In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
'Tis
good, Lord, to be here!
Thy
glory fills the night;
Thy
face and garments, like the sun,
Shine
with unborrowed light (LSB 414.1).
So
goes the first stanza of the familiar hymn written for the Feast of
the Transfiguration, which we celebrate here today. And indeed, 'tis
good, Lord, to be here!
It
is good to be in this place, in the presence of the Lord, to hear and
see the Lord of Hosts display His glory for His creatures to see,
even if for a brief moment in time. The glory of the Lord fills the
night and shines out through the day, eclipsing even the sun itself
in His brightness and radiance. The face of our Lord Christ shines
with truly unborrowed light, light more pure than even that of our
brightly-burning star. Our Lord's garments are transfigured to be as
white as snow, whiter than any fuller's soap or laundress' bleach
could hope to get them.
This
is the glory of the Lord on display for the people of God to see.
This is the Word made flesh who dwells among us, just as St. John
declares. In His face we see the glory of the immortal, invisible
Father in heaven, whom no one has seen, whom no one may see and live.
In the light of Christ, we see light. In His radiant face we behold
the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth. In this brightly
beaming face, we see the radiance of grace and mercy, the countenance
of God which He is pleased to lift up upon us, the face which He
makes to shine upon us, being gracious to us and showing His
steadfast love to us.
'Tis
good, Lord, to be here,
Thy
beauty to behold
Where
Moses and Elijah stand,
Thy
messengers of old (LSB 414.2).
It
is good to be here, to sit at the foot of the mountain and see our
Lord holding converse nigh with Moses and Elijah. Our Lord shines
with grace and mercy in the company of the Law and the Prophets.
Everything that has been foretold about our Lord is coming to pass.
The plan of salvation is coming to fruition.
But
what in the world is going on? Why is Jesus metamorphosized? Why do
none of the holy evangelists explain the significance of the account
they narrate? Our Lord even commands His apostles not to tell anyone
about what they have seen or heard until after His passion and
resurrection. Why? “They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them hear them.” (Luke
16:29).
It
is good to see our Lord transfigured on the mountaintop. There is
nothing wrong with catching a hint of the glory of the Lord to be
revealed in the great and latter day of the Lord. But the glory of
the Lord knocks Peter, James, and John flat on their faces. They are
blinded and bewildered, and utterly terrified.
That
is the same reaction the people of Israel had when Moses came back
from talking with the Lord on Mount Sinai. His face glowed from being
in the presence of the Lord, and the people were frightened. Why?
Because the presence of the Lord is an awful place for sinners to be.
Because even being in the presence of Moses and Elijah is enough to
still a beating heart.
“He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.”
(Rev. 2:7) You have the Law and the Prophets. You even have the
Evangelists and the Apostles. Listen to them. Hear the Word of the
Lord. Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Holy Scriptures. The
Word of the Lord is revealed in the sacred writings. You have these
before you always. Listen to them.
The
three disciples saw Jesus and they fell on their faces. And yet,
Peter got up and said, “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.”
St. Luke adds the editorial comment here: “He did not
know what he was saying.”
The
Father gives instructions to the apostles – “Listen to
Him!” Listen to Jesus, and
not “cleverly devised myths”
(2 Peter 1:16). Listen to the Word of God, which is open and public
and clear. You cannot stay on the mountaintop. The “Rocky Mountain
High” wears off, and then you have to find something concrete and
solid upon which to rest your faith.
If
you want to see Jesus, then look where He is to be found. Look where
you find Moses and Elijah, where you find Malachi and Matthew, where
you find John and Jeremiah. Look in the Scriptures. For the
Scriptures testify of Christ. The occasional mountaintop experience
is not all it's cracked up to be, because sooner or later the sun
sets and it gets cold up there on the hill.
You
have the Law and the Prophets. Listen to them! Satan has been working
very hard for a very long time at getting the children of man to
listen to him, to the wind – to pretty much anything but the Word
of the Lord. And it works, too – an awful lot of the time. Eve
listened to the serpent's hissing instead of the Word of the Lord,
and Adam listened to her.
The
trouble is that the Word of the Lord speaks loudly and clearly
regarding the will of the Lord for you. Sometimes the Word of God is
harsh. Sometimes He says that you cannot have what you want. He says
that your neighbor's wife and his things and his life are not yours,
so keep your hands and your eyes to yourself. He says that your
brother's good name and reputation are gifts from God, so help him to
protect and improve them. He says that all life is a gift from God,
in whatever form and on whatever timetable it comes along, so support
and encourage those in peril of life and limb.
Peter,
James, and John should have counted themselves fortunate to be able
to witness the transfiguration of our Lord, and live to tell about
it. There was not even any blood shed on the occasion. When Moses and
the elders of Israel went up on the mountain to speak with God, they
first had to be covered in the blood of the covenant.
For
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And
without the forgiveness of sins there is no way for a sinful human
being to be in the presence of the Lord. But then, of course, the
apostles did not voluntarily enter into the presence of the Lord.
Fulfiller
of the past
And
hope of things to be,
We
hail Thy body glorified
And
our redemption see (LSB 414.3).
Moses
and Elijah appear at our Lord's side, the icons of the Law and the
Prophets, the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the former covenant
which is passing away – although not being abolished or abrogated.
They appear to testify to the person and work of our Lord, just as
the voice of the Father from heaven identifies Him as the Beloved
Son. Moses and Elijah are the types of what would come after them.
They are the patterns which will be filled in later with the thing
itself. They are the signs which point to the Man Himself.
And
so they come to testify to Jesus as the fulfiller of the past and the
hope of the future. They stand at the side of Christ to hail Him as
the glorified and transfigured Lord. And so the apostles fall on
their faces, blinded by the glory of the Lord revealed in the face,
yea the whole body, of our Lord Christ. The apostles are blinded by
the transfiguration of our Lord, and yet this is just the opening act
of His trip to another mountain – Mount Calvary. They see the
glorified body of Jesus, but that body has not yet accomplished their
salvation. Rest assured, however – they will see the Lord's Christ
high and lifted up in glory.
Before
we taste of death,
We
see Thy kingdom come;
We
long to hold the vision bright
And
make this hill our home (LSB 414.4).
Indeed,
before Peter, James, and John tasted death, they saw the Kingdom of
Heaven come to earth. They saw what was prefigured in Moses and
Elijah, and what was presaged by the Transfiguration. They saw the
Lord Jesus Christ high and lifted up, not in radiant splendor upon
the throne of heaven, but in ignominy and shame upon the cross. They
saw the vision bright in the midst of the deep darkness – our Lord
Jesus Christ crucified and dead upon the cross for us men and for our
salvation. They saw not the fleeting radiance of the Transfiguration,
but the everlasting glory of God revealed in His all-merciful act of
shedding His blood for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.
We
may long to hold the bright vision of the Transfiguration in our
minds and make that mountain our home, but that is not the way things
work. Visions do not create faith, nor do they forgive sins. Visions
merely give us a glimpse into the reality that God has already
revealed. We do not make the Transfiguration mount our home, because
God is no longer there. For this same reason, we do not make
pilgrimages or maintain holy shrines. You do not take a vacation to
go visit God.
You
do not go to God, because He comes to you. He comes to you in His
Word, and He comes clothed in His Church. St. Augustine once wrote,
“His garments are a type of His Church. For garments, unless held
up by the one having donned them, fall.” The Church stands and
falls not on visions and mountaintop booths, but on the Word of God
and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For it is this,
and none other, that forgives sins, restores life, and promises
eternal salvation to all who believe, as the words and promises of
God declare.
'Tis
good, Lord, to be here!
Yet
we may not remain;
But
since Thou bidst us leave the mount,
Come
with us to the plain (LSB 414.5).
It
was good for Peter, James, and John to witness the Transfiguration.
It is good for you to have the Spirit at work in your heart. But you
may not remain within these walls forever, any more than those three
could remain on that mountaintop. You may not remain, because life
goes on, because the Church is in motion to serve a world in chaos.
But
since our Lord bids us leave the tranquility of the mountaintop and
the safety of the sanctuary, He feeds and clothes us for the journey
forth. He spreads a table before you in the sight of your enemies and
feeds you with overflowing cup and abundant plate. He feeds you with
food better than anything served to Moses and Elijah. For which of
the prophets was ever blessed to eat and drink the very Body and
Blood of our Lord? He fortifies you with this food and drink, that
you may be strengthened in faith and enlivened by the forgiveness of
your sins. And He clothes you with His robe of righteousness, so that
you may be well-dressed for the work of mercy which He sets before
you. It is no longer you who live, but Christ lives in you.
Look
to the hills, whence comes your help. Look up, and see the glorious
vision of your redemption. You will not see the bright, beaming face
of Transfiguration, but the bloody and bruised face of Calvary, now
crowned with glory and risen with healing and salvation for you, and
for all people. Fix your eyes on this Jesus, and see no other.
In
the Name of Jesus. Amen.
