Sermon by Pastor Robert Green, Transfiguration Sunday, 2/10/13, No. 985,
Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church, WELS, Harrisburg, PA, based Luke 9:28-36
Let Jesus’s Transfiguration prepare you for his passion!
This is Transfiguration Sunday, which always closes the Season of Epiphany, the season during which we consider the manifestation of the man Jesus to be the Christ. The Transfiguration of Jesus, which occurred about six months before his crucifixion, revealed the divine glory of Jesus and serves as a bridge to the Season Lent, during which we contemplate the passion of our Savior. As we approach the Season of Lent, let Jesus’s Transfiguration prepare you for his passion.The word passion originally meant “suffering” in Latin and was used in early Latin translations of the Bible for the suffering of Christ during Holy Week.
The word “Transfiguration” means“a dramatic change in appearance, especially one that reveals great beauty, spirituality, or magnificence,” which describes what took place on Mt. Transfiguration. Hear how Luke describes what happen:“About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.”To appreciate the transfiguration, set aside all notions you have of Jesus’ human appearance as being anything special. Remember that, as Isaiah tells us, Isaiah 53:2 (NIV84),“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” The divine glory of Jesus as true God was hidden from all. Thus, the transfiguration revealed a dramatic change in the appearance of Christ as his hidden divine glory was revealed to all.
Consider the importance of the transfiguration by looking at what happened eight days before when Jesus was praying in private and asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?”Luke tells us that“Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”Thus, Jesus spoke of his passion or suffering that would take place during Holy Week.
Jesus was not ready for all to know he was the Christ, but he was ready to let the disciples know. He wanted them to know what it meant that he was the Christ and so told them he was going to Jerusalem to suffer, die and rise from the dead. The disciples would not understand that suffering until after the resurrection. Indeed, we see Peter declaring such suffering would never happen to Jesus. Jesus told Peter to get behind him because he did not have the things of God in mind, but the things of man. Eight days later the Transfiguration took place.
Jesus wanted his disciples to see his true glory, so that after his suffering and death they would know and believe it was no mere man who died on the cross to pay for sin, for it was God himself who died. Otherwise, when the disciples would contemplate Jesus suffering, they would, as we would, be moved merely to have pity that a man would suffer so, and not understand that it was God suffering damnation and God dying on the Cross. The Transfiguration of Jesus as the Christ prepared the disciples to understand his passion. May you let Jesus’s Transfiguration prepare you for his passion!
To understand the passion or suffering of Jesus, remember that Jesus came to us as a true man to do what God cannot by definition do, for God cannot suffer or die. He came to us a true man to do what no mere man could ever do, to suffer the penalty of sin for all mankind. When we look at the passion of Jesus with all its horrid beatings, whippings, nails, insults and finally the crucifixion itself, we see tremendous physical suffering; but that did not pay for sin, for the penalty of sin is eternal death, which we cannot see. Thus to be understand Jesus’ suffering on the Cross remember he was the Son of God whom God the Father had abandoned and rejected. In that moment of time, Jesus suffered what no mere man could endure, damnation, to do what no mere man could ever do, to pay for all sins. He suffered so great a suffering for us, so that we would never taste it.
It is worthy to note that Luke tells us shortly after the Transfiguration, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”Jesus set his path firmly on the journey to Jerusalem, knowing what awaited him there. He did this because of his divine love for us. The transfiguration shows that determination was absolute for, Luke tells us, “Two men, Moses and Elijah.31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” Moses and Elijah, like all men, were sinners. In no way could either of them be in heaven, appearing with Christ centuries after their own deaths, unless in fact Jesus would go to the cross and pay for their sins.
Peter, James and John heard Elijah and Moses speaking with Jesus about his departure meaning his death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. What a wonderful confirmation that Jesus’ suffering and death paid for sin. After the departure of Jesus was fulfilled in his ascension, the disciples would look back on the Transfiguration and marvel how everything happened just as Jesus said it would.
Consider what it meant for Peter, James and John, and what it means for you, to see Moses and Elijah appear in glorious splendor. God promises us that through faith in Jesus not only does he forgiven and remove our sins from us, he also purifies us from all sin and unrighteousness. God describes that purification as his believers wearing the white robes of righteousness. There was never ever any doubt Jesus would come as the Messiah. Indeed, there could be no doubt, for if there was any doubt then in no way would Moses and Elijah have been in heaven, pure and holy months before the crucifixion.
The fact that Moses and Elijah were wearing those white robes in glorious splendor proves God kept his promises for them and he will keep them for you! This glorious splendor is ours through faith in Christ and means that at death we too will be enjoin such communion and splendor with Jesus. This offers us the great comfort that no matter what happens in this life, heaven as our eternal inheritance.
Thus the Transfiguration serves to remind us that our heavenly bliss is not of this world. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world and so we have no business demanding that our glorious splendor somehow come to us in this life. This life is a life of suffering, as Jesus reminds us in telling us we must deny ourselves, take up the cross, the sign of suffering, and follow him.As Paul tells us in Acts 14:22 (NIV84),“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke tells us in the reading for today, that “Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)” Notice that Peter immediately called Jesus “Master,” which means, “a person of high status.”Peter understood the Transfiguration for he realized what it meant that Jesus was the Christ, for he was of the highest status.
Yet, Peter did not really understand the fully meaning of what he had seen. Who could blame him? He was so stunned he uttered a nonsensical thought, that he would build three shelters, as if Moses and Elijah would leave behind the glory of heaven for a shelter on earth. But Peter was right in saying, “Master, it is good for us to be here,” for who would not want to have seen such glory. We long to see the glory of our Lord and we will see Jesus his glory in its entire divine splendor, once we go to be with him.
Luke tells us, “While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” God the Father removed any doubt about what they had seen and heard, for he once again declared Jesus the man to be the divine Son of God, the man God chose to be the Messiah, the Christ. God chose Jesus, his eternal divine Son, not in the sense that God looked at all men and decided Jesus would become his Son, but rather he chose to send Jesus to take on human flesh and blood so that he could come to us in human form. As Paul tells us in Galatians 4:4–5 (NIV84) “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”
God wants us to listen to Jesus, and to listen to him is to believe his Words. Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 (NIV84), “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” The Word of Christ is not merely his quoted words, but every Word of Scripture. Why listen to Scripture? It is in Scripture that we hear of our Savior and his coming to redeem us from sin and death and the power of the devil by his suffering and death. It is in Scripture that we see the divine glory of Jesus on Mt. Transfiguration which prepares us to understand his passion! It is through hearing the Gospel promise, in Word and sacrament, that God the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith and so creates faith in our hearts.As Paul says in the reading for today from 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
Luke tells us, “When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.” The disciples kept the matter to themselves at that time, but later, after the resurrection, when the time was right, they would tell others about what they had seen on the Mount of Transfiguration. Now is the time for us to share what we have seen and heard in the Word of God about the Transfiguration and how it helps all to understand the passion of Christ. Eventually, as English speaking people used the word “passion” to describe the intense and willing suffering of Christ the word passion took on the meaning of strong emotion or determination to do something, which certainly describes Christ’s willing obedience even to death on the Cross. Let Jesus’s Transfiguration prepare you for his passionand in understanding his passion, may you have a deep passion to share the passion of Christ with all others! To God be all glory, amen!