The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
St. Luke 9:28-36
Chosen to Be Crucified
The Transfiguration of Our Lord, Last Sunday after the
Epiphany, 10 February 2013
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
(For an Elder to Read)
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Today is the Last
Sunday after the Epiphany. For the last (five) weeks, we have seen Jesus
revealed as God in flesh. Each week it has been a new Epiphany. Let us recall
all that we have seen. The Magi called Him the King of the Jews. At His
Baptism, the Father called Him His Beloved Son. The Wedding at Cana showed
Jesus to be the Creator. Jesus of Nazareth is the Great Teacher and Miracle
Worker, in fulfillment of Scripture. A fishing trip showed Jesus to be the Lord.
In recent weeks, we learned that Jesus blesses us and that He loves us.
This week is the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, also known
as the Transfiguration of Our Lord. We are taught the meaning of the word,
Transfiguration, as Jesus is revealed to us once again in St. Luke’s Gospel
account.
Now about eight days after these sayings [Jesus] took with
him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was
praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling
white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who
appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish
at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep,
but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood
with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus,
"Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you
and one for Moses and one for Elijah"— not knowing what he said.
As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed
them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of
the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!"
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything
of what they had seen.
Now about eight days after these sayings….We have to go back
and read the prior five verses to discover what “these sayings” were.
And he [Jesus] said to all, "If anyone would come after
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever
would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will
save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or
forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the
Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father
and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."
These words of Jesus properly prepare us for what we are
about to see. The kingdom of God comes in Jesus. After today, there should be
no doubt about that in a disciple’s mind. The disciples will get a peek at the
future glory of their Lord. The kingdom has come.
But Jesus still has work to do before it comes in all its
fullness. Jesus prepares us for what happens after this mountaintop
experience—a cross. That is the work that lays before Him. He says, “If anyone
would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me.” After the Transfiguration would be the road to the cross.
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him
Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was
praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became
dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish
at Jerusalem.
This is not an ordinary occurrence—even for the disciples.
Consider how you might have reacted—seeing what Peter, James and John see in
front of their very eyes. And they had never seen television, movies, or
special effects—just this real thing! The glorious splendor of the Lord was
revealed!
St. John, about sixty years later, records a similar
experience in Revelation 1: Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to
me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the
lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden
sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as
snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze,
refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from
his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining
in full strength.
The Transfiguration is a unique event in the lives of these
disciples. Not only was their Lord and Master glowing in front of them, but
Moses and Elijah show up as well. And the disciples could recognize them!
Moses had experienced the glory of the Lord before. Consider
Exodus 24: Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the
mountain. The glory of the Lord
dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day
he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the
glory of the Lord was like a devouring
fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses
entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain
forty days and forty nights.
Moses and Elijah, as they spoke with Jesus, knew what was
about to happen. Jesus would suffer. He would die. They knew He would rise from
the dead. The Transfiguration is a foretaste of Christ’s future glory that we
read about in the book of Revelation. It is comforting to us. It also reveals
how much Jesus loved us. He put aside that glory and took upon human flesh so
that your sins could be forgiven. God would not be revealed in glory on the
cross. God would be revealed in suffering and death.
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep,
but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood
with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus,
"Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you
and one for Moses and one for Elijah"— not knowing what he said.
I cannot imagine being sleepy enough to have missed the
beginning of this, but Peter, James, and John were. They have developed a bad
habit. It seems every time Jesus goes to pray, they fall asleep. When they woke
up, they could not have missed the impact of what was going on. It must have
been a complete shock., “Master, it is good for us to be here,” Peter says.
“Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
(He did not know what he was saying.) I don’t think you or I would do any
better, even though we do have TV, movies, and special effects. Peter will soon
learn that if they were to stay, Jesus would not be able to depart for
Jerusalem—and His cross.
As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed
them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of
the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!"
We cannot help but reminded of how Jesus was revealed as God
in flesh on the day of His Baptism (Luke 3) Now when all the people were
baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens
were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove;
and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well
pleased."
The Beloved Son is also the Son who we are to listen to. The
Beloved Son was chosen by God to go to Jerusalem to be crucified. Elijah and
Moses spoke with Jesus about His departure, which He was about to bring to
fulfillment at Jerusalem.
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
The Transfiguration is over. Moses is gone. Elijah is gone.
It is not appropriate to be asking about building shelters now. Jesus bids them
to come with Him down the mountain. It is time to depart for Jerusalem. They
may not remain on the mount of Transfiguration.
And they kept silent and told no one in those days
anything of what they had seen.
Earlier in this chapter, Jesus gave the disciples a similar
warning to be silent for a time. Now it happened that as he was praying alone,
the disciples were with him. And he asked them, "Who do the crowds say
that I am?" And they answered, "John the Baptist. But others say,
Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen." Then he
said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered,
"The Christ of God." And he strictly charged and commanded them to
tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and
be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on
the third day be raised."
The Son of Man suffered many things and was rejected
by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and He was killed and on
the third day was raised to life. After that time, once Jesus accomplished what
God chose Him to do, the disciples shared the message. They boldly proclaimed
who He is and what He has done for all. Jesus is the Son of God. The Son of God
was Chosen to die—for you.
Today, you have been given the privilege of sharing
that Jesus is the Christ of God. Often, sadly, we behave like the disciples on
the day of Transfiguration—we unfortunately remain silent as if we lived in
those days.
As a pastor entered the church early one Sunday
morning, he was met by a [concerned member].
“When I came to unlock the church, Pastor,” the
trustee said in a serious tone, “I found the front door wide open.”
“Oh?” replied the pastor. “Did you find anything
damaged or missing?”
“Nah,” said the trustee. “I looked all over the church
and found no signs of evangelism anywhere.” Sadly, his Freudian slip was
showing.
In contrast, there is the iconic TV commercial of a
vehicle colliding with a cement wall during a safety test. When someone asked
an executive of [that car company] why they do not enforce their patent on an
energy-absorbing car body, a design copied by other companies because of its
success, he replies, matter-of-factly, “Because some things in life are too
important not to share.”
How true. In that category also falls the gospel of
salvation, which saves people from far more than auto collisions.
Today we gather on a mount where heaven meets with
earth. We have fellowship with God in His Word and His Sacraments. We have even
been forgiven for remaining silent. But we, like Moses and Elijah, have spoken here
of Jesus’ departure: His crucifixion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. And
we know He will come again. As we depart this mount of Transfiguration today
and go out into the world, let us not be silent, but tell everyone what we have
seen. Let us tell the Good News about Jesus using the very words we have
learned and spoken here. Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
