Listen to the Chosen Son of God Speak of His Departure!

No one can misinterpret the events happening in Ukraine. There are no harmless military exercises or random attacks by small bands of mercenaries, there is a war between Russia and Ukraine. You know it is war by the images you see of bright bombs bursting causing devastation and death.

Some events are almost impossible to misinterpret like war, while the true nature of other events is clouded in mystery. Just before our Gospel Reading this morning from Luke 9, Jesus asked his disciples, 18 … “Who do the crowds say I am?” It was a big event when Jesus came to a town to teach, preach, heal and perform miraculous signs, and Jesus wanted the disciples to share what the people believed about him. 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” The people had seen the same events of Jesus’ ministry but had many different answers as to who he was. 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Peter was correct. By his answer, it seemed as though Peter and the disciples had not misinterpreted the events of Jesus’ ministry. Then, about a week later, Peter and two of Jesus’ other disciples, John and James, saw even clearer who Jesus was.

Today is the last Sunday after the Epiphany. The season of Epiphany began with Jesus’ baptism where his glory as the Son of God was revealed by the Holy Spirit descending on him in the form of a dove and God the Father speaking from heaven confirming Jesus as his Son. Epiphany could also be called a sermon series on Jesus revealing or showing people who he truly is. Today, on the last Sunday after the Epiphany, we hear the account of Jesus’ transfiguration providing a book end event displaying Jesus’ glory as the Son of God. The description of Jesus’ transfiguration or the change in his appearance is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Today we will focus on the account from Luke 9. Luke wrote, 29 “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” Jesus’ appearance changed before his three closest disciples, Peter, John and James when they were alone praying on a mountain. By his transfiguration, Jesus confirmed Peter’s answer about who he was. Then, he revealed what it meant that he was God’s Messiah with the conversation he had with Moses and Elijah about his departure.

Jesus’ conversation at his transfiguration centered on his departure. We are not told exactly why Moses and Elijah appeared to speak with Jesus. We are only told what they talked about. However, it seems that Moses was there because he was who God used for the exodus of Israel from Egypt. And the Greek word translated as ‘departure’ is made up of the two Greek words εξ(out), ex, and οδος(way), odos, thus our English word ‘exodus.’ After their departure from Egypt, Moses also had a change in his appearance as we hear in our Old Testament reading from Exodus 34, 29 “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” God gave Moses the law to bring to the Israelites on his behalf. This revealed to the people that because of their sins they could not approach God, but someone had to represent God to them. God also allowed Moses’ face to radiate light as a sign that he had spoken with God. Then, it seems best to conclude that Elijah was there because John the Baptist, not Jesus, was the fulfillment of prophesies of Elijah coming back. John the Baptist had the same spirit of Elijah because both preach a message of repentance. Also, with these two men appearing with Jesus it reveals the connection Jesus has with the Old Testament and that the message of Jesus, and Christianity, is not a new religion or teaching, but Jesus was the fulfillment of all God’s promises to save his people and the world, even going back to the Garden of Eden.

Jesus’ transfiguration corrected misinterpretations about who he was. We read in Luke 9, 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) Peter was so blinded by the light of the transfiguration and seeing Moses and Elijah that he quickly suggested putting up shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah as if they were going to remain there on the mountain. His quick response was a misinterpretation. Moses and Elijah had appeared to encourage Jesus on what would take place after he left the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus was not going to remain on the mountain; he was going to leave it to begin making his way back to Jerusalem where he would suffer and die on the cross.

Like Peter, you and I need Jesus to show us who he really is. You and I can quickly respond to the question Jesus asked the disciples in Luke 9, 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” We can answer, God’s Messiah, the Savior. Yet, we often grow tired of hearing this message because it means being reminded of our sin. The reason we need the Savior is because we cannot save ourselves. Hearing that message over and over on Sundays during worship, or during a Bible study or in personal Bible reading does not appeal to us, that is to our sinful nature. Instead of hearing how bad we are and how much we need to depend on God alone to save us, we would rather talk about something else for a change. We need to talk about something a more practical like politics or rallying together to tackle humanitarian projects in church. If pastor would talk about those things, church would be a lot more interesting, we would get more people into church and we would be able to change ourselves, society and the world for the better. If we give into those desires, we are like Peter who wanted to keep Jesus on the mountain as the greatest, wisest and most powerful worldly leader. But that would have prevented Jesus from going to the cross. You and I are often tempted to make Jesus a bright shinny spokesman or influencer for a particular political movement, humanitarian project or guide to make ourselves better people. But those ideas worship someone who does not exist and miss who Jesus truly is leaving you without a Savior.

There is only one Chosen Son of God. On the Mount of Transfiguration, God told us who Jesus is, 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” God spoke similar words at Jesus’ baptism. In Luke 3, we hear the account of Jesus’ baptism, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” This time, on the Mount of Transfiguration, God the Father followed with the words, “Listen to him.” The events of Jesus’ life and who he is, is not up for interpretation. Peter, John and James were not at Jesus’ baptism, but now they heard from God who Jesus is. These accounts of Jesus’ baptism and the transfiguration are found in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark and Luke. They all record them to show Jesus as the Son of God, who told the disciples exactly what would happen at his departure before it took place. In Matthew, Mark and Luke 9, we read what Jesus told his disciples just before his transfiguration, 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” This is what Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about. Jesus appeared as bright as lightning on the Mount of Transfiguration, but his true glory and the reason he deserves all praise and worship was what he endured on the cross. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2, 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” God chose Jesus to heal you by dying for you. This is the message Jesus wants you to listen to every day of your life.

Special services like Transfiguration, Christmas or Ash Wednesday focus on the real Jesus. We encourage one another to listen to Jesus’ words by coming together in worship and Bible study. Also, get your own Bible and read it. Listen to Jesus by hearing and reading his words written down by Moses and Peter who heard it from his own lips and were guided by God to write down exactly what he wanted you to know and believe. All the people in the world, your coworkers, classmates, friends and family, you and I all fall into the temptation of misinterpreting who Jesus is, and so we who know who Jesus is must tell others. Paul described the way we share Jesus with others in our New Testament reading from 2 Corinthians 4, 1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. We do not disguise or change who Jesus is to fit the person or the situation. At the same time, you can create bridges with people to bring Jesus up by speaking of him as the one who cares about nations and wars, humanitarian issues like the poor, mistreated and uneducated, even as one who changes us into loving people, but the way he does all of this centers at the cross. His departure from this world that he spoke of on the Mount of Transfiguration, his death for sin, was done so that all people might be part of an eternal nation that will not fall to any enemy, that all people might look forward to heaven where there will be no hunger, war, sadness or inequality, where all people will be loving, kind, perfect and at peace.

Some events are almost impossible to misinterpret like war, while the true nature of other events is clouded in mystery. Jesus’ epiphany, his showing who he was, on the mount of transfiguration was not to be misinterpreted. His shining appearance and the Father’s voice from heaven confirmed him as the Chosen Son of God who was on his way to the cross to die for the sins of the world. You and I like Peter and all people are often tempted to make Jesus a bright shinny spokesman or influencer for a particular political movement, humanitarian project or guide to make ourselves better people. In Luke 9, God said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” Jesus answers the question, “Who do you say I am?” in the Bible. In John 14, Jesus answered, 6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Today is the last Sunday after the Epiphany—the Transfiguration of our Lord, and now with full confidence in who he is, we will begin the season of Lent. During Lent we will focus on all Jesus suffered to save the world from sin, and we will look forward to Easter Sunday with all joy and confidence in what Jesus told his disciples before his transfiguration in Luke 9, 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” We look forward to Jesus’ resurrection and our own because we have listened to the Chosen Son of God speak of his departure. Amen.