THIS IS MY BELOVED SON

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, HEAR HIM!

Matthew 17:1-9

The text for our meditation this morning as we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord is taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 17^th chapter, beginning with the first verse: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’”*

Last week I ran across a rather interesting individual. He called himself a simple country preacher and then proceeded to tell me about how he had once healed a man of an internal hemorrhage simply by praying for him and how he had once saved a man’s eye simply by praying over him. Impressive claims! But I couldn’t help but notice that in all that he said he never once mentioned the name of Jesus. He was this and he was that. He had done this and he had done that; but what about Jesus?

We like to be impressed, and he was certainly trying to impress me. We like to see a good show, we like to be entertained and more and more these days it seems like this is what people want to see, not only in the theater, not only at a concert, but also in church, that is, they want to see a good show. And what’s wrong with that? After all, don’t we see our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospel reading for today, putting on a good show? After leading three of His disciples, Peter, James and John, up on a high mountain all by themselves we read that He was transfigured before them. We read that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as the light. And as He stood there before them, revealed in all of His glory as He was, indeed, the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth, Moses and Elijah stood there with Him and they began to talk with our Lord Jesus Christ.

And the disciples were certainly impressed by the sight. James and John were left speechless! Peter, ever the impetuous one opened his mouth to speak and he spoke the words that we might have wanted to say if we had been there: ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here.’ And then he went on to say, ‘if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’

They were in the midst of what we would now call ‘a mountaintop experience.’ Indeed, the term ‘mountaintop experience’ comes from the events we see in the Gospel reading for today. Peter, James and John were certainly experiencing ‘a mountaintop experience.’ And as they stood there on that mountaintop beholding the glory of the Lord, they wanted to hold on to that glory for as long as they could. At least that’s the impression we get from the words Peter spoke. But while they were impressed by the glory of the Lord, they were also frightened by it. St. Mark tells us that Peter spoke these words, not because he was impressed, although he certainly was-who wouldn’t be?-but because he was afraid! Some people become speechless when frightened! Some people begin to babble when they are frightened. Peter was babbling.

Mark says that he did not know what to say. And not only did he not know WHAT to say, he did not know what he was saying! For the glory of the Lord does not comfort the sinner, at least not until the sinner has been forgiven for his sin. It only makes him afraid! When the glory of the Lord appeared to the children of Israel on Mt. Sinai it did not comfort them. Instead, we are told that it was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain and that it frightened the children of Israel so much that they cried out to Moses and said, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” [Ex. 19:19b] When the glory of the Lord filled the temple in Jerusalem at its dedication it did not comfort the people at the time. Instead, we read that as it filled the temple it prevented the priests who were ministering there from continuing to minister because of it. And when the glory of the Lord shone round about the shepherds on that first Christmas Day as they were out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night, the glory of the Lord did not comfort them. Instead, we read that it made them greatly afraid!

No, the glory of the Lord does not comfort the sinner, at least, not the unforgiven sinner that comes into its presence. It only reminds him of his sin and that frightens him! Jesus did not reveal His glory during His earthly life except this once, for He had not come into the world to frighten sinners, but He had come into the world to save them from their sins.

No, Jesus had not come to give a show. Jesus had not come to entertain. But Jesus had come to save. And so, even while Peter was babbling on, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice came out of the cloud, the voice of God the Father, and He said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ With these words the disciples fell to the ground and the vision was past! The veil that had concealed the glory of our Lord up until that time was back in place and Jesus, coming to the disciples who had fallen to the ground in fear, Jesus touched them and He said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.”

‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ Notice that the voice of God the Father did not point us to the glory of the Lord that had been revealed to us in His Son Jesus Christ, as though we were to seek that glory in our daily lives and in our daily service to Him-that would truly be a mountaintop experience, but that mountaintop experience would do nothing to save us. It was not on the Mount of Transfiguration that our Lord Jesus Christ made atonement for our sin, but it was on Mount Calvary! And it was not by the revealing of His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration that He saved us, but it was by the shedding of His holy, precious blood and by His innocent suffering and death on the cross! There, on the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ took away our sin and there on the cross our Lord Jesus Christ made atonement for our sin, suffering for us all the torments of hell that we had deserved, suffering for us so that we should not suffer but be forgiven and live forever with Him!

No, it was not on the Mount of Transfiguration that Jesus saved us, but on the cross! And so the voice of God the Father does not point us to the glory that was revealed in His Son on the Mount of Transfiguration, but He points us to His Son, Himself: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And then He points us to His Word: ‘Hear Him!’

And where are we to hear Him? In His Word! St. Peter, in the Epistle reading for today, refers us to the events that took place on the Mount of Transfiguration when he said, “we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, 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 1:16b-21]

And so, as we are pointed to Jesus, we are pointed to His Word, His Word which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, His Word which we are to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morningstar rises in our hearts.

And what do we hear Jesus saying to us in His Word? He says, “. . . do not be afraid.” Yes, “. . . do not be afraid,” “For the Father did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” [John 3:17] Do not be afraid, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” [John 5:22-24] Do not be afraid! Yes, do not be afraid, for your sins have been forgiven in My name, and “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” [John 7:37b-38] Only, do not be afraid!

This is what we hear Jesus saying to us in His Word!

When the disciples came down from that mountain, Jesus said to them, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead!” The Son of Man is risen from the dead and we are not to remain silent any longer about our gracious God and Lord, but we are to tell others, indeed, we are to tell ALL others about Him, that they, too, might hear of Him, that they, too, might hear Him, that they, too, might believe in Him and be saved!

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth,” Jesus said. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This is what our Lord Jesus Christ has told us to do! We are to make disciples of all the nations! And how are we to do this? Not by putting on a show, but by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to observe all things that He has commanded us in His Word. And, lo! He is with us always, even to the end of the age!

Hear Him! Believe in Him and do the work He has given you to do, even to the end. Amen.