Behold your Lord, Jesus Christ–the greatest rerun you’ll ever see. That’s right: Jesus is the rerun you want to watch, the one you don’t ever want to miss. For that is exactly what Jesus does: He re-runs the entire Old Testament.
Jesus is called out of Egypt, He is tempted in the desert, He is baptized in the Jordan River, and now–now he ascends the mountain as Moses had before Him. Moses, you remember, went up Mount Sinai to speak to God directly and receive the Law. The presence of God made his face glow and the people were frightened to see the glory of God reflected on his face.
But now Christ shines brightly, as dazzling as the sun! He does not reflect God’s glory. He is God’s glory, “the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus is better than Moses, more than Moses–Elijah too, the greatest prophet in all Israel. When you have Moses, you have God‘s Law and the Commandments. When you have Elijah, and you’ve got the prophets. And when you have them both–Moses and Elijah–you have the entire Old Testament. Indeed, Jesus is the rerun of the entire Old Testament, and something more too. Yes, more, because the Old Testament was just the beginning, a preview of what was to come.
Peter, James, and John got to see this transfiguration. They got to see Jesus’ glory, and it was good. This was religion, the religion people like: Power, glory, honor; Old Testament heroes, and heavenly conversation.
This is what Peter, James, and John had signed up for. This is glory: No more broken hearts, no pain and abuse, and no more being unappreciated. If transfiguration is a preview of the Christian life then gone are the days of hoping that life will look better, only to find out life got worse. With this Jesus of Transfiguration, no more fearing what the next phone call will bring, no more fighting, and no more death. It’s just me with Jesus up there shining on the mountain. Why take up your cross when you can have this? Yes, this was good.
It was so good, in fact, that Peter responded the way of all sinful flesh: he wanted to do something for God. Now don’t misunderstand, wanting to do something for God is good. But so often what we want to do for God just gets in the way of what He wants to do for us.
Peter wanted to make tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, but Jesus could not stay–He did not want to stay. For it is not enough that Jesus re-run the Old Testament. Jesus isn’t a new Moses. Jesus isn’t a new Elijah. Jesus came to fulfill what they said and did. So, what good would rerun do?
No, Jesus must also make everything new. And to make everything new, He must do this–not in the way of glory–but of the cross. For sin is such an offense to God to God’s perfect holiness that only killing sin will do. Dressing up sin to make it look shiny and new, only touches the symptoms and not the cause. The bringer of death, sin, must die.
That’s why Jesus must go to the cross. Jesus–who knew no sin–must become sin for us so He can die for us. Jesus “must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Just six days earlier He had told Peter as much. Peter heard, but he didn’t listen. He saw Jesus’ glory, but he didn’t listen to Jesus’ words. What Peter wanted to do for Jesus was getting in God’s way.
Repent! The Christian faith is not about what you’re supposed to do for Jesus. He doesn’t need anything from you. Anything you would add would only mess it up. Your best you have to offer are bloodied, filthy rags. The Christian faith is first about what Jesus does for you.
We see this clearly on the Mount of Transfiguration, not in the dazzling display of brightness, but in the words of Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah. What, do you think, would be so important that Jesus would want to discuss it with Moses and Elijah? What does Jesus want to talk about the most?
Luke tells us: with Moses and Elijah, Jesus was talking about dying on the cross for you. This is heaven’s favorite subject and the one Jesus is most concerned about: your salvation.
Can you now see why Peter was so off-base? Staying on the mountain wouldn’t take away Peter’s sins, or Moses’, Elijah’s, or even yours. Can you now understand why what you think you must do for God often gets in Jesus’ way? For it focuses on what you do, which distracts from what Jesus has done.
That’s why the Father interrupts Peter from heaven and redirects his focus: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Listen to Him. This is what your Father speaks from heaven, not “Build a tent for Jesus;” not “Join a church committee;” not “Build a bigger building;” but “Listen to him.” All of these activities and works can be good–but whenever they get in our way of listening to Jesus and His prophetic word, we must repent of them.
So what gets in your way of listening to Jesus? Is it your apathy toward God? Is it having God first in your life only when it’s convenient? Repent! Put that away, for Jesus’ word for you is one of forgiveness and peace. And be not discouraged, for Christ has poured out His Spirit on you that you may know what Jesus did and does for you—save you! And he has given you a pastor too. Everybody needs a pastor. Pastors need pastors.
This is the way Christ has set up His Church to operate. We need Jesus’ Word to come to us from someone else. We cannot sit alone atop a mountain. That’s why He has given you a pastor, so hearing him you may hear Christ and know that you are a forgiven child of God. This is what it means to listen to Jesus: to hear the preached Word and to have it given to you in His Supper: His Body given into death for you; His Blood for the forgiveness of your sins.
Listening is something simple, isn’t it? It seems like there should be more to it than that; something more…religious. The world tells you that you sitting here right now, listening is a waste of time. The world tells you that you could be doing better things. You could be making a difference right now. You could be feeding the hungry, saving the planet, fighting poverty. What’s the use of listening? What power do words have? Action is what we need: more doing, less listening!
Still, your Father says, “Listen to Him; Listen to Jesus.” For the Word of God is not powerless. His Word created the heavens and the earth. And even now in your listening to Jesus your Father is working in you, strengthening your faith, and bringing you closer to that glorious day when you will be in God’s eternal presence. So when the world and the Devil tell you that listening is useless or that doing something is better: Don’t listen to them. Listen to Jesus and see Him only.
This week, Wednesday, we’ll begin our Lenten journey once again. Today, we’re at the top of the mountain seeing Jesus’ re-run the Old Testament as we get a glimpse of His glory. Indeed, Jesus has His glory all along as He shows us today in His transfiguration.
But Jesus puts it away from you. He hides it for your sake, just as Moses wore a veil for the sake of the people. Yes, everything Jesus does, He does for you. For it was for your sake that Israel was brought out of Egypt. It was for your sake that Moses climbed the mountain of God. And now it is for your sake that Jesus goes down the mountain and journeys to a different mount: Calvary.
At Calvary, there will be no glory: No shining robes, no Moses or Elijah. At Calvary there is only Christ crucified for sinners, for you and me. Come along then with Christ. Soon we will put our Alleluias away for a time just as Christ put His glory away for a time.
This Lent, let us listen to Jesus. Journey with Him to the cross “until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” Let us reverently watch this rerun of our salvation, to repeat what we should never forget. And in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, listen again to the story of Christ’s death for sinners that continues to resound in the heights of heaven. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Amen.
Seminarian Josh Hayes was our guest preacher, preaching this sermon under pastor’s authority and approval. If this sermon is typical of his theology, he will make a good Law-Gospel (Luke 24:47) preacher when he is finally called and ordained.
