When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus
Shortly after he instructed his disciples that his suffering and death was approaching, Jesus pulled back the veil of his humanity to reveal more completely his status as the Son of God. We have this glorious Savior in our sight, too, as we prepare for his Passion and follow him from this mountain to the cross. "When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus." March 6, 2011.
The special effects for the stage play were certainly not on a par with the computer-generated special effects of Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland, or Inception, but the art director and stage hands did their best to accommodate the director’s wishes. In Act Three, spotlights flashed like lightning, causing audience members to shield their eyes, and some to duck. Smoke from dry ice billowed up across the stage. Thunder boomed through the theater’s sound system. But just like that, the spotlights dimmed, the cloud from the dry ice dissipated, and the echoes of the thunder claps died down. When people looked up, there was only one actor on stage. All eyes were riveted on him. All ears were tuned to what he had to say. Theater goers talked about the experience for weeks. Critics raved. What drama! What a memorable scene!
That’s the Transfiguration of our Lord. Jesus’face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light … A bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice [thundered] from the cloud. But just like that, the divine light dimmed, the cloud dissipated, and the echoes of the booming voice died down. There was only one left on stage – Jesus. The three disciples who were there had fallen face down, terrified, almost blinded. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
While this event was a one-time mountain-top experience, the effect of the event was not intended to be one-time. Peter wanted it to go on and on. “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He wondered and we wonder, “How can we make this go on?” Jesus answers that, showing us how the effects of the Transfiguration transfer from that mountain-top, down into the valley, along the path to Jerusalem, into the courtroom of the high priest, into Pilate’s praetorium, and up on another mount called Calvary. More than that, he shows us how the effects of the Transfiguration transfer into the hills, valleys, and plains of our lives so that no matter where we are, no matter where we go, no matter whom we meet When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus.
We see him in his Word
Open your Bible later today. Just plop it open to any page. You might not see the name “Jesus” on that page, especially if you’re in the Old Testament. But Bible students find out in a hurry that all of Scripture, including the entire Old Testament, is focused on God’s promise to send a Savior. No matter where we turn in Scripture, When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus. We see him in his Word.
As you listened to the reading of today’s gospel from Matthew chapter seventeen, you might have thought, “Wow! Besides the bright light and voice from heaven, God allowed a couple guys who were already in heaven to show up.” Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Pondering that for a moment, you might wonder, “How can that be?” The answer is simple. If God wanted to have those two people appear at this special event, he could do that. He’s God. But the real question is not “how” Moses and Elijah could show up but “why”? And why those two? No details are given about the conversation, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were discussing with Jesus. Moses could well have said, “I was the first author whom God chose to write a Bible book. I penned the exact thoughts and words God poured into my mind – how the world began, the perfect relationship people had with God, how humans messed it all up, and then the shocking news that God didn’t wipe them out but promised a Savior who would undo the damage, crush the old evil foe, and restore humans into the loving arms of God. I recorded how God decided to make that happen by creating a new nation out of two ordinary people, Abraham and Sarah, and expanded their family into a nation – all so that he would make good on his promise of a Savior from sin. Jesus, you are that Savior. You know it. Elijah and I know it. So, keep on track. You’ve got six months to go. Go to Calvary. Do it!” Elijah chimed in, “I am the first of the prophets, the preacher-teachers, whom God sent to the Israelites. God used those prophets as the authors of other Bible books. All of them carried those big foam hands with the pointing-finger aimed at you, Jesus. You are the one, the fulfillment of all their hundreds of prophecies spread over hundreds of years. Jesus, you are the Savior. You know it. Moses and I know it. So, keep on track. You’ve got six months to go. Go to Calvary. Do it!” The appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Transfiguration mount announces: All the books of the Bible point to Jesus! Wherever we go in Scripture, When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus. We see him in his Word.
Sooner or later you are going to run into someone who wants to contest the truth of the Bible, or who blows it off as hopelessly archaic, out of touch, and irrelevant for contemporary life, or who thinks it’s just a codebook for decent behaviors, some of which are optional, depending on whatever fits your personal urges. But that’s not what the Bible is or what it’s for. The Transfiguration account shoots laser beams at what really counts. Do the words of Scripture hold up a mirror and reflect our pathetic sin-state and need for a Savior? Yes! Do the words of the Bible show us how to be kind and caring and giving and praying and worshiping? Sure! But more than anything else and above all else, first and foremost, this divine book shows us Jesus, our only hope to stay out of range of God’s anger-bombs. Moses and Elijah, representing all of the Bible’s messengers and message, were on that Mount of Transfiguration to underscore in dramatic fashion, better than any stage script or screenplay, that When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus. We see him in his Word.
We see him in his work
The voice of the Father boomed, “This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Again we ask, “Why? Isn’t it obvious that Jesus is God’s eternal Son?” Yes, it’s obvious from our view. We’ve got twenty-twenty hindsight and twenty centuries of evidence. But think of it from the disciples’ view. They had walked with him, talked with him, hung out with him. They were his friends. Sure, they had witnessed his miracles, knew he had divine power, and believed his claim to be the Son of God, but that he was and is fully God all the time, and especially when bleeding and dying? That’s makes the Transfiguration scene and the Father’s voice so significant. Six months later the disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested. They hid behind rocks, heard the clang of the hammer on nails, heard the screams of the women who witnessed the gore, and covered their faces in shame and horror. But, finally, amid all the shouting by bad guys and all the jostling of the crowd, when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. They saw him in his work, the work he came to do. They saw the Son of God doing what only he could do, rescuing sinners from certain doom.
Today we climb up the Mount of Transfiguration and down again, singing “Farewell” to the alleluias of our worship, as we step into the Lenten season of the church year on Wednesday. Our goal in Lent is that of Peter, James, and John. We’re going to follow Jesus to another mount. This year during our midweek Lenten series we will hear sometimes-shouted and sometimes-whispered objections raised by Judas, Peter, the high priest, Pilate’s wife, Pilate himself, and the crowd at the cross. But when all is said and done, the passion accounts we follow during Lent are not about what those people did. They are all about what Jesus did, his work. “Listen to him”, the Father said. Why? Listen to him so he can tell us what to do? No! Listen to him so he can tell us what he did for us. Listen to him offer forgiveness even to his enemies. Listen to him cry out and know that it is God who suffered hell so we wouldn’t. Listen to him declare that all payment for sin is finished. Listen to him and know that it is God who shed his blood. It is God who died. It is God who saved us.
If you’re having a tough time dealing with temptations, if your family connections seem frazzled, if your life is a mess, or if the fall-out from past sin is sneaking in where you don’t want it, and you’re wondering how to handle all the guilt, how to make sense of the chaos in your life, and even wondering whether it’s all worth it, lift up your eyes with those disciples and see your Savior in Transfiguration glory, on the cross, and outside his empty tomb. There’s your comfort! He is the one who is going to take us through the obstacles of life all the way to the eternal mount of glory. When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus. We see him in his work – for us.
We see him in his world
Jesus once said that on the Last Day he is going to stand in front of believers like you and me and say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat … thirsty and you gave me something to drink … you invited me in … clothed me …looked after me … visited me” (Matthew 25:34-36). And we’re going to be looking at him with a quizzical expression, “When did we do that?” His response will be, “You probably don’t even remember how many times you got up in the middle of the night to feed your babies. You probably don’t recall the times you donated their outgrown clothes to Goodwill, offered gifts in the offering plate or by electronic transfer with a generous percentage of your income so that the church could reach out in the community and the world, prayed for ill neighbor. But do you see that East Indian woman over there? She’s here in heaven because your gifts funded a seminary and trained pastors. Do you see that elderly woman? She entered these pearly gates with a smile on her face because the staff minister of your church visited her with good news about me, and you helped pay his salary. Do you see that business man? He started going to church after his wife got cancer when he saw how you dealt with yours. Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
The apostle Paul describes it as a complete change in our vision, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16). In other words, everyone we meet is a candidate for grace. Instead of seeing race or age or friend or foe, we see opportunities to pour out and spread the oil of Jesus’ love. I recall getting off the plane in Salt Lake City. You know that’s Mormon country, and most of you know that Mormonism is not a Christian religion. They may use Bible terms, but Mormons are not Christians. There was a time when I would have been scared to death. Are they going to attack or eat me? But, getting off the plane, I thought, “Wow! What an opportunity! They all need to hear about sin and the Savior!” I’m telling you this not because I did it right, but to illustrate that Jesus has transfigured our view of others. That’s why one of the prayers in our hymnal reads: Open our eyes to see the great and noble mission that lies before us. In the hurting eyes of the lonely, in the pained eyes of the sick, and in the searching eyes of the lost, help us to see your face, O Jesus, and to serve others as we would serve you. When We Look Up, We See No One Except Jesus. We see him in his world.
And people see Jesus in us at work and at play. Give that some thought the next time you think it’s OK to tie one on or jump outside of God’s guidelines and sleep with someone not your spouse or rob your family and your God by spending money on toys you don’t need. People are watching. But when they see our kindness, selflessness, caring, and giving, they see Jesus. When they look up, they might be looking at you, but they see no one except Jesus.
A mountain erupted, spewing white hot lava and smoke. People ran for cover. But when they came out of their homes and looked up, one lone pine tree was still standing. That’s the Transfiguration. The bomb dropped, causing the brightest flash you can imagine with smoke billowing to the heavens. Debris flew everywhere. But when the dust settled, and people looked up, they saw nothing but one skyscraper standing tall. That’s the Transfiguration. The tornado swept through town, ripping into houses and stores. But when the townspeople crawled out and looked up, they saw nothing but the church steeple still there. That’s the Transfiguration. Today we climbed with Peter, James, and John up onto a Mount that featured flashing brilliance, visitors from the heaven, and the voice of God. But when the voice died down, the heavenly lights dimmed, and the cloud dissipated, God wants us to look into his Word, into his work, and into his world, and he wants us to see no one except Jesus. Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on March 6, 2011
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