The Transfiguration of Our Lord – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Matthew 17:1-9 “Bright Like the Sun”
February 9, 2025 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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O merciful and everlasting God, heavenly Father: We thank You that You have revealed to us the glory of Your Son, and let the light of Your Gospel shine upon us: We pray that You would guide us by this light that we may walk diligently as Christians in all good works, ever be strengthened by Your grace, and conduct our lives in all godliness; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 151)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him.
And Peter said to Jesus, “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.”
He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who didn’t make full use of His divine power so that He might save you with His death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, dear fellow redeemed:
It is great to see you all here this morning. We had to cancel church and every event last week, and finally the church was dug out of all this snow. Now while the cleaning up was not fun, I think we would all admit, looking at the mountains that surround us, the snow has added beauty to our view. How come in the winter, even though we get sick of it, once that snow falls and we look out, it brightens our mood? Looking at the characteristics of snow, the one that sticks out the most to us is how white and bright it is. It causes everything to be bright. It is also pure white. To be pure is something we are so eager to desire. To be this pure, to be as white as snow, we find in our text for today how this is possible. We are made pure through the One who is pure. On the mount of Transfiguration, our Savior reveals His great glory. As He shines bright like the sun, revealing to the world His glory, we will get to gaze upon Him and have no fear.
While we know for certainty, we will be able to gaze upon our Savior with no fear, it can be easy to criticize those in Scripture like the disciples, even those who were afraid of the angels. We see in Scripture when angels appear, they say, “Do not be afraid.” It is hard for us to imagine this because of the modern pictures of angels. Why would anyone be afraid of them? These are the messengers and warriors for God Most High. So, not just their bright and glorified appearance scares us, but their office and the message they bring might. This is a glory we do not have. So, like the disciples, we will also have a hard time seeing Jesus make full and complete use of His glory. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. The disciples are witnessing heaven on earth, seeing Jesus in all His glory and the saints of old in the same glory.
There is only one thing that can sour this great scene. The disciples have one thing that has been wrecking their time spent with Jesus and that is part of His message. The message they do not understand is reiterated in front of them by two saints sent from heaven. It is in St. Luke’s Gospel where we find what the conversation is about between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. They “appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). Jesus had begun telling His disciples the reason for Him coming into the world and beginning His ministry. It was going to end, and the details were not at all pleasant. The disciples were not fans of this plan of great suffering and death. As they tried to deny that it would happen, here is Jesus in all His glory preparing Himself for what is going to happen. These Old Testament pillars point to this great event, the fulfillment of the law and the suffering and death of the Son of God.
Like Peter, we don’t want to get caught up in the message that Moses and Elijah are bringing. Let’s just stay in this moment of great glory. And Peter said to Jesus, “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.” Now Peter did not know what he was saying, but his mind had a reason for saying this. The psalmist records, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” (Psalm 84:1) Peter James, and John are in the dwelling place of the Lord. There is only one place we will truly see Jesus always in His glory and that is in heaven. Scripture reveals to us how great it will be in that place of no suffering. We wouldn’t want to leave the mountain either if it meant going back down to evil and sin, suffering, and pain.
As we sit on this earth, not in heaven, we only see the mess we are in. Like the disciples and Israel of old, the next part of the text describes us being seen in our sinful state. He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” While Jesus is the beloved Son of God, we are not beloved in our sinfulness. The bright light of the cloud and sun illuminates it with no place to hide. We hear, “listen to Him” and we know of the countless times we haven’t. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. This is not an exaggeration. Like the people of old, we should be terrified to stand in front of God who sees our sins. Israel was told, “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24). While we don’t deserve even a taste of heaven, it is the message and the reason Jesus is in His glory that you will not only get a taste, but you will also enter His kingdom.
Peter, James, and John were getting a taste of heaven and witnessing once again the truth of the Gospel message. The very message Moses had told the people long ago was now right in front of their eyes. Moses said, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—(Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus is the Prophet from among the people for them to listen to. This Prophet not only preaches the law and the Gospel, but He lives it out in the people’s place. Peter, James, and John had already heard Jesus tell them the reason the Son of Man had come down from heaven. It won’t be glorious and easy like it looked up on that mountain top. It was going to be a very hard road.
As hard as the mission would be for the salvation for the world, it is this glimpse of seeing the Son of Man face shine bright like the sun that reveals to those on the mountain it will come to fruition. Jesus even in His state of humility doesn’t make Him less of God. He is true God, who does withstand the power of the devil, obeys all the laws, and willingly will go from this mountain to Jerusalem to give up His life and die. Peter, James, and John will think that this shouldn’t be the way. He should just usher in the kingdom in all His glory. He must be like us, and that is why He is true man. Though He shares this instance His great glory, being as white as light and snow, He must take on the world’s sins and with sin, eternal punishment.
With this being the plan, this scene though brief, does not last. Where it looks like only the judgement of God is seen, the disciples then see His enduring love. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. The love and mercy of God found in the Son who lifts His disciples off the ground. They do not need to fear the judgement as Jesus will take it on Himself. He comes with a gentle hand to pick you up off the ground too. He knows you would rather spend time with Him in glory and not go back to the problems of today. He shines bright as the Sun on the mount of Transfiguration, not to condemn you, but to reveal to you He can and does do all that is needed to save you.
The hardest part is admitting there is a need for saving. The goal is to be in the lovely place with the LORD of hosts. As the bright cloud reveals the glory and presence of God where sin is brought into the light, it is Jesus shining bright like the sun who though He is God, He puts on the form of a servant to go to Jerusalem toward His departure on the cross. He understood to save you; this is what was needed. To fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation to the letter. He reveals all that power and might to suffer and die. He endured the pain of the cross so He can comfort you in your pains and when it is time for you to be called from this world, you will be like Moses and Elijah, standing in the presence of your glorified Savior. You will be pure as snow.
The devil works to convince many in the world there is no way for them to be pure. He wants them to see the bright cloud of the glory and majesty of God and be absolutely terrified of it. While sin is addressed by the law, it is seeing the glorified Savior where the world can find its peace. Jesus shines as bright as the sun because He is the light of the world. And this light of the world continues to bring a taste of heaven. He comes through the Lord’s Supper where His body and blood are present. You experience a foretaste, seeing Jesus present, like on the mount of Transfiguration. In this singular event, not only is He present, but as you receive the forgiveness of sins, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes in glory like on the mount. The world will fret when this day arrives, but you will face it with comfort and joy. Jesus comes to you and says you don’t have to be afraid. He has revealed Himself to you as the true Son of God. And as you hold fast to this confession, Jesus will be with you to the end. And when you see His face as bright as the sun, you will not be afraid. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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