Glory revealed on the mountain

Mark 9:2-9 ²After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. ³His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. ⁴And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶He did not know what to say because they were terrified.

⁷A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”

⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

“We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)

10-year-old Jadyn Carr received 10 shares of GameStop stock as a gift from his mother 2 years ago. As a result of the recent stock market war between online traders and hedge funds, Jaydn’s stock surged to more than 53 times what his mother had paid.

When Jadyn sold his shares a few weeks ago, he received $3200 on his mom’s $60 investment.

If you paid attention several weeks ago, you heard how wealthy hedge funds lost billions of dollars and everyday retail investors like you and me made thousands – or even - millions of dollars on GameStop stock.

Then the trading was stopped. Possibly illegally. When people like Ted Cruz and Rashida Tlaib agree on something, you know there must have been some serious shenanigans.

First, the wealthy hedge fund investors were losing big while retail investors were winning big. Then, suddenly everything reversed.

That’s how quickly glory comes and goes.

We try to dress ourselves in Prada clothing and Air Jordan shoes to cover over our poverty. We try to present a clean house to our guests to hide our unhappy home life. We try to fake our happiness to our friends when we are truly hurting.

We want to appear glorious, when in reality, we are poor, miserable, self-absorbed sinners. But there is one man for whom that is not true. One man who was not a poor, miserable, self-absorbed sinner like the rest of us. One man who one day took his 3 closest friends up on a mountain, pulled aside the “outer garb” of his human flesh and blood. He showed that he was much more than his outer appearance had shown the previous 33 years.

Unlike us who try to hide our shame with glorious garb, he came and hid his glory under human flesh and blood. Through this Epiphany season we have witnessed glimpses of his glory in his baptism, in the synagogue and in his healing. He hid his glory – not to deceive us – but so he could live among us. He hid his glory – not to spy on us – but so he could have mercy on us. He hid his glory – not to get from us – but to give to us.

Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. The appearance of his figure changed to show them who he really was. He needed to give them a glimpse of his full glory to prepare them for what they would soon see days later in Jerusalem. They would witness another transfiguration, a different transfiguration – when Jesus was betrayed, denied, arrested, spat on, slapped, scourged and mocked. His bruised, beaten and bloodied body would be hanging in a twisted, disfigured mess on the cross. “Like someone whom people cannot bear to look at” (Isaiah 53:3). Then Peter, James and John could recall the glory of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

This would be a very confusing time for the disciples. Will the real Jesus please stand up? Is the real Jesus the one on the Mount of Glory in heavenly conversation and receiving Fatherly approval? Or is the real Jesus the one on the Place of the Skull receiving mocking abuse and Fatherly abandonment? How could they make sense of two such starkly contrasting pictures? They could be wondering “what is the state of Christ’s followers now?”

We can have the same problem today. We can be wondering “what is the state of Christianity now?”

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it was unconstitutional for California to close churches while opening secular businesses. But those church are still only at 25% occupancy without singing. This is indicative that local, state and federal governments may make it harder for Christians to worship in freedom, just like they do in most other countries.

A recent poll showed that 78% of American young people believe in moral relativity – they don’t believe there is an absolute right or wrong. That means our Christian young people will be infected with the false belief that Jesus isn’t the only Savior and there is no such thing as absolutes in the Ten Commandments.

If certain executive orders or federal laws are made enforcing transgender athletes in women’s sports and locker rooms, how long until that affects our Lutheran elementary and high school?

I had a conversation with some of our A/V people recently wondering if we should livestream our Bible studies. There is hesitancy because if something is said by the pastor or participant that Big Tech doesn’t like, we can be quickly canceled and de-platformed.

Will the real Jesus please stand up? Which is it going to be for the followers of Christ? Glory or suffering? Growth in God’s Kingdom or pressure from civil government? More catechesis for our young people or young people questioning their faith? Proclaim the truth about human sexuality or face possible cancellation for speaking the truth? Good or struggle? Transfiguration or crucifixion? Bask in the glory of Christ or carry a cross for Christ?

The answer is … YES!

Peter, James and John needed this vision of glory to sustain them when Christ was suffering, crucified and in the grave. We need this vision of Christ’s glory to sustain us through the dark days that lay before us.

We need to keep in mind both mountains – the Mount of Glory and the Mount of Suffering – the glory revealed in the transfiguration and the glory revealed in the crucifixion.

Being a Christian for 50 years and a pastor for 25 years, this was the first time I really examined the parallels between the glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and the glory on Mt. Calvary.

Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James and John on one mountain to show them who he really was. Jesus was disfigured in front of the chief priests and Roman soldiers on the other mountain to show what he had done for them.

At his transfiguration, Jesus’s clothes were radiant, dazzling white, whither than anyone on earth could bleach them. At his crucifixion, Jesus’ clothes were stripped from his body and gambled over.

Jesus had Moses and Elijah on his right and on his left, talking to him about his exodus, his departure from this world to paradise (Luke 9:31). Jesus was crucified with two criminals on his right and his left. Jesus spoke to the one criminal about his exodus, his departure from this world assuring him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Mark tells us that at the transfiguration “A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him’” (Mark 9:7). Mark tells us that at the crucifixion, “When it was the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus shouted with a loud voice, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:33-34)

Darkness appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration and God the Father spoke blessing upon his Son. Darkness appeared over the land around Mt. Calvary and God the Son spoke a question of why his Father was now forsaking him.

Jesus’ glory was apparent on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus’ true glory was hidden under the blood from his brow, the swollenness of his cheeks, and the torn flesh on his back. Yet, his greater glory was what Jesus accomplished on Mt. Calvary as he made his exodus from this world as this world’s Redeemer.

John was the only disciple recorded to be on both mountains. For him, the Mount of Transfiguration seemed like the place where heaven and earth touched. Mt. Calvary must have seemed like the place where earth and hell came together!

Jesus was transfigured to enable the disciples – and us – to see what is really happening on the cross. The life of Jesus was not being taken but given. This glorious Son of God could not be killed. He allowed himself to die. This was not the punishment of an ordinary man but the self-sacrifice of our glorious God. Jesus was not hanging on the cross in shame but in the glory of his sacrificial love for humanity.

Jesus left the Mount of Transfiguration to do that redeeming work. Just as he descended from heaven to be born in Bethlehem, so he descended the mountain to be crucified on Calvary. He brings his glory to earth. He brings his glory to you.

We live constantly in this tension of cross and resurrection, of dying and rising, of the glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and the glory on Mount Calvary. There is tension as we find glory working in God’s Kingdom and also carry a cross as we do that Kingdom work.

Persecution was coming for Jesus’ disciples. Persecution is coming for us. The disciples forgot who Jesus was, were afraid, ran and hid. Remember who Jesus is. Be bold. Stand strong. Preach Christ. The Christ in his transfigured glory. The Christ in his crucified glory. The Christ dazzling white with divinity. The Christ bloody redeeming humanity. These two visions of Christ are what you need to trust to sustain you has you face persecution in Christ’s name.

Robert Louis Stevenson illustrates this kind of trust in this story: “A ship was in a serious storm and in grave distress. The passengers were alarmed. One of them finally, against orders, went up to the deck and made his way to the pilot. The seaman was at his post of duty at the wheel, but seeing the man was greatly frightened. He turned to the man so that he could look him in the eye, and face to face, he gave him a reassuring smile. Returning to the other passengers the man said. ‘I have seen the face of the pilot, he smiled. All is well.’”

“I have seen the face of the pilot, he smiled. All is well.”

And that’s the point. As we face storms in our life – the loss of huge amounts of money, health issues, family problems, persecution for our faith – Christ comes with the very smile of God hidden in human flesh. His smile exclaims to us, “All is well.” When this God-Man is on Calvary’s cross, despite the agony, he still smiles with God’s grace, “All is well.” When all hope seems lost as he lays in death’s dark tomb for three days, the promises of God in Scripture proclaim, “All is well.” When he rose from the grace and ascended into heaven to take the seat of his power, he exclaims, “All is well.” When you are handed over to councils and beaten in synagogues; when you stand in the presence of rulers and kings for Christ’s sake as a witness to them, know that Christ has already promised that the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say. (Mark 13:9,10) So, “All is well.”

We agree with Peter when he said, “It is good for us to be here. To quote one of my daughters, “You’re not wrong.” Of course, it’s good to be here. It’s good for us to be here – in person or online – to see Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration to prepare us for the trip to Mount Calvary that precedes our journey to Mount Zion in heaven. Amen.  

For the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” is the same one who made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) Amen.