The glory of Christ, the hope of the Church

Sermon for the Transfiguration of Our Lord

2 Peter 1:16-21  +  Matthew 17:1-9

We always end the Epiphany season with this climactic celebration of the Transfiguration. There are two reasons. First, the other revelations of Christ’s glory—His miracles and His teaching—were certainly evidences of His divinity, but never for a moment did Jesus Himself appear to be anything but a lowly human being; those other epiphanies were all building up to this ultimate, visible revelation of Jesus’ glory to three of His disciples. Here in the Gospel, here on the Mount of Transfiguration, we’re finally given a glimpse of the glory that is Christ’s by nature and by right. Secondly, we’re about to follow Jesus toward the cross in our annual observance of Lent, where we’re going to lose sight, for a while, of the truth of Jesus’ glorious divinity, where we’re going to observe His glory in choosing humiliation, pain and death in order to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil. The Transfiguration gives us a glimpse of the heavenly glory that belongs to Jesus at all times, even when He appears weak and a failure. And if it belongs to Him, then it will also belong to us who have been baptized into Him.

So, first of all in today’s Gospel, know the glory that is Christ’s.

Jesus took just three of His disciples up onto the mountain with Him for the Transfiguration: Peter, James, and John. That tells us something: you didn’t have to see this glorious event in order to be one of Jesus’ followers, or even to be one of Jesus’ apostles. It was enough that three disciples should be witnesses of it. After the resurrection, Jesus gave them permission to tell the others about it. That was enough.

We may ask, why these three? These three were often the ones chosen by Jesus to witness certain miracles or certain events. We don’t why, but we can guess at it a little. Peter would stand up as a leader in Jerusalem. James would be the first martyr of the twelve apostles. And John would outlast them all, being forced to watch as the hatred of the world was poured out on the rest of the apostles and on the young Christian Church. It would be good for these three to have a special revelation of Jesus’ glory.

They went up on the mountain, and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

This is the glory that no one would have ever guessed by looking at Jesus. He normally looked “normal,” like any man. He wore a normal man’s clothes—not even the clothing of the rich, much less clothing that was white as the light. He talked with normal men—even with the outcasts and the sinners. He certainly didn’t normally go around talking with the sainted prophets.

But here, for a moment, Jesus shows His three disciples how not normal He really is. He is God, and He is surrounded by the great believers of the past. Moses is a witness for the Law. Elijah is a witness for the Prophets. They all had been pointing to this Man, to Jesus the Christ, who had to come into the world as a Man, and live, and die, and live again in order to make atonement for the sins of the world and to bring His atonement to sinners through the Gospel. These famous Old Testament prophets were faithful to God in life, and even now they were not dead. They were alive and shared in the glory of Christ.

That brings us to our second point this morning: Knowing the glory that is Christ’s, remember the glory that awaits the Church.

Moses grew up around pagans in the palace of Pharaoh. He murdered an Egyptian at age 40, was exiled for 40 years, then spent the next 40 years trudging through the desert leading a stubborn and disobedient people who kept him from entering the Promised Land. He died right there on the edge of Canaan. Elijah spent his entire ministry opposing the wicked kings and queens of Israel, confronting the idolatry of Israel, feeling like he was all alone in the world as a believer in the true God who had promised to send the Christ one day. For as great as these men were in their day, for as great as the miracles were that they performed, neither of them saw days of peace on earth. Both of them were sinners who lived in hope—hope of a future peace, a future glory, a future without the evils of this world surrounding them and pressing down on them at every moment, a future in the presence of God.

God shows us in the Transfiguration what the outcome was for them. They were not disappointed. They obtained the blessed crown of life. They shared in the glory of Jesus. They were able to look back on the story of this world as those who had already read to the end of the book. They know that it all ends well for Christ and for the people of Christ.

Here God gives us a vision, a picture of our hope as Christians. This is what we have to look forward to: blessed conversation with Jesus in glory, separated forever from the filth and from the insanity of this world, freed from our sins and failures, free from having our souls tormented by the horrific wickedness in which this world seems to be drowning. Jesus and His apostles were not joking when they taught us to long for that day when He returns. The more you feel the weight of the world’s wickedness pressing down on you, the more hope the Transfiguration offers, because not only is this the glory that awaits those who persevere in the faith until the end, but this glorious Jesus is even now reigning in the midst of man’s wretchedness, somehow turning the course of this hate-filled world to benefit His holy Church, so that we and many others may reach the glorious finish line.

That brings us to our third and final point this morning. What to do now? Very simply, listen in humility until the glory is revealed.

Peter wants to stay on the mountain: Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. We can sympathize with Peter. But the Father knows the disciples have to go back down the mountain. The Transfiguration has been a blessed reprieve in their journey; they haven’t reached the finish line yet.

So what are the Father’s instructions? He speaks from the bright cloud: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! Listen to My beloved Son!

But, but, Jesus had told His disciples just six days earlier that He would have to suffer and bear the cross! That they, too, would have to suffer and bear the cross for His sake! Yes, says the Father. Listen to Him! It’s true! He must suffer and die, and you must deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow Him. The path of the cross is painful and deadly to your flesh, but it’s the only path that ends in glory and in life. So hear Him! Listen to Him! That’s the only way you’ll be able to walk the path of the cross.

We, too, would love to be in heaven already. We might wish that we didn’t have to face another day in this world (and if you don’t wish that now, I promise, you will before the end comes). The world is crumbling. We’re losing our rights. We’re losing our freedoms. Children are being murdered, on both sides of the womb. The borders are being breeched. Sex trafficking is going on all around us. We’re literally surrounded by a world that has openly abandoned God. And the Christian Gospel has been reduced to a still small voice in the world.

Yes, yes, I know, says God the Father. Now here’s what I want you to do. Hear Him! Listen to My beloved Son! I give Him to you as Savior from sin and as Ruler at My right hand. Listen to His Gospel when it is preached! Really listen! Really work at paying attention! And when you feel like you’re immersed in the world’s raging and in the devil’s temptations, let the words of My Son rise up in your ears and in your hearts above the chaos and let them drown out the world below!

What we do here in the Church, what we confess, what we believe, what we focus on seems increasingly irrelevant to and at odds with the daily life we have to live in the world. This here hardly seems real. But the Transfiguration reminds us that the opposite is really true. This here—the preaching of the word of Christ and the administration of the Sacraments of Christ—is what’s real and what’s eternal, while the antics of society will soon be over and done. Heaven and earth will pass away, Jesus says, but My words will never pass away. So hear Him and see to it that His words bring you back to the reality every day, not just on Sundays. As Peter wrote in the Epistle, we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

The day will surely dawn when we see the glory of Jesus with our eyes, when the hope of the Church is fulfilled. Until that day, hear Him in humility and keep your eyes trained on Christ crucified, who, by His death, has purchased for you the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, who, by His glorious resurrection, has conquered death, and who, by His word and Sacraments, will strengthen and preserve you in the faith, so that one day, with your own eyes, you will see Him and join Him in His glory. Amen.