Transfiguration: What Was the Point?

[This sermon was shared during worship with the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, this morning.]

Matthew 17:1-9
In Tucson, Arizona, they have laws limiting the brightness of street lights at night. These regulations exist to avoid interfering with what astronomers call “good seeing” at a nearby telescope.

Maybe that was why Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain, as we’re told about in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus may have wanted to give these three key followers, the ones He had chosen to be the leaders of His leadership group, “good seeing,” a clear vision of Who He is. The account of what happened that day also shows us Who Jesus can be for every one of us.

What Peter, James, and John saw was spectacular! While standing on top of that mountain, Jesus was “transfigured...and His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.”

Then, two Old Testament figures showed up. One was Moses, the one to whom God gave the Ten Commandments and who was Israel’s leader out of Egypt, through the wilderness, about 1500 years before the birth of Jesus. The other was Elijah, a prophet whose ministry began about 870 years before Jesus was born and came to an end when God sent a chariot to taxi him to heaven. The two of them represent the two great strains of Old Testament tradition, the law and the prophets.

You can imagine that Peter and the others were impressed by the amazing sight of the transfigured Jesus, along with these important Old Testament people!

Peter was so impressed, in fact, that he spoke up, foot firmly in mouth as almost always was the case with him, and said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” That word translated as dwellings could mean everything from huts to temples. I think it’s safe to bet that Peter was thinking in grander terms at that moment. He wanted to build three religious shrines.

It didn’t take long for his suggestion to be vetoed. A bright cloud came down from heaven and from it, the voice of God the Father said, “This is My Son, the Beloved; with Him I am well pleased; listen to Him!”

This command to listen to Jesus would have hit Peter with a jab! Just six days before, Peter had confessed his belief that Jesus was the Son, or the very reflection, of God, on earth to be our Savior and King. Jesus applauded Peter's answer. But then He told Peter and the others that He was to be crucified in Jerusalem and rise again on the third day after His death.

The very mention of such a possibility had been repulsive to Peter. "This will never happen to You, Lord," Peter tried to tell Jesus. But Jesus, angered by this well-intentioned attempt to thwart Him in His mission of dying and rising for us, turned to Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan." "Listen," Jesus was telling Peter, "to what I'm saying; not what you want Me to say!"

Now, on the mount of Transfiguration, Peter clammed up and, along with the other two disciples, fell to the ground, terrified. Jesus went to them and He touched them and He told them, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” As the three lifted themselves off the ground and tentatively looked, they discovered that, Moses, Elijah, the cloud, and the dazzling brightness were gone. Only Jesus remained.

So, what was the point of Jesus’ transfiguration? There were many points, I suppose. But I want to zero in on just a few this morning.

Point number one clearly was that Jesus is God the Son, God in the flesh, come to earth with the full approval of God the Father.

Point number two is seen in God’s implicit rejection of Peter’s proposal to build three shrines. Three years ago, Ann’s mom took her on a trip to the Mediterranean. Among their stops were Rome and the Vatican. I was interested in Ann’s impressions of this place with its grand basilica and priceless works of Christian art. I shouldn’t have been surprised by her reaction, but I was. Like virtually every person I have ever known to go there, Ann said that she had been totally turned off by all the money spent on a religious shrine and wondered whether God is really glorified by it all.

Be that as it may, we know that God isn’t necessarily glorified by buildings, icons, symbols, rituals, or holy words. The Bible says that we, followers of Jesus, are the temples of God. In other places, it says that we’re to be living stones built on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Too often, our religious stuff may be nothing more than monuments to our own egos and supposed piety. But the God we know through Jesus Christ doesn’t build His kingdom with brick and mortar. He builds it in the lives of those who turn from sin and follow Jesus. That, I’m sure, is one reason that God cut Peter off when he offered to start a construction project.

A third point that I think we’re to take from the Transfiguration may be the most important one. It can be seen in that simple, moving moment when Jesus approached the frightened disciples, touched them, and told them to get up and not be afraid. The God we meet in Jesus Christ wants to touch us with His love, to bring us God’s forgiveness, and to banish fear from our lives.

A Physics professor from a prestigious university called on a pastor. As the pastor tells it, the professor “was a very intelligent man…haunted by irrational fears and worries that were interfering with his work and making his life miserable.” The physicist’s fears, as often is true of our irrational fears, were born of shame he felt over past sins. He had repented many times and had certainly been forgiven by God. But God’s grace seemed too good to be true. He had blocked forgiveness—and God Himself—from his life and so, allowed fear the final say in his day to day living.

After some discussion, the pastor suggested that “every night…[before] going to bed, [the professor] place a chair beside his bed and tell himself that Jesus was sitting in that chair all night, watching over him and lifting the burden from his shoulders.”

The professor was skeptical. “That sort of fantasy is for children,” he said. The pastor reminded him that the Bible tells us to come to Christ like little children. Maybe that was because children found it easier to trust God than most adults do. “All you need is a grain of faith—one about the size of mustard seed will do,” the pastor said.

Reluctantly, the physicist agreed to try the pastor’s prescription. After two weeks, he called the church office. “I was about ready to give up on that idea of yours. But two nights ago…suddenly I knew…that the Lord actually was there beside me. I’m sure of it. And I believe the grip that guilt and fear and worry and all that depressing stuff had on me is broken. For the first time in years, I actually feel free.” The man was free of his fears because he allowed Christ to come into his life and touch him where he lived.

When we let Christ reach out to us where we live each day, everything changes. A pastor was driving along a country road, came to a corner, and saw an elderly woman walking along with a heavy load in her arms. He stopped beside her, rolled down his window, explained that he was the pastor of a neighboring church, and offered the woman a ride. She recognized him and said that she would love a ride. She climbed into the front seat and closed the door. As they pulled away, the pastor asked her, “Why don’t you put that load in the back seat?” “Oh, it’s kind enough of you to give me a ride. I can still carry this, though,” she said. They rode in silence for a time and then the pastor said, “Thank you for giving me an inspiration for my next Sunday message.” “How did I do that?” the woman wondered. “Well, I think our relationship with God is a lot like you and that heavy package you’re still holding in your arms. We trust God to get us through life, but not to help carry the burdens.”

The God Who came to this world and touched the frightened disciples on the mountain, Who went to a cross and rose from a grave, wants to come to you this morning and each day of your life. He wants to help you carry your burdens. He wants to be your chief counselor, the One you turn to even when the whole world seems to have turned away.

This week, why not make this your prayer at the beginning of each day?: “Lord Jesus, all day long, help me to see You and Your greatness. And please, Lord, when I’m afraid, touch Me, with Your compassionate Love.”

And then, like the disciples becalmed by Jesus on the mountain, face your day with confidence and a hope that nothing can destroy!