“Do Not Fear”
[Mathew 17:1-13]
February 10, 2013 Second Reformed Church
Today is Transfiguration
Sunday. In chapter sixteen of Matthew,
we find that Jesus and the disciples had arrived at Caesarea Philippi, which
was just north of the Sea of Galilee in north central Israel. It was here that Jesus asked the disciples
who the people believed Him to be, and Peter made his profession that “[Jesus]
is the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16b, ESV). Peter affirmed that – whomever anyone else
believed Jesus to be – God had revealed to them that Jesus is the Savior – and
not a mere man, but God Himself.
After Peter made this confession and
Jesus praised him and told him that he was right in asserting that Jesus is the
Savior and God – that it was God Who revealed this truth to them and caused
them to believe it in their hearts and confess it with their mouths, Jesus
explained to them that to complete His Work – to save the people that God sent
Him to save, Jesus had to be turned over to those who hated Him, be put to
death, and then rise from the dead.
Despite Peter’s profession of Who
Jesus is, neither he nor the other disciples understood how it could be that
the Savior needed to be put to death, and Jesus had to rebuke Peter and explain
that this was the plan from the beginning, and anyone who wanted to follow
Jesus would also have to be willing to lay down their lives for His Sake. And then He made them the promise, “Truly, I
say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they
see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:28, ESV). This promise, as we see in this morning’s Scripture
was fulfilled six days later.
“And after six days Jesus took with
him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the
sun, and his clothes became white as light.”
Jesus brought three of the disciples: Peter and the brothers, James and John, up on
a high mountain, and when they had reached a certain spot, Jesus was
transfigured before them. What does that
mean? We are told that Jesus shone
brightly like the sun, so much so that His clothes even looked as white as
light. Jesus was “metamorphethon” – like
our word metamorphosis – He was changed – not in His Being, but in what they
saw of Him.
Paul tells us that Jesus did not
come to earth in the Incarnation, showing the fullness of His Glory, “but emptied
himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians
2:7, ESV). Although Jesus did not become
less than God through the Incarnation, He divested Himself of His outward Glory
– He did not allow His outward Glory – His Divine Nature to be viewed – even as
mediated through His human body – until now.
John explained, “Beloved, we are
God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that
when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1
John 3:2, ESV). Although we have the
promise that we will be like Jesus – in the sense that we shall be glorified in
our humanity – we have not seen what glorified humanity looks like, but when
Jesus returns, He will come in glory, and we will see Him as He is and know
what we will be like in our resurrected bodies.
The three on the mountain were
allowed a glimpse of what the glorified Jesus looks like – with a light
brighter than the sun – and we, then, have the hope and the assurance that we,
also, will be like Him on the day of resurrection. The imperfections and faults of our bodies –
our sinful nature – will be utterly done away with, and our bodies will be
glorious, like Jesus’.
John was visited by Jesus on the
island of Patmos, and John saw Jesus, and described Him like this: “Then I turned to see the voice that was
speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst
of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a
golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white
wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like
burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many
waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp
two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet
as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the
first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive
forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things
that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the
seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches’” (Revelation 1:12-20, ESV).
It’s difficult to imagine just what
they saw – what the Glory of Jesus – the Divinity of Jesus mediated through His
Glorified body looked like – even with these descriptions, but we can
understand that it was awesome – blinding – frightening in its holiness and
glory. But this is what they saw.
Peter, one of the eyewitnesses of these
events, looking to assure the early church and comfort them amidst their
persecution wrote, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made
known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the
Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice
borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the
prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention
as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture
comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by
the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit” (2 Peter 1:16-21, ESV).
“And behold, there appeared to them
Moses and Elijah, talking with him.”
Why did Moses and Elijah
appear? Moses and Elijah – who really
did appear – do we doubt that God can raise the dead? – were symbolic
figureheads of the Law and the Prophets, respectively. Moses was the chief lawgiver and Elijah was
the head prophet of the Old Testament, and they appeared with Jesus in this pivotal
moment as He readied to be tortured and killed – and by their presence, they
affirmed that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
But how did Peter, James, and John
know that these two men were Moses and Elijah?
We can only assume that God revealed who they were to them.
Why did they come? Matthew only tells us that they talked with
Jesus. Luke says more—Luke tells us that
“[they] appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31, ESV).
Moses and Elijah came to affirm that Jesus was fulfilling the Law and
Prophets through His death – and they came to affirm both Jesus and the disciples
that everything was happening according to God’s Plan.
“And
Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will
make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’”
Peter
– never one to think twice or to listen before he leapt – didn’t want the
moment to end – he wanted to put Jesus, Moses, and Elijah in tents – perhaps to
stay with them longer. Mark tells us
that one reason that Peter wanted to build the tents for them was that he was
afraid and didn’t know what to do but to do something! (cf. Mark 9:6).
“He [Peter] was still speaking when, 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.’”
Peter
was so afraid that he kept talking and God the Father had to stop him by
causing a cloud to envelope them – which was an act of mercy – God came to them
and spoke through the cloud – God did not show His Face to them, for that would
have killed them. And God told them that
Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father – One Member of the Triune God. He told them that Jesus was doing what God
wanted – God was pleased with Jesus’ intention to submit to the Will of the
Father and be betrayed and crucified, so He could rise on the third day to the
Glory of the Father and for the salvation of everyone who would ever believe in
Him. So God told Peter to stop trying to
out-think God – to stop trying to box Him in – to save Him for another time –
to make Him safe – because God cannot be boxed in – and He is not safe.
Some
of you will remember the wonderful line in C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when Lucy asks the Beavers
if Aslan (Lewis’ Kingdom Lion who symbolized Jesus) was safe. And the Beavers replied, “Safe? No.
But he is very good.” That is our
God – safe? No! But very good. Our God is the Almighty Whose Presence, even
mediated, causes men to tremble.
And
God told Peter – and James and John – to listen to Him – listen to Jesus. Stop jumping to conclusions and trying to
make Jesus into what He is not and to say what He did not say. Rather, listen. And today – read. Read the Word of God – see what God has said
– and listen – hear – obey.
Christians
are a curious people who say they believe in Jesus and in the Word of God, but
don’t read it. How can we know what God
has said if we don’t read His Word?
Going to church is not enough. Listen
to TV preachers and other recordings is not enough. We can all very easily read through the Bible
in a year – a couple of pages a day. God
blesses the reading of His Word.
If
you or I were madly in love with someone and he or she sent us letters, would
we not read the letters – or just assume what was in them or think there was
nothing to be learned through reading them?
God loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to live and die
and rise for the salvation of everyone who will ever believe. Don’t we want to know what He said? Do we need God to envelope us with a cloud
and tell us to stop talking and start listening?
“When
the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.”
The
very Majesty of God – even mediated through the cloud – as well as the Voice of
the Almighty commanding His people to listen caused them to fall on their faces
in fear and in terror. They knew the
power and the awesomeness of God – they knew God’s intolerance of sin – they
knew they were sinners – and when they heard God speak, they did the only thing
that made sense – they fell down before Him – as low to the ground as they
could – with their faces to the ground – and they shook with fear because they
knew that God could kill them with a word.
Coming
into the Presence of God is not a “ho-hum” experience. R. C. Sproul has commented that in the
Scripture we find that people who come into the Presence of God shake and cry
and fall on their faces, but never once do we fine their response to be
bored. Coming into the Presence of God
ought to be an experience of fear – either the fear of awestruck respect and
humility, or the fear of one who is confronted by the fact that he or she
stands before the God he or she has unrepentantly offended. We tend to have an imbalanced picture of God
in the United States – we talk of God being our Friend – and He is a Friend of
those who believe savingly in His Son, but He is still the Almighty God. Just because Lewis’ Aslan (the Lion) was good
did not mean that he was safe.
If
you do not believe in Jesus savingly – fear on!
It is a good thing to be afraid of the Almighty God if you have sinned
against Him and don’t care – if you have offended God and have no interest in
repenting and believing in the Only Way to be right with God. But there is another side to this coin, is
there not?
“But
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.”
Jesus
came to His disciples – He touched them to comfort them and encourage them – to
lift them up in spirit, if not physically as well – and He told them to have no
fear. Notice, Jesus did not tell them
not to be in awe of God. He did not tell
them not to respect the Power and Majesty of God. He did not tell them to treat their
relationship with God flippantly. Yet,
He told them to have no fear. Why?
Because
they believed in Jesus savingly. They –
and we – do not need to fear the Wrath of God, because Jesus took that Wrath
upon Himself for our sins on the cross.
That is what He was heading for.
That was why Moses and Elijah came to talk with Him and confirm His
Mission – and to do so before these witnesses.
Jesus frees us from the condemnation of God. Though God does not become any less God – God
remains God, because God’s Justice was satisfied in pouring out His Wrath on
Jesus for our sakes.
Paul
reminds us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from
the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh,
could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for
sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but
according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4, ESV).
And
the author of Hebrews reminds all those who believe, “Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
We
do not have to fear God because Jesus – Who proved Himself to be God and Man
through His Life, Transfiguration, Death, and Resurrection – has taken the
condemnation on Himself and freed us that we who believe can now enter the
throne room of God as co-heirs with Jesus of the Kingdom – His brothers and
sisters – confidently, but seriously – and God will give us the grace that we
need to be His people.
There
are plenty of real and imaginary things to fear in this life. Some we bring on ourselves; some are thrust
upon us. But, ultimately, we have no
reason to fear, because in life or in death, we are the Lord’s – we are Jesus’
– He has saved us for Himself – the people His Father gave to Him – and we are
eternally safe. That should be no small
relief to us – and it ought to be a great reason to give thanks to God over and
over and over in praise and worship.
Jesus
has done all the work and made us right with God, so let us not fear, but
listen to what Jesus said and obey Him in faith, showing that we truly do
believe and love Him.
“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.’”
Elijah and Moses were gone. Jesus had comforted the disciples and assured
them of their status through Him before the Father. The Transfiguration had ended, and they were
witnesses to it. If you and I had seen
something so awesome, our reaction would likely to be to tell others, but Jesus
tells them not to tell anyone until His had risen from the dead. Why?
Over and over in the Gospels we see
the words, “because His time had not yet come.”
It was not God’s intention for Jesus to display His Divinity openly – except
to these three – prior to the Resurrection.
God came in the Person of Jesus to fulfill prophecy – prophecy that
would have been understood by all those who would believe in Jesus for
salvation. They were chosen to be
witnesses after the fact – to the Glory of God.
“And
the disciples asked him, ‘Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must
come?’”
The
disciples had their thinking caps on – and they remembered that the scribes
taught that Elijah had to return before the Savior came – so they were puzzled
and asked Jesus about this. Indeed, the
scribes were correct – in the book of the prophet Malachi, God said, “Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD
comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts
of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of
utter destruction” (Malachi 4:5-6, ESV).
The problem that some of the scribes had was they were looking for a
resurrected Elijah – despite popular theology, the Jews believed in eternal
life and resurrection. But that is not
what God meant.
“He
[Jesus] answered, ‘Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell
you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to
him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at
their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of
John the Baptist.”
When
God spoke through Malachi, He was saying that a prophet would come in the
spirit of Elijah – and the final prophet of the Old Testament, John the
Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was the fulfillment of the prophecy – which the
disciples understood when Jesus spoke these words. John the Baptist came to prepare the way of
the Savior – just as Malachi said Elijah would do. John the Baptist called the people to
repentance – both Jews and Gentiles – and point them to the Savior Who had
come. He prepared and set the work in
motion that Jesus – and only Jesus – could fulfill – that through Him, all
those who believe would be saved from the Wrath of God for sin and have no need
to be afraid.
Let
us pray:
Almighty
God, we thank You for showing Your Divinity to the three on the mountain
through the Transfiguration. We thank
You that through the Work of Jesus, we can be saved and not fear the judgment,
for our sins are forgiven, and we have been made righteous through Jesus. Help us to balance this confidence and this
lack of fear of Your Wrath with the knowledge that You are still the Almighty
God Who is worthy of all respect and honor and worship. Help us to be Your people – give us the grace
we need to be more like Jesus. For it is
in His Name we pray, Amen.
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