1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. You have been given a glimpse of glory, the glory of forgiveness, that you can share with those around you in the world. The message from God’s Word as we observe the Transfiguration of our Lord is taken from Luke 9:28-36, it’s entitled, “A Glimpse of Glory,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Americans have a fascination for hidden glory. Consider a show like American Pickers. Mike and Frank go junking. They drive across America and pull over whenever they see a house where junk has begun to accumulate in the yard. After talking to the homeowner, they are given permission to pick. Sometimes, the homeowner even takes them back to a barn overflowing with junk. Once they find a spot like this, they sort through the trash looking for treasure. On one episode of American Pickers, Mike and Frank dig through a salvage yard where there is forty acres of junk. But, at the end of the day, they have uncovered treasures. They found a rare farmer’s mini-bike and, after paying for it, take it back to their shop to be restored.
3. Or consider a show like Antiques Roadshow. Although we are not sorting over junk, people are going through their home, hoping to find something of hidden value. Paintings and doorstops, quilts and rocking chairs are brought to a convention center and experts examine the material. Viewers delight in the rare occasions when something valuable has been found. On one episode, a woman who purchased a painting for $6 at an estate sale in Dallas discovers that she now owns an abstract painting by the Cuban artist Felipe Orlando worth around $4,000 dollars.
4. Shows like this fuel our fascination with hidden glory. The goal is to discover the diamond in the dirt, the treasure that has been hidden in plain sight, and rejoice at our good fortune. This fascination with hidden glory is why it’s so hard for us to respond to the transfiguration of Jesus. That glory would be hidden in the figure of Jesus is not surprising to us. We believe in treasures hidden in plain sight. But our response to this appearance of glory is the problem.
5. Our fascination with hidden glory has trained us to want to extract the glory from the rest of the world. Mike and Frank of American Pickers dive into a junk yard, find their treasures, and then leave the rest behind. People come to the Antiques Roadshow and hope to walk away having found one thing that is worth keeping. The goal is to find the glory and leave the rest behind. It looks like the disciple Peter wants to find the glory and leave the rest behind in our text. In Luke 9:33 Peter says, “And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.”
6. But, with the transfiguration, God has a different plan. He has something else in mind. Rather than reveal His glory only to leave the rest behind, God reveals His glory only to impart glory to the world. Finding God’s glory, we are tempted, like Peter, to leave the world behind, delighting in our good fortune. But God invites us to do something different. God calls us to find His glory in Jesus and go into the world and share it with others. Instead of delighting in our good fortune, God invites us to delight in His good grace given to us in Christ.
7. God has a glory which belongs to Himself only. He alone is God. He alone has created all things. As God proclaims through His prophet Isaiah, “I am the Lord; that is My name; My glory I give to no other” (Isaiah 42:8). In the transfiguration, God’s glory is enfleshed in Jesus Christ. First, Luke records how the face of Jesus is transformed (9:29a) and then his clothing begins to radiate light (29b). Second, when Peter and the disciples awaken, Luke tells us they see “His glory” (9:32). Third, when Peter wants to make three tents to honor Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, Luke reports that God the Father hides everything from their view and calls them to see Jesus alone and listen to Him (9:34-35). God in His glory has come among us in the person of Jesus Christ. But this glory, once found, is not to be extracted from this world. Rather, God comes in glory to impart glory to the world.
8. In creation, God crowned His creatures with His glory. As the psalmist says, “You have made Him a little less than God and crowned Him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:6). After humanity’s fall into sin, God comes to redeem His people, to give them the honor of being His people, living in His Kingdom, and delighting in His glory. In God’s design, the entire earth will be full of His glory (see Numbers 14:21). This is foretold by the prophets and celebrated by the psalmists (Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 3:3; Psalm 57:6 and 72:19). God’s glory will extend to the ends of the earth. God in His glory has indeed come among us in the person of Jesus Christ.
9. So, in this text, we see Moses and Elijah in glorious splendor in Luke 9:31. They have been given glory by God. God has chosen to bring them into the work of His Kingdom, and they share a moment of holy conversation with Jesus.
10. Jesus comes in glory to do God's most glorious work. Not to find people worthy of His praise and extract them from the world but, rather, to find people worthy of damnation because of their sin and give to them God’s forgiveness, life, and salvation. This is God’s most glorious work: To save sinners. This is the mission of Jesus. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” Jesus says in Luke 19:10. And this is the joy Jesus brings us today. He assures us that by His death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven, and our lives have meaning in the Kingdom of God.
11. In fact, in John 12:28-30 Jesus says this is how our Heavenly Father is glorified, “28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” You see, the glory of God is to draw all people to Himself through the cross of Jesus Christ. There can be no glory without the suffering of our Savior Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. This is important to us to remember as we enter into the season of Lent. As we suffer with Jesus, taking up our crosses and following Him, we must remember that the glory of Easter and Christ’s resurrection from the dead, His victory over death couldn’t have come about without His suffering on the cross for us.
12. Like Moses and Elijah, our lives are fixed in God’s Kingdom. They have a glory given to us by God. Even now, Jesus works through us as He uses His people to extend His Kingdom and, finally, on the last day, bring His glorious salvation to the ends of the earth.
13. So, come today and listen, look, and see a glimpse of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. But do not try to take His glory out of the world. Rather, take it into the world. You have been given a glimpse of glory, the glory of forgiveness, that you can share with those around you in the world. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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