Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today
is the Transfiguration of Our Lord and the Gospel text brings us to the Mount
of Transfiguration where Jesus unveils His glory for Peter, James, and John to
behold. On that Mount of Transfiguration
Jesus’ divine majesty is oozing out of every pore, cascading upon the earth
from the One who was “…begotten of His Father before all worlds… was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the
virgin Mary. And was made man.” Jesus is fully man and fully God.
Upon
the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus comes to discuss the mountain that He must
climb in order to win salvation for the world – Mount Calvary - where Jesus
hoisted His cross like a triumphant flag for you. And this discussion takes place with two men
from the days of old. Two men who,
though separated by centuries, Peter, James, and John instantly recognize. Two men who each had their own mountains to
climb: Moses and Elijah.
Moses
had led the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. He led them across the Red Sea on dry land,
while the same waters destroyed Pharaoh’s armies. On their way out of Egypt, heading toward the
Promised Land, Moses ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Law as the Glory of the
Lord covered the mountain in smoke and lightening. On Mount Sinai, the Lord gave Moses the
commandments for His people to follow.
But
as God was giving His perfect Law, at the base of the mountain the people of
Israel were engaged in idolatry; building a golden calf that they worshipped
and adored. God’s anger was kindled and
Moses descended his mountain and discovered the sin of the people. In righteous anger he threw the tablets of
the Law, shattering them at the base of the mountain, melted down the idol,
mixed it with water and made the people drink.
The
man who was given the holy Law of God on Mount Sinai now stands with Jesus upon
the Mount of Transfiguration.
The
Prophet Elijah also had a mountain to climb.
On Mount Carmel he engaged in a showdown, so to speak, with the priests
of Baal. The people of Israel wanted it
both ways, they wanted to serve God, but they also wanted to bow down to the
god of the culture who went by the name Baal.
“How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the
Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” Elijah cried out. So he challenged the priests of Baal there on
Mount Carmel that both would offer up a sacrifice, each to his own god, and
whichever god would consume the sacrifice with fire, that is the true God.
The priests of Baal
built their altar, cut up the sacrificial bull, and put it on their altar. But even though they cried out to Baal, even
cutting themselves to get his attention, he gave no answer; the sacrifice
remained on their altar unscorched.
Elijah did the same. He built an
altar to God and ordered that a trench be dug around the altar and filled with
water, and even had more water twice poured over the wood. He called to God who immediately consumed the
sacrificial bull, the altar, the stones, the dirt, and the water in the
trench.
The prophet who
engaged in spiritual warfare on Mount Carmel, who called the people away from
the god of the culture to the one true God, now stands with Jesus upon the
Mount of transfiguration.
Here
on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses brings with him Mount Sinai, the
mountain of the Law. Here, Elijah brings
with him Mount Carmel, the mountain of spiritual warfare. And here Jesus brings with him the mountain
that He’s preparing to visit, the mountain called Calvary, where he will die
for the sins of the world – for your sins. And on the Mount of Transfiguration, we see
that these three mountains: Sinai, Carmel, and Calvary are joined together
showing us what the Christian life looks like; what it is to be a baptized child of God saved by the blood of Jesus.
The Law was given on Mount Sinai. The Christian life is one that’s lived with
the Law staring us in the face. The
Law that stands before our eyes; the Law that shows us
our sin, the Law that reveals the idol of our self. Under the Law we stand condemned. We seek to be our own gods, to play by our
own rules, to make our own laws – just like Israel at the base of Mount
Sinai. They were celebrating the golden
calf that they had constructed in their own image as we construct a god in our
own image – one that gives his nodding approval to everything that we care to
do.
At
Mount Carmel Elijah engaged in spiritual warfare with the priests of Baal. The Christian life is also one that’s lived
in spiritual warfare. At Mount Carmel we
see ourselves living in a world where the devil has declared war on all baptized
Christians; seeking to rip you out of the arms of Christ. Seeking to lead you away from Mount Calvary
into the dark cave of hell. Seeking to
lead your faith, fear, love, and trust toward that which can’t save you.
When
we stand at the bottom of these first two mountains, looking at the Law and how
we’ve failed to keep it; looking around us and seeing the battle rage all about
our heads, it drive us to the third mountain – the one which Jesus brings to
the Mount of Transfiguration – Mount Calvary.
On
Jesus’ holy hill, He fulfills the Law’s stern demands for you. On Jesus’ holy hill, He crushes the serpent’s
head and leaves Satan lying in defeat and wins for you peace from your warfare. On this mountain He suffered and died for
you, that we, who constantly break the Law of God and are in the midst of
spiritual battle, would nonetheless be given eternal life through the divine
man Jesus.
Have you
sinned? Do you feel guilt and
shame? From Mount Calvary Jesus spills
His blood that cover all your sin, guilt, and shame. Have you been wounded in the battle
fray? Does Satan seem to have the upper
hand? From Mount Calvary, Jesus goes to
battle for you and wins – giving you His peace, His salvation.
Certainly
as long as we tarry on in this fallen world, we live under the crushing demands
of the Law and must endure the devil, who is constantly shooting his lies at us
like fiery arrows day and night. But
where the Law of Sinai accuses, Calvary forgives. Where Carmel brings warfare, Calvary brings
peace.
At
the Mount of Transfiguration we encounter three mountains, represented by three
different men, and in these men we get a glimpse of the Christian life. But where Mount Sinai and Mount Carmel preach
stern Law, Mount Calvary preaches the sweetest Gospel. Where Sinai and Carmel show us our sinful
condition and the fallen world, Calvary brings forgives and overcomes all that
assaults us.
So,
let us meet together at the mount where our Lord was crucified for us; that we
would join together in receiving all that was won on this glorious mountain on
which Jesus’ cross was planted. For by
it we’ve been given forgiveness when we fail at the Law and peace when the
devil and this fallen world rears their ugly heads.
Jesus’ exodus to Mount Calvary is the
topic of discussion there on the Mount of Transfiguration because Jesus’ third
mountain is the one that trumps the first two.
We’ll soon move from the Mount of
Transfiguration through the season of Lent.
Throughout our Lenten journey the mountains of the Law and spiritual
warfare be prominent. Lent is a season
of repentance and self-denial. We’ll
hear of Jesus enduring the very same things that you must here endure: temptation,
suffering, and the effects of this fallen world. But, ultimately, we’ll be ushered to the
mountain of Calvary because that’s the mountain that Jesus climbed with His
cross for you; the mountain that has overcome Sinai and Carmel for you. The mountain from which flows forgiveness and
peace. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life
everlasting. Amen.
