Transfiguration Of Our Lord
Dear friends in Christ. St. Paul describes Jesus’ earthly ministry this way [Ph. 2.6]: Christ Jesus…being in the form of God [that is, being true, eternal God, one divine being together with the Father and the Holy Spirit] did not consider it robbery to be equal with God [that is, He did not cling to that and refuse to let it go] but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men [that is, the true eternal God became also a true man; that’s Christmas. And why did He do that? St. Paul continues]. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross [He became also true man so He could be our Savior.]
Today, we come to the end of the season of Epiphany. During this season of the Church Year, we come to see precisely that which Paul talks about in this verse: namely that the Baby born to the virgin Mary is indeed also the one true almighty and eternal God. Although this year is a rather short Epiphany season because Easter is on the earlier side this year, we have seen in it glimpses and glimmers of Jesus’ divine glory coming through the cloak of His humanity. Even though Jesus was found in appearance as a man, He was still true God and showed His divine nature with each of His miracles, for example. That’s what Epiphany is all about—that which is normally hidden is revealed; becomes clear and open. On this final Sunday after Epiphany, before we begin our preparations for Lent, Jesus reveals to us in His Transfiguration who He really is: not just true man, but also the true God, the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity as all of His divine glory shines through. At Jesus’ Transfiguration we catch a momentary glimpse of His eternal glory. As we do so, we see the majesty of Christ; the value of His work; and the greatness of His Kingdom.
1. Christmas is the celebration of the fact that Jesus is true man, born of the virgin; or as we heard St. Paul put it: and coming in the likeness of men. Epiphany drives home to us once again that Jesus is not just any ordinary man, but that He is the God-man. The world and the scoffers of Christianity will readily grant that yes there may have been a person, a man, Jesus of Nazareth; but they will never accept the fact that He is the God-Man, both true 100% God and true 100% man. By the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we, dear Christian, recognize and confess that Jesus is the God-Man. Our text: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. So, 6 days from what? Six days after Jesus asked them [Mt. 16.15], Who do you say that I am?, and Peter, speaking for the 12, confessed about Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Here with Jesus’ Transfiguration is the glorious confirmation of the truth of the faith of the disciples in Jesus. Jesus is indeed the Christ, the long promised Savior of the world; and He is the Son of God. Here in Jesus’ Transfiguration is the glorious confirmation of our faith. As Christians our faith in Christ is rightly placed; we have the correct object of faith—Jesus. Let the world reject and scoff. Our faith in Christ is true and correct. The Transfiguration confirms it.
Not only that, but it is not just “taking Peter’s word for it.” Again our text: Jesus was transfigured before them. Notice it’s passive; it was done to Jesus! As He was praying the appearance of His face was changed. It was done to Him by the Father. He had Jesus’ true divine glory show forth. On top of that, we also read in our text: And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, the Beloved. Listen always to Him!" Here God the Father testifies as to who Jesus really is—My Son, the Beloved—and because Jesus is so, He is to be listened to; He is the true and correct object of faith.
With Jesus’ transfiguration, as the veil concealing His divine glory is withdrawn, the fact is established: Jesus, true Man, is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. So what does this mean for us? It means that as we look and see Christ, we are seeing the face of God. What a tremendous comfort this is to us as we feel and recognize our sin; when we think that God is our enemy and that He is angry at us and out to get us. Jesus is the face and voice of God. When our sins oppress us and we feel God is our enemy out to get us, we hear the voice of Christ speaking to us in His word [Mt. 11.28]: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…You will find rest for your souls. We hear Christ telling us: Take, eat; take drink. This is My body/ This is My blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. We hear Christ’s saying [Lk 10.16]: He who hears you hears Me; and so we rejoice when we hear the pastor, as Christ’s mouthpiece, announce to us the forgiveness of our sins. Looking at Christ, the true God, we know God’s love and mercy toward us sinners. Looking at Christ weeping over Jerusalem that would soon be destroyed on account of its rejection of Him, we see the truth of Scripture that God does not desire the death of a sinner but that we repent of our sin and live.
What a glorious moment of eternal glory that was seen on the Transfiguration mount. Jesus, true man, is also the eternal Truth and Wisdom,—the almighty God.
2. Because Jesus is not just any man, but rather because He is the God-Man, that’s what gives such great value to His work! Here is our great comfort before we soon enter the Lenten season: the One who suffered and died for our sins is the almighty God Himself! That means that His suffering and death, His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of us all is indeed the one perfect, once for all sacrifice.
Our text: And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Here we meet these two great, towering figures of the OT: Moses the great Lawgiver, the one who had prophesied of the coming Messiah [Dt. 18.15]: The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear. There was also Elijah, that great prophet who in an age when so many had fallen away from faith in the true God and the coming Savior, boldly stood up and proclaimed Him. In a glorious way we see that Jesus, is the fulfillment of the OT. The law pointed forward to Jesus—all the sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus’ perfect once for all sacrifice; the moral law—the do’s and don’ts; the holy 10 Commandments—all showing us what we can’t do, show us what Jesus did do for us. Every single prophecy of the coming of the Messiah was perfectly and absolutely fulfilled in Christ—and even the prophecies of His sufferings and death and resurrection Jesus would soon carry out. That’s precisely what Moses and Elijah were talking about with Jesus: the final outcome of His suffering, death, resurrection—the saving of lost, condemned humanity—you and me.
Then in our text we read: Suddenly, when [the disciples] had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Here is a most wonderful picture—the OT prophets like Elijah and Moses had done their work; and now they were gone, only Jesus remains. What better way can it be portrayed that the OT is all about Jesus; and at the end of the day Jesus stands alone. The OT and the prophets had done their job: they had proclaimed Christ; with prophecy after prophecy they had prepared the OT saints and us by telling us all about the Person and work of the Savior—encouraging the OT saints to remain faithful; and telling us how we would know and recognize the Savior when He did come. But now Jesus had come: they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
The very fact that Jesus’ work, the work of the Savior, the God-Man, had been foretold shows the great value of Jesus’ work. Not only is it great because of Who brought it about; but it is great because Jesus, the God-Man, willingly came and did it. How wonderful this moment of eternal glory is for us that Jesus reveals on the mount of Transfiguration: He is the true God and yet in great love of us and in great mercy He freely chose death and resurrection for our sakes.
Jesus knew the prophecies; He knew what was ahead of Him. He Himself was even teaching the disciples of His suffering, death and resurrection before the Transfiguration. Jesus willingly came and carried out the work to save us from our sins and to reconcile us sinners with the Holy God and open heaven to us. Getting a glimpse of His eternal glory here shows us the great value of His work that He, the eternal God became man to be our Savior. The very fact that the Father spoke and testified of Jesus: "This is My Son, the Beloved. Listen always to Him!" is a glorious testimony that He perfectly walked in the path of obedience, doing everything to save us from our sins, and that He would continue to do so! So here, at Jesus’ transfiguration, we are assured that Jesus is indeed our Savior and He did everything to save us from our sin. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. After the veil covering His divine glory was pulled back, Jesus went down the mountain, His glory once again concealed and continuing the path to bring us salvation. Seeing His majesty, we recognize the great value of His work.
3. With His transfiguration, Jesus wanted to strengthen the disciples in their faith in Him. Peter, James and John, who witnessed Jesus in all His divine glory here, would also witness Jesus in His greatest sorrow and humiliation in Gethsemane. By seeing Jesus here in His divine glory, these disciples would be strengthened before Jesus’ impending suffering and death. And they were also strengthened in what Jesus told them about His resurrection and return in glory. They saw Jesus in His glory; they could be assured that when Jesus says that He will come on the Last Day in glory with His holy angels, He can and will. This Jesus, Whom they will see die, rejected, despised and condemned is the eternal God; the Son who will rise from the dead all glorious and ascend into heaven. Moses and Elijah are there in their glorified, heavenly bodies. They are not ghosts but are counted among the risen; their bodies were preserved from decay—just like Christ’s body would as it would rest in the tomb three days before His resurrection.
This Jesus, who looks like a despised man, is also true God with a glorious, eternal heavenly kingdom. Here on the mount of Transfiguration, we catch a glimpse of His heavenly kingdom, the Church triumphant in heaven; in other words, here is a bit of heaven on earth. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good we are here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”. Here is Christ, the God-Man, surrounded by His saints—here Moses and Elijah in glorified heavenly bodies. But notice as well the three disciples are there. Here they are bathed in light and in fellowship with the saints; here they forget the joys and sorrows of earth. Here, in this bit of heaven on earth, it is good. We were made for communion with God. To have and live in that communion is our supreme joy and delight. So here as these 3 disciples get a foretaste of the blessedness of heaven and experience the joy and greatness of Christ’s heavenly kingdom, we get a glimpse of our own future glorification and eternal in heaven.
Jesus’ Transfiguration—a moment of His eternal glory! Here we see His true majesty, that He is the true God; we see the great value of His work for our salvation; and we get a glimpse of His great heavenly kingdom which by His grace and merit we will one day in enjoy. INJ Amen