Why did the Transfiguration happen? (February 14, 2010)
By Rev. Steve Bagnall

Why did the Transfiguration happen? What was its purpose? Of course we can never know all the reasons God does what He does – in fact sometimes we can’t understand God’s decisions at all. But there is at least one important benefit from this event.

You see, as soon as Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, our Lord revealed that since He is the Christ, He must suffer and die. Grim days lay ahead for the disciples. They’d seen miracles from Jesus, but they’d also seen Him rejected. Even on the best of days it was difficult to understand everything that Jesus did.

And soon the confusion would become overwhelming. Jesus would be betrayed. He would be tortured, suffer and die. How could the twelve remain in faith through such darkness and sorrow? What could sustain them in their confusion, disappointment and pain? To help, Jesus allows them a glimpse of His divine reality.

They knew Jesus’ humanity intimately. They had seen Him hungry and tired. But here His divine nature is allowed to shine completely. Here the glory of Jesus and His power and His perfection are visible. It was so wonderful, so peaceful and beautiful that the disciples want to remain there forever. Why return to the troubles of this life. Why re-enter this place, where people get sick, where families fall apart, where people lie and steal and hate, where wars are constant, this place with its crime and immorality. Why return to this world of sinners, why return to this place of death? You and I live here. We understand Peter’s request. “Can’t we just forget all this, Jesus, and go straight to heaven?”

But the answer is no. No, Peter James and John cannot stay on that mountain; no, we cannot pass immediately into Jesus’ glorious presence today. Why not? Because there’s more to be done. Jesus must return to this sin-sickened world, not for His own sake, but for ours. The three disciples could not stay, because without the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, their sins would stay upon them and they would be banished from God’s presence in hell.

Jesus returned Peter, James and John to this troublesome world for their own good; although at the moment they could not recognize that at all. Jesus returned for your good and for mine. He returned to this place where He was rejected by almost everyone, where He was battled by those religious leaders who were supposed to speak for Him. He returned to finish the job, to do what was necessary for our good, He came back to die, to die for me and you, to die to earn forgiveness for our sins, to die and to rise again. Jesus came back to make it possible for us to go there, to God’s glory, to paradise. He came to us so that we can be with Him.

He gives us this glimpse of His glory to strengthen us and lift us up as we pass through the difficulties of this world. He lets us see His divine nature so that we can trust Him completely when His plan doesn’t make sense to us, when He allows bad things to come to us and we wonder where He is.

You see, just as the disciples had to return to this world with Jesus, so do we. And at times that means we will have pain. But, it also means that we have work to do – God’s work. The Apostles became God’s messengers. After the resurrection they became the voice of God on earth to bring the message of forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus to all people. And likewise, some of us have that task today. We all participate by supporting missionaries and pastors and the teachers and others who help them bring Jesus to the world.

But Jesus also sends us to extend His love in every part of this globe. We bring His healing as doctors and nurses and other health care workers, and as fathers and mothers who nurse sick children. We bring His concern when we help friends through difficult times; we bring His protection when we serve in the military, or in the safety professions, police, firefighters and many others. We bring His gift of food when we work at Meier. And our most frequent and personal extension of God in this world, as we fight the sin in our own lives, trying to live in His glorious way. Each of us, in every day, as we are given the opportunity, extends the glory and light of Christ against the darkness of this world.

But we don’t look so god-like – at least not most of us – and we sure don’t usually feel so special. Here’s where the Transfiguration is so important. By revealing the truth, that in addition to being a Man, Jesus is also God the Son, God helps us believe something similar about all His works. Although I may not look or feel like God’s representative, I am because Jesus says so. It is easy to point out the sin in my life, and yet I am perfect and sinless, too, because Jesus says so. I feel alone at times, like God doesn’t love me, but I never am, because Jesus says He is with me always.

When what you see and feel seems contrary to what God says, remember the Transfiguration and know that there is much more truth in God than what we seen in any moment, and there’s much more truth in you, too. Let God strengthen this faith though His other hiding places – this plain-looking book which is also His Holy Spirit filled Word. This water, which also delivers eternal life, this bread and wine which is also His body and blood offering forgiveness to all who believe.

Today we are on the mountaintop with Christ, but we must return to the world. We can, because there is more to Him than meets the eye, and by His power and promise, in the certainty of His word, we are more than meets the eye, even our own eyes. Forgiven and renewed, we are His saints, and we bring His glory and light to alleviate the world’s pain.

‘Tis good, Lord, to be here! Yet we may not remain; But since Thou bidst us leave the mount, Come with us to the plain.

Amen