“As Jesus was praying, the look on His face altered, and His clothes became radiant white…and a cloud came over them, and a voice spoke out of the cloud: ‘This is my own Son, the chosen One; listen to Him.’”
Today, we look at the story of the transfiguration of Christ upon the mountaintop. It is a story that, for many, is difficult to comprehend. It is a story that goes beyond our human frame of reference and can give us a feeling that we are out of our depth.
If you are one who feels that way, you are not alone, because, in fact, we are all out of our depth! This story is one of several throughout the Bible that conveys the mystery of Christ Jesus.
There is a story about a man who purchased a new hunting dog. He takes his new dog on a trial hunt to prepare the dog for the hunting season, and to see what the dog could or couldn’t do. After a little while, the man shot a duck and it fell into the pond. The man commanded his new dog to “fetch” and the dog walked on the water, picked up the duck, and brought it back to his master. Needless to say, the man was stunned! He did not know what to think! So he shot another duck and it too fell into the water. Again the man commanded his dog to “fetch” and once again the dog walked on the water, picked up the duck, and carried it back to his master.
Hardly daring to believe his eyes, and afraid to tell anyone about it, lest they think him a total fool, the man and his dog returned home. The next day, the man called a friend of his and invited him to go duck hunting with him and his new dog. The friend accepted his offer and off they went. A short time later, the man shot a duck. It fell into the pond, so the man commanded his dog to “fetch”. Well, exactly like the day before, the dog walked on the water, picked up the duck, and brought it back to his master. The man looked at his friend, but neither of them said a word. Several more ducks were shot that day and each time the dog would walk on the water, pick up the duck and bring it back to the hunters. Neither man said a word all day.
Finally, after the hunting day was over, the man could not stand it any longer. So he asked his friend, “Did you notice anything strange about my dog today?” “Well,” said the friend, “yes, I did. I was afraid to tell you, but I noticed your dog doesn’t know how to swim.”
This story of the Transfiguration of Christ can be like that for us. Just as seeing the dog walking on the water did not click in the friend’s mind, so several aspects of the story may not register with us. Let’s look at what happened that day. Jesus decides to go to the mountaintop to pray. This is something that Jesus often did. He would go off to a solitary place, away from the crowds, in order to commune with God the Father, and sort of recharge His batteries. This time though, Jesus asks three of His most trusted disciples, Peter, James and John, to go with Him. They climb to the mountaintop and Jesus begins to pray.
We are not told specifically what Jesus was praying about, but judging from the rest of the story, it is safe to say that He was most probably praying about His fast approaching journey to Jerusalem and His impending death upon the Cross of Calvary. Jesus had, just a few days earlier, told His disciples that He would suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, be tortured, crucified, die, and rise again on the third day.
He most likely was praying about these things when suddenly, “His face and clothing became dazzling white. The brightness shone all around Him and in the midst of this light, Moses and Elijah appear and begin speaking with Jesus.” Luke tells us that they were speaking to Jesus about all that was to happen to Him in Jerusalem. The disciples, Peter, James and John, were nodding off, as seemed to be the case quite often, and almost missed this glorious event. Almost, but not quite! They did wake up enough to catch the end of this awe-inspiring meeting.
How about us? Are we nodding off a bit and missing anything we should notice and understand about this story? I want to focus our attention on two aspects of this event; the two men who speak with Jesus, and most importantly, the “Light” that shone around them.
First, let’s look at the two men who show up to talk with Jesus. The disciples and Luke identify these two men as Moses and Elijah. How did the disciples know who these men were? Moses and Elijah had both lived hundreds and hundreds of years before Peter, James and John were even born. They had obviously never met these two great prophets of the past and they couldn’t have seen their pictures on the nightly news or television documentaries. Yet the disciples were able to immediately recognize them.
One of the questions that I am frequently asked is, “Will we be able to recognize one another in the Heavenly Kingdom?” I believe this passage gives us a quick glimpse into the answer of that question. I believe that this demonstrates for us that not only will we be able to recognize those whom we have personally known here on earth in this life, but we will also, somehow, someway, be able to immediately recognize everyone we meet in Heaven!
Think about that for a moment. We will recognize and be able to talk with all of the great prophets, the Apostles, and the past church leaders (such as Martin Luther, John Wesley, or anyone). That is, once, if ever, we get past just standing in the presence, the awe, and the Light of Jesus Christ Himself!
Peter, James, and John experienced a brief breakthrough, a fleeting glimpse of the Light of Christ, the Light of God. The Holy Light that they saw was usually hidden, but there on the mountaintop Peter, James, and John got a chance to see the Light that has been from before the beginning. This shining glory that the disciples saw that day in Jesus of Nazareth was not a one-time event. This Light of Christ, Light of God, had been with Jesus from before He was born into human form in Bethlehem.
This Light of Christ is not some impersonal “force” like in the movie series “Star Wars.” It is not, as some modern religions would have us believe, a disembodied, spiritual “force” they call “Christ- consciousness.” No, this Light of Christ, Light of God, which is at the heart of our very existence, comes from a very personal God, manifested in three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are all of One essence.
Upon that mountaintop that day, Peter, James, and John saw God’s pure glory. You can experience that too. I encourage you today to seek your own mountaintop.
“But how do I do that?” you ask. Spend time with Jesus. Climb above the clouds of worry, anxiety, fear, hatred, and cynicism that currently permeate our world. Go as often as you can to those places or circumstances where you feel close to Jesus. We need to allow ourselves to experience the wonder, awe, and joy that comes from standing in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as often as we can. We need to tune ourselves into that holy, majestic, unbounded Love that is given to each of us at such a huge cost to the Giver. Jesus paid the price for us, and all we have to do is accept His gift and enjoy it.
The definition of “mountaintop” will vary from person to person. You need to discover what it means for you. For some, it will be reading the Bible in a quiet place. For others, it may be in meditating on Scripture, or the fellowship of a worship service. It may be singing the old hymns, or the new Christian music. It can be many things, but the “mountaintop” for you should be a place, or an activity, where you leave all of the brouhaha of daily living behind. Allow yourself to bathe in the Light of Christ, the Light of God, so that you can experience the awe, the wonder, and the joy of His love for you.
What do you think of when you hear the word God? When true Christians use the word God, we are speaking of the Creator of the Universe and power of a billion, billion, billion stars and suns, black holes, and other mysteries of space. We are speaking of the One who, according to Scripture, “knows us before we are born,” and “knits each of us together in our mothers’ womb.” We are speaking of the uncreated Creator of all things who, even in all of His glory and might, takes the time to “know each of us by name.”
For us who know Him, the word God is hallowed and glorified by the fully-human, fully-God, man named Jesus the Christ.
In conclusion, let me say this. John, Peter, and James saw the true Light of Christ shine forth on the mountaintop that day. The same Light of Christ is right here with us, right now. The same Light of Christ is contained within each of us, within all people who are His disciples, within everyone who has accepted Him into their life as their personal Lord and Savior.
The same Light of Christ is within me and it is within you. We are commanded to not hide this Light under our beds. We are not to keep this Light bound inside the four walls of this church building.
No, we are commanded to let Christ’s Light shine forth from within us, wherever we go, in all that we do and all that we say, so that others can see and catch the desire to experience what it means to live a life bathed in His Light and His love.
Go forth from this place, let His Light shine forth from within you and bring His Light to bear on this dark world and everyone you come into contact with. Do this and you shall not be going alone. Jesus is with you. Amen.