Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Text: (Matthew 17:1-9)
And [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says: “I am the light of the world”.
Now when we hear these words of Jesus, what do we hear? Do we hear him talking about physical light, or spiritual light?
But I think it’s actually not good for us to separate spiritual light and physical light too much. Jesus truly is the light of the world, as he says. And this is very true in a spiritual sense that gives to us the light of the Holy Spirit.
But what about the physical light? What about light in a physical sense? In our reading today, about the Transfiguration, there doesn’t seem to be any distinction between spiritual and physical light. We read: He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white and light.
Many ancient cultures worshipped the sun, and they acknowledged that the sun was where life came from. Where there was sun, the plants grew up, the flowers budded, there’s warmth, and happiness. The sun makes people feel good. If people are depressed and have a deficiency in vitamin D, this is fixed by going out into the sunshine.
But the light that we receive from the sun is only a small part of the light that flows from God. God is the one who dwells unapproachable light. In the book of Genesis, we read that light was the first thing that God created when he set about shaping and forming the earth. In fact, many people throughout the centuries, and people who call themselves “scientists” who are not really true scientists, since they think they can look at God under their microscopes, have ridiculed Genesis, because they think it’s silly that God created light on the first day and the sun and the moon and the stars on the fourth day. How can you have light without the sun?
But you see, light comes from the nature of God’s being. God is the one who dwells in light, who then creates light for the universe and the world, and then who appoints the sun, the moon and the stars to give light, which is his gift.
The sun doesn’t bring plants and things to life. God does, making use of the sun and his instrument, his means, his tools.
And so, at the beginning of the world, there is light, with no sun. At the end of the bible, we read that there is also no sun. St John says: “I saw so temple in the [holy] city, [the new Jerusalem], for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
In our reading today, we learn and recognise a profound truth, which no one else could possibly learn or come to know outside the church, and outside of the word of God: That light and life does not come from the universe, it does not come from nature, it does not come from created things, but it comes from God.
We have learnt that there is a God, the Father Almighty, who made heaven and earth. No pagan, no outside to the faith could possibly know this. They only believe in what they can see with their eyes: they don’t believe there are things both “seen and unseen” that God has created.
But there’s one more thing that we learn in today’s reading. This light does not simply radiate out of heaven, from the clouds, from burning bushes, or however God would choose to reveal himself. This uncreated pure clear light radiates from the flesh of Jesus Christ, it streams from his face, and it even shines out through his clothes.
This is a profound mystery of the faith which we need to come to terms with and consider very deeply in our hearts. This man, Jesus Christ, is the light of the world. All light and all life comes from him. It is not the sun that brings things to life, but it is Jesus Christ himself who brings things to life. Jesus is not a sun-god. The ancient Egyptians and the Incas believed in a sun-god. We can laugh at this, but we should also remember that these were great civilisations, that achieved great things. And they were right in a sense because they worshipped what they thought gave them light and life. People today think that light and life comes from their own reason and will-power. That of course is a false god.
Christians also worship the person who gives light and life to the world: but it isn’t Rah, the Egyptian sun-god, or Inti, the sun-god of the Incas. We worship Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who was in the beginning, who was with God, and who is God. As we say in the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, GOD FROM GOD, LIGHT FROM LIGHT, TRUE GOD FROM TRUE GOD, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; [and then it quotes John 1:2]: through him all things were made.” John chapter 1 says: All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
And so in our reading today, we read about this miraculous event, where the three apostles, Peter, James and John were allowed to see the uncreated light of God, shine through Jesus face.
They see this marvellous vision. And not only that but this light reveals the presence of the company of heaven standing there with Jesus: Moses and Elijah on either side. And then we read: “Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
What a marvellous event that took place here!
We read: “When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.”
We should take notice of this, because we realise that being in the presence of God, and seeing the light coming from Jesus’ face sheds light on our sinfulness, and our unworthiness to be there.
Often in the bible, sin and darkness are spoken of together. And we shouldn’t think of this purely in terms of some “spiritual” darkness, but we should think about it very concretely and physically. Many places in the bible it says things like this: “You are not in darkness brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
The fact that people do shameful things, sinful things, at night, rather than in broad daylight is a testimony to their bad conscience. If you want to rob a shop or a bank, why not do it where everyone can see it? If you want to get drunk and beat someone up in the middle of Melbourne, why not do it at lunchtime? If you want to have an affair and cheat on your husband and wife, why not do it in their presence where they can see it?
Sin and darkness go together. If you want to examine your conscience, ask, what am I ashamed to do in broad daylight? Sure, there are things that a private, and don’t belong in daylight, but what do I hide from others, so that I intentionally hide from others?
Of course, nothing can be hidden from Jesus Christ. And when we are in the presence of Christ, when we are baptised, when Jesus walks into our life, he turns on the light, and shines his light over all the mess. And it’s shameful for us when he does this. But he shines the light on it so that it can be forgiven. John says: God’s Son did not come into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through him.
This light comes through God’s Word. It’s God’s Word that shines over everything, to reveal the sin and to forgive it. Notice in our reading today, that the apostles fall down on their faces, when God speaks to them from the cloud.
But here’s the great mystery of the reading: At the end of the reading we read: “Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”
See the forgiving, gentle hand of Jesus, and his loving words! He doesn’t shine his light to terrorise people – but once we are terrified in his presence, once we do recognise our unworthiness and sinfulness in his presence, he comes and he touches us, and he says: “Rise and have no fear.”
You can see here that our worthiness, our holiness, our purity, doesn’t come from our works, and our efforts. It comes purely through Jesus kind words and his effort to come and touch us, and reach out to us.
But now, what did they see when they looked up? They saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
They saw no one but Jesus only. No light. No Moses. No Elijah. No cloud. No voice of God. Just Jesus.
It’s as Jesus says: “Trust me! You know that I am true God of God, light of light – now will you still believe that I am the same Jesus when I am surrounded by darkness?”
It’s so easy to think that with Jesus we will have this rosy, hunky-dory life, where nothing goes wrong. But Jesus calls us to believe that he is the light of the world, especially in those times when we can’t see it.
At the transfiguration, Jesus is bathed in radiating light, surrounded on either side with Moses and Elijah, and the voice of God says: “This is my Son.”
And on Good Friday, the sun is darkened, Jesus naked body is clothed in blood and sweat, a thief on either side, and instead of God’s voice from heaven, we hear the words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
And it’s the same Jesus! It’s the same God of God, Light of Light!
It’s the same transfigured Jesus. And Jesus is the light of the world in the strongest way, in the most powerful, clearest way, when he is offering up his body and soul as the one true sacrifice for sin. That’s where Jesus light shines most clearly for us!
And so it’s no wonder that the church on earth is one that is clothed in self-doubt, shame, despair – but Jesus wants you to trust that baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper are filled with the same life and light that shone at the transfiguration. The transfiguration gives us that hope that one day the things we believed by faith will be shown to us by sight on the last day, just as Jesus rose from the dead, showed his hands and side to Thomas. It was then that Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!”
So, let’s remember the words of St Peter today! "Lord, it is good that we are here!" Remember what Jacob said when he saw the vision of the ladder: “This is none other than the house of God, and this is gate of heaven!”
It’s good to be here! It’s good to be in the presence of Jesus! It’s good to have been baptised by him! It’s good to be spoken to by him, and forgiven by him! It’s good to be here! It’s good to eat and drink his body and blood given for us for the forgiveness of sins!
Lord, it is good that we are here!
And we read: “Jesus came and touched them saying, “Rise, and have no fear!”
Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, we place ourselves, our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our sin into your marvellous light. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for you are with me! Bless us with your Holy Spirit, teach us to be children of the light, and to follow you faithfully though the darkness. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief! Amen.
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