TRANSFIGURATION, B – February 22, 2009

SCRIPTURES – Ps. 99; 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Cor. 3:7 – 4:6; Mark 9:2-9 

The summer after I graduated from college a friend and I took a backpacking trip to Isle Royal, a 15x40 mile island in the middle of Lake Superior. It’s a rather desolate island that’s accessible only by boat, has only two very small towns, and allows no motorized vehicles on the island. One night, around 3 AM, I woke up and got out of the tent to look at the sky. Not only was it filled with stars – there were no lights for miles around to dim them – but the aurora borealis, the northern lights, was also shining brightly. I had never seen this before, and it was beautiful, incredible, like a shining curtain hanging in the sky. How great is our Creator! How amazing is His creation! It was well worth waking up so early in the morning. 

Imagine being one of the men present with Jesus on that mountaintop. Every-thing is as usual; you’re a bit sweaty and dirty after the climb – when, suddenly, Jesus’ robe becomes the purest and brightest white you’ve ever seen – there are no traces of dirt or sweat – and He begins shining like the sun, so bright that you can barely look upon Him! And then, Moses and Elijah, two men you’ve heard about all your life, two heroes of your people and great servants of God, appear in glory and are talking with Him. This is truly incredible! Nothing in this world could begin to compare with such an experience. It’s no wonder that Peter didn’t really know what to say and so blurted out something that was a bit silly. He, James, and John were terrified! Their circuits were overloaded; it was too much to take in. 

We’ve not had this experience, of course. All we have is their description of it. All I can show you is an artist’s portrayal of it. We do know and believe that this fantastic, mind-blowing event happened. So, what can we take from this event, from Christ’s Transfiguration? What can we keep in mind and hold onto? Above all, this: that Jesus, although clearly a man – He climbed up, and then back down, the mountain on His two legs; He stood and spoke with Moses and Elijah – is more than an ordinary man. He is God, come among us as a human being. Now, if you know your Bible, this story should sound a bit familiar. Moses also went up on a mountain, Mt. Sinai, and met with God, who came down upon the mountain in a cloud and spoke with him. Moses’ face also was shining. But, Moses’ face shone because He was in God’s presence. It shone with reflected glory, like the moon shines because the sun shines upon it. Jesus shone with His own brilliance, before God’s presence overshadowed them in a cloud. Jesus doesn’t simply reflect God’s glory; He is God’s glory. He is God come among us in flesh. He is the Light of the world, the true and eternal Light who, like our sun in the sky, is our only source of life and light. With Jesus, we have God and His life. Without Jesus, we have only darkness, cold, and death. 

Now, you know and believe this, don’t you? You have believed this for a long time. Does it make a difference in your life? Does it affect and mold how you think and live?

Many people believe Jesus is God but still live in the darkness of sin and death. Their lives are not shaped by Christ and His Word. But, before we feel smug about ourselves and confidently boast that this is not us – “I am not a Christian in name only, like so and so!” – we should examine ourselves. Consider Peter, James, and John, those disciples who were with Jesus on the mountain and experienced the wonder and glory of His transfiguration. Were they changed? Yes, they were. But, they also went on to sin greatly and remain in great need of Christ’s help and forgiveness. Shortly after they came down from the mountain, for instance, they got into an argument with the other disciples as to which of them was the greatest. I’m sure Peter, James and John felt they won the argument. After all, they were the only ones Jesus chose to take with Him up that mountain! They were the only ones who saw Him shining in glory! Perhaps the fact that they experienced this event while the others didn’t led to this argument. “I’ve been blessed more! I know more! I’m closer to Jesus and a better disciple!” 

Oh, shut up! Boy, how sinful pride afflicts us. If you want to be great, then serve. Stop worrying about yourself, about being recognized and appreciated and about having, and instead simply trust God and leave things in His hands. Be lowly and serve! This is what Jesus told His disciples when He confronted them about their argument. This is what we all need to do, for this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. 

You see, Jesus is a servant, the servant of sinners. This is the most important, and most amazing, thing that we learn from His transfiguration. How amazing that He shines with God’s glory, and that the great saints Moses and Elijah appear and testify to Him! But, even more amazing is that Jesus orders His disciples to say nothing about what they saw until after He rose from the dead. From the dead. He will die! He, who in His flesh is the true God, the Light of the world and life itself, will die! How can this be? In fact, He will not simply die. He will be rejected by His people, be beaten and bloodied and despised, and then be nailed to a cross to die the death of a criminal. How can this be? 

The cross – this is why Jesus began shining in glory before His disciples, and why this story was written down for us all. It was not primarily so that they and we would know that He would rise from the dead, for He is the true and glorious God, and death cannot hold Him! Jesus was transfigured so that we would see who died on the cross for us. God did! But, how can God die? How can anyone take His life? They can’t. He must allow this. He must give His life; and this is what He did. 

Our sin is great and strong; we see this in the disciples. Sometimes it reveals itself in sinful pride. Life is good, and we feel great; like Peter, James and John, very close to Jesus, very strong in faith and important to Him. We have no doubt that He is our God and is blessing us. At such times, give humble thanks to God for such blessing. Jesus didn’t take Peter, James and John up that mountain with Him because they were somehow better than the other disciples, because He saw something in them that set them apart. No, their sinful pride after they came down showed very clearly showed their unworthiness. So it is with us. We, too, are sinners, and it is only because of the goodness and mercy of God and what Jesus has done for us that we are blessed and not condemned as sinners. Confess this every day!

There are also times, however, when we feel very weak in faith. Perhaps it is because of a situation facing us or a crisis we are dealing with that we cannot control. What is going to happen? Or, maybe we feel guilty because of sins we have done. Like the disciples whom Jesus left behind when He went up the mountain, we feel alone, like God has left us. Others don’t appreciate us, either. Such times are hard to endure. 

At such times, especially, but also when we feel very strong in faith and good about ourselves, we need to have in our minds and hearts what the Transfiguration reveals about Jesus. He is the true God, God in the flesh; but, above all He is the God who covered His glory, came down from the mountain, and went to the cross for us. It was God hanging on the cross and giving His life for you. If He loved you so much that he would do this, then there is no way He will ever leave you, no way He will ever let anything separate you from Him. If your sins trouble you, remember that He bore your sins on the cross and paid their penalty for you. If God has paid for your sins and forgiven you – and He has! – then who can hold them against you? Will God listen to your conscience, or to His Son? 

There is no doubt that God is mighty and glorious. The wonders of His creation, like the Northern Lights, show this. Christ’s great miracles, and His transfiguration on the mountain, show this. But, the cross is the greatest revelation of His glory. Jesus, the glorious, mighty God, now hanging on a cross, with His flesh pierced by nails; blood streaming from His body; weak and suffering, crying out in pain ―/span> this is glorious. This is the strong for the weak, the righteous One for the sinner. This is God for us. Keep this picture in your mind, and your heart, always!