Hear Him: A Meditation on Matthew 17 for Transfiguration Sunday

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, 

and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 

and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, 

and his raiment was white as the light.  

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, 

Lord, it is good for us to be here: 

if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; 

one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: 

and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, 

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.  

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.  

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.  

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, 

Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

There are many winsome voices in the world, and many wondrous sights to behold, as countless wanderers and travelers have testified.  Within our nation alone there are majestic peaks and grand canyons, paradise like beaches and painted deserts, rich fields filled with diverse crops and mighty rivers filled with commerce.  We have some of the most innovative and driven scientists and technologists, engineers and architects, professors and researchers.  Our military is among the noblest and most respected of associations on earth, our space and exploration programs as eager fonts of human knowledge, our industrial and economic base of legendary proportions.  We have writers and speakers, thespians and poets, artists and musicians, philosophers and theologians.  In our nation, like in much of the world, there are tremendous wonders to meet every eye and engaging words to meet every ear.

While it may be tempting to believe that our time and place is unique in this regard, it is worth remembering that as long as people have been walking this earth, they have put their hands to building wonders and their minds to building ideas.  As far back into recorded history as we can peer there have been majestic empires, with their giants of industry, philosophy, art, and war.  We read of great walls, great cities, and great adventures, the remnants and echoes of some still with us today even thousands of years since their people brought them forth.  This world has always been full of the thoughts and works of people, because God made His people to be like Him as He planted us here to tend His good creation.  We are a peculiar species whose lives are marked by thought and action, and of reflection upon the meaning of our lives both individually and communally.  We are a people made to sing in harmony with God and His creation, our individuality to be woven perfectly into the infinite complexity of the fabric of existence.

And yet, the cacophony of our voices and actions bear witness to a world that is more often confused, deluded, and suffering.  With all our wonders and works, thoughts and rhetoric, we are like every generation before us plagued by the blights of evil, manipulation, dishonesty, abuse, tyranny, corruption, and death.  To reflect upon ourselves and our world is to see both the beautiful heights for which we were created, and the tragic depths to which we have fallen.  Our race has turned its minds and hands to bring forth the darkness and despair of confusion, oppression, avarice, and pride.  Even our greatest works of civilization are tainted with the wicked ambitions of those who would exploit them, and so distrust and skepticism permeates our view of history, community, and even ourselves.  We are left disoriented by the constantly contradictory voices filling our ears, the discord between beauty and perversity which fills our eyes, and know that even within ourselves the corruption of our fallen divine image leaves us tragically unable to find our way out of the morass we have made.

Into this chaotic darkness, our Lord Jesus Christ brings His Light.  Our Gospel lesson recounts the vision Peter, James, and John saw when Jesus was transfigured before them high upon that mountain, when they could finally see a shrouded glimpse of the glory which the Son has shared with the Father and the Spirit since before the world was brought forth.  Jesus is shown to be the source, the continuity, and the completion of all that God had revealed through Moses and Elijah, all that He had spoken through His Law and the Prophets.  Since the fall of mankind to Satan's temptation in the Garden, God had been at work to pierce the darkness of man's folly and bring us all back into living fellowship with Himself.  While the vision of Jesus' transfiguration was magnificent to behold, it would not be complete until He ascended Mount Calvary and gave Himself as the only redeeming sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.  Thus He commanded His disciples to keep the vision to themselves until He was risen again, the darkness forever pierced, and the devil forever overcome.  Jesus had come to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, rescuing us from our sin, death, hell, and tyranny under the evil one by His atonement for us upon His Cross.  As He fulfilled His Father's loving will to reconcile the world to Himself through His life, death, and resurrection, His Holy Spirit would then go out into that same world bearing witness to the saving Word and Work of Jesus.  His Apostles would take His great commission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Triune God, and teaching those new disciples everything Jesus had taught them, so that they all may live forever by the same grace through the same faith in the same Jesus Christ alone.

This is the Light which pierces the darkness of ages past, just as it will pierce the darkness of every age to come.  It is the Light which comes to pierce your darkness, rescue you from confusion and despair, and lead you into the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.  It is the Light of the only Son of God, the Eternal Word of the Father, who moves you by His Spirit to faith and repentance that you might be lost and chained no more.  Lift up your eyes to see Him, and open your ears to hear Him, that you might be transformed by His love, mercy, grace, and peace.  Let the empty vanities of our day recede from your sight, that you may see and hear your Savior who calls you to repent, believe, and live forever.  Amen.