Gaze at God’s Glory!

Last Sunday after Epiphany, 3/2/25 The Transfiguration of Our Lord Luke 9:28-36 Gaze at God’s Glory! I. Jesus reveals his glory to convince us. II. Jesus conceals his glory to save us. “Did you see that?” “See what?” Even if you’re the one who missed seeing whatever it was, you might still have an option or two to see it. If the image you missed was on a digital display screen, you probably have the option of pausing what you’re watching and reversing the video, giving you a second chance to see what happened. Another option might be to see if there are cameras in the vicinity that captured what you missed. You just need to access the footage. And that might be as simple as asking someone who was in that same location if they happened to take a picture or video of what you just missed. A couple of weeks ago a passenger aircraft landed on an airport runway upside down. And we saw video footage from one passenger as he or she departed the aircraft safely. Amazing! As I watched that video, I wondered if it would have occurred to me to do the same if I had been a passenger on that aircraft. And today—this Sunday—that makes me wonder: If the Transfiguration were to occur in our world tomorrow, do you think a video recording of it would be made? Do you think Peter or James or John would have had the presence of mind to grab their cell phone out of the pocket of their tunic and record what they were seeing and hearing? And if they did, how amazing would it be for you and me to see it? But that won’t happen. And it obviously didn’t happen 2,000 years ago when the Transfiguration occurred. And yet this morning we still have the opportunity to see it, not with the eyes in our heads, but with our eyes of faith. And that’s just what we need to do. We’re about to enter another Lenten season in which we’ll walk with Jesus to his death. Most of the scenes along the way are anything but glorious—misbehaving disciples, betrayal, denial, bald-faced lies, cruel treatment, inhuman beatings, an excruciating execution. Nothing glorious there! But there is right here! Right here on the pages of Holy Scripture! Right here in the account of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. Don’t miss it! See it! See what? The glory of God! Gaze at God’s glory! I invite you to do that with me right now. I. When you watch a person for a while—either in person right in front of you, or a video of recording of them—what do you usually see and pay attention to? Well, once you get past what they look like and how they’re dressed and what they might be doing, you begin to get to know that person, especially if you’re able to observe them for an extended period of time. At first you might appreciate who that person is as you’re getting to know them, but it probably won’t take long before you notice the opposite—their flaws, their less-attractive qualities, their shortcomings, the fact that they aren’t living up to the hype you expected. The people who experienced Jesus while on this earth had the same reactions. What did they see when they observed Jesus long enough to form opinions about him? Well, many of his fellow Jews at first were thrilled with him. They recognized him as a prophet of God who spoke to them with authority, instead of the opinions they were accustomed to hearing from their religious leaders. Others were simultaneously thrilled with him as a miracle-worker. They came from all around to see him perform a miracle, or—even better—for them to see him perform a miracle on them. They correctly connected him to the centuries-old promises of God to send the Messiah. And they wanted to believe that he was, until he wasn’t the kind of Messiah they were looking for and hoping for. In other words, they looked at him as a disappointment. And then there was the observation of his enemies. He was a fraud. A liar. A blasphemer. An agent of the Devil or the Devil himself. Think about that for a minute. All these people saw and heard the same Jesus say and do the same things and they went away with all of these wrong ideas of who he was. After three years of this, might their opinions be true, at least to a small degree? He claimed to be the Son of God but masses of people came to another conclusion about him. Could so many people be so wrong? And what if they were right about him? Even just a little bit right? Not a chance! How do I know? His Transfiguration! It’s no accident that this event occurred when it did—right before his sufferings and death. At this point there existed literally thousands of false opinions about him. Surely, they can’t all be wrong! Indeed, they can! How do I know. Transfiguration. In this event there isn’t even the smallest hint of divine discredit. What do I mean? Humans will always come up with various opinions about other people. That’s just the way it is. But at the Transfiguration we hear and see the only opinion that matters—God’s opinion. And it’s conveyed to us in God’s glory. Five humans witnessed it and they all were impressed with the same thing—the glory of God displayed in Jesus. The glory of God in Jesus as God! Can you hear or do you see any nay-sayers, any opposite opinions, anyone willing to challenge this glory? Silence! Crickets! Nichts! Nada! People of God, do what God calls you to do as you ponder the Transfiguration of Jesus. Gaze at God’s glory! Jesus reveals his glory to convince us! I’m guessing that you’ve lived long enough to be realistic about this life. Sure, there are great moments, but there are always disappointments, frustrations, heartaches. And that’s the way it is living in this sinful world. And that’s bad enough, but when it happens in your life of faith, it just about crushes you. What do I mean? Well, have you ever been disappointed with your relationship with Jesus? Has it ever seemed like he isn’t listening to you? He doesn’t seem to care about what you’re going through? He isn’t keeping up his end of the deal? Do you ever wonder if your life with him is really worth it? Like things would be going just as well in your life without him? The Transfiguration answers every one of those questions with a deafening, “Absolutely not!” Remember, at this point Jesus knew that he was about to face his crucifixion, and he knew what every sinner in the world needs to know and believe—that he is the true and eternal Son of God. And because he is, everything is OK, even his impending death on the cross. In fact, everything is perfect, with him and with you! Gaze at God’s glory! Jesus reveals his glory to convince us. II. Mics that are live are a great help when the speaker is aware of them and using them. But a live mic can also be an embarrassment. The speaker didn’t intend for others to hear that. There was a live mic of sorts on the Mount of Transfiguration. Let’s listen, “Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” The writer Luke lets us in on a heavenly conversation. Moses and Elijah are with Jesus, and they are talking with him. About what? His departure. Literally, his exodus. He’s making his way to the end of his work as the world’s Redeemer. That work would culminate in his being nailed to a cross and finally declaring, “It is finished.” His work as the Savior of the world is done! That means nothing more is needed for sinners to enter the eternal presence of the holy God. All sins are forgiven! Heaven is open to all people! Jesus knew all along that’s where he was headed. He had even told all of his disciples that very thing just prior to this glorious event. And that was the last thing his disciples wanted to hear. They opposed his plan. Peter, in a back-handed way, displays that opposition with his request for Jesus to allow him to build three tents so that they all can stay right there in divine glory, instead of facing a terrible death on the cross. But Jesus wouldn’t entertain that thought for a moment. He insisted on going down from that mountain so he could walk up another one—one called Calvary. And there’s his glory! He displayed his glory by humbling himself to death on the cross. When his glory is most hidden, it is most on display. Gaze at it, fellow Christians! Gaze at God’s glory! Jesus reveals his glory to save us. This Wednesday, Lent begins. Jesus calls you to walk closely with him. I hope you’ll accept his invitation to do so. But if you do, don’t expect your walk to Calvary with Jesus to make your walk through this life one joy-filled day after another. That’s not what Jesus is about. And if you walk with Jesus, don’t think that somehow you’ll avoid death. Unless Jesus returns first, your death will happen. But when you walk with Jesus this Lenten season, take each step with him confident that you have eternal life with him. Is there anything else that really matters? I can’t think of a single one. So, gaze at God’s glory now and be confident you will live in it with him! Amen.