The Cloud, the Voice, the Glory and the Prophets Luke 9:28-36

 

Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ, who revealed His glory on the Mountain.

 

Most of the Epiphany season is packaged between two important events in the life of Jesus: His Baptism and His Transfiguration. 

 

Both events give us a glimpse of His glory. Even more, both reveal Him as God’s Son.

 

This year we celebrated Christ’s Epiphany and His Baptism on the same Sunday. In our message we talked about the Star, the Voice, and the Dove, and how all three bear witness to Jesus as God’s Son.

 

Today, as we celebrate His transfiguration on the mountain, we’re going to see how the cloud, the voice, and the two prophets all bear witness to His divine glory.

 

First some context, then the glory.

 

Jesus’ transfiguration seems to have happened in the latter part of His ministry.

 

Time was running short for Him. His ministry was drawing to its’ climactic conclusion, when He would suffer, die, and then rise.

 

Time is short for us, too, no matter how young or old; we never know when that day will come, and our everlasting glory begins. 

 

Also coming to its’ conclusion is our seasonal celebration of the ministry and miracles of Jesus in the Epiphany season, as we draw closer to His cross and His resurrection. 

 

But before we experience the sorrow of Passion Week and joy of Easter, we must travel through a season of repentance, Lent. During the journey of Lent, our hearts are prepared for the glory of Easter.

Before we begin the long journey through Lent, Jesus gives us a glimpse of His exalted glory for us to hold on to. 

 

With that image of His transfigured glory in our minds, we humbly and faithfully work our way through Lent.

 

This glory we celebrate today, was a moment of encouragement to Jesus, something for Him to hold on to as His passion and death were drawing near.

 

Being God’s Son, and therefore truly God, very God of very God, as we say in the Nicene Creed, He was and is, omniscient, all knowing. Jesus knew full well the torturous death that He was working His way toward. 

 

During that brief time on the mountain with His three friends, and the two great prophets, Jesus physically experienced His divine glory; His body felt the glory that would be His forever after He rose.

 

That moment of glory gave Jesus strength to carry on in His journey toward the cross, and to accomplish that most difficult thing He had to do, more trying and difficult than anything anyone has ever done, to take on the sins of the world, and suffer and die for them all. 

 

His strength to carry on in love for us, and in faithfulness to His Father, is our strength to carry on in faith and love, even through the most trying of times.

 

In our Gospel Luke says, 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 

 

That’s the glory we see today in our minds, and celebrate in our hearts.

 

Notice it was as Jesus was praying, that He was transfigured in glory.

 

The same was true at His Baptism. Luke tells us in chapter 3, that as He was praying, the Holy Spirit descended on Him as a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 

 

God blesses and encourages us as we pray; He answers our prayers with what’s truly best for us; not just good for us now, but good for us always. 

 

As Jesus was praying, He was suddenly covered in dazzling white. His clothes couldn’t hide the radiance of His godly glory. 

 

When we see Jesus, when He comes back to raise us and take us home, the first thing we’ll see with our exalted, risen eyes, will be His spectacular glory. What wonderful a first sight for our new and glorified eyes.

 

Next we see the prophets. 

 

Luke says, 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 

 

He was soon to suffer and die. To encourage Him, His Father sent Moses and Elijah, who appeared to Him in bodily form. 

 

They were both accorded the honor of being taken physically into heaven, and so not having to wait for the resurrection as we will have to. 

 

After we die in Christ, our souls are safe and happy in Heaven, until our souls  rejoin our bodies on the final day, when we’ll be raised in glory, by the One who shone in glory on the Mountain. 

 

The two great prophets, Moses and Elijah, were sent by the Father, to assure His Son that He was doing the right thing in progressing toward the cross, and the empty tomb.

 

Luke tells us that the disciples, who had been snoozing, nodding off, were woken up by the brightness of Jesus’ glory, and the appearance of the two prophets.

 

Peter felt that He needed to do something more than just watch it all happen. 

 

When he saw Moses and Elijah starting to leave, he interrupted them, something Peter was never shy about doing. 

Many times he had interrupted Jesus, and Jesus had to confront and quiet Him.

 

Peter wanted to stretch out this brief time of glory, and understandably so. We would have to. 

 

So Peter proposed that they turn it into a sort of camping trip, putting up 3 shelters, and then they could all stay for a while. 

 

But God meant this to be a brief encounter, just a glimpse of the glory to come. 

 

So we’ve seen the glory; we’ve seen the prophets; and now we see the cloud.

 

34 As [Peter] was saying these things, Luke says, a cloud came and overshadowed 

them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 

 

The cloud was the presence of God at the transfiguration of His Son. 

 

When God led His people out of slavery in Egypt, during the night His presence was in a pillar of fire, and during the day, a pillar of cloud.

 

When Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, God descended on the mountain in a thick cloud.  

 

So the cloud assured Jesus, and Peter, and James, and John, and all of us, that God was present on the mountain to bless His Son.

 

When life gets cloudy for us, so to speak, when times are sad or hard or confusing, remember God is the cloud. In the cloudiness and sadness and hurt and confusion, God is with you, to lead and uplift you.

 

The glory, the prophets, the cloud… now the voice.

 

Our Gospel says, 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

 

These words echo the Father’s words at Jesus’ Baptism: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 

 

36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. But He wasn’t alone, His Father was with Him.

 

God is with us. 

 

His voice to us is His Word, written by the prophets and apostles; His blessing to us, is His Sacrament for us to take and touch and taste; and His fellowship for us, is His Church to befriend us.

 

As fast as it all had started, Jesus’ transfiguration ended. 

 

Along with Peter, James and John, Jesus walked back down the mountain to carry on -- to complete the journey to the cross and the empty tomb.

 

We too, must carry on. 

 

With God’s help, and each other’s encouragement, we carry whatever cross we must bear. 

 

And we don’t give up, because we’ve been given a glimpse of our Lord’s glory to sustain us. 

 

So let us walk with Him through cloud and sunshine, knowing that in this journey of faith, we have our Lord’s love and blessing; and when this journey ends, we will share in His eternal glory. 

 

And as we carry on in faith, the peace of God that understanding, will guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, who showed His glory on the mountain. Amen.