John 12:21
The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus
Mardi Gras Sunday
18 February 2007
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Oh, what a day that must have been! A private outing with Jesus. Peter, James and John were invited to hike up a mountain, just the three of them alone with Jesus. Who knows what they had in mind for that outing. But we do know that whatever they had in mind for that outing paled in comparison with what God had in mind for that outing.
Up the hill they went for a little private prayer session. Suddenly, something about Jesus changed. His face looked different. His clothing sparkled like a flash of lightning. And it was no longer just Jesus with them. Alongside Jesus was Moses and Elijah, Moses representing the Old Testament law and Elijah representing the prophets of old. Peter, James and John had to rouse themselves to make sure they weren’t just seeing things, to make sure they weren’t just sleeping and dreaming. No, this was real. But no sooner had they come to that realization than a cloud covered the mountain where they were. Then they heard a booming voice, “This is My Son, Whom I have chosen. Listen to Him.” When they dared to look at Jesus again, there He was, once again alone with the three of them.
What does all that mean? What did it mean to Peter, James and John? What does it mean for us today? Those are our questions this morning.
Let me begin by answering those questions by taking you off that Mount of Transfiguration to another location on another day [John 12:20-22]. This other place and other time was in Jerusalem the same day as or within a couple days after the joyous Palm Sunday procession – you know, that festive celebration when Jesus was hailed with shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.” Later that day or within a couple days, some God-fearing Greek Gentiles – non-Jewish outsiders who were attracted by the monotheism and morality of Judaism but likely repelled by the strict laws and ceremonial requirements like circumcision – approached Philip. Maybe they singled him out to approach because he had a Greek name and they felt comfortable and safe with him.
“Sir,” they said, “We would like to see Jesus” [John 12:21].
Remember previously that Jesus had called His disciples by promising them that “From now on, you will catch men” [Luke 5:10]. Those may have been Jesus’ words, but this sure seemed way too easy. Philip didn’t know what to do. In a comedic-type progression, Philip ran to Andrew, “Hey! There’s some Greeks here who want to see Jesus. What should we do?” That puzzled Andrew also, so Andrew and Philip together went and told Jesus, “Hey! There’s some Greeks here who want to see You.” What do you think Jesus said?
Jesus said, “Let them see Me. My hour has now come.” [John 12:23-28]
That’s what the Transfiguration of Jesus was really all about. After the splendor of Jesus shining like lightning and Moses and Elijah appearing alongside Him, soon was left only Jesus. That’s also what the voice from the cloud proclaimed, “This is My Son, Whom I have chosen. Listen to Him.”
As good a guy as Moses was, as good a servant of God as he was, as good a leader of God’s people as he was, Moses was human [Deut. 34:1-12] and he, like all humans from the time of Adam and Eve, came under God’s judgment and punishment. The same can be said about Elijah. Both these guys – and others like them who were used mightily by the Lord to convey His law and His prophecies to His people – were not to be the object of worship themselves. They never were. They were not to be the magnet that would draw people unto the Lord.
Rather, as the author of the Book of Hebrews so rightly encouraged [Hebrews 3:1-6] , “Fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and the high priest we confess. He is the builder of the house and is worthy of greater honor than the house itself.”
Peter’s comment on the Mount of Transfiguration always cracks me up. “Lord, let us build three shelters – one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” Peter missed the point. It wasn’t about Moses and Elijah. It was no longer about the law or the prophets. It was now all about Jesus.
And that gets us to that personal question. What does the Transfiguration of Jesus mean for us today?
To answer that question, I ask you another question: “What has brought you here today?” Through my 13 years here now, these are some of the answers I have heard to that question: I like the preaching; I like the preacher; I like the friendly people; I like the music; I like the worship format; I like the building; I was raised Lutheran; I like the choir; I like the handbell; I like the fellowship hours; I like that Historic First Lutheran is close to home and convenient; I like the community outreach programs; I like that I can find a place to get involved.
Now, don’t get me wrong. All those are great reasons to be here today, but none of them should be THE REASON you’re here today because as many of you can testify: as good as a preacher can preach a sermon, he will indeed hit a few clunkers; preachers come and preachers go; as friendly as preachers and people can be, you will eventually cross their paths on a bad day; as we personally feared a few years ago, buildings can come and go; as much as music and worship and choirs can inspire, they also will fail at times; fellowship hours? well...food can run short at times and someone can forget to plug in the coffee pot; people move; programs change; you can no longer feel needed or wanted. But through it all, Jesus is here. That is His promise and that is the reality. He is here week after week, good sermon or bad sermon, friendly people or not, great music or music that hurts your ears; beautiful, historic building or store-front supermarket. Jesus is here week after with His good, life-giving, life-strengthening gifts of His Word and His Sacraments.
Every Sunday as we walk into this place, we shouldn’t be walking in to build shelters for the pastor or the organist or the members of the choir. We should be walking into this place with the same request of those Greeks of long ago, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
It was Jesus and Jesus alone who fulfilled the law, replacing the need for Moses. It was Jesus and Jesus alone who fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy, replacing the need for Elijah and the other prophets. It was Jesus and Jesus alone who received the divine imprimatur: “This is My Son, Whom I have chosen. Listen to Him.” It was Jesus and Jesus alone Who went faithfully to the Cross, carrying our sins, experiencing the wrath of His Father, dying our death, and becoming the firstfruits of all of us who will also rise unto eternal life [1 Cor. 15:23].
It’s all about Jesus! Transfiguration Sunday prepares us for the journey ahead, for the journey with Jesus into the depths of His suffering for us. Transfiguration Sunday confirms for us the identity and the power of Jesus.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena