February 15, 2015 The Transfiguration of our Lord Text: Mark 9:2-9 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son; listen to him. 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (ESV). The Truth That Sets Us Free In the very nature of things, we human beings are inherently skeptical. You ve, no doubt, noticed that everywhere we go people find fault with the Bible. The media, liberal church bodies, politically-correct preachers, and ungodly university professors teach us to believe that the Bible is nothing but a bunch of myths. But with regard to Christ s Transfiguration, the apostle Peter wants to tell us that there s nothing mythological about it. He says, For 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. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father... we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18) And surely the apostle John must have had the Transfiguration in mind when he said of Jesus, We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 1 I want to say it again: Peter and John were eyewitnesses of Christ s glory. They refuse to see the Transfiguration as a myth. And these two put their lives on the line to defend Christ s whole ministry of miracles. They want to say to you and me that these events really happened! And all but one of the apostles were put to death for defending the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So, against all of today s cynics, I believe, teach, and confess that the Scriptures are reliable, trustworthy, and true. And I know you do too. So let us go to the mountaintop. And what we see and hear is remarkable. We discover that the truth that sets us free from sin, death, and the devil is revealed in this singularly unique event. Page 1 of 5
Our text gives an especially clear revelation of Jesus identity and work. On the Mt. of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John are permitted to see in advance who Jesus really is and what he came to do. Three miraculous events take place. The first is Christ s transfiguration itself; the second is his conversation with Moses and Elijah; and the third is the voice that comes from heaven. They all bear witness to Christ. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, these events will enable us to see the truth that sets us free. Let us look at the first miracle, the transfiguration itself where we learn exactly who Jesus is. Not long before this, Peter made his great confession of faith when he said of Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 2 And now Peter and the other two disciples would see proof of this up close and personal. On the mountaintop Jesus' whole appearance was suddenly changed. His face now shone like the sun itself. And his garments became radiant and intensely white because they were not able to contain the majesty of our Lord's radiant and glorified human body. The Greek word that Mark uses to describe Christ s transfiguration is metamorphoō, from which we get the English word metamorphosis. 3 Jesus body underwent a true metamorphosis, a metamorphosis so great that the rays of his deity shined through his humanity. Who could doubt it? Divine majesty and glory belonged to him! The Scriptures confirm this marvelous fact, for as St. Paul said of Christ, In him dwells all the fullness of the deity bodily! 4 In this glimpse of glory, Peter and the others received confirmation that Jesus of Nazareth was far more than a mere man. He is here revealed to us as the man who is also God. That is, he is 100% God and 100% man. He is, therefore, neither a superior man nor an inferior god. He is true God and true man in one singularly unique person. Now, let us look at the second miracle. Our text reveals an amazing conversation. In full view of the three apostles, Moses and Elijah appeared. The two of them began conversing with the glorified Christ. What a striking scene! Here we see dramatic confirmation that there is life after this life. People sometimes ask, Will I know my loved ones in heaven? Will I recognize them? Yes you will. You see, just as the three apostles knew who Moses and Elijah were, you will certainly know, recognize, and enjoy a happiness that will never end. You will be with Christ and your loved ones for all eternity. On the mountaintop, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were talking about Christ s great mission. St. Luke alone records the substance of this conversation. He writes, [They] spoke of his departure (Gk: exodus) which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. 5 His exodus refers to his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. This is the greatest and highest theme in heaven and on earth. And Page 2 of 5
Peter, James, and John got a remarkable preview of it all of this on this holy mountain. The cross was what our Lord s life was all about. That s what Moses and Elijah were talking about. That s what Peter and the others must figure out. That s what we must also affirm without a doubt. There is a third miracle on the mountaintop. A cloud suddenly engulfed them. And out of the cloud came the voice of the heavenly Father. He says of the transfigured Jesus, This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. 6 Yes, Jesus is the very Son of God. Moreover, the Father told the disciples to listen to his Son. Heretofore, Yahweh alone was to be heard and obeyed, 7 but now the Father commands that his Son be heard and obeyed also. This can only mean that the Son of God is fully God as well. Let me repeat the command given to the apostles, namely, Listen to [Jesus]. We are to do the same. To us, Jesus says, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 8 To his sheep, Jesus says, I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. 9 There is a reason why we are commanded to listen with our ears and not to see with our eyes. Hearing interprets what is seen. Whether we see Jesus clothed in eternal glory on this mountain or naked and bleeding while hanging on Calvary s cross we are to believe what the Word says not what the eye sees. So I ask you to look at Christ on the cross. The eye sees injustice. But the Word says the Father is well pleased. The eye sees innocence. But the Word says he is guilty because our sins have become his. The eye sees suffering. But the Word says it is atonement. The eye sees death. But the Word says it is redemption. The eye sees humiliation. But the he Word says that his death is victory. The eyes sees a sealed tomb. But the Word says, The stone was rolled away. He is not here. He is risen! When we listen to Jesus we are listening to him who is the incarnate Word. We are listening to him who is the way, and the truth, and the life. 10 Where, then, do we find the truth of Jesus? Answer: In the Word, i.e., in the Scriptures. The Gospels record the words, deeds, and teachings of Jesus. The rest of the New Testament is the apostolic word. In them, the apostles record what Jesus taught them and, by extension, what he wants to teach us and have us believe. Yes, the Scriptures are the way the only way to understand who Jesus is, what he has done for us, and the means by which the Holy Spirit works saving faith in our hearts. Yes, listen to him! One of the problems with the Church today is that it no longer teaches what the Scriptures Page 3 of 5
teach. It has jettisoned the Scriptures in favor of dispensational dementia, or in health, wealth, and happiness theology, or in emptying the doctrine of justification by grace alone and replacing it with decision theology. Thus many church-goers have no confidence that heaven will be their home. They only hope it will be. But the apostle John says, These things I have written to you, that you may know that you have eternal life. 11 A true story: Some time ago Channel 8 TV aired a moving story about Sharla Butler. She was a member of Lancaster High s track team. One day she was overcome with seizures. They only worsened and got more frequent. Less than an hour before her death, she shared some precious minutes with her loving father who was at her bedside. In a soft voice, her last words were, Daddy, if I die, do you think I have a chance to make it to heaven? 12 I almost cried when I heard those words on the video clip because she was an active church member. Yet she asks, Daddy do you think I have a chance to make it to heaven? How sad. Beloved, we don t have to hope we will be in heaven. We can be sure--because another man, Jesus, earned the way for us by his sinless life and substitutionary death on our behalf. Simple trust in him guarantees eternal life. Jesus is the truth. He is the truth that sets us free. He is the truth that sets us free from the devil, the world and our flesh. Yes, he sets us free from believing the world s promise that we will be happy if we only do this or acquire that. Yes, he sets us free from the condemnation of all of our sins. For God has declared us not guilty in Christ. And if God has declared us not guilty, we are not guilty, indeed! May God grant us this certainty both now and forevermore. In the name of Jesus: Amen. Soli Deo Gloria! Page 4 of 5
Endnotes 1 See John 1:14, NKJV. 2 See Matthew 16:16 which is the fullest reply. In Mark s Gospel, Peter gives a shorter reply, saying, You are the Christ (Mark 8:29). In Luke, Peter says of Jesus, [You are] the Christ of God (Luke 9:20). 3 See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/metamorphosis. 4 See Colossians 2:9. 5 See Luke 9:31. 6 See Matthew 17:5. 7 Consider Deuteronomy 13:4: You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Also see Deuteronomy 26:17: You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. 8 See John 8:31-32, ESV. 9 See John 10:28, ESV. 10 See John 14:6. 11 See 1 John 5:13 (author s translation following the exact word order of the Greek). 12 See the story at http://www.wfaa.com/story/sports/2014/08/07/13513406. The original broadcast was aired on February 9, 2009. Page 5 of 5