And after six days, Jesus takes along Peter and James and John and brings them up into a high mountain, in private, alone. And He was metamorphed before them, and His clothing became glistening, very white, such that a bleacher upon the earth is not able to whiten so. And appeared to them Elijah and Moses and they were speaking with Jesus. And answering, Peter says to Jesus, "My Great One, it is excellent for us to be here, and let us make three tents, for You one and for Moses one and for Elijah one." For he didn't know what he answered, for they had become afraid. And a cloud came overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My Son, the Beloved, you keep hearing Him!" And suddenly, having looked around, they no longer saw anyone if not Jesus alone with them. And as they were going down out of the mountain, He ordered them that they should tell no one what they saw, if not whenever the Son of Man should rise out of the dead ones. And they held this word fast to themselves, speaking together, "What is ‘out of the dead ones'?"
Today we have before us a most amazing episode in Jesus' life, His transfiguration in heavenly glory before three disciples. He talks with two other glorified saints, Moses & Elijah, come down from heaven. But why does Jesus transform on this mountain at this time? What is the purpose of this spectacular event which brought much fear & confusion to His disciples? Our first clue: "after 6 days" 6 days earlier, Jesus asks these same disciples Who He is? Peter speaks up, "You are the Christ, Son of the living God!" Then, Jesus explains what it meant to be God's Son, and the disciples didn't like it. Peter dared to rebuke Jesus. Big mistake. You and I are tempted to make the same mistake. You want a Jesus made in your image, who you think He ought to be, doing only what you want. At His transfiguration, the Father uses this occasion to remind them and us "This is My Son". Being God's Son means the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Jesus is a chip off the old block, the spitting image of His Father. People had that image once in the Garden of Eden. Jesus brings that heavenly image back down to earth for you! He restores the lost image of God to Adam's offspring. He put that image upon you at your baptism, where you became a son of God yourself, adopted into His family. Now, this overwhelming experience on transfiguration mount was a frightening one. His 3 disciples are rightly terrified, because they are sinners standing before their holy God. Moses & Elijah aren't scared though. You may look down on the disciples as foolish for being so timid, but you are in the same boat as them. You have sinned. You fall way short of the glory of God. You deserve wrath. But Jesus didn't show His heavenly glory upon the mountain for the sake of fear. He came down from heaven for the sake of something else: love! The Father uses the transfiguration as an occasion to say, "This is...My Beloved!" This is much more than the Father being pleased with Jesus. Jesus is agape love, the very love of God personified. Jesus brings His love on earth at the +, giving His body unto death & shedding His blood for your forgiveness, eternal love you eat & drink this festival day! As exciting as all this appears on the mount, it's not about the sight itself. Peter thought it was, trying to preserve this spectacle in tents, since it was such an intense occasion. You fall for the same bait, focusing your attention on the things that appear the most exciting, interesting and fascinating. But appearances can be misleading. Which is why quickly Jesus returns to his normal appearance. Once again, the Father uses this as an occasion to remind all that what you see isn't as important as what you hear. We walk by faith, not by sight, because faith comes from hearing. So the Father says, "You keep on listening to Him!" For it is the Word of Jesus that you need to hear. It says to you, "I came down from heaven for you, lived perfectly in your stead, died for you, and am raised from the dead for you!" By His death Jesus destroyed your death. He has raised you up to eternal life in Him! So on this Festival of our Lord's Transfiguration, this surreal-seaming metamorphosis is explained quite nicely by God the Father. "This is my Son, the One of-God's-Own-love, you keep hearing Him!" For Jesus, the Son of God brings you into mystical union with Himself that you too have become a Son of God at your baptism. Jesus feeds you this day with Himself, within the bread & wine, that the One Who is God's love may be in you too. Jesus keeps on speaking to you in sermons like this one, that His saving gospel proclaims: "You are redeemed by Jesus at the + of Calvary, where He gave Himself for your sake, took away all of your sins, and covers you in His bright white righteousness!"
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