Transfiguration
Dear friends in Christ. Today we come to the high point of the entire season of Epiphany. All throughout the Epiphany season we have been catching glimpses of just who exactly He is who was born of Mary. We have seen His miracles and we have heard His teaching. For us, there can be no doubt that the One born of the virgin that first Christmas is not only a true human being but He is also the true God. And then comes today’s account of the Transfiguration—the appearance of Jesus’ face changes [Lk. 9.29] becoming shining like the sun and His clothing became as white as the light, as St. Mark [9.3] records: shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. What is the cause, the reason for this Transfiguration, that is, this absolute, dramatic change in Jesus? Here, on this holy mountain of Transfiguration Jesus gives these three disciples a glimpse of His divine glory as He lets His divinity fully shine forth. Normally, Jesus kept His true divine glory “under wraps”; His humanity was like a coat covering up that glory. To be sure, bits of that glory shone forth like a sunbeam through a crack in the curtains when Jesus performed a miracle or taught by His divine authority; but by and large that true divine glory lay concealed so that Jesus looked and suffered like any other person.
But now, on the mount of Transfiguration, Jesus “lets it all hang out.” All His divine glory fully shines forth in and through His humanity. It’s not as if Jesus stops being a true man; instead, the Person of Jesus—God and man—shines forth all of His divine glory and majesty. We call Jesus’ earthly life from His conception in the womb of Mary to His suffering, death and burial His state of humiliation. By that we mean Jesus, as man, did not always or fully make use of His divine power, glory and majesty. But He did on occasion—like here at His transfiguration. Now, after His resurrection and ascension, Jesus, as man, is making full use of all His divine power, glory and majesty. This is what we call Jesus’ state of exaltation.
So, what does the Transfiguration show us beyond any doubt? –That Jesus is true God. It gave the three disciples then and us today a glimpse of who Jesus really is—true man who is also true God. And because Jesus is true God that means that He is the almighty King over all things in heaven and earth. He is Christ the King!
We recognize that Jesus has a 3 fold kingship. As king, Jesus rules with His almighty power over all creation/ all creatures. This is Jesus’ kingdom of power. There is absolutely nothing on earth or in heaven that is outside His control. Jesus showed this so clearly, for example, when He calmed the sea when He and the disciples were caught in that terrible storm. Jesus has this kingship over all things because He is the true God and the Creator of all things. As Creator He rules over His creation. As King He directs and His holy will is always carried out. This is, if you will, His “basic” kingship, what one would expect of the Creator as King.
But as we examine the account of Jesus’ transfiguration, we will also see that He is king of two other kingdoms. The first is that Jesus is king over His kingdom of grace, which is His Church on earth. The second is that Jesus is king over His kingdom of glory, which is His Church in heaven.
Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James; and he led them up onto a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. His face was shining like the sun. His clothing became as white as the light.
Jesus’ transfiguration teaches us that Jesus is king over His kingdom of grace, His Church on earth. How did Jesus set up/ establish His kingdom of grace, the Church? Precisely by His suffering and death! Precisely by Jesus not making full use of all His divine glory, power and majesty! That is what makes Jesus’ transfiguration so significant. If Jesus always showed His divinity and used it, the Transfiguration would not be anything spectacular/ out of the ordinary. It would just be an everyday event. But the fact of the spectacular showing forth of His divine glory shows it was out of the ordinary and thus noteworthy. It means Jesus’ work of coming and establishing His Church was not done of His almighty power but by what? –His lowliness and suffering.
The purpose of the Transfiguration took place for the sake of the disciples. It was to prepare them for His suffering and death so that they would not despair and be overwhelmed by His suffering and crucifixion. These three disciples, Peter, James, and John, were the same disciples that Jesus would take with Him further into the Garden of Gethsemane while He prayed. They would see Him in His lowliest and in greatest suffering praying to His Father that He would not have to drink the cup of suffering of enduring God’s wrath for the sins of the world. Here, this scene of Jesus in all His divine glory was to strengthen them and assure them that He is indeed the Savior, the true God who became also a true man.
What do we see here but Jesus’ love and compassion on His disciples! He was the One who would suffer the wrath of God for the world’s sin; He would suffer and die to establish His Church, but here He seeks the strengthening and well-being of His disciples. And then, when the disciples not only saw Jesus in all His glory with Moses and Elijah in their resurrected glorified bodies but also heard the voice of the Father, they fell face down and were terrified. Jesus approached and as he touched them, he said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” He didn’t want them to continue in their terror. Such is His mercy and love toward His dear Christians—even you and me today! He, the almighty God Himself, is always there with His grace and mercy to comfort us. He is always dealing with us in love and compassion. This is the King ruling, governing, and protecting His Church, His kingdom of grace.
What sort of King is He? St. Luke [9.31] in his account tells us that Moses and Elijah spoke of [Jesus’] departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem, that is, His suffering and death. Here we see that the work to set up the Church was not unknown to Jesus, that He did not enter it blindly, that He is not just a victim of circumstance. Instead, He entered these events voluntarily, gladly and willingly, so that His sacrifice of Himself to establish His Church, His kingdom of grace, was a voluntary one. Such is His great love for us! And He was looking ahead and certain of His victory for us over sin, death, devil and hell. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Just as Jesus set up His Church, the kingdom of grace, in the midst of His suffering and lowliness, so also now His kingdom of grace, His Church on earth is under much cross and suffering. We should expect nothing different than what our King endured. Here’s the marvelous thing about the Transfiguration: it shows us that Jesus is true God—the Father Himself declares so: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”—but He suffered. We, His subjects, should never think that just because we’re Christians we’ll be healthy, wealthy and wise enjoying every earthly blessing we want. Being a Christian does not spare us hardship. But it does give us the assurance that our sufferings are not senseless, futile or in vain; instead, our sufferings and crosses are the ways our King is governing and working to strengthen and purify our faith and through them working to bring us to Him in heaven. And just as Jesus [Hb. 12.2] who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, so too do we look forward to the joys of heaven, knowing that our good and gracious Jesus, our God and King, is Himself leading us there; we rejoice to walk the same path He did. St. John [1 John 3.2] tells us: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Now, we citizens of Jesus’ kingdom of grace, the Church are directed to Him and to His word alone. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Jesus is true God—as His Transfiguration clearly shows—and we are to listen to Him alone. There is no need for any further revelations or prophets. In all matters of salvation, we are directed solely to the gracious will of God revealed in Jesus, to His gracious word that Jesus speaks to us in the holy Scriptures. Listen to him. This looking to and listening to Jesus alone is so beautifully shown in our account: When they opened their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus alone. That’s what life is like for us as subjects of Jesus’ kingdom of grace, the Church—looking to, hearing Jesus only. Listen to Him in the absolution when through the pastor He announces and gives you the forgiveness of your sins, never doubting; listen to Him in the Blessed Sacrament where He tells us Take eat, take drink, this is My body, this is My blood given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Listen to Him in the Scriptures and as they are faithfully taught. There Jesus is speaking to you to strengthen your faith. The highest worship of Jesus is in faith receiving His gifts.
2. Jesus’ transfiguration not only points us to His kingship of His kingdom of grace, the Church on earth, but also of His kingship of His kingdom of glory, the Church in heaven. What we have on this holy mountain is heaven on earth. You have the Beatific Vision: Jesus in all His divine power and glory. You have the saints in their glorified bodies—Moses and Elijah. And then, what wasn’t obvious to the disciples but what is clear to us, you have the apostles! Truly this was heaven on earth. No wonder St. Peter wanted it to stay longer and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” How glorious is Jesus’ kingdom of glory, the Church in heaven! The Transfiguration was a foretaste of eternal joy, glory and blessedness. The reason heaven is so glorious is that God had made us for communion with Him. We are only truly happy and fulfilled when we have this communion with God, when we rest in Him. Then we have supreme joy and delight!
But now we are still sinners, feebly struggling in lowliness in Jesus’ kingdom of grace, His Church on earth. We are not yet ready for heaven. Our sin very much sticks to us/ is part of us. When the disciples heard this, they fell face down and were terrified. Here they were—sinners in the presence of the holy God. Now we cannot handle being in the presence of God in all His divine majesty and glory. We too would fall face down and [be] terrified. That’s why Jesus didn’t come in all His divine glory and majesty but limited His use of it. That’s why the holy divine Jesus comes to us today in His kingdom of grace covered by His word, under the bread and wine, and in the water of Holy Baptism. But He does so to prepare us to enter one day into His kingdom of glory as He comes and creates faith in Him in our hearts and keeps us in that faith in the midst of all lowliness and sufferings.
Looking at this scene on the holy mountain as heaven—Jesus’ kingdom of glory—on earth, we take great comfort seeing there Jesus in His glorified body together with Moses and Elijah. That means that we Christians who are now subjects of Jesus’ kingdom of grace, His Church on earth, will one day be His subjects in heaven, in His kingdom of glory. Like Moses and Elijah already had then, we too will be in heaven in both soul and body, beholding Jesus in all His divine power and glory. On that Last Day Jesus [Ph 3.21] will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body. INJ Amen