Transfiguration Sunday

SERMON

In Nomine Jesu!

Text: Mark 9:2-9

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

In Christ Jesus, who possesses all authority in heaven and on earth, and who has promised to be with us until the end of the age, dear fellow redeemed:

Will there be a war in Iraq, or not? Will there be another terrorist attack here in America similar to 9/11, or not? Will the economy recover and the job market improve, or will we enter a double dip recession? Add to these international and national questions our own list of personal questions—will my child’s surgery be successful? Will my cancer treatments prove successful? Will I find another job? Will my family problems finally be resolved? It would seem that with all these questions, we are living in a very uncertain world, would it not? Yet, that is only from our perspective. There is someone who has no questions about our futures whatsoever, for He possesses all knowledge and power. There is someone, who has a plan for our lives, including not just the relatively short time we will spend here in this world, but also for all of eternity. That someone is Jesus. While we cannot see down the road and around the curves in our lives, Jesus, who is sitting at God’s right hand and ruling over us, can. He not only knows what will happen in our lives tomorrow, He can see all the way ahead to that time and place where we will cross the finish line and enter heaven! Consequently, I would encourage each of you: IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD—LOOK TO JESUS! Behold His glory! Rejoice in His promise! Listen to His Word!

I.

Jesus’ transfiguration took place on an unknown mountain about six months before His death and resurrection. Jesus’ disciples had grown accustomed to their life with Jesus. It was interesting to sit and listen to Jesus explain the Old Testament scriptures. It was exciting to observe Jesus’ miracles and the reaction of the crowds that witnessed them. They were quite content with their lives and were looking forward to the time that they believed Jesus would announce His kingdom, and they would share in His rule. But Jesus knew that the time was coming when the faith of the disciples would be shaken to its core—a time when they would scatter and go into hiding, afraid to show themselves on Jerusalem’s streets and mourning their Master’s premature death. Jesus knew that His disciples would recover after His resurrection and rejoice in their reunion with Him, but then would come the visible separation when He would return to His father and His disciples would have to carry out their ministries without that daily, visible, and personal contact with Him. Jesus was intent upon preparing His disciples for the seeming uncertainties, which would fill their futures. Among those preparations was His transfiguration.

We are told that when Jesus, together with Peter, James, and John, had gone up a high mountain “He was transfigured before them.” What actually happened? Mark tells us that, “His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.” Matthew adds this information, “His face shone like the sun” (17:2). What did all this mean? It meant that Jesus was more than a mere man. He was revealing to those disciples a portion of His divine glory. Why was He doing this? Jesus did this as part of their preparation for the future. These men would experience extreme hardships and great uncertainty, humanly speaking, as they pursued the calling Jesus would give them. They needed to know the nature of the Man whom they would be called upon to confess. They needed to know that Jesus was more than a mere man—He was the God-man! He would be able to help them. They could depend upon Him, even when He would no longer visibly be with them.

My dear friends, there is a movement in our world today to strip Jesus of His divine nature. Oh yes, the world recognizes Jesus as a great man, admitting that His teachings have had a great and lasting influence upon the culture of large segments of our world’s population. However, the world resists the belief that Jesus is true God. Were they to admit that fact, they would then have to acknowledge the truth of His words and submit themselves to Him, which they refuse to do!

Do not be swayed by the pressures and opinions of the world, but rather take comfort in the fact that Jesus is both true God and true man. As true man He took our place—living a perfect and holy life and suffering an innocent death. As true God His sacrifice was sufficient to redeem the whole world, reconciling the world to His heavenly Father, and assuring each and every one of us that our sins have been removed! He now possesses all authority in heaven and on earth and will use His power to work all things together for our good, as we love and faithfully serve Him. Yes, IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD—LOOK TO JESUS! Behold His glory, as revealed through His transfiguration, and…

II.

Rejoice in His promise! Jesus, Peter, James, and John were not alone that day on the mountain. Mark relates that “Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” Elijah the prophet, as we heard in our Old Testament lesson, never died, but rather was translated directly to heaven by means of a chariot and horses of fire within a whirlwind. Moses, who led the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and through forty years of wandering in the wilderness, died and was buried by God Himself in the mountains of Moab. The very presence of these two individuals assures us of the reality of life after death. When we die, we do not cease to exist, but rather our souls go into the presence of God and our bodies will be reunited with those souls on the last day to then experience the gift of everlasting life!

We are told in Luke’s account of the transfiguration that Elijah and Moses were talking to Jesus about His upcoming death (9:31). It was through that death, ironically, that Jesus would overcome death for us. It was only after His death that Jesus was able to arise once again and become what He claimed to be—“the resurrection and the life!” In that blessed eleventh chapter of John, Jesus promises, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). The presence of Moses and Elijah confirm that promise and should move us to rejoice in the midst of any uncertainty this life throws at us, because we know that eternal life is ours by God’s grace through faith in Jesus!

James needed that assurance, for he would be the first Christian executed by the state for his faith. We read in Acts 12 that Herod the king killed James with the sword—no doubt having him beheaded. As James walked to the executioner’s block he could rejoice in Jesus’ promise, for while Herod’s henchmen would end this transitory life, they could do nothing other thereby than usher in the promise of life everlasting, and so James joined Moses and Elijah in praise with those around God’s throne! Peter, who was imprisoned on numerous occasions, and who finally was crucified in Rome for the faith he held dear, needed that assurance, so that he too might one day rejoice in Jesus’ promise. In his first epistle Peter writes concerning suffering, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (4:12-13). John as well could recall this event with confidence and no doubt did as the Lord later gave him a further revelation as he endured exile on the island of Patmos.

My dear friends, that simple promise of Jesus, which is stated in so many ways—“whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life” (John 10:27-28). That simple promise can and should bring us supreme joy as we make our way through this life. Yes, we will face troubles and seeming uncertainties in this world, and as Christians, we often will face in more troubles and more uncertainty than non-Christians. Yet, IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD—LOOK TO JESUS! Rejoice in His promise that when all it said and done, eternal life will be ours!

III.

Finally, dear friends, let us listen to His Word! Mark informs us that in the midst of everything that we have already described, “a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’” God the Father, who in similar fashion claimed His Son at the beginning of His ministry when He was baptized, now reaffirms His love and approval of Jesus. Jesus came to be this world’s Savior, but at the same time the Scriptures reveal that He is “the Word of life” (1 John 1:1), sent by God to reveal to mankind His eternal and unchanging truths. These truths were then recorded in the Bible and are declared through His gospel for our joy and comfort. The glory of these gospel truths will not pass away as did the glory of the Old Testament law as described in our Epistle Lesson. Rather, they will live and abide forever (cf. Isaiah 40:8).

How can we know for certain that the Bible is true? Peter uses his experience on the mountain of transfiguration to assure his readers of the truth of the Scriptures. Unlike many of the religious charlatans of his day, who would say anything, that would get them what they wanted, Peter stated that they were “eyewitnesses of His (Jesus’) majesty…on the holy mountain.” He then goes on to assure the readers of his day as well as our own that, “We have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:16,18-21).

My dear friends, as you go through your life and encounter all of the challenges and seeming uncertainties of future events, listen to Jesus’ Word! He assures you that it is able “to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). He confirms that it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It provides us with the certainty of our salvation. It informs us of God’s perfect and good will for our lives. It reveals to us God’s intentions for us and the great meaning He has given each of us in life. It comforts, encourages, strengthens, and guides us. It brings us joy and instills within us a confidence necessary for life in this seemingly uncertain world! Yes, my dear friends—LOOK TO JESUS! Behold His glory! Rejoice in His promise! Listen to His Word! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting