Title: EVER-INCREASING GLORY
Focus: The transfiguration of Jesus points to the Lord’s ever-increasing glory in our lives.
Function: To encourage the people to embrace Jesus’ glory and glorious work, so that we may reflect Jesus’ glory and become transformed.
Texts: Mark 9:2-13; II Cor. 3:7-18
On this Transfiguration Sunday, we ponder the significance of Jesus’ transformation on Mount Tabor. And we do so in light of this precious child called “Elias Dean De Kam” and in light of everyone else here in this sanctuary.
No doubt, Matthew and Lisa, there have been moments that you looked at your son and you marveled how intricately, beautifully God has fashioned Elias: his tiny toes and fingers, his eyes and ears and his ability to respond to your smiles and tender voices—all of these things make you smile and realize what a precious gift you have received from God.
God made us from the dust of the earth-the very stuff of creation. And boy, when you look at Elias, dust looks good and glorious.
Like so many other parents, you may have already begun to wonder what will become of your child. As parents we may hope for a wonderful childhood and we may easily envision our children growing up into mature men and women, who will make a significant difference in their world and in their careers. And of course, we hope and pray that our children may live long and at least reach the average lifespan in North America of about 76 years if not more. But then, when our sons and daughters have lived out their days ordained by God, they—and we too, of course—all turn to dust. When that happens, dust does not look so good. There is a world of difference between dust in the cradle and dust in the grave.
So, must we then go through life with this shadow of death always lurking near, ready to cast its net whenever we least expect it? Must our hearts then be heavy with the realization that nothing lasts forever and that life won’t get better than it is now? Thank God! No! For the transfiguration of Jesus’ body points to the Lord’s ever-increasing glory in our lives.
Listen to the scriptures: (II Cor. 3:16) “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The glory we see reflected in Jesus’ dust foreshadows the glory that is ours through faith in him and through the workings of his Spirit already in our lives today.
Fascinating and wondrous things are happening on that mountaintop near Jerusalem. Jesus is being transformed. His dust-formed human body--in all respects the same as yours and mine—is undergoing a radical change. It begins to emanate majesty, a light, a brilliance that belongs to the godhead. Jesus’ human body reflects divine glory. Mark tells us that “His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.” And Matthew says (Mt. 17:2) that “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” Surely, what is happening to Jesus’ body here is out of this world. The man Jesus reflects his divine origin and glory through metamorphosis—a work of God in his body.
Things are becoming more glorious yet. There’s Moses—the one who gave Israel the Law of God, the one whom God buried somewhere in the mountains of Moab right after Moses saw the promised land of Canaan. There he is—in the body, in glorious splendor—talking with Jesus. And there’s Elijah—the mother of all Israel’s prophets, the one who spoke the Word of God to Israel in troubled times, the one whom God gave a ride in a chariot of fire with horses of fire. Elijah never saw the grave, for a whirlwind took him to heaven. But now, there he is—in the body, in glorious splendor—talking with Jesus. Surely, this is a glory moment that takes away your breath.
But that’s not all. There is a cloud, enveloping Jesus, and Moses and Elijah and Jesus’ three closest disciples: Peter, James and John. Out of the cloud comes a voice—the voice of God the Father, saying “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” No wonder the disciples are scared stiff. They have never seen or heard this before. But they do know their history. They know about Moses, encountering the presence of God at Mt. Sinai, receiving God’s law; and they know about Moses’ face being transfigured, shining forth a glory that terrified and awed the people of Israel. But that was history.
And yet, now it’s happening to them right before their eyes and ours. For today we are peeking over their shoulders and participating in this glory moment. What shall we make of this glorious appearance of Moses and Elijah and this brilliant transformation of Jesus?
First of all, Jesus reveals that he is both, fully human, made of dust, and fully divine, filled with the essence of deity. For more than three years, the disciples have worked and walked with Jesus. They have seen him perform miracles. He has even raised the dead. However, if anyone still thinks that Jesus is no more than an extraordinary human being, think again. He is more than that: he is both, fully made of dust, fully sharing in the nature of Adam and Eve (except for sin), but also fully divine. Jesus is the eternal Son of God in the flesh. And his transfiguration tells us so.
Secondly, Jesus prepares his disciples for his death and resurrection. In a few days, Jesus will have to face his betrayal, crucifixion, death, and burial. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are right around the corner. Jesus knows. And he is preparing his lead disciples--Peter, James and John--for that moment when his human body will be nailed to a cross and turn to dust for burial in a grave. Oh, the cross will terrify Jesus’ disciples. They won’t be able to make much sense of it, especially since they expect Jesus to be a national savior, someone who will get rid of the Romans in Israel, someone who will make Israel glorious again, like in the days of King Solomon for example.
So, what does Jesus do? He gives his disciples a glory moment. On that mountaintop, the disciples see Jesus in his transformed glorified body. And they witness Moses and Elijah, likewise, in glorified bodies.
Thirdly, Jesus foreshadows to his disciples and to us what is as yet to come. Resurrection and ascension will follow crucifixion and burial. The mortal dust of Jesus, placed in the tomb on Good Friday, will turn into a glorious, immortal, resurrection body on Easter Sunday. Jesus’ transfiguration points to what will happen to him when the Spirit of God raises him from the dead and when God exalts him at his right hand in heaven.
Perhaps you wonder what Moses and Elijah are doing there with Jesus on that mount of transfiguration. Moses is the great Lawgiver. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt’s bondage and into the Promised land. Through Moses, God gave his people the Law, so that they could organize their lives around God’s will and serve God with love and obedience to his commands. Perfect obedience to God’s law would lead to life and righteousness. This was the rule of righteousness under the old covenant.
Since no one can make herself right with God because we lack perfect obedience, the Lord God spoke through his prophets, reminding his people that he would establish a new covenant. Thus God raised up Elijah and many other prophets who spoke about repentance and renewal, and who prophesied the coming of a Savior.
Here they are: on that mountain top: Moses representing God’s Law; Elijah representing God’s Word of salvation; and Jesus, the eternal Son of God in the flesh ready to fulfill the Law and the Prophets—ready to usher in the new relationship between God and his people--a relationship established by the shed blood of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. This glory moment is ours to savor and behold!
In fact, you and I must learn to live out of this vision of transfiguration. For this vision gives us tremendous hope in the midst of adversity and death. And the transformation of Jesus foreshadows the Lord’s ever-increasing glory in our lives. Listen again to Paul writing to the Corinthian church. While contrasting the glory of the old covenant (led by and revealed in Moses) with the glory of the new covenant (ushered in and revealed by Jesus), Paul speaks to us and says: “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed (transfigured, metamorphosed) into his likeness with ever-increasing glory….” Here we note the following:
Through his Word and Spirit, the Lord Jesus renews our minds, our thinking, our way of seeing and living in the world. And through his transforming work in our lives, the Lord Jesus advances his influence in this world, and he reveals his glory in us and through us. When you gave your life to Christ, or when you professed your faith publicly in Jesus, the glory of the Lord became visible in you—people began to see changes in us. Sometimes these changes are very drastic; at other times, they are very gradual: husbands treat their wives with love and respect; children begin to notice a tenderness and care in Dad’s behavior they did not see before. That’s what true conversion is all about: a dying to sin and self, and a rising to faith and love in Christ Jesus. Such conversion translates into daily transformation. Thus Paul can speak of “an ever-increasing glory.”
All human beings are created in the image of God. But Adam’s (and thus our) fall into sin has led to a spoiled, broken image. Apart from the Lord Jesus, we no longer perfectly reflect God’s holiness, righteousness and love. Apart from Jesus, the best we can do is living a life that shows a fractured, broken image of God. But when the Spirit of God takes hold of us and renews us each day, we are being restored in the image of Christ, who reflects God perfectly. And such daily restoration leads to an ever-increasing glory. Already today, you and I are reflecting, from one degree to another, the glory of God at work in us.
But there’s so much more!
When a child is born we visit nurseries and laugh and rejoice in that little pile of human dust, made so intricately by God, and destined to live for God’s glory. When a person dies, we visit the funeral home and mourn with those who mourn, and we plant or bury the corpse of dust in the hope and expectation of the resurrection that is to come. And in between these two poles—the pole of dust in the cradle and the pole of dust in the grave—we do our daily living.
How? We ponder the transfiguration of Jesus and its significance for the entire world. We draw great comfort and strength from the promise of eternal life on a restored, renewed creation—living and reflecting in an ever-increasing manner, the glory of Jesus each day. That’s how!
Matt and Lisa, may you find great joy as you raise Elias Dean. My friends, may you find great comfort and joy as we do our living, putting our faith and trust in Jesus’ transfiguration and resurrected, glorified dust, his body. For as Jesus has gone before us, so shall we all follow him and live with God on the renewed creation.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.