We are completing today the season of Epiphany. The Transfiguration is a great close to the season with its majestic mountaintop revelation of the full glory of Jesus as the Son of God. The vision of Jesus shining as bright as the sun transcends the worries of yesterday and today and tells us something about ourselves- that we are destined for a share in His glory.
We sang a few moments ago:
“O Father with the eternal Son and Holy Spirit ever one, We pray Thee bring us by Thy grace to see Thy glory face to face.” The transcendent glory of the transfiguration of Jesus is for us the church to share. He showed His glory to us so that we could know that our God is here for us, He has not left us alone, he has revealed his face to us. As the Epistle reading describes, with the coming of Jesus into the world, the veil that covered the face of Moses and concealed the glory of God has been uncovered.
What does it mean to say that the scripture says we have unveiled faces? Sin is the covering that keeps us from seeing Jesus. On account of the fallen nature of humanity the flesh cannot see the glory of God.
Yet in Christ we are unveiled as we look on the glory of Jesus without barrier- when we look with the eyes of faith, our sinful nature no longer clouds how we see Jesus. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can look at Jesus and see His glory.
Sadly, a veil remains for many in this world on account of their sin. Many people in the church have asked me how can people persist in unbelief with the countless ways that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the scripture and countless ways in which God’s Word has proven to be true?
How could people hold onto a stubborn belief in evolution despite all of the evidence for an intelligent design in creation and all of the evidence throughout the earth of a Biblical flood? Instead of beholding the beauty of the Son of God they long to see a world where death rules.
In 1 Corinthians 2:14 we have an answer to these questions:
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
The things of the Spirit of God are folly to the unbeliever. Each and every one of us came into this world turned away from God, and even an enemy of God. This is why the gospel of John says : “He came to his own , and his own people did not receive him.” But God in His infinite love and mercy called us as his own.
The waters of baptism washed away the covering of sin so that we could be called as his own and actually see the glory of God.
Often people who have struggled with addiction and learned how to obtain sobriety will talk about how difficult it was to think or do anything with clarity while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. They could not see rightly.
Our church has hosted a weekly AA meeting for many years. Society may look down on those who have struggled with addiction, but we as the church can learn from the experiences of those who have struggled with addictions and made humbling mistakes of great magnitude in life, their experiences are a testimony of how thick and dark the veil of sin can be on our vision.
Even when Peter James and John first saw Jesus transfigured before them, the covering of sin shaped their reaction. Just prior to the events of the Transfiguration Jesus begins to tell the disciples about the cross. Peter tries to rebuke Jesus in regards to this fate.
“Far be it from you Lord! This shall never happen to you.” What Peter saw and wanted for Jesus was different than what was his purpose. Peter needed a realignment of focus. Jesus told him “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hinderance to me. For you are not setting your minds on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
And as they made their way up a high mountain six days earlier Jesus was transfigured before them. They recognized Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Instead of simply marveling at how amazing it was to be able to recognize Moses and Elijah without ever seeing a painting or sculpture of either prophet, instead of marveling at the meaning of these great prophets of the past now talking with Jesus- Peter interrupts this magnificent meeting with his own agenda.
“Rabbi it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
Under the veil of sin we are terrified before the presence of God. Yet in listening to the Son, the Lord Jesus- there is no need for fear. As the scripture teaches in 1 John “Perfect love casts out all fear.” In listening to Jesus there is no uncertainty in our life of who we are in this world and what is our purpose.
Moses and Elijah as great as they were, they were only meant to point to Jesus. They faded away on the mountain and there was only Jesus. The majesty of Jesus, confirmed by the voice of the Father was something they could put their hope and faith in, something that they knew with complete certainty.
And we have this same certainty because we have God’s Word which shows us the glory of Jesus. In the Old testament times people only had the law playing a role as a teacher and a guardian until Jesus came. Yes, they were shown the glory of God in Old Testament times, but it was always a reflected glory.
Now as the church we see the full picture of the glory of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.
As the prologue to the gospel of John records: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth.” This glory of Jesus- grace, truth, and perfect love.
And because we have seen this glory, we shall share in this glory. Though the body dies, like our sister in Christ Laura, it will be raised a spiritual body that is entirely without sin, raised not in imperfection but instead in the image of Jesus.
After the disciples heard and saw all they did on this mountain the scripture records: 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
This revelation was only for their eyes and ears until after the crucifixion and resurrection. They were given a glimpse of the glory for a few moments to prepare them for the trials to come in the days leading up to their master’s betrayal and crucifixion.
We know from church history that all of the disciples faced persecution in one way or another after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Transfiguration gave them a foretaste of the eternal joys of heaven that awaited them. As we are gathered here this morning we also can rejoice at the clear revelation that the Son of God has revealed his glory to us, he has forever lifted the veil of sin. No matter the difficulties we face in the coming days- may we always look to the glory of the Son. Amen.