Shining Like the Sun

February 15, 2026  (Transfiguration Sunday)

Matthew 17:1-9

            I think that it is just such an amazing thing that Jesus chose to pick disciples who were really rather ordinary.  You know, sometimes the disciples understood things, sometimes they didn’t, and sometimes they could be downright dense.  Immediately prior to our reading today, Jesus had asked the disciples “Who do you say I am?”.  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”.  Yea Peter!  He nailed it!  Jesus even declared Peter blessed for his Spirit inspired recognition of Jesus’ divinity.  Yes, Peter finally got it!… or did he?  Because in the very next verse Jesus tells the disciples that He must be killed and on the third day raised to life.  And Peter, momentary hero of ten minutes ago, rebukes Jesus and Jesus has to say to him “Get behind me Satan”.  And I honestly believe that that is a metaphor for the life of all believers, because when all is said and done, we also are very much like the disciples… sometimes getting it and sometimes… not so much.

            And so, not at all unlike us, Peter had a good start.  He had grasped the concept of Jesus’ divinity, not a small thing.  And he had made a bold and courageous decision to drop everything and to follow Jesus.  But there is still a lot that Peter doesn’t understand… and won’t understand until after the resurrection.  But in today’s story something is going to happen that will profoundly affect how Peter, and also James and John, perceive the divinity of Jesus.  And if we are to understand today’s story, it should have a profound effect on our perception of Jesus’ divinity also.

            So, let’s try this morning to put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples, and walk with them as Jesus invites them to take a walk with Him up a rather large mountain.  Though the Bible doesn’t identify the mountain, tradition states that it is very possibly Mount Tabor, and while they may not have hiked all the way to the top, especially since there was a Roman Garrison there, the mountain is nearly 2,000 feet high and so, this wasn’t an insignificant climb.  As Jesus and the disciples reach their destination on the mountain, Jesus is suddenly, and to the disciple’s complete surprise, transfigured.  The word used in the Greek is actually metamorphosis.  Jesus was momentarily changed into something completely different.  The earthly, human, Jesus was gone, replaced by the Jesus who was now being revealed in His heavenly glory.  The glory that had belonged to Jesus since before the foundation of the universe.  The glory that Jesus had set aside so that He could come to earth to become Emmanuel… God with us.   

Our text tells us that, “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.”  Way back in Exodus we read the story of how, after Moses met with God, he had to veil his face because the glory of God just reflecting in his face was unbearable for others to see.  And yet here, the disciples aren’t seeing a reflection, they are actually seeing the glory of God… in person.

            But as if this shock to the disciples wasn’t enough, suddenly they found themselves witnessing a conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  Just the other day Dave Harris asked me how it was that the disciples KNEW that it was Moses and Elijah with whom Jesus is speaking.  And, the Bible doesn’t answer that question, but I’m thinking that maybe Moses bore a resemblance to Charlton Heston.  In fact, Matthew doesn’t even tell us about the content of their conversation, but when Luke tells his transfiguration story, he tells us that the three of them were speaking of Jesus’ upcoming departure.  And the word that Luke used that we translate “departure”, is ἔξοδος (Exodus).  Yes, that Exodus.  The Bible uses the same word to describe the redemptive act of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection that it does to describe Israel’s redemptive act of their escape from Egypt.  In both instances, the word ἔξοδος means “the way to be followed”.  The way for the Israelites to get to the Promised Land was through the wilderness.  The way for Jesus to complete His task of saving humanity was through the cross. 

            Peter, probably stunned beyond words at this point, suggests putting up three booths or tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  I’ve heard commentators say that this comment from Peter may have been a bit tone deaf on his part, as if Peter completely missed the point of what was going on, but if we look at the original story in Exodus that this story mirrors, Peter’s response is a solidly Biblical one as the Israelites of Moses’ day had built the tabernacle to house the presence of God.  Let’s not forget that Moses was the revered law-giver and that Elijah was the most important and revered prophet. And so, Peter’s idea wasn’t necessarily a bad one.  But Peter’s suggestion is truncated by the appearance of a thick cloud and the voice of God Himself saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

            And hearing God’s voice, the disciples were absolutely terrified.  Matthew chooses the Greek word ἐφοβήθησαν (f-o-be-thee-san) which, according to the Topical Lexicon describes “crippling terror”, but that word isn’t sufficient to describe the disciple’s condition, so Matthew adds the word, σφόδρα  (s-fo-drah), which means “exceedingly”.  The best 21^st century translation of this might be “frightened out of their wits”. 

And then Matthew presents us with an absolutely amazing picture of who the God we serve is.  As the terrified disciples open their eyes, the cloud is gone… the voice is gone… Moses and Elijah are gone… Jesus is no longer shining like the sun… and then,  Jesus gently touches the disciples, and tells them to get up and not to be afraid.  The creator of the universe in all of His glory stops everything so that He can comfort His beloved disciples.  David Schmitt says, “Jesus came not to overwhelm us with His majesty but to touch us with God’s love.”  [1]

            And so, today I would like to ask three questions.  The questions are, what does the transfiguration mean to Jesus?  What does the transfiguration mean to the disciples?  And what does the transfiguration mean to us?

            The story of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane makes it abundantly clear to us that Jesus, though resolute, approached His crucifixion with great anxiety, going so far as to ask God to remove this cup from Him.  Yes, Jesus is fully divine, but He is also fully human, and therefore subject to the same emotions and feelings and apprehensions that we are.  In the transfiguration, God gave His beloved Son a reminder of the glory that awaited Him; the glory that He once held, but relinquished… for us. 

Duncan tells us that, “The transfiguration was a reminder of the Father to the Son of His love.  Notice that the words in the transfiguration are the same as the words of the Father to the Son in the baptism. – The Father publicly announces again to the world, this is My Son and I love Him.  And in the very manifestation of Christ’s glory, the Father reminds Christ of the glory which is set before Him, as the Son begins to plunge Himself into the suffering which will lead up to His suffering at the hands of the Romans and of the Jews and eventually His crucifixion.  And Hebrews 12 verse 2 tells us that it was precisely that glory set before Christ which enabled Him to despise His suffering and to endure it on our behalf, because of the glory that was set before Him.  And so, this transfiguring event would have been an encouragement to the Son in His suffering. [2]

By the time of the Transfiguration the disciples had been following Jesus for nearly three years.  They had seen a seemingly endless stream of miracles from Him, culminating in the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  As we read the gospels we see in the disciples the dawning realization of who Jesus really is.  And the miracles alone were sufficient to inspire Peter to declare Jesus to be the Son of God, but the transfiguration brought Peter, James, and John

 to a completely new level of understanding.  And the best way to describe that understanding is to use Peter’s own words.  2 Peter 1:16-21: “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’  We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”  While the disciples still would not understand fully until they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the transfiguration would become a critical component of their faith and of their message.  Seeing Jesus in His full heavenly glory, confirmed for Peter, James, and John without question the reality of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.  This sure knowledge energized them and gave them the strength to face the persecutions and trials that they also would eventually face.

The impact of the transfiguration on us will be highly dependent on how we understand the event.  If we view it as just another Bible story it probably won’t mean much to us.  But if we look deeper and recognize just how central this event is to our faith, then the impact should be significant; perhaps even life changing.  Simply put, if we can comprehend even a little bit the divine authority that the disciples saw present in Jesus, then we understand that there is no possible way that any human action could have directed the events of the crucifixion.  The only possible answer is that Jesus chose to suffer and to die on our behalf. 

Duncan says, “You’ll never understand the cross until you understand that the glorious Christ of the transfiguration is the Christ who was crucified on the cross.  When we look at the cross through the eyes of the gospel writers, and as the gospel writers describe to us how the mob looked at Christ, we see a condemned criminal; – a victim.  But that is not how God the Father sees His Son on the cross.  God the Father sees the glorious Son rendering Himself up voluntarily for the salvation of His people.  That is the Christ who died and until you see that Christ, you will never appreciate how much sin deserves to be punished, and you’ll never appreciate how much grace has been shown to you in Jesus Christ.” [3]

When we understand the depth of what Jesus has done for us, the words of the Father to the disciples speak eloquently to us as well.  “Listen to Him”.  That’s what the Father said to Peter, James, and John, and also to us… “Listen to Him”.  When we listen to Him, we learn.  When we learn from Him, with the Spirit’s help, we understand.  And when we understand Him, we follow Him.  Jesus paid an awful price in order that we may be reconciled to God.  And yet, it was a price that He chose to pay, and to pay willingly, and lovingly.  Because God wants His beloved children to be by His side.  God wants us to be recipients of His extravagant love and His incredible Grace.  That, my friends, is the very essence of the Gospel.  And most of all, God wants us to recognize the depth of the love that He has for us, and He calls us to respond to His love, first by loving Him in return, and then by loving all who bear His image.  I’d like to close with a quote from David Platt.  “The more we behold Christ, the more we become like Him.  The more we fix our attention and our affection on Him, the more our lives begin to resemble His.”  [4]  And so, let us Listen to Him… and follow Him… that we all may grow to be like Him.

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[1] David Schmitt, 1517.org,, Matthew 17:1-9

[2] J. Ligon Duncan, FPCJackson.org, The Confession and the Cross of the Kingdom Part 4

[3] Ibid

[4] David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, Pg. 224

The Booths that Never Were

March 2, 2025

            Most of you probably know that I am a huge baseball fan and that I follow the New York Mets.  A few weeks back I was reading one of the Mets blogs and they were talking about who were the greatest Mets of all time.  The conversation took shape responding to a question about which Mets should be enshrined on the Mets version of Mount Rushmore (Would that be Mount Metsmore?).  This is not an unusual comparison. We often will find discussions of greatness in one field or another when the greatest of the great are named to the “Mount Rushmore” of that particular field.  And then, of course, we have the REAL Mount Rushmore.  In 1927 the United States decided to commemorate 4 of the great presidents, and so, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt had their images carved into the face of the mountain.  The monument is an enduring testament to the excellence of four presidents who shaped our nation.  And I suspect that this monument, already nearly 100 years old, will continue to testify to the greatness of these presidents for a good long time to come.

            In our story today we read about The Transfiguration.  Jesus, accompanied by Peter, John, and James, ascended a mountain so Jesus could find some solitude to pray.  It’s possible that this happened at night, or perhaps really early in the morning because the text tells us that the disciples were sleepy.  But pretty soon the disciple’s sleepiness would be interrupted as Jesus’ face and clothes became dazzlingly white.  The NIV does a great job of translating the Greek ἐξαστράπτω (ex-as-trap-toe) as “bright as a flash of lightening”.  The King James translates this as “white and glistening” but ἐξαστράπτω was actually used by the Greeks to describe a flash of lightening, and so, here we have a really good description of the transformation that took place as Jesus’ face and clothes became just blindingly white.

            And as the disciples recovered from their sleepiness, they noticed that Jesus wasn’t alone.  Unfortunately, the NIV offers an incomplete translation of the next part of the passage as the NIV reports that the disciples see that Jesus had been joined by Moses and Elijah, who also appeared in “glorious splendor”.  The NIV omits the Greek word “ἰδοὺ” (ee-doo).  The New King James version more accurately translates this passage as, “And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah”.  That word “Behold” is the Greek word, ἰδοὺ, and this is a word that means not simply to see something, but to examine something for the specific purpose of understanding it.  The text tells us that Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were discussing Jesus’ “departure [that] he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” and Luke is asking us to pay specific attention to what they are saying.  Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were discussing Jesus’ impending death.  But curiously, they were not using the word that was most commonly used to describe “death”.  In fact, the word that they used was Exodus.  Yes, the same word that was used to describe Moses’ God empowered miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, was now being used to describe an even more miraculous deliverance.  That of the deliverance of humankind from sin and death through the work that would soon be accomplished by Jesus on the cross. 

            And so, let’s take a moment to understand this event through the eyes of Peter, John, and James.  To the Jewish people, Moses and Elijah were, and still are, rock stars.  Moses is the giver of the Law, the man who met God face to face and whose own face was illuminated, brightly reflecting the glory of God.  A man who wore a veil over his face to hide that shining so as not to frighten his people.  Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, guided them through 40 years in the wilderness, and was the person through whom God worked the miracles of providing water from a rock and manna from, well, nowhere.  Moses was kind of like our George Washington… if George had maybe performed a miracle or two.

            Elijah is the preeminent prophet of Israel. A prophet who boldly spoke truth to power.  During Elijah’s time the Israelite King Ahab’s wife was not Jewish, she was Phoenician and was a princess.  Ahab’s marriage to her was a brilliant stroke of political strategy, forming an alliance with a former enemy, but his wife Jezebel didn’t worship God, she worshipped the Phoenician deities Baal and Asherah.  During the reign of Ahab, Ahab, and many Israelites turned to the worship of these idols also.  Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal in a challenge in which Elijah successfully called down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice after 450 prophets of Baal failed to do so.  In doing this, Elijah returned most of Israel to the worship of the one true God.  Elijah also asked God to bring about a drought, which He did.  Elijah provided miraculous food to a widow, her son, and himself, raised that widow’s son from the dead, and then had God end the drought.  Elijah did not die but was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.  Elijah was kind of like our Abraham Lincoln… if Abe had maybe performed a miracle or two.

            When I was in college at Berklee, I was a fairly decent trombone player, and I was blessed to be able to play in the best student big band in the college.  One late spring day we were playing, and it was hot in the room, so we had the doors open.  This band was quite good, and so there were crowds gathered at the open doors at both ends of a fairly large room listening to us play.  Suddenly, the crowd at one of the doors parted like Moses parting the Red Sea, and in walked the president of the college with Duke Ellington.  The band fell apart and stopped playing as each of the members, myself included, just kind of stared in open-mouthed astonishment at this legend who had just entered the room.  I mean if there were a Mount Rushmore of Jazz, Duke would certainly be on it.  Our director greeted Duke and then restarted the song that we had been playing, Duke listened for a moment or two, then nodded his head in appreciation and left the room.  That brief moment has remained one of the highlights of my college experience and is a memory that I will always cherish.

            And so, in a way, I can identify with the disciples; even though my experience was completely worldly, and their experience was miraculous, and astounding, I can still understand how they must have been awe-struck.  As Moses and Elijah departed, Peter had what he thought was a brilliant idea: “Hey Jesus, let’s make a Mount Rushmore here with you and Moses and Elijah”.  Well, he didn’t ACTUALLY say “let’s make a Mount Rushmore”, he said let’s build three booths.  But the idea is the same.  The idea is that he wanted to commemorate this miraculous event with some sort of monument.  I don’t find it difficult at all to identify with Peter here.  The desire to remember something momentous, to have a physical reminder of something amazing that happened is completely understandable.  In fact, the United States is absolutely full of monuments that commemorate one event or another, as are, I am sure, most countries.  There seems to be a peculiar human need to memorialize important events with monuments of one sort or another.  But before Peter was even finished making his remark a cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 

            And I really see this voice as a sort of a wake-up call to Peter and the other disciples.  Our faith is not a static thing.  It’s not something that we get figured out and then have the luxury of sitting back and enjoying our acquired knowledge.  We can’t take our faith and cement it into a single mountaintop experience, because ultimately, our faith is something that will never stop growing.  And our faith grows only through listening to Jesus. 

            We all know Peter’s story.  We know about his abject failure when he denied Jesus three times.  And yet, we also know that Peter overcame his failures to become one of history’s most effective messengers of the Gospel.  Peter, just like the rest of us, needed to continue to listen, continue to learn, continue to grow in faith and in obedience; Peter had a momentary thought that he wanted to bask in the experience of witnessing Jesus’ glory and seeing Moses and Elijah in person, but Peter had a far more important call that wasn’t at all related to his thoughts or his feelings or the peaks of his experiences.  Peter had a call to serve God; to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus in the world after Jesus had ascended.  And we have the exact same call.  If the world is going to hear the Good News, from whom are they going to hear it?  They need to hear it from us.  They need to hear it from our lips, and they need to see it in our lives.

            Peter became a faithful witness.  His sermons literally brought thousands of People to a saving faith in Jesus.  But in order for him to accomplish that, Peter needed to come down from that mountain top.  He needed to fail.  He needed to fall down, and he needed to be picked up and he needed to be forgiven, and he needed to be renewed.  In the last chapter of the Gospel of John the Bible relates the deeply touching story of Jesus restoring Peter.  And through that restoration, through Peter’s experience of being forgiven, through Peter’s experience of Jesus picking him up and once again asking Peter to follow Him, Peter experienced the depth of God’s grace, and he responded to that grace with a devotion to Jesus that literally changed the world.

            I’ve never seen it, but I am sure that Mount Rushmore is quite impressive.  And I would imagine that Peter’s Mount Rushmore of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah would have been quite the tourist attraction for the last 2,000 years.  But we are not going to get where we need to be by clinging to our past.  Jesus is God’s son, and we need to listen to Him.  We need to let Him pick us up and restore us when we fall.  We need to listen to Him as He draws us forward into faithfulness, into obedience, into discipleship.  Let us leave our monuments behind us as together we walk into a future of love.  Love for God and love for others.  It is that to which He calls us.