“The Meaning of the Transfiguration.” Sermon on Luke 9:28-36 for Transfiguration, February 4 & 7, 2016

 

I. For Moses and Elijah it meant seeing fulfillment.

1. Imagine Moses, enjoying the bliss of heaven for about 1,400 years—but it’s in eternity, so years don’t really matter. Then an archangel comes to Moses and says, “Come with me. We have something special for you. We’re going back to earth.” And Moses might say “What could be so important or so good to leave the joy of heaven?” And the angel says, “Remember what you wrote in Genesis about the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15) and Abraham’s shield and great reward (Genesis 15:1), and the one you also spoke about to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, to him you must listen…’ (Deuteronomy 18:15)? Well, Moses, today you are going to get an early resurrection[1] and you will see him with your own eyes.” Not because he deserved it. His life was full of bumps and detours—many were of his own making, like the time he wanted to be the deliverer of Israel and committed murder and then had to run for his life (Exodus 2). And the time when he was the leader of Israel and got tired of all the complaints and took it all personally—“You want water, I’ll give you water!” (Numbers 20) He didn’t follow God’s command to speak to the rock. Because of that, Moses didn’t get to live in the promised land. He got to see it. Then God took him to another promised land—all because of God’s grace. And then he got to see fulfillment in Jesus—all because of God’s grace.
2. Imagine Elijah—you remember Elijah’s struggles with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and the prophets of Baal about 800 years before Jesus was born. After fire came from heaven and burned up Elijah’s sacrifice and the prophets of Baal were defeated (1 Kings 18) Elijah should have been on a spiritual and emotional high after such a victory. Instead he got angry and turned it all inward. “I’ve worked so hard, and the Israelites have messed up everything, and now I’m the only one left” (1 Kings 19). He had no thought about what God was doing, or what God had been doing through his work. God told him, “I still have seven thousand in Israel who haven’t bowed the knee to Baal. Go back home. Anoint Elisha to take over after you. Then your work will be done.” You remember what happened next. Elijah went home, anointed Elisha, and then the chariot of fire appeared and took Elijah away. Can you imagine the angel driving the chariot asking Elijah, “How does it feel to hand it off to Elisha? How does it feel to be done with Ahab, Jezebel and the prophets of Baal?” “Pretty good.” “It gets better, Elijah. Remember the purpose of your work? To keep Israel focused and faithful to the true God? To look ahead to the great Shepherd of Israel? (Micah 5)[2] Well, that’s our next stop, Elijah. You will see him with your own eyes.” Not because he earned or deserved it. Moses and Elijah both got to see Jesus and the fulfillment of all that had been promised because of God’s forgiveness and grace.
3. That’s what heaven will be like for you and me, too. However it happened for Moses and Elijah, they saw fulfillment, they saw Jesus. And so will we. In God’s time, by God’s grace, as it fits God’s plan and purpose, one day he will take us to himself, and we will see him with our own eyes. St. Paul wrote “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). And John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). After all the struggles of life, and after all our battles with temptations (and losses), by God’s grace in Jesus, we will see fulfillment. We will see Jesus.

 

II. For Jesus it meant reviewing the plan.

1. What did the Transfiguration mean for Jesus? Just before they went up the mountain, Jesus told his disciples, “We’re going down to Jerusalem[3] now, and I will be handed over to the Romans and be killed, but on the third day I will rise.” A few days later, they went up the mountain, and Jesus shone like the sun, and then Moses and Elijah appeared. What did they talk about? “They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” They talked about what Jesus already knew—but sometimes it’s good to talk about what you already know—especially when some trouble is ahead—especially when you are talking about what God’s plan is for you. That’s the only thing we know for certain. We need to do that—review the plan—so that we stay on task and keep our goal in mind. Jesus was not in danger of losing sight of his work or his goal. Still it was good to review the plan.

 

III. For the disciples, it should have meant ‘Epiphany’.

1. And then there were the disciples, Peter, James and John. What did the Transfiguration mean for them? I think I know what it was supposed to mean. For them it was supposed to be an ‘Epiphany.’ It was supposed to be a revealing of Jesus’ glory so that when they went down to Jerusalem and saw Jesus humiliation and suffering and dying, they would remember—“Ah, back on the mountain we saw Jesus in his glory! That’s who Jesus really is! This suffering is only for a short while.” But the disciples missed it. They missed it on the mountain. What did Peter want to do when he saw Jesus in glory with Moses and Elijah? He wanted to stay there. “Let’s put up shelters for you and Moses and Elijah.” When he says that, he is also thinking, “And then we don’t have to go down the mountain, and then we don’t have to go down to Jerusalem.” You see, it was right before this that Jesus told his disciples, “We’re going down to Jerusalem,” and Peter told Jesus, “These things should never happen to you.” And Jesus rebuked Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men!” (See Matthew 16) Perhaps Peter’s ears and heart were still stinging from that. No—let’s stay up here with Moses and Elijah. No going down to Jerusalem. No suffering. Only glory.
2. They did go down the mountain and they did go down to Jerusalem. Did this epiphany on the mountain do what Jesus wanted it to do? Remind the disciples who Jesus really was so they would remember this vision, and know and trust when they saw Jesus being shamed? No. They forgot. They deserted Jesus and fled away (Matthew 26:56). Peter panicked when he was asked and lied and said he didn’t know anything about Jesus. Peter did remember later. In his second letter, Peter said, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We also have the word of the prophets made most certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-20).
3. Later, Peter remembered, and this epiphany did what Jesus wanted it to do. It strengthened and sustained Peter in faith in troubled times. And here, Peter is telling us that we have an epiphany, too. These words of the prophets made most certain, since they were fulfilled by Jesus. We have the epiphany in the Word of God—a vision of Jesus glory in his words and deeds. In what he said about himself and in what he says about us. When the hard times come, we forget, just like Peter did. We are tempted to forget who Jesus is when we see him shamed in our world—when people try to discredit Jesus and Christianity, or when they invent a different Jesus to be the activist they want. The Word is there to be our epiphany to remind and strengthen us. We’re tempted to forget who we are when we’re tempted or when we’re discouraged by our world or when we have some hardship or difficulty. We’re’ like Peter. We’d like to stay on a mountain top and enjoy visions of glory. But there’s more to the Christian life than glory. There’s the valley of the shadow of death (Pslam 23), dark times in our lives, temptations to faithlessness and despair. Elijah had them. Moses had them. Peter had them. We have them. We also have that Word, that most-certain Word that is a light shining in a dark place. We know who we are and where we’re going because we are connected to Jesus. We know we are forgiven children of God because of our perfect, glorious Savior who laid down his life to give us life. That’s the fulfillment we will see. That’s the message to keep us on course. That’s what the epiphany of the Word to bear us through good times and bad.

Amen.

Pastor Stratman’s sermons are available online through the St. Stephen’s Sermon page www.ststephenspulpit.wordpress.com, and on his own sermon blog, www.pastorstratman.wordpress.com.

 

Text:  Luke 9:28-36

About eight days after Jesus [predicted his suffering and death], 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. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² 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.)   ³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered 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.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

 

[1] Jude 9 speaks about the archangel Michael disputing with the devil about the body of Moses. Some scholars connect this passage to the Transfiguration.

[2] Some scholars think Elijah and Micah may have been contemporaries, or were just short of contemporaries.

[3] It was common for people at that time to talk about going “up to Jerusalem” because they were thinking of elevation. We would probably say “down to Jerusalem” because we think about where it would be on a map.