GOD’S WORD ENLIGHTENS US TO SEE JESUS’ GLORY.
In the name + of Jesus.
It was only a week prior that Jesus had asked his disciples who the people thought he was. Based on what they had seen, the people had many guesses. Based on Jesus’ words, the apostles made a right confession. Peter spoke for all the apostles: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Through the word which was preached, the Holy Spirit had enlightened them. Jesus was more than a healer, more than a teacher. Yes, he was those things, but he is much greater. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). They already knew it. They did not need more evidence. They got it anyway.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the mountain
top. There, he was transfigured before
them. He radiated glory and divinity. He conversed with the sainted prophets, Moses
and Elijah. The presence of God the
Father was veiled by a cloud which had enveloped them. Then they heard his voice: “This is my
Son, my Chosen One; listen to him” (Luke 9:35)! St. Luke recorded their unlikely reaction to
seeing Jesus in glory, to seeing the Son of God look like the Son of God: “They kept silent and told no one
in those days anything of what they had seen” (Luke 9:36).
How could they say nothing about this?
Wouldn’t Jesus’ transfiguration be all the proof anyone needed to be convinced
of Jesus’ identity? Wouldn’t more
visions mean more believers? The short
answer is, “No.” Faith in Jesus would not come
by Jesus showing off his divinity. The
miracles did not convince Jesus’ enemies of anything. They accused him of being in cahoots with the
devil. Critics of the Bible still
dismiss evidence of Jesus’ divinity.
Even Jesus’ transfiguration is explained away, as critics assert that
the sunrise hit Jesus in a way that made him look like he was radiating glory. Therefore, the Father’s message to the
disciples was not, “Look at him,” but, “Listen to him” (Luke 9:35)! Faith comes by hearing. God reveals his wisdom, his will, and his
glory through the preaching of his word.
God’s Word enlightens us to see Jesus’ glory.
That’s what St. Paul wrote the Corinthians about in today’s epistle
lesson. Not everyone believes that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of the living
God. To those who do not believe, the Gospel remains
hidden. He explains why. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The god of
this age is the devil. He holds claim on
all people because everyone enters the world a sinner. The devil continues to lie and deceive to keep
people blinded in unbelief. He does not want
anyone to see Jesus as the Savior or to think that they have any real need for
him. In this way, the devil continues to
keep his domain over people.
To be blinded to the Gospel is not to be ignorant of it. Even atheists are acquainted with Bible
facts. They know that Jesus was born in
Bethlehem. They know that Jesus died on the
cross. They know that we celebrate Jesus’
resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday.
But they don’t believe any of it has any worth. They don’t put their hope in Jesus any more
than they would put their faith in Julius Caesar or Queen Victoria. We are not saved by knowledge of facts. Salvation is by faith in God’s promises. God’s word enlightens us to see Jesus’
glory. Jesus’ glory is that the Lord became
a man to rescue mankind from sin, death, and the devil. The only way you know that Jesus has done this
is that God revealed it to you through his word. The only reason you believe that Jesus has
done this for you is because the Holy Spirit has enlightened you through
God’s word. Therefore, the Father urges
you, “Listen to him” (Luke 9:35)!
God’s word enlightens us to see Jesus’ glory.
“Listen to him!” If you
are not paying attention to his word, you may lose focus on the word that saves. You may be led to trust in worldly arguments
which mock God’s word. You may confuse
political opinions with God’s word. You
may be distracted by conspiracies which stir up passions but produce neither
love nor mercy. You may end up clinging
to promises that God did not make. God the
Father commanded, “Listen to him!” lest you become blinded again.
What deceives us is what we observe or what we feel. We see and feel injustice, hardship, pain,
and sorrow. The devil uses our
frustrations to challenge God’s love and faithfulness to us. For example, we see that war has come upon Ukraine. People’s homes and lives are being disrupted,
if not destroyed. With the devastation
of war will also come a lack of supplies and an increase of disease. Even though we are not suffering personally,
we wonder why God would let the evils of war happen. The Ukrainians are especially wondering where
God is and why he is not acting.
Our sufferings might pale in comparison, but we still bear our own
personal burdens. Our joints ache. Eyesight fades. Energy bills increase. Potholes blow out tires. Our colleagues are uncaring. Loved ones die. Our pains and losses and frustrations grow. In addition, we feel the burden of our sins
with guilt, regret, and broken relationships.
We know that the devil is at war with us because we can feel the
devastating effects he has on our lives and hearts and minds. And we wonder, “Where is God?”
What you see and feel may be hard, but the
Father did not tell us to pay attention to what we see. He does not tell us to put our trust in how
we feel. “Listen to him!” is the
command. Faith does not come by looking
or feeling or thinking. Faith comes from
hearing the message. God’s word
enlightens us to see Jesus’ glory.
Peter, James, and John saw the glory of
Jesus on the mountain top. It is safe to
say they were impressed. Peter crafted a
plan to keep that glory. “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and
one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Luke 9:33). Peter loved
what he saw, and he wanted to preserve it.
In the presence of Jesus’ glory, there was no illness. There was no war. There was no sorrow or pain or loss. Everything was glory. But do you know what wasn’t there on that
mountain in that moment of radiant glory?
Forgiveness of sins.
Salvation. The hope of life
everlasting. These did not come through Jesus’
transfiguration. So, the message, again,
is not “Look at him!” It is, “Listen
to him” (Luke 9:35)! God’s word
enlightens us to see Jesus’ glory.
If Peter, James,
and John had been listening to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, they would not have
been distracted by what they saw and felt.
“Moses and Elijah … spoke of his departure, which he
was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). Jesus’ departure was his
death. That is where Jesus’ glory is
truly revealed. That is where God the Father’s
love is demonstrated to sinners. God the
Father sent Jesus not to shine with radiant glory, but to die in shame and
weakness.
When Jesus was crucified, what the people in Jerusalem saw was a popular
teacher wrongly accused by jealous rabbis and priests. They saw Jesus sacrificed for the sake of a self-serving
Roman governor who wanted to prevent civil unrest. The women on the road wept and wailed as
Jesus carried his cross out to Golgotha because they saw this poor man suffering
so horribly. Indeed, it was unjust and
pathetic. But God’s word has enlightened
you to know what was really going on.
None of this was accidental. Jesus’
sufferings were by divine design. Jesus’
innocent death had been divinely promised.
God’s word enlightens us to see Jesus’ glory. His glory is that he loves sinners and saves
them. God’s word enlightens you to believe
the truth. Yes, Jesus was falsely
accused; he died for sins that he did not commit—ours. Yes, Jesus was crucified for self-serving
judgments—our judgments about what is right and fair. Yes, Jesus was put to death to prevent unrest. By dying for our sins, Jesus removes the restless
spirit in us and gives us a conscience that has peace with God. For he has taken away our sins and delivered
us from God’s wrath.
God’s word enlightens us to see Jesus’
glory. “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has
shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
The Lord of glory has driven the darkness from your heart so that you
are no longer deceived by Satan’s lies.
Your glory is not in sins that damn, in wealth that deceives, or in a
world that is dying. It is in Jesus who
saves. Jesus’ glory was revealed again
when he rose from the dead. His resurrection
means victory over death. You will be
raised from you grave and dwell in God’s glorious presence. How can you know that for sure? “Listen to him!” It is what Jesus gives to all who believe his
words. Keep listening to him so that you
will be preserved in the saving faith.
By listening to him, you will not be seduced back into the sins you have
been freed from. By listening to him,
you will not be deceived by arguments which have the appearance of wisdom but still
lead to death.
God’s word enlightens you to see Jesus’ glory. That same word enlightens you to see that you,
too, will be glorified. Right now, you
live by faith. You believe that you are
children of God. It does not look like
it. It may not feel like it. You don’t really act like it. But you are.
How do you know? God says
so. Listen to him. The day is coming when you will no longer believe
you are children of God; you will see it. This is what the Lord says: “Beloved, we are God's children now,
and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears
we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2). God’s word enlightens
you to know that you, too, will appear in glory when Jesus comes again.
Until that day, listen to him. You need his word for comfort, hope, and peace. You will still endure sorrow, pain, and loss. The world will fight its wars, gratify its greed, and assert its importance. But God’s word enlightens you to see that your hope and your glory are with Jesus. His glory is that he has mercy upon you and saves you. Nothing the world can do or say will ever nullify that. The risen Savior forever lives and reigns for your good. Those who see it only see it by listening to God’s word. And those who listen to God’s word are saved by it.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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