We Have Seen His Glory

Pastor Phillips' Sermon

Sunday, March 5, 2006

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you that you have brought us to this place today, to this place where we can worship you, where we can pray to you, where we can hear your word. Bless us now. Comfort us. Strengthen us. Equip us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The basis for our meditation is the gospel reading, which Pastor Meyer just read, from Matthew 17:1-13 and it tells that story, that spectacular story of Jesus going up on the high mountain with Peter, James, and John and He takes them up on that place. And, as the disciples watch from a distance, His appearance changes. His face is shining like the sun, and His clothing becomes as bright as light. Then Moses and Elijah appear, and the voice of God the Father speaks, “This is my Son.”

What is the point of all this? What is the meaning behind this story? That's what we're going to aim at today in our discussion. Some years ago, there was a fire in a chemical plant and it was just this huge inferno. All these chemical combinations were exploding and burning. Several fire departments responded to the call. The president of the company was frantic, and he gathered together the chiefs of the various departments and he said, “Now, listen, in this building that's on fire is a safe. And in that safe are all the super secret formulas of all our best-selling products. If one of these fire departments can get the fire under control and get that safe out and recover those documents, I will give you $500,000 as a reward.” So the fire chiefs scattered and they got back to their crews and they rallied the troops and they pulled out all the stops and they did everything they could think of to fight that blaze, but nothing changed. The fire raged on. The crowd that gathered began to hear a sound in the distance. It was the sound of an approaching fire engine. It wasn't one of those modern ones that makes those interesting noises, all those different sounds, but it had that old fashioned sound to it. And, as it approached, the crowd could see it coming. It was this old dilapidated fire engine and the guys on it, the firemen, were in their 60's and 70's. And, as they approached, they weren't slowing down. And the crowd parted. And the big truck rolled past, past all the other modern equipment and right up to the building and crashed through the front door and right into the inferno. And the crowd that had gathered gasped. They couldn't understand what was going on. And, after a little while, the fire came under control and was eventually put out. And, one by one, these aged firefighters staggered out of the smoke and soot and ash, choking and coughing, until they all came out. And the president of the company found the chief, 82 years old. And he said, “Well, here's the check for $500,000. Have you thought about what you might do with it?” He said, “Well, me and boys have decided we're going to get a new fire engine with brakes that work.”

We know the facts, but what's the story behind the story? It's always something a little bit more interesting. Why did Jesus take the disciples up on the mountain for that spectacular experience? Why was His appearance changed? Why were Moses and Elijah there? And why did God the Father speak?

If we go and look at the gospel of Matthew, the story of the transfiguration comes in Chapter 17 but, in Chapter 16, people are challenging the authority of Jesus. People are asking who He is. In fact, in Chapter 16:13 and 16 it says, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” You see, in Chapter 16, there were questions about His authority and identity and I believe Jesus took those three, Peter, James, and John, because they were the inner core of the disciples. They were His closest friends and disciples. And He wanted them to be founded steadfast in their faith because of what was coming. This is the Mount of Transfiguration but, from there, they would descend into the valley as they would approach Jesus' betrayal and trial and crucifixion. This experience on top of the mountain was a preparation for that.

The idea behind the transfiguration is that Jesus' identity must be established beyond any doubt in the hearts and minds of His disciples. And so His appearance changed. His face shone like the sun, and His clothing shined like white light. It reminds us of the story in the Old Testament when Moses would speak with God. Remember that? It said Moses spoke face to face with God. And when he would return from speaking with God, his face still reflected the glory of God and he glowed. That's how it's described in the Old Testament. What's happening to Jesus on the mountain is very similar except the glory is not coming from God to Him but from within Him out. Establishing His identity and His divinity.

The second point that establishes identity is the company He keeps. Who was on the mountain with Him? Moses. Moses who ascended to the top of Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, which are summed up in one word, love. Moses, the great law giver, who was now speaking with Jesus, and Elijah, the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, who God used to perform wonderful miracles and proclaim powerful messages. Moses sums up the law. Elijah sums up the prophets. The law and the prophets are a way of referring to the whole Old Testament. And all of that points forward to the coming of the Messiah. In their writings, they told about the coming Messiah but, with their presence on that mountain, they bore witness to the fact that this man, Jesus, is the Messiah. They established His identity.

The third point that establishes Jesus' identity is the voice that speaks from heaven. God the Father, in those very powerful and profound words, “This is my Son whom I love. I am pleased with Him. Listen to Him.” Listen to Him. In these words, Jesus is clearly identified as the Son of God with all authority, the one anointed by God to save the world and here we are, hearing the words of God the Father, along with the disciples, “Listen to Him.” And what does He say? Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus says, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” Jesus says, “You are worth dying for.” Jesus says, “I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you.” Finally, He says, in Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Why was Jesus transfigured? To clearly establish His identity as the Messiah promised by God that He would come and deliver His people, not from slavery in Egypt but from eternal punishment for their sin. Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sin. He paid the full price for our sin. Why did He take Peter, James, and John up on that mountain? So they would have no doubts about who He was and what He had come to do. And so, when the going got tough, Peter, James, and John, so when the going got tough, you and you and I might know God would help us through. Jesus is God and He can do all things.

You see, life is not lived on the mountaintop. We have these glorious experiences in worship, on mission trips, different events in our lives where God has blessed us and we just feel so thrilled and loved by God. But we don't live on the mountaintop. Just like Jesus and the disciples, we have to come down from that wonderful place and live in the valley and walk out our steps of the journey of our life in the valley. But the good news is the glorious God from the mountaintop has promised to walk with us through the valley. Amen? Amen.