"THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHER"
The Transfiguration of our Lord
February 23, 2020
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
TEXT:
[Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a Voice from the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him."
Matthew 17:5 (ESV)
As we listen to today's Gospel we may get the feeling that we are experiencing, as the late Yogi Berra might have described it, "deja vu all over again." This season of Epiphany ends on the same note with which it began: with a miraculous manifestation of the glory of Christ, together with the voice of God Himself acknowledging Jesus as His own Son and pronouncing His divine blessing on the life and ministry of His Son. As a matter of fact, the words that the Father speaks here are almost identical to the words He spoke when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. On both occasions Jesus is proclaimed to be the very Son of God. On both occasions God states that He is "well pleased" with His Son. In fact, the only difference between the two is that here at the transfiguration the Father adds the exhortation: "Listen to Him."
It is certainly fitting that the Epiphany season should end with an event like the Transfiguration of our Lord. Don't forget, after all, what the theme of this season is: the manifestation of the glory of Jesus the Son of God to all the world. That glory was made evident at the beginning of the season by the visit of the Gentile wise men to the Christ Child at Bethlehem and by the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. We catch glimpses of His divine glory throughout the season as we hear about His various miracles and teachings. It only seems appropriate, then, that this season of revelation should reach its climax with the greatest revelation of the glory of Christ witnessed by His disciples so far: the transformation of His physical appearance to reveal His divine glory and the appearance of Moses and Elijah (personifying the Law and the prophets, respectively) to verify that Jesus is the Fulfillment of everything demanded by the Law and promised by the prophets. As we, together with Peter, James, and John, behold this testimony of the Father, let's focus our thoughts on the Father and His testimony.
God the Father is not named as such in the passage before us, although His presence is clearly indicated in that Matthew reports that Peter "was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed" the disciples who were with Jesus on the mountain. This image of the cloud is not at all a surprising one (or at least it shouldn't be). In the Old Testament the Lord's presence was frequently made known by the appearance of a bright cloud. Moses meeting the Lord on Mount Sinai in today's Old Testament Reading and the pillar of cloud (and of fire) leading the Israelites through the wilderness are just two examples. The cloud is associated with the presence of God for the protection of God's people, since the glory of the Lord was so magnificent that no mere human could dare to look at Him face to face and expect to survive. The appearance of a bright cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration is an indication that the God of Israel was present there with Jesus and the disciples who were with Him.
The presence of the Lord is also apparent in the "Voice from the cloud." When God appears to His people He speaks. He speaks His word of condemnation and He speaks His Word of grace. He spoke to Adam when He confronted him in the garden after the fall. He spoke to Noah when He commanded him to build the ark before the flood. He spoke to Moses from the burning bush and on Mount Sinai. He spoke His Word of promise through His ancient prophets, assuring His people that He would one day send them a mighty Deliverer who would rescue them from their sin and its terrible consequences. And finally He spoke most clearly in His one and only Son Jesus Christ. This fullest and final Word of God is His ultimate Word of grace--the Fulfillment of all His promises and the Redemption of lost sinners. The "Voice from the cloud" at Jesus' transfiguration, like the Voice at His Baptism, is a testimony regarding the uniqueness of Jesus the Christ.
And what is the testimony that the Father gives concerning His Son? Well, for one thing He says: "This is My beloved Son." The expression "son of God" can be used in a number of ways. In a very general sense it could be said that we are all sons of God, since He is our Father--the One who has created each and every one of us in His own image. In the Scriptures the angels are at times referred to as "the sons of God." But when the Voice from heaven at Jesus' Baptism and again at His transfiguration declared Him to be the Son of God we are talking about something altogether different. No one else can claim to be a son of God in the same sense that Jesus is. He alone has no human father. That's why the virgin birth is such an important doctrine of the Christian faith: not because of what it might say about Mary but because of what it says about Jesus. The Father further emphasizes His Oneness with the Son when He says of Jesus: "with [Him] I am well pleased."
What the Father says about the Son has value also for us, for the testimony of the Father also includes this simple exhortation for us: "Listen to Him." Listen to Him not merely as a great teacher, but as the very Son of God--God Himself in human flesh. Listen to Him not merely as a teacher of the Law but also (and especially) as the Fount of grace who brings light to those in darkness, forgiveness to sinners, and hope to the hopeless. Listen to Him not only when He says "Thou shalt . . ." and "Thou shalt not . . ." but also when He says: "Take heart, My son [daughter]; your sins are forgiven" (Matthew 9:2). He is worth listening to because He alone is the Forgiver of sins--He alone is the One who has made full and complete atonement for all the sins of all people for all time by His sacrificial suffering and death. And for our comfort we have His assurance that the forgiveness of sins pronounced in His name is truly His--every bit as valid and real as if He had spoken the words with His own mouth.
It's no accident that the Transfiguration of our Lord should occur just before we enter the penitential season of Lent. Dark days lay ahead for those disciples who were privileged to behold their Lord's glory. No matter how times He warned them about what was going to befall Him, they were not at all prepared for it when these things actually began to happen. And no matter how many times you and I observe the forty days of fast before Easter, we are never really quite prepared to gaze upon the Crucified and ponder the real significance of His suffering. It pains us to do so (as indeed it should) because we know that His agony is caused by our sin. But we have no reason to doubt Him as we follow Him along the way of the cross. We can do so with perfect confidence, not knowing exactly what may lie ahead for us but knowing that the One we follow is the very Son of God who has earned the Father's love and approval--and shares it all with us.
Amen.
May the God who caused light to shine out of darkness cause you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all people, as His love abounds for us; and may the glory of His Son be manifested to you and in you, that you may be witnesses to all nations now and until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. Amen.