Matthew does not mention it in his account, but Luke notes that the three disciples Peter, James, and John were drowsy with sleep as the transfiguration of Jesus was unfolding. They were in the presence of Jesus and yet their senses were dulled and they were inattentive to what was going on before them.

These men had been with our Lord for nearly three years. They had heard Him interpret the Old Testament, showing how the prophetic word was being fulfilled in the things He was doing and saying. On numerous occasions, He spoke to them of His of the purpose of His journey to Jerusalem, how He was going there to be handed over to suffering and death and on the third day to be raised to life again. Often times, Jesus would retreat to a mountain for a time of prayer. It was, in short, the same old thing that they had heard so many times before.

There was really nothing new in our Lord's transfiguration. His was the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father from all eternity. The glory that shines forth from the flesh of Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration was the glory that was rightfully His. When the Son of God came into our flesh, He did not leave the glory of His Godhead behind. He did not become less than God. He wraps that heavenly glory up in human flesh. You do not see the bright and shining light of heaven's glory in the stable at Bethlehem as Christ is bedded there in weakness and humility. As a boy growing up and as a man walking the streets of Nazareth, Jesus doesn't look any different from other Jewish males. Hanging in pain and agony on the cross, He dies the death of a common criminal. Where is the glory of God in all of this? It is hidden in the flesh of Jesus. So to see Jesus is to behold the very glory of God. That's why the Apostle John writes "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth."

Now, for a brief moment, the glory that was hidden in Jesus' flesh and visible only to the eye of faith is made fully and completely apparent. Jesus' flesh no longer veils the glory of His deity but instead becomes transparent to the very light of God. So Matthew reports that Jesus' "face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light." As that is happening, Moses and Elijah, representative of the law and the prophets, that is, the Old Testament, stand before Jesus and speak with Him.

What a sight! Jesus shines with unborrowed light while Moses and Elijah carry on a conversation with Him. A conversation, by the way, that Luke tells us is about the death that Jesus is about to die in Jerusalem. Now the sleepy boredom of the disciples gives way to enthusiasm. "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Before Peter can finish explaining his foolish plan, a bright cloud overshadows the scene and out of the cloud the voice of God the Father declares "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

The transfiguration made apparent who Jesus is and what there is in Him. Of course, the vision soon ceased and Jesus and His disciples went down from that mountain and made their way toward another mountain, Mount Calvary, where He would suffer and die bearing our sin and shame. The transfiguration points to Calvary and beyond the cross to the glory of Jesus Christ in His heavenly kingdom. The appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ on the mountain of the transfiguration is strikingly like the description we are given of Him in the Book of Revelation, where John writes of the Son of Man saying "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow."

The transfigured Christ is the Christ who was crucified for us and raised in glory as our Brother and our Savior. What Peter, James, and John witnessed in our Lord's transfiguration, we are given here today in the Divine Service as we stand in the presence of Jesus Christ according to both His divine and human nature. We have the prophetic word made more sure. That is, we have the words of Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets fulfilled in the sinless life, the atoning death, and victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Father's voice from the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." Where is He speaking? He is speaking here, as His words are read and proclaimed in preaching. He is speaking here as in the words of absolution, He says to you-whoever you with whatever sins you confess-"I forgive you all your sins." He is speaking here as He says "Take eat this is My body, given for you" and "Take drink, this cup is the new testament in my blood shed for the forgiveness of your sins." Heaven intersected with earth on the mountain of the transfiguration as Moses and Elijah spoke and Jesus was revealed as the Son of the Father in the presence of His disciples. That is what is going on in the Divine Service.

When people get bored with the liturgy and drowse off in sleepiness like Peter, James, and John, it is not because the liturgy is old or the same week after week, but because they fail to realize what is going on here, who it is who is speaking to us, and the tremendous gifts that He gives us in His body and blood. Like Moses who stood on holy ground when He stood barefoot before the burning bush, we stand in the presence of God. Like Peter, James, and John who stood before the transfigured Lord, we stand in the presence of the incarnate Savior, the One who is both true God and true Man. He is here. As He touched the disciples and pulled them out of their fear with His Word so He comes to us today. In the midst of our world of sin and suffering, Jesus gives us a glimpse of the glory that is yet to come, the glory that we are destined for in His heavenly kingdom. It is the glory of His presence. It is the glory that we behold today by faith as we eat His body and drink His blood given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. It is the glory that one day we will behold with our own eyes, as we will stand before Him, lost in wonder, love, and praise. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.