Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2011
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THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
13 February Anno + Domini 2011
"It's All About the Cross”
Matthew 17:1-9 (Exod. 34:29-35; 2 Pet. 1:16-21)

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Our Lord Jesus Christ takes Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain and gives them a glimpse of His Divine Glory.  He is transfigured before them.   The Greek word for His transfiguration is "metamorphosis,” which literally means a change in form.  Jesus' face shone like the sun and His clothes were white as light.  It must have been a spectacular sight, made all the more so by the fact that Jesus was not alone.  Moses and Elijah, who represent the Law and the Prophets, which Jesus took on our human flesh to fulfill, were there with Him.  They were standing with Jesus, who shone in the glory of that uncreated light which has always been and always will be, talking with Him about His impending "exodus,” or "departure,” as St. Luke makes known to us, which would take place not long from then on that hill outside of Jerusalem, where He would be crucified and die for the sin of the world.  Yes, it must've been a spectacular sight indeed! 

What is amazing is that the sight itself doesn't cause Peter, James, and John to freak out.  Peter speaks up on their behalf, as he was wont to do, saying, "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.”  Jesus is shining in remarkable glory, standing with Moses and Elijah, who have long been dead, and Peter is like, "This is cool!  We like this.  Let's keep this going.  Let's make some tents!”  It's not the reaction we would expect.  We would expect Peter and the boys to be scared out of their minds by the sight.  But, they're not.  They love it.  They embrace it.  They want this "mountain top” experience to continue. 

Being in the midst of the uncreated Light of the Divine Glory is a most comforting and blissful experience.  This is how it is for those saints and loved ones who have preceded us into the comfort and bliss of heaven.  It is good for them to be there.  They have absolutely no desire to return to the sinful world, or even to pay attention to what's going on in the sinful world, so content are they in the Presence of their Lord and His holy angels and their fellow saints.  The popular idea that our loved ones who die in the faith are "still with us” here on earth is as absurd as it is impossible.  You hear people tell stories about how they can still feel the presence of their departed loved ones long after they died.  I have no doubt that the people who tell these stories are being sincere, but believe me when I tell you that whatever it is they're feeling is coming from them, not their departed loved ones, who are in heaven basking in the bliss of that uncreated Light. 

And make no mistake, that's what Peter, James, and John get a taste of here on that high mountain.  They get a little taste of what heaven is like; of what it will be like for them when the Lord calls them home.  Moses and Elijah do not come down from heaven.  Rather, the Lord Jesus gives His three disciples a glimpse of heaven on that mountain.  For a moment, those three are blessed to be transported into eternity.  And notice, too, that they need not be told who it is standing next to, and talking with, Jesus.  They recognize Moses and Elijah.  That's how it will be in heaven, my friends.  We will recognize the saints.  Don't ask me how this works; it just does. 

And so, as Jesus is transfigured before them, shining in the uncreated Light of His Divine Glory, showing forth the reality of His Divine Nature to the disciples, they are not afraid.  Neither does seeing Moses and Elijah there talking with their Lord frighten them.  It is good.  They love it.  They want the experience to continue.  "Let's build some tents!” 

But all of that changes when the bright cloud overshadows them and the voice of the Father is heard in that cloud, "This is My Beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.  Listen to Him!”  Then they were overcome with fear and fell to their faces.  They had been so wrapped up in the vision that their eyes had been keeping their ears from hearing the conversation Jesus was having with Moses and Elijah.  As the Father's voice resounds from the cloud, which is reminiscent of the cloud that was present in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and Temple, the disciples fall to their faces, close their eyes, and open their ears.  It is not just the Father's voice which scares them (although, it does, but it's also the conversation they hear between Jesus and His two companions. 

For this conversation is about their Lord's impending crucifixion and death.  That frightens them.  Even though Jesus has made it clear to them that He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, they still don't get it.  They don't like it at all.  They'd much rather bypass all that crucifixion and death business and get right to the glory.  They have not yet learned that in our Lord's kingdom, suffering precedes glory - the cross must precede the resurrection. 

This is something that we too often forget as well.  We're not so different from these cowering disciples.  We'd much rather bypass the cross and get right to the resurrection.  In fact, it is precisely this fear and distaste regarding the cross of Jesus which causes many so-called Christian preachers today to preach about a Jesus apart from His cross - a Jesus who is nothing more than a mere example to follow, a Jesus who becomes a self-help guru, or a coach, showing you how to get more out of life and egging you on to victorious and blessed living. 

That Jesus is very popular.  Preaching about that Jesus packs stadiums full of people.  Books written about that Jesus are instant best-sellers.  Even the sinful world doesn't mind hearing about that Jesus.  Neither does the devil.  Jesus as self-help guru and lifecoach is perfectly welcomed by the world and the devil. 

And, truth be told, there is a part of you who likes this Jesus better, too.  That's why you love those old hymns like, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and "In the Garden.”  That's why you love devotional poems like "Footprints in the Sand.”  You love a Jesus who is a good friend, one who walks and talks with you, one who encourages you to do your best, one who picks you up and carries you through those tough times.  You love a Jesus who is your co-pilot in this life, one who guides you to experience blessings of health, wealth, and prosperity.  A Jesus who makes you feel good about yourself.   

But, hear me well, dear friends:  That Jesus is not the Jesus to Whom our Heavenly Father commands you to listen.  The real Jesus, the Jesus revealed to us in Holy Scripture, is the One who tells you in no uncertain terms that He has come for one purpose and one purpose only:  To fulfill the Law and the Prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah, which you are unable to fulfill, and to go to the cross to die in your place for your sins.  A Jesus divorced from the Cross is no Jesus at all, for it is the Cross for which Jesus came. 

Thus, if you hear about a Jesus who gets along perfectly well without the Cross, you are not hearing about the Jesus who came to be your Savior.  If you hear a message about Jesus or read a book about Jesus and the Cross is not the central focus, you have not heard about Jesus.

For all those times you have been tempted to long for the sort of Cross-less Jesus so often proclaimed today, repent!  For all those times you have been so enraptured by visions of glory, so desirous of those "mountain-top” experiences, so focused on a Jesus who is nothing more than a good pal you can lean of from time to time, repent!  For all those times you have said to yourself, "I want more out of my spiritual life than the Cross; I want to move beyond the Cross and learn how to live a life full of blessings,” repent!  For all those times you have been bored by the message of the Cross, saying, "Why do I have to hear about the Cross all the time; I know all about that, give me more,” repent!

Dear friends, there is nothing more than the Cross.  Not now.  There will be.  Peter, James, and John were blessed to get a glimpse of what will be.  But, not now.  Not yet.  For now, there is only the Cross.  And, it is only through the Cross that you will experience what will be.  You cannot get to the glory of Easter without first going through Calvary.  You cannot get to heaven without first bearing your own crosses in this life.  Glory awaits, but it comes only after all the suffering and persecutions you must experience in this life.

Even then, though, when that Glory does finally come for you, the Cross is still the central focus of all the saints, for it is around the Lamb of God who has been slain, but rose again in victory, that the saints gather and offer up their praise and thanksgiving.  The Cross continues to be the conversation in heaven.  It always will be, for the Cross is what it's all about.    

Do not be bored by this.  Do not attempt to bypass this.  Do not think that you've heard it before and don't need to hear it again.  You need to hear it every single day for the rest of your life.  For you are sinners who need to repent.  The Good News is that, upon your repentance, what happened at the Cross is yours.  The forgiveness, life, and salvation Jesus won becomes yours.  

Heed the words of your Heavenly Father:  Listen to Jesus.  For here in His Holy House is where Jesus comes among you to speak with you about the very thing He was speaking with Moses and Elijah about on the Mount of Transfiguration - His "exodus,” His departure from this world by means of His Cross.  And here, as you Listen to Him, He has great words for you to hear:  I forgive you all your sins; This is My Body and My Blood given and shed for you to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of all your sins and strengthening of your faith; The Lord bless you and keep you as you depart in peace, He says.

Dear friends, one day you, too, will shine in glory.  You will shine, as the Scriptures say, like the sun.  You will bask in that uncreated Light, where bliss and comfort, which you cannot even imagine will be yours for all eternity.  And it will be yours because of the Cross, because Jesus came and lived and died for you, that you might live in His eternal kingdom forever.    

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.