Good to Be Here!

Transfiguration Sunday (Feb 3, 2008)

Rev. Steven D. Spencer – Pastor Messiah Lutheran Church

St. Matthew 17:1-9

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

I.       Mountain Top Experience

Some people love the ocean, some love going to the lake, but for me, I love the mountains. There is something about being above timberline, above the clouds, in the clean, crisp alpine air that makes me feel near to God. I imagine that Peter, James and John were wondering: “Can it get better than this?” They were on a high mountain with Jesus. Now Jesus is being transfigured.

He's not shining because of some light from heaven, no this light comes from within; clearly confirming that He's the Son of God. Moses and Elijah are presence with Him also, speaking to Jesus as their Lord and discussing His upcoming Exodus. This is awe-inspiring.

It's a glorious moment, especially considering that mishap just six days before. When Jesus asked who the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered correctly “Thou art the Christ.” That was well and good, except when Jesus went on to tell about how He'd be betrayed and crucified and raised again. Then Peter rebuked Him for such an unimaginable set of events, and really wouldn’t we have done the same in that situation? Jesus rebuked Peter as Satan in sight of all. It was a humbling moment for him, though he eventually would know the Lord was right. No matter how much he spoke out of sincere concern, this is true: in trying to prevent Jesus from the cross, he was trying to prevent the salvation of the world. That was a low moment for Peter, not like this moment at all. This is a good deal. This is glory and triumph and the feeling that everything is okay, this is what Peter had hoped for!

So let's keep it this way. Let's stay a while. Peter suggests, "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." Jesus is present with a couple of His greatest prophets, and there's no danger or threat to be found. It's truly a mountaintop experience, and Peter wouldn't mind if it lasted a good long time. It’s like one of those experiences that we have at youth camp in the mountains. Why return to the hustle and bustle that awaits below!

But look out Peter, you’re doing it again. There's no doubt that this Transfiguration is glorious, a cause for great joy. But if Jesus follows Peter's plan and camps out on this mountain, it means He's stopped going toward Jerusalem and cross. As glorious as the Transfiguration is, there’s no sacrifice of sin here. There's no atonement, no redemption while Jesus is here. This isn't where the victory over sin, death and the devil will be won. That triumph is reserved for a little mountain, a hill actually, called Calvary.

Peter's got it wrong again: that’s true of all who are made of sinful flesh, Peter much prefers glory to suffering. This glimpse of glory grabs him, and he surely wishes it could remain this way, with no betrayal, no death none of the things that Jesus had mentioned. But wishing doesn't make it so, and Peter must be set straight once again. This time, it won’t be Jesus who does the rebuking. A cloud overshadows the mountaintop, and not just any cloud. This is the Old Testament cloud, the kind that led the people of Israel out of Egypt, the kind that filled the temple. God the Father has arrived, and it is He who will be doing the speaking:

"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!"

You've heard that sentence before, word for word. God the Father spoke from the cloud at Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan. "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," He said while Jesus was baptized, confirming that Jesus was doing His Father's will. Now, Jesus wasn't baptized in order to be transfigured on this mountaintop. He was baptized in order to take the place of sinners, to have their sins washed onto Him so that He could carry that burden to the cross. "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," the Father said back then, and He repeats it now. His beloved Son is still on the road to completing the plan of salvation; and in doing so; He declares that the plan is still in effect. Jesus didn't become flesh to be transfigured; He was far more glorious in appearance before He became flesh. No, this glimpse of His glory, on the mountain, is only a passing moment before the journey to Jerusalem, a far more glorious moment, the glory of His Passion and the cross. There, Jesus won't look glorious at all; but there He wins redemption for the world.

Thus, the Father adds one instruction: "Hear Him!, Listen to Him" Listen to what Jesus declares, because what He says is a powerful, life-giving message. In that Word, He'll declare to Peter everything he needs to know. As He has told him once, He will tell him again and again: He must be crucified, but He will rise again from the dead. Hear Him, because faith comes by hearing (Rom 10:17). The memory of Jesus' transfiguration will fade, even as Jesus' glorious light does now; but no matter what the appearance of things around, His message remains true!

“This is My beloved son listen to Him!”

When Jesus and the three disciples come down from the mountain, Peter still won’t get it. He'll still choose experience and his own plans over the Word. When Jesus predicts His cross again, Peter won't like It anymore than before; and when he sees that the cross only a few hours away, he'll even deny the Savior three times.

But the Lord is merciful to Peter, and continues to speak His Word to him. And eventually, in his second epistle, Peter writes about the Transfiguration. Note carefully what he says by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

“¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. ²¹For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:16–21

So, says Peter, he and the others saw the glory and majesty of Christ on the mountain, even as they heard the Father speak from the cloud. The voice from heaven confirmed the glory of the Son, and the Son in His glory confirmed the Word. Peter's hearers didn't see the Transfiguration, but Peter tells them they have something better: they have Scripture, the very Word of God. They don’t see the Savior. Yet they still hear Him.

II.     The Plain

'Tis good, Lord, to be here; yet we may not remain.

But since Thou bid'st us leave the mount, come with us to the plain.

We just sang that final verse in our sermon hymn.  These are words we should take to heart; this isn’t just repeating Peter's phrase about a distant mountaintop. Dear brothers and sisters, it’s good to be here. Why? Because this place, this sanctuary, has something preciously in common with that mountaintop of Matthew 17. In both places, the Lord is present, working for the good of His people. That's why it is good to be here, because Jesus is here; there’s no better place to be than with Jesus. Throughout this Epiphany season, especially with so few Sundays within, the Gospel lessons have been centered on how the Lord makes Himself known to us today. He reveals Himself in His Word and Sacraments, the means of grace which are taken so lightly today. They don’t glow from within with the Lord's visible glory, but neither did Jesus except for in our text. He is here, He is here with life, healing and salvation. How can you know? Because He says so in His Word. How can you know that? Because you follow the Father's command and you "Hear Him." In His Word, you hear He is here.

But, there lies the danger: by nature, we look for God in the "mountaintop experience," an event that's memorable and exhilarating. A special time that stands out. You may find yourself trying to discern God's will for you by an unusual event that happened today, rather than by searching the Scriptures. You may believe you have experienced God because of an emotional exhilaration in the great outdoors, a rugged mountain view, the glorious of constellations on a clear night. You may judge the final quality of a worship service because guitar and drums got you feeling "charged," or because the exquisite rituals were done to perfection. Just recently, I was advised that all I had to do to make the church grow was to make worship so exciting and so sensational that people would say, "Hey, we're missing church, it’s a happening place.” Well, little chance of that happening.

This is a real temptation: many who experience something extraordinary believe that they’ve finally found God. He's nearer here than anywhere else. And suddenly, Divine Service 3 seems so routine, that God can't be here.

That’s the way human nature works: people want a continuous mountaintop experience. But when they return to the plain, and they will, it seems so very plain, much too ordinary for God to be at work.

Before I go on, let me suggest this isn’t logical. Mountaintop experiences are, by nature, rare. If they were common, they’d become routine and people would want something different. An example of this is TV shows: something that's exciting for one season must be tweaked and enhanced; otherwise, it becomes old hat.

Mountaintop experiences are rare in our lives: that's what makes them mountaintop experiences. So here's the question: do you really want a God so distant that He only comes to you occasionally, in a rare spectacular moment? Or is it better to have a faith where the Lord is constantly present with His people?

This dear Christians is a great cause for rejoicing: the Lord is constantly present with His people. He is present here by His means of grace. You need never grow tired of the "routine" of worship. Your Old Adam will seek to make you as bored and dissatisfied as possible, because your Old Adam doesn't want you to receive this constant dose of life and salvation. Don't fall into that trap.

Except for the occasional mountaintop, you are on the plain. It's good to be here, because the Lord is with you here; and because He is with you here, you know that the mountaintop of the Zion of heaven awaits. He guides and sustains you with this promise: as He was transfigured to demonstrate His Godhead on that mountain, so He will also transform you from a dying body to a resurrected body forever. The glory is not yet seen, but it is yours. Why? Because transfiguration isn’t the end, the Mount of Calvary is. And because of that Mount you can know without a doubt that all your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name, AMEN!

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus! AMEN!