiritual change. Harry Potter diehards define
transfiguration as a core subject taught at Hogwarts, the art and science of
changing an object’s form and appearance. That is not what we understand and observe
today.
I want you to understand why we
observe Transfiguration today, that is, why the church places it on the Sunday
immediately prior to Ash Wednesday, why Luke placed it in chapter 9, and what
practical application the Transfiguration plays in our lives.
The church places the Transfiguration
on the Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday.[1] As a Christian feast, the
Transfiguration commemorates Christ’s transfiguration or metamorphis on a
mountaintop in the presence of three disciples. It makes a great deal of sense
to observe it today, because when we look at the church’s liturgical year
beginning with Advent, we see Epiphany framed by the Baptism of Jesus and the
Transfiguration. On these Sundays, God the Father proclaims, “You
are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” and “This
is my Son, my Chosen One.”[2]
The Season of Epiphany reveals who
the child Jesus is, and emphasizes that He is God’s Son. We hear this at the
beginning of his ministry and as Jesus turns his face to go to Jerusalem, which
happens right after the Transfiguration. After this Sunday, the church observes
Ash Wednesday, which plunges us down into the valley of Lent, which precedes
Easter.
Today, we look over the valley of
Lent to Easter, where in the Transfiguration we glimpse the glory of God, which
He reveals fully in the Resurrection of our Lord. Imagine looking from one
mountaintop to another, knowing that there is a deep valley between the place
where you stand and the next peak. So, liturgically, today, we say good-bye to
Alleluia and anticipate its return at Easter. This is how our feast fits into
our liturgical year.
Luke placed the Transfiguration in
chapter 9, and when we expand the text beyond vv. 28 and 36, depressing news
precedes it. After Jesus’ multiplication miracle, Peter confessed him the
Christ. Jesus predicted his passion, death and resurrection, and after Peter
and Jesus exchanged rebukes, the Lord stated the cost of discipleship.
Depressing indeed.
As a striking counterbalance, the
Transfiguration reveals heavenly glory vis-à-vis the humiliation just predicted
in 9:21, in which Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many
things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and on the third day be raised.”
In the last verse before the
Transfiguration, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there are some
standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after
it has come with power.”[3] Jesus meant the Resurrection, which all
standing there, with the exception of Judas, witnessed on Easter. Luke closed
the Transfiguration passage with, “When the voice had spoken, Jesus
was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of
what they had seen.”[4] In other words, the Resurrection frames
the passage.
If we expand the passage to include
the whole Bible, we see that the Old Testament clearly underlies Luke’s
Transfiguration account. He opens by telling us that Jesus took Peter, James
and John – the disciples who witnessed Jesus’ agony at Gethsemane[5] – up a high mountain. Moses took
Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu up Mount Sinai to meet God.[6] So, from the outset, Jesus’ ascent
triggered thoughts of a new Sinai experience.
As it was for Moses and Elijah, the
mountain was a special place in Luke for prayer, contemplation, apostolic
commissioning, and, as shown in the Transfiguration, extraordinary revelation.[7] In chapter six, we read that
Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued
in prayer to God.”[8]
As I explained earlier,
transfiguration means a glorifying or spiritual change. There are several Old
Testament references regarding this change. In Exodus, after Moses met God, his
skin glowed.[9] Later, the Psalmist wrote of
God, “You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself
with light as with a garment.”[10] And Daniel described God’s clothing
as white as snow.[11] So, we see the glorifying or
spiritual change when man meets God.
In their transfiguration accounts,
Matthew described the change in Jesus’ face, and Mark described only His
clothes, but Luke described Jesus’ face and clothing.[12]
Next, two Old Testament figures
appear. Verse 30 states, “two men were talking with him, Moses and
Elijah.” Moses represented the Law. He lifted eschatological –
or end-time hopes – as Israel awaited the Messiah. In Deuteronomy, we
read, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet
like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”[13]
Therefore, in the minds of Jewish
people, the appearance of Elijah and Moses fulfilled every hope, for the
glorious end-time had now begun with the coming of Jesus.[14] To the righteous, such an
appearance brought delight, but to the sinful, scorn. As with Jesus, people
rejected Elijah and Moses. In particular, Elijah was a model for suffering at
the hands of the ungodly.
Responding to the unfolding action of
the Transfiguration, Peter proposed what he thought a brilliant idea. Actually,
his proposal was a clumsy way for a practical man to express what to do at such
a time. Given that God declared and commanded, “This is my beloved
Son; listen to him,” Peter’s proposal to put Elijah and Moses on
par with Jesus is even more out of place. Luke reminded readers how
inappropriate Peter’s idea really was, but first, the cloud.
In between Peter’s suggestion and
God’s command came the cloud, a theophanic motif, or a sophisticated way of
saying how God showed himself. In Exodus we read, “The Lord went
before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way.”[15] And later, “When Moses
entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance
of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. When the people saw
the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would
rise up and worship, each at his tent door.”[16]
Transfiguration’s cloud on the
mountain and the voice of God that spoke from it echoed what occurred to God’s
people in the Sinai. In short, as God spoke there, God spoke here.
The Transfiguration remained the
disciples’ private event until after the Resurrection. It encouraged them to
persevere. Before the Transfiguration, the disciples could only focus on Jesus
Crucified; after it, they could focus on Jesus Resurrected. Biblically and
liturgically, we look over the valley of Lent and see the Risen Lord on Easter
Sunday.
Having examined why the church
places the Transfiguration on the Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday,
and why Luke placed it in chapter 9, we now examine what practical application the
Transfiguration plays in our lives.
Returning to Peter’s proposal, we see
it was inappropriate. Tents were dwellings of the world to come. Peter wanted
the vision to last and to withdraw Jesus from this earth.[17] Fortunately, the voice commanded
Peter to “listen to him,” a message Peter did not like.
“Listen to him,” is a message we,
like Peter, dislike and disregard. To listen to Jesus requires intimacy. To
listen requires intimacy, but after 25 years of counseling couples preparing
for marriage, counseling couples enriching their marriage, and counseling
couples dissolving their marriage, the complaint underlying all faults is,
“You’re not listening.”
Now, if the person with whom you are
most intimate informs you that you are not listening, how often does our
Heavenly Father say it? I know He tells me multiple times throughout the day. I
am sure He reminds you too.
First, let us presume that God wants
us to listen to Him. Evidently, He does, for in Luke, Jesus summoned disciples,
created The Twelve and called them into fellowship with him.
The first duty of the apostle –
before preaching or casting out demons –was to be in fellowship
with Jesus. This is part and parcel of the portrait of the
fully human Jesus. He needed a support group. He longed for fellowship. He
lived as a person in community, not as an isolated prophet. These were not
merely Jesus’ pupils, but his friends and coworkers. He appointed them for
fellowship and to witness.[18]
Jesus calls you into fellowship with
Him. He calls you to be with Him. The Father calls you to listen to Him.
Throughout each day, how much time do you fellowship with or listen to Jesus?
To put that into perspective, let me read a snippet of A Man’s Guide to
Spiritual Disciplines.[19]
“A young businessman told me, ‘I
really don't have a lot of time for prayer and Bible reading. I have young
kids, I'm building my career, and I'm very active in my church.’
When I was in that same mindset, I
took a suggestion from management guru Peter Drucker. I sat down with a piece of
paper and charted how I actually spent my time. Drucker says everyone has
expectations about what their chart will say, and without exception, everyone
is surprised by what they actually find. I discovered that I spent one to two
hours every night watching television. … I started going to bed early instead
of watching TV, and getting up two hours earlier in the morning. People
sometimes think I'm crazy to get up at 4 a.m., but that's okay. I'm in
conversation with God.
Martin Luther is famous for commenting, ‘I
have so much to do today that I'm going to need to spend three hours in prayer
in order to be able to get it all done.’ We must learn to see prayer as
the most powerful and efficient use of our time.
If you want a close relationship with
Jesus, you can have it, but you must cultivate that relationship through
conversation.”
If you want a close relationship with
Jesus, you can have it, but you must cultivate that relationship through
conversation. Listen to him. Pray.
Responding to the unfolding action of
the Transfiguration, Peter proposed what he thought a brilliant idea. Actually,
his proposal was a clumsy way for a practical man to express what to do at such
a time. A selfish, sinful or worldly way for a good man.
When we scrutinize many of the brilliant
ideas we propose, we see that they are actually clumsy, selfish, sinful or
worldly. While this observation makes me squirm with remorse, regret or
revenge, I know it is true. Like Peter, I do not listen to Him because I
do not take time to listen to Him. I am too busy for prayer and Bible
reading. I have young kids, I'm building my career, and I'm very active.
Do I make choices based on listening
to Jesus or to a sinful world and my sinful self? Are the choices I let my
children make based on the teachings of our church or the values of our
culture?
Friends, your presence here,
listening to me, tells me you want a close relationship with Jesus. You can
have it, but you must cultivate that relationship through prayer. Listen to him
as he prepares to take his disciples to the mountaintop.
“If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For
whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world
and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of
him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of
the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some
standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”[20]
From here, the mountaintop of
Transfiguration, I can see our Risen Lord on Easter morning and when we gather
in fellowship with Him. Today, His Word washes away my sinful inclinations and
thoughtless ideas; enriches my choices and relationships. His Body and Blood
nourish me for the journey through Lent’s valley and life’s trials. His Spirit
enlightens my mind and moves my heart to love deeply as Jesus loved.
Between now and Ash Wednesday, chart
how you spend your time. Throughout Lent, instead of watching TV or reading
social media, turn in early and spend that amount of time in conversation with
God each morning. If you want a close relationship with God, you can have it,
but like the people Jesus called into fellowship, you must cultivate that
relationship through prayer and conversation. When you do, may the peace of God
that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus. Amen.
[1] Arthur
Just, Lectionary Podcast, Transfiguration of Our Lord.
https://www.facebook.com/ctsfw?fref=nf
[7] Eugene
LaVerdiere, 42f.
[14] R.
T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (2002), 352f.
[16] Exodus
33:9-10. See also Ex 40:34-38; 1 Kg 8:10-12.
[17] Peter
Edmonds, The Way Companion to the Sunday Missal. Oxford: Campion Hall (2014),
16.
[18] Ben
Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand
Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmanns Publishing Co. (2001), 151.
