The Transfiguration
of Our Lord (A)
February 26, 2017
Text: Matt. 17:1-9
Listening is an art. I
have it on good authority from those who know that I’ve mastered the art of
selective listening, which really isn’t listening at all. Listening to other
people does not come naturally to our fallen flesh, because that flesh is curved in on itself. We have a hard
enough time listening to those we love, because it takes effort to pay
attention to the interests of others, and our selfish selves are not convinced
that the effort is worthwhile. But when it comes to the speech of the living
God, we have an even greater problem. That is that the ears of this fallen
flesh are totally tuned out. We don’t understand the language of God, and we
don’t really want to. And because even the Christian is weighed down by the
fallen flesh, the old sinful nature, we, likewise, have trouble listening to
God. It’s not for lack of trying. It’s just that we fail miserably every time.
Because we listen in all the wrong places. And we listen to all the wrong gods.
On
the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter thinks he’s listening. But he’s failing
miserably. Instead, he’s talking. And by talking, he’s really listening to
himself. He’s getting in the way of himself hearing the Word of God. Peter
thinks that he will learn of God by talking.[1]
Beholding the great light emanating from Jesus’ body in the Transfiguration,
seeing Moses and Elijah, the author of the Torah and the great prophet, talking
with Jesus about His exodus (Luke 9:31), His saving work in His fulfilling of
the Law, His suffering and sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious
resurrection… In the midst of all of this, Peter has the audacity to speak and
to tell Jesus how this phenomenal situation might
be better. Peter wants to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with the
glorified Jesus and His saintly guests. “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” (Matt. 17:4; ESV). Peter wants to
stay on the mountain. Peter wants to bask in Jesus’ glory. This is much better
than Jesus’ plan.
Only
six days before our Lord took Peter, James, and John up the holy mountain,
Jesus had predicted his death. And Peter, having in mind the things of men
rather than the things of God, made himself an instrument of Satan, rejecting
the Lord’s Word. Peter rebuked Jesus, “Far
be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (16:22). Peter, in
turn, received the Lord’s stern rebuke, “Get
behind me, Satan!” (v. 23). But now in the radiance of Jesus’ divine glory,
Peter feels vindicated. “See, Lord, you
don’t have to suffer and die. You have your glory now. Let’s stay up here on the mountain. Let’s enjoy the Kingdom here and now on earth. It is good that
we are here. This is better than Your
plan of death and resurrection.” St.
Luke reports that Peter didn’t know what he was saying (Luke 9:33). He didn’t
know what he was talking about. He was just talking. Enough talk! In talking,
he was listening to himself. He had become his own god. Thus the true God cuts
him off. While Peter is still prattling on and on, a bright cloud, the shekinah,
the glory of the LORD, overshadows them, just as the same pillar of cloud
guided the Israelites in their wilderness wandering, and as the same cloud was
present at the Tent of Meeting whenever Moses would speak with God face to
face. This was the cloud of God’s
presence. And from the cloud, the Father speaks. He silences Peter. No more
talking. Listen. “This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matt. 17:5).
Stop
talking. Listen to Jesus. Don’t instruct Jesus about how things could be
better. Be instructed by Him. Learn of Him from His own Word.
We’re always talking. And in talking, we’re really listening to ourselves. We
become our own gods. We always think we have a better doctrine to offer than
that which Jesus teaches in His Word, so we re-interpret His Word to fit the
times and to fit our liking. We always think we can make worship better, more
glorious, by making it more of an experience for the people, taking the
emphasis off of God’s Word and His external means of grace (preaching and
Sacraments) where God serves us with His gifts, and instead placing the
emphasis on our praises and the
things we can do for God. We’re just
like Peter. We’re always talking instead of listening, teaching rather than
being taught. We don’t know what we’re talking about. We listen to everyone but
Jesus. We listen to the world, listen to our emotions and gut feelings, listen
to our reason, listen to the devil.
We listen in all the wrong places, to all the wrong gods. Most of all we listen
to ourselves, for we worship ourselves by living for ourselves. We listen to
our own desires, our own preferences, our own wisdom (which is utter
foolishness). On and on we talk. God has to interrupt us. The Father silences
us in our endless prattling. “This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Beloved
in the Lord, repent, and listen to Jesus only. For His Word alone gives life.
He speaks to you wherever and whenever His Word is preached, read,
contemplated, studied, given and distributed. He ties Himself to His Word so that you can always know whether it is
Him speaking, or someone else, some other god, your own sinful flesh, the
godless world, or that sly old serpent, the devil. On the Mount of
Transfiguration, Peter was listening to other voices, especially his own. By
the time Peter writes our Epistle, he’s learned his lesson. In his office as
apostle, he writes by the Spirit’s inspiration just how we sinners can, even
today, listen to Jesus our Savior. He points us to the prophetic Word, the Holy
Scriptures, to which we do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark
place (2 Peter 1:19). The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our
path (Psalm 119:105) as we navigate through the darkness of this fallen world.
By this Word of God the Holy Spirit keeps us on the path, keeps us in the one
true faith, until the Lord’s return to judge the living and the dead. Because God is ultimately the Author behind the
human authors of the Scriptures, the Scriptures are living and active,
powerful, able to make us wise unto salvation, and keep us in the one true
faith.
But
it is true, with the Scriptures comes the cross and suffering. The Word of God
always directs us to Christ crucified. And likewise, the Word of God always
lays a cross upon us as we live this earthly life in a world hostile to Christ,
in this rebellious and sinful flesh, walking by faith, not by sight. There is a
reason why we would rather listen to ourselves, or to any other god, than
Jesus. Because Jesus only gives us a glimpse of His glory before sending us
down the mountain. We cannot stay and bask in the Transfiguration light. There
is a cross to be borne down there. The road leads through suffering and death,
Good Friday, Golgotha. We must put our alleluias away for a time. It cannot be
any other way. It is divinely necessary for the Son of Man to suffer, to be
crucified, and after three days, to rise from the dead. Upon this hangs the
salvation of the whole world, your salvation and mine. Only through the cross
and suffering can we come to glory. Only through Good Friday can we come to
Easter.
That
is why the Mount of Transfiguration is where we begin our Lenten journey.
Having now caught a glimpse of Jesus’ glory, and the glory that will be ours in
Christ, we have been encouraged and strengthened to go the way of the cross, to
trudge on (really, being carried by Him), knowing that after suffering glory
awaits. The Lord knows how weak we are. The Lord knows that apart from Him we
can do nothing, that we are utterly helpless. The Lord knows that like Peter
and James and John on the mountain, naked in our sinfulness before God, we
cower in fear. And so He comes to us, tenderly, and touches us (really, not
figuratively… He touches us with His true body and blood in the Sacrament). And
He speaks to us (really, not figuratively… He speaks to us in the Scriptures
and the Absolution and the preaching). And He says to us, dead as we are in our
trespasses and sins, “Rise, and have no
fear” (Matt. 17:7). And by His Word, we are risen from the dead. By His
Word all fear is cast out. By His Word our eyes are lifted up to see no one but
Jesus only. Seeing Him, we behold the author and perfecter of our faith. Seeing
Him, we see the beloved and only-begotten Son of the Father, and we listen to
Him. We live by His Word, which takes us through the valley of the shadow of
death to His heavenly glory.
Dear
Christians, be faithful this Lententide. Take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Listen to Him. Discipline your bodies and your souls. Take every thought
captive to the Word of God. Come to the midweek Lenten services to hear our Lord’s
Word and meditate on His Passion. We descend the mountain now to begin our
40-day journey to the cross. But know that you cannot do this on your own. You
cannot do this by your own reason or strength. You cannot do this if you insist
on doing all the talking. Listen to the Son of God. For His Word makes strong
the weak hands and makes firm the feeble knees (Is. 35:3). Rise and have no
fear. Set your eyes on Jesus. He lifts you up. He strengthens you. He takes
away your sins and by His cross makes you sons of God, with whom the Father is
well pleased. It is good that you are here. It is good that you are wherever
Jesus is speaking His Word of life. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son
(+), and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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