A Sneak Peek!

Listen here.

St. Mark 9:2-9

This is one of the most staggering and important stories in the Bible.  It’s the day when Jesus, on the mountain, is transfigured. The Greek word is “metamorphosized.” Changed in appearance. The kids would say, “morphed.” Jesus was morphed before them.

Here was a Jesus Peter, James and John had not seen before. Now, He shines.  He is glorious.  Radiant.  Glowing.  His divinity is leaking out all over the place.  So He shines brighter than the brightest light. His clothing gleam with an unearthly white.  The three disciples see the divinity of Jesus.  That means that He is God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, as the Nicene Creed lays it down. Every part and aspect of His human Body blazed with the radiance of God.  This is precisely why St. Paul preached Jesus this way:  Jesus: fully God and fully man in one Person. What an incredible sight it must have been! 

It’s one thing for Jesus to be God in the flesh.  But it’s quite another thing for Jesus to be God in the flesh FOR YOU and for your salvation.  So, that’s why Paul preached it this way: “In Him [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,” (Col 1:19).  Get it?  Because of God in the Flesh Jesus, God the Father is not at war with you.  He is not your enemy.  Jesus, His divine Son, took on human flesh to Good Friday die FOR YOU.  And in Him you are saved.  Forgiven.  Reconciled to God! 

Oh, but’s there is more.  The two greatest figures of the Old Testament are there too. Moses and Elijah.  And they are talking with Jesus.   Luke says that they speak of Jesus’ exodus.  I.E. the Transfiguration Talk is about Jesus’ Good Friday Death and Easter Morning Resurrection by which He exoduses the entire world out of sin and death. 

Moses, you remember, died in the wilderness on some unnamed mountain and God buried him in an unmarked grave. Elijah didn’t die. Instead, God  whisked him up to heaven with the flaming chariots and horsemen of Israel. Now both Moses and Elijah are on the mountain with Jesus. Quite alive and quite well.

Moses, as a foretaste or forerunner of Jesus, was the chosen mediator, the go-between, between God and Israel. Moses talked with God on Mt. Sinai.  It was Moses’ faced that glowed with the glory of God when he came down off the mountain. Elijah, the prophet, preached God’s Word to Israel.  Stern and condemning law.  Sweet and comforting gospel.  His fiery ascension into heaven was a picture or a foreshadowing of Jesus’s ascension. The lives of both men, Moses and Elijah pointed prophetically to Jesus. And now here they stand with Him on His mountain. And they are recognizable for who they are. No one asks, “Hey, who are these guys?” They are known.

The Transfiguration of Jesus is also a preview in miniature or a sneak peek at the Last Day resurrection, when all the dead will be raised in the power of Jesus’ Easter Morning resurrection. And then you will be known for who you are. In addition, you will recognize all believers: Adam, Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Elijah, Peter, James, John, Paul, James, Matthew, Mark, etc. You will recognize people you never met, and they’ll recognize you.  How do we know this?  Well, Peter, James and John had never met Moses and Elijah.  But here on the mountain they know who they are and vice versa. Now that’s what I call a reunion! No silly name tags that never stick! And you will look your absolute best! No need for a makeovers, face lifts, or body sculptings on Resurrection Morning!

Peter gets caught up in the terrifying moment. “Rabbi, it’s a good thing we’re here,” he says. “Let’s build three tents – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Now Mark explains that Peter was so afraid, he didn’t know what he was talking about.  So we’ll just leave it at that and move on. 

There is more great stuff to unpack from the text.  A thick cloud covers the mountain of Transfiguration.  Same cloud that covered Mt. Sinai.  Same pillar of cloud that led Israel in the wilderness on her way to the Promised Land.  Same pillar of cloud that covered the Tent of Meeting.   When this cloud is going on, God is going on, i.e. God is present.  He’s there, hidden in, with and under the cloud. 

And so here from the same cloud we hear the Father’s voice.  “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.”  Sounds like the same sermon we heard at Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan river. Remember?  God the Father preached and the Holy Spirit descended. So too, once more on the Mountain of Transfiguration. “Do you see this Transfigured Jesus?  He is my Son.  I love Him!” All attention is one Jesus.  Moses and Elijah pointed to Jesus.  Now God the Father does too.  Why?  Well, that’s so Captain Obvious. Right?  Jesus, God in the flesh, is the Savior of all sinners by answering for all sin in His Good Friday dying.  The Father has chosen Him to do that FOR YOU so that in Jesus you too are chosen and elect. 

But then comes the last part of the Father’s sermon.  Did you miss it?  Were you nodding off?  Let me remind you.  It’s huge.  Salvationally huge!  “Listen to Him!” the Father proclaims.   Hear Jesus. Hearken to His words. Why?  Well, because He has the words of eternal life. His words are Spirit and life. Listen to Him. His words are what you need.  Like these words:  “I died FOR YOU!  I forgive you all your sin.  Believe in me and you will live forever.  Eat my Body.  Drink my Blood.  They’re given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all you sins. I am the Resurrection and the Life.”  That’s exactly why the Father says:  “Listen to Him.” 

When the cloud lifts, Moses and Elijah are no longer seen.  Peter, James and John now only see Jesus.  Just Jesus.  Only Jesus.  Jesus alone.   And that too is exactly what the Father wants.  He want you to see Jesus only.  Focus your eyes solely on Him. Not Moses. Not Elijah.  Just Jesus.  For He alone is your Savior. Only Jesus dies and rises and takes the whole world with Him. Only Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin. Only Jesus is the Redeemer of the world. And only in Jesus are you reconciled to the Father, redeemed, renewed. Only in Jesus are you forgiven. Only in Jesus are your sins washed away. Only in Jesus do you have life.   Moses and Elijah are nice.  But they didn’t die for you.  Jesus did! 

On the mountain gave Peter, James and John the revelation that He truly is the Son of God. Once that’s over, they begin their trek down to mountain.  Jesus won’t stay there.  And now you know why.  Jesus has another mountain to climb:  Mount Calvary.  So, as they make their way down, Jesus barks out a command: “Don’t tell anyone what you’ve just seen.” That’s a tall order.  I mean really!  How could Peter, James and John keep their mouths shut?  I don’t think I could have.  “Wait,” Jesus says.  You can tell people about it after, “the Son of Man rises from the dead.” “Then tell everyone!   Proclaim, preach and broadcast it to the world. But not a moment before.  First let me hang dead on a cross, be buried, and rise from the dead. First let me do what I came to do – die and draw all into my death, and rise from the dead – and then you can tell everyone what you saw today.” 

I want to reemphasize a point a briefly mentioned earlier.  It’s this. 

The transfiguration of Jesus is a sneak peek of your resurrection on the Last Day when Jesus will appears gloriously – Judgment Day Transfiguration-ally — not just to Peter, James and John, but to the entire world!  Every eye will see Him! And the gleaming white light of His Last Day Transfiguration glory will flash like lightning that fills the sky from east to west. On that Day all the dead from the beginning of the world to the very end will rise in the power of His resurrection. Unbelievers will be raised too.  But they will be raised bodily only to spend a bodily, eternal existence in hell with Satan and everlastingly apart from the Lord.  However, you and all believers in Jesus will be “changed,” transfigured, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” (1 Cor 15:52) … to be like Jesus in His glory and share the everlasting joy of heaven.

Yes, brothers and sisters, the transfiguration of Jesus is a glimpse of the glory that is yours in Jesus. St. Paul says that even now by faith we reflect His glory and are being transfigured, “morphed,” changed into the likeness of Jesus, from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18). You can’t see it now with your eyes. There is no mirror to look into that will show what your life looks like that’s hidden in Christ. First you too must die and rise, just as Jesus died and rose. And then Jesus will show you what He’s been up to with you, and you will see what this glory of Jesus looks like on you. For now you must believe and trust, that when God looks at you, He sees you through His Son. And the sight is glorious for you are in Christ and Christ is in you. 

In the Name of Jesus.

 Amen.