Luke 9:28-36

28 About eight days after 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. 30 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 . 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 shel- ters—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 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 cho- sen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disci- ples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. – NIV84

Dear Christians Who See the Glory of God in :

Today we’re standing at a threshold. We’re about to cross over from one season of the church year to another. This Transfiguration Sunday marks the end of Epiphany, and this Wed., Ash Wed., marks the beginning of Lent. But we don’t want to leave all our luggage behind on this journey. We packed a lot of important stuff into our hearts and heads during Epiphany and we’ll want to carry it with us into Lent, i.e., Jesus Christ, born in , raised in , is, as Luther said, “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity.” If Lent, with its message of Christ’s suffering and death, is to mean anything to us, the truth that Jesus is divine (true God) must be absolutely clear to all of us. We see this truth in Luke’s words today: Jesus Was Transfigured. This was (1) Proof of his deity (2) Preparation for his death (3) Prelude to his glory.

I.

Jesus’ transfiguration was a . Just ask Peter, James, and John who were there and in awe of it: Jesus’ clothes “became as bright as a flash of lightning” and Moses and Elijah, who had been dead for centuries, “appeared in glorious splendor.” It was so amazing the dis- ciples didn’t want it to end. They wanted to build huts for them so they could all stay. The miracle truly impressed them! Why did Jesus perform ? The most important reason was to show people that he was true God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle John wrote, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…” (Jn 20:29,30). Miracles were glimpses of the divine glory he possessed even when he lived so humbly as one of us in this world. It has become common in our day to downplay these . Some theologi- cally liberal churches (take liberties with God’s Word) tell us that “modern man,” with all his scientific knowledge, can no longer accept miracles as factual accounts. They say that if the church wants to retain its influence in the world it must stop insisting that lepers were cleansed with a word, storms were stopped with a command, 1000’s were fed from a boy’s lunch bucket, and that the lame walked, the blind saw, and the deaf heard just because Jesus said they should. Instead, these churches insist, these are just stories, parables Jesus used to teach socially significant lessons. Feeding the 5,000 tells us to support poverty programs. Healing of the sick teaches us to get on board with healthcare programs. on the Sea of should move us to take a changing climate more seriously. And so, according to them, the church’s chief concerns are not spiritual, but physical (the social ). While it is true that many of Jesus’ miracles helped people in need, and while it’s true that wants us and others to be good stewards of this beautiful earth, yet the Transfig- uration account forces us to realize those things can’t be the real significance of Jesus’ mira- cles. In the Transfiguration no people are fed, no sick people are cured, and no storms are calmed. The disciples saw Jesus in splendor talking with two long-dead believers and heard the voice of the Father: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him!” What conclusion did Jesus want them to draw? “Wow! Look at that! Jesus is truly God!” Even to this day, when we hear or read this account we, too, ought to come away with a deeper conviction that, as Thomas said after Easter, Jesus is “my Lord and my God.” This will help us be better prepared for Lent as we see our Savior in the unfathomable depths of humilia- tion, suffering, and death.

II.

In fact, the Transfiguration was a preparation for his death. A few days before this Je- sus told his disciples for the 1st time that he would die. A few days later he told them again. His death is actually the topic the two men on the mountaintop were talking about with Jesus: “Two men, Moses and Elijah…appeared… talking with Jesus. They spoke about his depar- ture, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” The word “departure” there is a euphemism, a nice of way of referring to his gruesome execution by crucifixion. Obviously, as he shone with God’s glory and as he foretold the future about his impend- ing death in Jerusalem, it’s clear that no one was going to send Jesus to the cross if he didn’t want to go. No power on earth could take his life if he didn’t want to die (just like we read last week when Jesus’ angry home-towners thought they could throw him off a cliff - and he just walked away). Jesus once said, “No one takes (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down an authority to take it up again” (Jn 10:18). This would certainly be valuable information for the disciples later when they would see Jesus nailed mercilessly to the cross. This would help them realize that the blood pouring down his crucified body was not like their own blood, but it was the precious blood of the God-man able to pay for the sins of the whole world. This would help them realize that Jesus allowed this hideous, horrible thing to happen to him because it was a death worth dying -- worth it be- cause he was doing it for someone he loves very much -- you! -- and because he wants you to be in heaven with him.

III

Therefore, Jesus’ Transfiguration is also a prelude to his glory. What Peter, James, and John saw there on the mountain is, in a veiled way, what we will see when we are set free from the sickness and sorrows of this life in Christian death. Imagine our believing loved ones who have passed away (grandpas and grandmas, par- ents, perhaps children or friends) enjoying life with Jesus and Moses and Elijah and all other believers throughout the centuries who now reside in heaven! What comfort and joy! The real hope of this poverty stricken world doesn’t lie in our wage scale! The real hope for the sick of this world doesn’t lie in getting our healthcare programs! No, our real hope is found in the One named Jesus. When Moses and Elijah appeared there with Jesus, they had been gone from the face of this planet for 1400 and 800 years respectively. Their very presence testifies to the fact that this world we live in now is not the only home we have. In fact, it ought to make us realize that the 80 or so years we may eke out here on this 3rd rock from the sun are only a proverbial “drop in the bucket” compared to the glorious eternity that awaits us in paradise. Jesus was transfigured. It may seem like a quirky little story and we may wonder why we even take a Sunday to talk about it. But the lesson it teaches is at the very heart of our Christian faith: Jesus Christ, true man, is also true God -- and because of it, we are saved from sin and hell -- and because of it, we are guaranteed that one day we will rejoice to say as did our brothers Peter, James, and John: “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” Amen.