The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9
In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lutheran reformers weren’t trying to be innovative. They didn’t change much of the service at all. They were merely getting rid of the errors that had crept into the Church, choking out the Gospel. So from the very beginning of the reformation, Lutherans still retained all the bowing and kneeling, the smells and bells of worship. But they did make two noticeable changes to the Church Year.
The most obvious change was to include a special day to remember the Reformation. But the other change is today, the feast of the Transfiguration. Sure, the Church always celebrated Transfiguration Day, but it used to be observed on the sixth of August. It was the Lutherans who moved it. They set it for the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany. And that small change is brilliant, for it highlights the great joy of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
Although it didn’t seem all that joyful at the time. Maybe Peter, James, and John were doing just fine when Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light, Moses and Elijah appeared. How they are not scared at that point, I don’t know. But they’re excited. Peter wants to build three tents. Finally, Jesus is meeting their expectations. Finally, His glory is no longer hidden in weakness.
But the disciples are mistaken. Jesus has not come for you to see Him shine in glory. He didn’t take human flesh to meet your expectations. So when the cloud overshadowed the disciples and the voice of the Father boomed in their ears, then they were brought back to reality. They stood before the same God who destroyed the world in a flood. The God who swallowed Egypt in the Red Sea, who shook Mount Sinai and burned it with fire. Of course they were filled with fear. “They fell on their faces and were terrified” (Matt. 17:6), it says. And in their absolute terror, they hear, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matt. 17:5).
Remember, we heard that at the beginning of Epiphany, at Jesus’ baptism. The Father spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). But at the end of this season, the Father says the same thing, except this time He adds, “listen to Him.” Why would the Father need to say that? Why would Jesus need to transfigure like this at all? If He wasn’t planning on showing everyone His glory, shining for the world to see, then why do this?
Because Jesus knows where they’re headed. They were about to leave that mountain. And there would be no more traveling around, teaching and healing and feeding thousands. The Transfiguration event marks a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. After this, He heads straight to Jerusalem. To the cross. And there, the disciples will not see Him shining in glory. When the scourge hits His back, opening deep furrows, no light will burst out of Him. Nothing unusual will happen when the nails are driven in. They won’t see Him clothed in light, but in blood. And these disciples will feel real distress. Fear, and doubt, and despair.
That is the great joy of the Transfiguration. Because no matter what happens after this, no matter what terrors they see, or how horrible Good Friday may seem, Peter James and John are to know that this is still the Son of God with whom the Father is well pleased. No matter what happens, this is still the Christ. So the disciples are to set aside whatever horrors they experience, whatever they see with their eyes, and instead, listen to Him. Listen as He forgives those who know not what they do. Listen as He gives His Body and Blood for the Sacrament and says it’s for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. Listen as He comes to the disciples on their knees, touches them, and says, “Rise, and have no fear” (Matt. 17:7).
The Lutherans put the Transfiguration here because, in the same way, we will leave today and head to Good Friday. Next Sunday we call, Septuagesima, which means seventieth. We are counting down to Easter. That’s where we’re headed after the Transfiguration. But you know who it is who’s strung up on the cross for your sins. You’re not confused by it. You will see Jesus mocked, and flogged, and crucified, and dead, but there won’t be any question in your mind that this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You won’t see Jesus shine in glory on Good Friday, but you know it’s the same Christ who shines at the Transfiguration. In fact, that’s why we rejoice over it all. He hides His glory in weakness for your sake. So when they laugh at Him and say, “He saved others; he cannot save himself” (Matt. 27:42), you know, that is how He saves others, by not saving Himself. Jesus’ glory is hidden in weakness. So no matter what horrors you see on Good Friday, they don’t destroy you because you know and trust in the resurrection on the third day.
Well, you know that about Good Friday. But you tend to struggle with the same in your own life. Because still, God’s glory is hidden in weakness.
You heard the Epistle. Peter’s writing this, and he’s giving us a bit of commentary on the Transfiguration. He says, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). He mentions the glory and the Father’s voice on the holy mountain. And I would expect Peter to be like most storytellers here. To talk about it as this amazing thing and say something like, “You should have been there. If only you could see it. It was amazing.” He doesn’t do that. Instead, Peter says, “We have something more sure” (2 Peter 1:19). What could be more sure, more certain, more trust-inspiring, than seeing Jesus shine in glory, hearing the Father’s voice from heaven? What could possibly be greater than that? Peter tells you: “the prophetic word” (2 Peter 1:19). He points you to God’s Word.
Except when you open your Bible, light does not burst out of it. Even when that Word is joined to water in Baptism, there’s no visible cloud that overshadows you. When the Word is added to bread and wine, nothing visible happens. Jesus’ glory is still hidden in weakness. And yet, what does Peter say after pointing us to God’s Word? “We have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). That is to say, listen to Him.
Because you too will go out from here. You will leave Mount Zion. And when you do, there won’t be the shining glory of Jesus for you to see. In fact, like the disciples, you may just see the opposite. You might leave here to witness the mourning of a fallen world. You might feel incredibly weak in your faith. Weak to trust that the Lord cares for you, weak to control your fallen flesh, weak to not give in to despair. You have expectations of life that you’ve had to set aside. You’ve had losses you’ve acquired over the years. Far too many.
But this is the joy of the Transfiguration. No matter what happens, Jesus is your Christ. No matter what you see or experience, your Christ has overcome it at the cross and is alive on the third day. Nothing you feel in this broken world will change that. Nothing can separate you from Him. Come what may, Jesus is still the Son of God. The Father is still well pleased with Him for redeeming you. And still you are to listen to Him.
That’s why we don’t skip Church when we’re struggling. You don’t wait until you’re not suffering or mourning or despairing before you come here. That would be like waiting until you’re healthy to see your doctor. No, Peter says, you listen to Him “as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” So, you find yourself in a dark place, then come. Hear the promises of Christ.
Like the disciples, you might be brought to your knees in this life. You might be brought to your knees in weakness. But remember, His glory is hidden in weakness. So you feel weak from the weary world. Good. Christ’s glory is hidden in weakness. That is, in you. Jesus comes to you on your knees, and He touches you with His Body and His Blood. Christ is poured into you here, and He says, “Rise, and have no fear.”
This is how you consider your life in Christ. After today, we’ll fast from our Alleluias. So we use them up today. We celebrate, and sing, and get all our “Alleluias” out before we set them aside for a time. But we don’t set them aside out of despair. We’re not pretending we shouldn’t praise God. We know what’s going on. We set them aside as Jesus set aside His glory for a time. But you know that you’ll have them back on Easter, the day we call the Resurrection of our Lord.
In the same way, whatever despair you see in this life, it can be endured now because you know that whatever you’ve lost, you will have back at the Resurrection! So “Rise and have no fear.”
In ☩ Jesus’ name. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
"If God is for us, who is against us?" 