“In His Glory” Mark 9.2-9, Transfiguration Sunday, Feb. ’15 Series B

 

1.             Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Somebody is “in his glory” when he’s at his best: when he most clearly shows who he is. When do you think your mother is most in her glory? Let me give you two choices. Is Mom most in her glory when she’s all pretty—ready to go out to a nice dinner? Or when it’s the middle of the night and her hair is all messed up, but she’s taking care of you because you’re sick? It’s nice that my mother is pretty, but I’ll never forget how she took care of me when I was sick. That’s when she showed how much she loves me. That’s when she was in her glory.  The message from God’s Word this morning looks to the Transfiguration of Jesus in Mark 9:2-9 and is entitled, “In His Glory,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.             Jesus says right after Judas leaves to betray him in John 13:31, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” Jesus, the Son of Man, is glorified, because he’s going to be arrested, suffer, die, and rise for you, me and all people. Jesus’ glory is his cross. Even in the radiant light of the transfiguration, the cross is where Jesus is at his best—where he most clearly shows that he loves you and bears the punishment we deserve in order to save us. Jesus died on the cross to forgive and save you. Jesus died on the cross because he loves you and everyone.
3.             Imagine being in Peter, James, and John’s shoes. For a long time, they’d seen Jesus do wondrous things. They’d seen such glory! They’d seen Jesus heal many, cast out demons, feed a couple of huge crowds, walk on water, still a storm, raise Jairus’ daughter from death, make blind eyes see. They’d heard his clear and deep teaching. They’d come to believe that he is Christ, the Son of God. But now for the last six days, they’ve been in shock, because he began to teach them, plainly.  Mark 8:31 says, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Peter objected. Jesus called Peter “Satan.” Then the transfiguration! Divine light. Such glory! Talk of suffering and death had to be a big misunderstanding right?
4.             No, the purpose of the transfiguration was to confirm what Jesus had just told them, that His Greatest Glory Is His Sacrifice for You.  The Lord gives a sight of his glory a foreshadowing of his sacrifice.  We live in a broken world.  We see the wrongs and pains of others and are struck by our inability to solve the world’s problems.  In the fading glory of Moses’ face, it could be seen that no one can keep the glory of God’s Law as the Apostle Paul speaks about in 2 Cor. 3.  In the mirror of God’s Law, given in a cloud of glory on Mount Sinai, we see our sinfulness. 
5.             In the transfiguration, Jesus appears in glory as God’s Son, the coming sacrifice.  Mark 9:2-4 says, “²And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.”  Here Jesus is transfigured in divine light and Moses and Elijah point to Jesus—of whom all the prophets wrote.  But, Moses and Elijah are fully alive. How so? Because the one with whom they stand will go into death to bring us through to life—a foreshadowing of his sacrifice.
6.             The Lord gives a word of glory, a conversation of his sacrifice.  Peter wants this beautiful scene, rather than the frightening one to follow.  Mark 9:5-6 says, “⁵And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.    A week before, Peter had been afraid and confused after he heard Jesus explain his need to suffer, die, and rise again.”  Now Peter was confused after hearing the words of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as they talk about Jesus’ “departure.” That was nothing other than his trip to Jerusalem to sacrifice himself on the cross.  Instead of such talk, Peter offers to build tents.
7.             The cloud of God’s presence surrounds the scene and gives critical words in Mark 9:7 where God says, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”  The cloud of glory had appeared many times in the Old Testament. It marked God’s presence.  The Father proclaims again that Jesus is the beloved, eternal Son sent to save all. In answer to Peter’s confusion, he says, “Listen to him.” Jesus knows what he’s talking about when he says he’s going to the cross!  Peter later reflected on the transfiguration as confirmation that Scripture is light and truth in darkness in 2 Pet 1:17–21.  Yes, it’s all about Christ’s sacrifice.
8.             Week after week, our Lord shares the same glory with us here.  The sights and sounds of his sacrifice.  We come here sometimes confused and afraid after a tough week.  We’ve been shocked by terrible news.  We’ve surprised ourselves with our sins and the good we’ve left undone.  Here the Lord gives us a sight of his glory, a glimpse of his sacrifice.  By showing us Moses and Elijah with Jesus, he gives us a glimpse of the heavenly glory his sacrifice has already given those who have gone before in faith, giving us also hope and encouragement. He brings us into their presence, for they are with him. Heb 12:22–24 says, “²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
9.             Here the Lord gives us words of his glory, words of his sacrifice.  He teaches us his plan to rescue us through Jesus’ cross and resurrection.  As Moses and Elijah pointed to Christ, so every reading, hymn, and word of the service points us to Christ and him crucified.  It is Jesus we listen to as the pastor follows Paul’s course.  Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:2, “We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” Paul would know nothing among us but Christ sacrificed for us (1 Cor 2:2).
10.             “Listen to him.” Listen to Jesus, who left behind the glory he deserved for the greater glory of delivering us from the eternal death we deserved. He came down from the mount of light to Mount Calvary to die in darkness. He left the joyful company of Moses and Elijah to be abandoned by all in our place. He suffered all our darkness to bring us through his resurrection to light forever. See “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). Transfigured, crucified, and risen for you and for all. There is no greater glory!  Amen.