Transfiguration Sermon Matthew 17.1-9

Matthew 17.1-9 The Transfiguration
• I’m grateful to all of you who have made your way up the hill to St George’s this morning. Also especially grateful to all who made their way up here to join in with our first 24 hour prayer meeting.

• I only went into the prayer room a few times, but each time the air was thick with the presence of God. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

• This morning I want to explore some of the links which the story of the Transfiguration has with (a) our attendance at this service and (b) our participation in the 24 hour prayer meeting.

A Strange Interruption to the flow of the gospel story.
• Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry has been progressing very well.

• So well that both friends and enemies are speculating about exactly who he is and what he is up to.

• Out of this speculation has come Peter’s declaration that Jesus is “the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of the living God.”

• After he confirms his identity and clarifies what this means for his future, we might expect Jesus to start his journey to Jerusalem straight away.

• But no. Instead we have a pause of about a week, at the end of which Jesus takes a walk up a mountain with three of his disciples. A strange meeting takes place, words are said, and then the four of them come down the mountain again with Jesus telling the disciples not to tell anyone what they have seen.

• The work of Jesus and the disciples then continues and it is not immediately obvious what the “pause” of the trip up the mountain was all about.

Why was the mountain top “pause” necessary?
• The clues are at the end of the previous chapter – in the sharp disagreement between Peter and Jesus, which came immediately after Peter’s declaration about the identity of Jesus (Matt 16.21-28).

• After confirming that Peter was correct, Jesus started explaining to his disciples what his being Messiah would entail and it was certainly not what they expected. He would be rejected by the religious leaders, executed and then raised to life.

• Peter, taking his duties as “The Rock” very seriously, immediately stepped in and reassured Jesus that he would never let that happen to him.

• Jesus ought to be grateful for this but no. He’s angry. Peter is no longer “The Rock” but a stumbling block worthy of the name “satan”.

• Bad enough to be rebuked for misunderstanding Jesus’ mission, Peter and the others are also told just how tough their own role as his followers will be (16.24-28). And it probably wasn’t exactly what they thought they had “signed up for”.

• Rather than being “cheer-leaders” for a popular rebel healer and teacher, they were going to be despised and hunted outlaws, associated with a disgraced and deceased enemy of the state.

• Life had been a fun adventure. Now they suddenly experienced that sinking feeling. They were confused, afraid. Their heads were spinning. But Jesus needed them to keep on following him. That’s why they needed the Transfiguration, but what about Jesus himself?

• Jesus needed it too. Not quite for the same reasons. He’d probably understood for a while that he was his life was to fulfil BOTH the prophecies of Messiah AND of Suffering Servant – linking these in a way no one had imagined possible.

• He could only do this as God made flesh, but he was fully human too and we should not underestimate the challenge to his faith as the prophesied events unfolded, and also the strength of his emotional tie with these followers who must give up everything. The Transfiguration was for Jesus too.

What happened on that mountain top?
• I’m not going to speculate on some of the details. In what sense was what happened “real”? Were Elijah and Moses physically present or was it a kind of group “vision”? How did the disciples know it was them – did they have name badges? Was the voice of God heard physically or in some other way?

• Interesting questions but we can’t answer them. But even though we can’t know what kind of reality it was, we can be sure it was a vital “reality check”.

• Somehow, hidden truths became visible to the disciples:-

• That Jesus was the fulfilment of the OT Law and Prophets

• That Jesus was the image of God and the light of the world, overflowing with glory and truth.

• That Jesus must be listened to and obeyed and followed

Thes things were revealed at the transfiguration, but could not be understood until after the resurrection, which seems to be the reason why Jesus told the three disciples to keep it to themselves until then.

• The disciples responded in two ways. First, a rather sweet desire to keep the moment, to build shelters so that the mountain top experience can continue.

• Secondly, at the sound of God’s voice they fall face down, overcome by fear. But they are immediately touched by Jesus, who helps them to their feet and reassures them that there is no need to be afraid.

• Finally they are left alone with him and the journey continues, back down the mountain and beyond...
What has it got to do with us?
• Sometimes life is just one big fun adventure, as it must have seemed for the disciples in the early days. But this can change suddenly and we can suddenly be aware of how fragile and dangerous life is.

• Is this a “reality check” or is it an indication that we need a reality check. And we can trust God to give us what we need.

• Coming to church for a service, even more so for a 24 hour prayer meeting, may seem like a strange and unnecessary interruption to the realities of normal life.

• Perhaps some of your friends and family tell you this. Perhaps part of you thinks it too.

• But sometimes what we need is a mountain top experience in the company of Jesus. This is where we can experience the reality of God’s complete and unconditional love for us and for all people.

• It is here that we can experience the touch of Jesus which takes away our fear, helps us to our feet and prepares us to go back down the mountain, full of his light and his love to share with others.

• If we are lucky enough to have a mountain top experience, we may want to hang onto it forever. Some of you may have experienced this in the prayer room yesterday. Some may even experience it in a church service.

• It is possible to spend our lives flitting from one Church to another, one conference to another, constantly seeking new “mountain top” experiences.

• But our mission is back in the world, not on the mountain top, and as we follow him, Jesus will lead us back down into the mess of life, where we are to reflect his glory and his love into even the darkest places...