“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)
Join us this Sunday as all ages join together for our focus on Jesus’ Transfiguration. Come and glimpse the glory of Jesus.
The Transfiguration
Aberdeen sees sun
Longest period in Aberdeen without sun for over 70 years. 21 terrible days with no sun. Then on Thursday the sun shone!
What had happened to the sun? It had not gone away it had been hidden by the clouds. Its glory was obscured by the gloom of the weather.
When we took off from Morocco to fly home from our holiday it was cloudy and rainy. But the plane takes you up beyond the clouds and you discover that the sun is still shining. Its glory remains.
Why is God’s glory hidden?
Some people ask, why does God not reveal his true glory? Wouldn’t we then believe in him. Why is God so hidden?
When Jesus walked the earth, similarly, people demanded to be shown proof that he truly was God’s special person. Despite Jesus’ amazing teaching and his incredible miracles, they were still not convinced, they still wanted more evidence. After all, despite the amazing things Jesus did he still looked like an ordinary human being.
And partly to prove their point, they had Jesus crucified. If Jesus could be killed like a criminal, then surely that was proof that he could not be anyone special. To these people the true glory of God was hidden.
So, why does God hide himself from us? Why didn’t Jesus show his full glory to everyone?
Is it because God does not exist? Or was Jesus really not God’s Son?
The events described in Matthew’s gospel today, show that that is not the case. Jesus did reveal his full glory. Like the clouds clearing to reveal the sun, the earthly nature of Jesus momentarily allowed his full glory to shine through.
What the Disciples Experienced
Jesus chose three of his closest disciple, Peter, James and John, to go up to the top of a High Mountain with him. Normally if you climb a mountain, the awe-inspiring moment is the spectacular views that you see. But Jesus did not take them up the mountain for the scenery. He took them so that they could have a true taste of Jesus in his true glory.
Matthew tells the story, by emphasising that this is what was experienced by the three disciples. Most of what happens is described as something happening to them. What they saw, what they experienced, what they heard. All of it was completely outside normal human experience. All of it pointed to the true nature of Jesus.
Jesus Transfigured
The first thing they saw was Jesus transfigured before them. Matthew says his face shone like the sun and his clothes, became as white as light. He was a heavenly being, a Divine being. In other places, angels are described in similar ways. So at the end of Matthew’s gospel, the angel who comes and rolls back the stone from the tomb Jesus is buried in is described:
“His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.” (Matthew 28:3)
In the Old Testament, God himself is described in similar terms:
“He wraps himself in light as with a garment; ” (Ps.104:2a)
All this showed that Jesus was not just a human like you and me, his true nature was in this moment shining through, for Peter, James and John to see.
Moses and Elijah
The second thing they see is Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. This in itself is amazing, because both Moses and Elijah had been dead for hundreds of years. But why these two?
- Both of them had in their lives gone up a mountain to meet one to one with God.
- Both of them suffered opposition and hostility from the people to whom they were sent, but were vindicated by God. Jesus has just told his disciples that he is going to die and be raised again.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus, shows that Jesus is at least as important as both of them. But whereas they went up a mountain to meet with God, now Jesus goes up a mountain to be met by them. Jesus takes on the role of God.
Peter, James and John have not been brought up the mountain to meet with God, like Moses and Elijah, but to see the true glory of Jesus.
Cloud
Thirdly, a cloud comes down and covers them. Matthew says it was a bright cloud. In the Old Testament, God coming down was often shown by a cloud coming. When Moses brought Israel to Mount Sinai, a cloud came down on the mountain. When Moses went up on the mountain to meet with God and to receive the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone, the cloud came down and covered the mountain. This represents the very presence of God on the mountain with them.
For Peter, James and John, this was not just a vision, but an all embracing experience. It was terrifying.
Voice from the cloud
Finally, they hear God addressing them directly from the cloud. What he says to them about Jesus is utterly amazing:
“This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased, listen to him.”
When Moses met with God on the mountain, God gave him the Ten Commandments. When Elijah went up the mountain to meet with God, God gave him instructions of what to do next. When Peter, James and John were taken up the mountain they were not given a law or instructions of what to do next, but a person to listen to and follow. Just after Jesus had told them things that they found hard to hear, that the plan was for him to die, that following him would mean denying yourself, things that might make them want to give up on following Jesus, Jesus was given the highest endorsement possible.
What was good about the disciples being there?
So, why did Jesus take the disciples up the mountain for this experience? While they are in the midst of their experience, Peter says, “It is good for us to be here!”
But why was it good for them to be there?
To be Confident about Jesus
When Peter said it was good for them to be there, he went on to suggest it was because they could do things for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. He could build a shelter for each of them.
But Jesus did not bring them there to serve Him, but to discover his true nature. They were meant to be spectators in the moment not contributors to the moment. There would be plenty of time for them to serve Jesus, but this was a moment for them to experience him.
And it was transforming. It gave these three the confidence they needed to lead the church after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Sadly, James was executed not long after Jesus’ resurrection, but Peter and John went on to write parts of the Bible. Peter wrote:
“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16-18)
And John wrote at the start of his gospel,
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
If we come at our Christian lives eager simply to serve, rather than to truly seek God and know his glory, then we will not be transformed. We will soon give up.
Don’t get so caught up in a desire to serve, that you miss out on experiencing the true glory of Jesus.
To Listen to Jesus
In the preceding section, Peter in particular had struggled to accept, Jesus saying that he was going to be rejected and die. At times, we too will find Jesus teaching, or the teaching of the Bible hard to accept. But when we come to understand that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased, then we know that the most important thing in life is to listen to him.
At the end of Matthew’s gospel, the risen and ascended Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded them. Obey Jesus only makes sense when we know who he is.
To be Comforted by Jesus
The Transfiguration is told in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospel. Each telling contains all the main elements, but there are differences. The thing that Matthew tells us that the other gospels don’t is how the disciples responded initially – they were terrified!
Wouldn’t you be? Being on a mountain when the clouds come down, is scary in itself. If the cloud is also bright in a strange way, that would be more scary. But if God spoke to you straight out of the mountain, that would be terrifying. That’s what happened to Peter, James and John.
But as soon as it is over, Jesus comes to them and touches them and says, “Get up, do not be afraid.”
Yes, they had learnt about Jesus’ true nature and his glory, that was an amazing experience, but they needed to know Jesus’ humanity and that they could relate to him as before. They were learning, that God is comforting and caring, despite being mighty and awesome. Jesus holds both those things together.
Why was Jesus’ glory hidden?
Peter, James and John experienced the true glory of Jesus. But why was it hidden to others. Why didn’t Jesus bring the other twelve? Why didn’t he reveal his glory even more widely, so that more believed? Why does he tell Peter, James and John not to talk about this until after he has died and risen from the dead?
The one thing we can say, is that this is not a sign of God’s weakness, but part of his plan. God is not incapable of revealing his glory. He chooses to remain hidden.
But why?
Firstly, the terror of Peter, James and John, also reminds us of the terror of the Israelites when God appeared to them at Mount Sinai. They said to Moses,
“”When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” (Exodus 20:18-19)
One reason God remains hidden is that we simply cannot cope with seeing his full glory. It is too terrifying and scary. We need to hear from God, through those who are at our level. So, God sent messengers through the prophets. He sent his Son not as a glorious angel, but as a normal human being. He had the message about Jesus spread not with words written in the sky, but through the people of the church and the words written by inspired humans in the Bible. God’s glory remains hidden so that we can cope with his message.
Secondly, though, God’s hiddenness is a judgement for a world that seeks to live without him. Jesus revealed himself, most fully to those who sought to follow him most closely. Those who rejected him or demanded that he show them signs, did not see his glory, or his more amazing miracles or even his resurrection. As Blaise Pascal said,
“He hides himself from those who test him,
and he reveals himself to those who seek him.”
If you approach God, with an attitude of testing him, expecting him to meet the tests you set for his existence, or the standards you set for morality, then he will remain hidden to you.
If you want to experience God’s glory, then you need to seek him. You need to accept that God knows better than you. That you need his help, he doesn’t need your approval. That your only hope is to trust his message of forgiveness through the cross and that the only way to live is by following his ways. The more you seek God, then the more God will give you moments of experiencing his glory and the more we come to know God’s glory, the more we will be transformed and equipped to change our world, as the first disciples did.
St. George's Church Ramsgate 