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INTRODUCTION
The defense attorney stood and faced the jury. Walking towards the jury box he said, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, you must find my client not guilty of murder if there is the slightest doubt in your minds that he is not the murderer. And now I have one final witness. The true murderer is about to walk through the door.”
All eyes swung towards the door, but no one came in. The lawyer continued: “You see, Ladies and Gentlemen, there is doubt in your minds, otherwise you would not have looked towards the door.”
The jury retired to deliberate and came back five hours later with a “Guilty” verdict. The lawyer was beside himself and before the judge could pass sentence he sprang up and said, “But I proved that you had a doubt about my client’s guilt. How can you possibly find him guilty?”
A man in the jury stood up and said: “As everyone looked towards the door, I watched your client. His eyes did not turn towards the door. He didn’t look towards the door because he knew no one was coming through; because he himself was the guilty one.”
Witnesses are important. In the Old Testament God required there be at least two witnesses so that a matter would come down to the disagreement of two people.
Sunday night as we looked at archaeology finds I mentioned that people claim the Bible isn’t true unless there is an outside source to back it up. There must be two witnesses: the Bible and something else. And the good news is archaeology continues to substantiate what the Bible says.
In Matthew 16 Jesus took the disciples aside and asked them who they thought he was. And you’ll remember how Peter gave what has come to be known as the “Good Confession of Faith:” You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
That is one witness. Tonight we will hear from a second witnesses. This star witness came to answer the question that was on everyone’s lips: “Who is Jesus?”
SERMON
We are in Matthew 17 this evening. Matthew starts the section saying these events took place six days after the previous events. Those events, found in chapter 16, include Jesus asking who they thought he was and Jesus telling the disciples about his coming death.
The story in this passage is referred to as “The Transfiguration.” The word “transfigure” means to transform or to change in outward form or appearance. The place where this transfiguration took place is called the Mount of Transfiguration. There are several suggested locations for where it happened, but the truth is we don’t know. But more important than where it happened is what happened. So let’s see what happened.
Video
SLIDE 1 Before we get into the meaning and application of this story, let’s look at those who were there.
First, there were the disciples. It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t take all twelve of the disciples, Jesus only takes three. Jesus actually had lots of disciples, but there were twelve which he called to be apostles. These are the twelve we usually think about when we talk about his disciples, but there were many more. So among the disciples there these twelve who had a relationship with Jesus that the others did not. However, even among the twelve there were three that seemed to have had an even closer relationship: Peter and the brothers James and John.
This was not the first time the three had an experience with Jesus that the other nine had not. When Jesus went and raised the daughter of Jairus he only took these three with him. There was the time that Jesus was talking about the destruction of the temple and these same three asked Jesus privately about when it would happen. And in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus took the same three with him to pray. Now Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain to pray.
Once on the mountain two more people appear: Moses and Elijah. Moses was the great law giver and Elijah a great prophet. And perhaps that is what these two men represent: the law and the prophets who told of the coming of the Messiah.
And then we have the star witness, God himself, who testifies as to just who Jesus is:
This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! (Matthew 17:5b)
Jesus is the Son of God. If there were ever any doubts the testimony of God should settle it.
This transfiguration must have been one of the most exciting events in the life of Peter, James, and John. As I said, the word transfiguration means to change. The Greek word is μεταμορφόω (metamorphóō). It’s the word from which we get “metamorphosis,” the word that describes the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. We find the word again in Romans where we’re told: SLIDE 2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2a)
We don’t know what change Jesus experienced except that we’re told that:
His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Matthew 17:2b)
Of course this wasn’t the first or last change Jesus experienced. First, he left the glories of heaven to come to earth in human form to live among. For thirty-three-and-a-half years he lived upon the face of this earth in human form sharing our pain and suffering, our hungers and temptations. At the time of this story Jesus was coming to the end of his earthly ministry. As he said in the last chapter, soon he would be crucified. But that would not be the end. He would be raised back to life and all the disciples would be able to see yet another metamorphosis of Jesus as he would then be clothed in the glory of God.
But what did those three men see that day? As they stood on the mountain with Jesus, had Moses and Elijah appear before them and then heard the very voice of God, what did they see?
I. They saw his glory.
Years later, in the first chapter of his gospel, John wrote: SLIDE 3
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
And Peter wrote about the experience saying: SLIDE 4
He received honor 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.” (2 Peter 1:17)
They knew what they were talking about, for on that mountainside they had seen Jesus transfigured. His appearance changed dramatically, and his face and clothing shone like the light of the sun. Then, just as that was happening, Moses and Elijah appeared them and began talking with Jesus. Peter was so awe stuck by this sight that he was almost speechless. Almost, but not quite. He suggested that he, James, and John build shelters for each of the men: Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Mark, who received much of his information from Peter, wrote that Peter said this because he was so afraid he didn’t know what else to say – and as we know, he always had to say something.
SLIDE 5 But that obviously wasn’t God’s plan. While giving this suggestion Peter was interrupted with this testimony from God.
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)
How do you think the other disciples reacted when Peter had made that similar comment and the identity of Jesus? Do you think they all joined in, “He’s right, you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Peter is absolutely right!” Or did they look at one another in confusion? Did they turn to Peter and ask, “Why in the world did you say that? Are you really that convinced that he is the Messiah?”
There must have been some late conversations around the campfire as they discussed what Jesus had told Peter:
Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)
Maybe they re-examined his miracles in their minds and talked about the people who had come to him for healing. Maybe they began to question among themselves, “Is he really the Christ, the Messiah we long for, whose coming we have prayed for again and again?” There must have been many lingering questions. However, for Peter, James, and John on the mountainside that day, that question was answered as they saw the glory of God.
If there were any lingering doubts that were suddenly washed away like the rushing of a mighty river. They were all convinced that what Peter had said is true. “Jesus is the Christ!” And that is important.
It’s one thing to recognize that there is a God who has put the sun and the moon and the stars in place. It’s one thing to recognize that there is a God who made us and who appreciates beauty, and who gives us morality and helps us feel bad when we are bad, and good when we are good. It’s one thing to recognize that there is a God of order who is in control. However, it’s another thing to recognize that God became one of us.
To the three disciples that must have been an overwhelming revelation.
This Jesus who patted me on the shoulder when I was discouraged, this Jesus who prayed with me, this Jesus who dried my tears, this Jesus who is concerned about my family, this Jesus who is concerned about my feelings when I am lonely and tired, this Jesus is God. He is actually God in human flesh!
Melvin Newland, a retired Christian Church preacher from Texas, wrote about visiting an old and very famous church. He says he was able to attend one of its Sunday morning services. Newland wrote:
The minister was an orator. He preached a masterpiece of a sermon about the philosophy, the teachings, of Jesus, and he showed how to apply them to our lives. But as I listened to him, I became more and more aware that he evidently considered Jesus just a master teacher, much like some other master teachers of ages gone by. Not once did he suggest, or even hint, that Jesus was more than a man – that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God.
How sad. This minister presents the teachings of Jesus without ever realizing the full power of those teachings because Jesus wasn’t just a man, he was and is the Son of God. I mentioned this over and over again in the last three sermons. I’ve wondered if I haven’t been overdoing it. But then when I came across that story from Melvin Newland I wonder if maybe I haven’t said it enough. There is nothing more important for us to understand even as those three disciples understood that day that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. They realized that day as they saw the glory of Almighty God, and we need to realize that too.
II. We need to see the glory of God
Perhaps there are many who think very much like the apostle Philip. Out in the garden, after Jesus had talked about going to prepare a place for them: SLIDE 6
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” (John 14:8)
This was after three years of being with Jesus, seeing all the miracles, listening to his teachings – and just a short time before his crucifixion. What was the reaction of Jesus? SLIDE 7
9Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. SLIDE 8 How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” (John 14:9-10a)
When we see Jesus we know what God is like because Jesus came to reflect and reveal God to us.
We need to see God. We need to listen to his word. When we don’t listen to God and ignore his word there are frantic attempts to reach out and find something else to believe in. We see it in the news all the time.
SLIDE 9 You probably remember the story a few years ago a housewife in New Mexico who was frying tortillas on her stove. One of them burned, and it just so happened that the burn formed the shape of a face. She decided that the image was the face of Jesus. She took it to her priest and asked him, “Do you think it looks like Jesus?” He thought that it looked like Jesus, too. And he blessed it. He had never blessed a tortilla before, but he blessed that tortilla.
She took it home and put it in a little box, surrounded with white cotton so that it would look like it was floating on a cloud. Then she and her husband built an altar and began to pray before it. The news spread, and soon thousands of people were coming to see and pray before this burned tortilla. SLIDE 10 Today you can buy toasters that place an image of Jesus on every slice. It’s crazy.
I remember something similar happening in the neighboring town to my hometown in Georgia. Only, she didn’t see a picture of Jesus, she saw Mary. It wasn’t long before there were bumper stickers that read, “Visit Conyers, Eat, Drink, and See Mary.”
SLIDE 11 Crowds of people have seen what they believe to be sacred images of Jesus on tree trunks and car fenders. And they have prayed devoutly before them.
Several years ago, some people in Poland discovered a tree with a strange shape in the bark. The one who discovered it was a crippled man and he decided that it was an image of the Virgin Mary. Later he claimed that he was healed while there, and he tied his crutches to the tree. Sixty miles away another tree was discovered that seemingly had the same image on it. Thousands of people have traveled to go out to the countryside and kneel before these two trees. They leave money at the foot of the trees asking for the blessing of Mary on their lives. Why? Because they want so desperately to see and feel the glory and power of God.
We all want that in our lives. We search for it and when it is not there, somehow we try to create it. We try to put it there in one way or another.
III. We need to realize that we have a share in his glory
SLIDE 12 Turn with me to John 17. In John 17, Jesus prayed for himself, for the apostles, and for all who would believe on him because of the witness of the apostles. In that prayer Jesus mentions the glory of God eight times. Here’s just a portion of the prayer.
1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:1-5)
Then, several verses later he prays about us.
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. (John 17:22)
Jesus is talking about the glory of God and his own glory and our glory.
It is a shared glory. That glory is something that we share because we are Christians - because we are born anew – because God works a change in each of our lives. We can share in the glory that John saw on that mountain.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, again using that Greek word for metamorphosis and talking about the glory of God: SLIDE 13
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
We are being changed to reveal his glory. How do we do that?
SLIDE 14 I think most of you know who Erma Bombeck was. In one particular article she wrote I think she captures how we share the glory of God without her ever mentioning God’s glory. She wrote:
Someone asked me the other day if I had my life to live over would I change anything? My answer was `No.’ But then I thought about it and I’ve changed my mind. If I had my life to live over again I would wax less and listen more. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten popcorn in the good living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace.
I would have taken time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have sat cross legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about the grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching TV, and more while watching real life.
I would have eaten less cottage cheese and more ice cream. I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, or would not show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
When my child kissed me impetuously I would never have said, `Later. Now go and wash up for dinner.’ There would have been more `I love you’s; more `I’m sorry’s; more `I’m listening’s.
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it. Look at it and really see. Try it on. Live it. Exhaust it. And never give the minute back until there was nothing more left of it."
It’s not with great trumpets – or magnificent choirs – but in simple acts of service that we reflect and reveal the glory of God. Maybe it is while washing dishes at home, or vacuuming the carpet, or changing diapers, or caring for crying babies.
Maybe it is while driving on the highway, or when you display a different attitude than any of your co-workers. Maybe it’s out there in a world that seems so alienated from God that you can just consistently day after day witness, share, reflect, and reveal the glory of God.
When Peter blurted out, “Let’s stay here on the mountain and build three tabernacles,” Jesus answered, “No, we’re not going to stay on the mountain. Down at the foot of the mountain there is a boy possessed with a demon, and a concerned father who has brought him. The boy is sick, and we need to be there more than we need to be here.”
So they went down from the mountain to heal a sick boy. They went out into the world to feed the hungry, save the lost, and bring the sheep back into the fold again, and to reveal his glory. We who are his disciples are called to do the same thing.
We need to tell and show what Jesus is like because the world needs to know that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.