Jesus' Transfiguration Prepares Us for Lent and for Life

Luke 9:28-36

28About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

34While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Jesus’ Transfiguration Prepares Us for Lent and for Life

You may have heard this one from me before, but I have a riddle for you today: What do caterpillars and Calvin and Hobbes have to do with Jesus? Let me put it this way:

In biology class, you probably learned about the process of a creepy, crawly caterpillar “magically” transforming into a beautiful butterfly, but do you remember the technical term for that transformation? Metamorphosis.

If you’re old like me, you might remember when the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was in the newspaper. Calvin modified a cardboard box to transform him into whatever his wild imagination could come up with, whether that was a T-Rex, a frog, or an airplane. Do you remember the technical name he gave that cardboard box? The Transmogrifier.

We read about an amazing transformation that Jesus underwent that blows both those out of the water. For centuries, Christians have called it Jesus’ Transfiguration. Luke put it this way:  

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Can you imagine what this must have been like for them? Luke tells us that – yet again – while Jesus was faithfully praying on a mountain, his disciples were “very sleepy.” When they had arrived, Jesus looked completely normal. But then, Luke paints a picture of a group of groggy goons who must have heard a couple extra voices they didn’t expect to hear and when they were finally bothered to open their eyes and pay attention they were greeted by a sight that startled them awake.

It only lasted a minute, but the impact of that moment left ripples that the disciples would feel for the rest of their lives. And that was the whole idea. Jesus wanted them to see his glory. Jesus brought them there to see him as he really is, because there would come a time in the not-too-distant future, when Jesus would look very different again. Only that time, it wasn’t going to be gloriously bright; it was going to be deathly dark. Jesus wanted them to see his glory then to prepare them for the time that they would witness his suffering and death. Basically, Jesus was preparing his disciples for Lent. When those horrible things began to happen, Jesus wanted them to remember this moment, this event.

When Jesus’ passion began, Peter, James and John could have held onto the vision of Jesus’ transfiguration. Even as they saw Jesus betrayed, arrested, abused, crucified, they should have remembered this day and known that the only reason any of those horrific things were happening to Jesus was not because he was powerless to prevent them – his transfiguration proved otherwise. The only reason those horrible things happened to him was because he allowed them to; because he had chosen to, because that was the plan all along. In fact, Luke tells us that that was the very reason Moses and Elijah were there that day – to talk about Jesus’ “departure,” i.e. his death in Jerusalem.

When that departure came – when Jesus’ passion started – Peter, James and John should have remembered this moment. They should have. But, as we know from history, they didn’t. Peter still thought that his sword could save Jesus from certain death. John sat silently in the peanut gallery while Jesus stood on trial for his life. James ran away and cowered in a locked room for fear that he would be next.

If we were in Jesus’ sandals, it would have been so tempting to be disappointed in and frustrated by the disciples. It would have been totally justifiable to wonder whether it had been worth it to invite them to witness his transfiguration at all. That might be what we would have felt. But it’s not what Jesus felt.

One of our former pastors put it this way, “Is it not a marvel of Jesus’ grace and love? He knows that such will be the case; but his desire to give always trumps his knowledge of how little will be received.”

Did the transfiguration prevent the disciples from panicking during Holy Week? No. Did that mean that the transfiguration was worthless? No. What Peter, James and John saw that day enabled them to give a powerful testimony for the rest of their lives that this guy Jesus who died on a cross was not a common criminal, or even a mistreated martyr. He was the Christ, who gave his life for your sins and mine, who forgives even your doubt and disbelief, who continues to give you promise after promise to reassure you of his love, who continues to give you proof after proof of his faithfulness and commitment to you, even though he knows only a fraction of it will stick.

That’s the kind of God you have. Just as he prepared Peter, James, and John for Lent, he prepares you and me for life. Just as he prepared Peter, James and John to process the cross that he would carry, Jesus prepares you and me for the crosses that we will carry.

There are all kinds of tragedies and challenges that we will face in this life. Some of them will be physical, medical; they’ll knock us to our knees and wring tears out of our eyes. We will cry aloud to our God, “Why would you let this happen to me or to someone I love?”

At other times we will fear for our way of life. What am I going to do about all this economic news – tariffs and taxes and travel plans that look a lot different today than when I bought the ticket? What kind of world are my children or grandchildren going to grow up in? There is so much immorality around us; how do we ever put it back in the bottle?

Sometimes it’s personal. I don’t feel like I fit in; I don’t know what my place is in this world. My friendships aren’t what they used to be. Someone hurt me and I don’t know how I’ll ever recover.

We can and will even suffer for our faith in Jesus. You might get sent to the principal’s office for standing up for your Christian conviction in the classroom. You’ll be the butt of your buddies’ jokes. You’ll see the confusion and sometimes even the disgust on people’s face when they find out you’re a Christian.

There are all kinds of tragedies and challenges that we face in this life, and unfortunately, all too often, you and I react just like Peter, James and John did. In the heat of the moment, when you need comfort and confidence the most, you forget that Jesus is your Saviour, the Son of the living God. Your faith quails and you cower in fear. You don’t retain the knowledge that you gain here. It’s like it goes in one ear and flies right out the other. You feel confused and conflicted and afraid and maybe even angry.

In those moments we deserve every bit of criticism and condemnation, just like Peter, James and John did when they denied Jesus and abandoned him and lost their confidence in his promises. But here’s the good news for you. Even though we lose sight of, or confidence in, Jesus’ promises, he never does.

Don’t you think that Jesus would have agreed with Peter when he said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here”? Jesus didn’t want to suffer any more than his disciples did. But the difference was that Jesus willingly set his glory by, and while his inner circle denied him and abandoned him and sought to save themselves, he willingly allowed himself to be carried off and condemned and crucified. He didn’t try to save himself, like they did; he didn’t try to prolong this moment of glory, like Peter suggested; he committed himself to save them, and us. He was faithful to us to the point of death so that he could forgive you for being unfaithful to him. In undying love, he gave up his glory and his life, so that you could have eternal life in the presence of his unadulterated glory forever in heaven.

Jesus knows that his glory is wasted on us, but he shows it to us anyway. God knows how many of his commands and promises you will forget or ignore at the most crucial moments in your life, but he gives them to you anyway, if only so that after the dust has settled and you’ve recomposed yourself he can forgive you and restore you and remind you that even though you may have forgotten his promises momentarily, he remembers them forever; even though we are inconsistent in our faithfulness to him, he is as faithful to us as the day is long.

There are so many days when our lives will feel normal and boring. There are plenty of days that will feel dark and fill us with despair. But it is important even then to remember moments like this – that the same Jesus who is with us on each of those normal and boring or dark and scary days is this same glorious Son of the living God, the long-promised Saviour of the world who kept his promise to deliver you from sin and who will keep his promise to take you home to heaven.

We have seen the glory of the Lord. Jesus’ transfiguration prepares you for Lent and for life. May the light of his glory and the truth of his love carry you through to the end, when you will live with him and all the saints in glory everlasting. Amen.

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

Don't Be Afraid to Fish

Luke 5:1-11

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Don’t Be Afraid to Fish

What a difference a day makes. When the morning had begun, Peter was wrapping up a hard and unfruitful night of fishing, getting ready to go home and get some well earned rest before heading out again that night. By lunchtime, he had quit his job and embarked on an entirely new career path doing something he had never done before, following a man who – moments before – he was uncomfortable being around. What happened?? And – maybe more to the point – do you think any of it would have happened if Jesus had just cut to the chase and approached Peter as he was cleaning his nets and said, “Forget that. Quit your job. Come with me. You’re going to fish for people now.”

What would you have done if you were in Peter’s sandals? Jesus was asking a lot of him. Peter and his brother Andrew had just spent a hard night fishing with nothing to show for it. They were stowing their tackle when a local-carpenter-turned-traveling-preacher asks to use your boat for a couple hours. I mean, that’s pretty passive, right? All he wants is your boat. But you’re tired. You’re busy. You just want to go home. Would you have taken Jesus out?

Peter does it. Tired as he was, he had more than a passing interest in Jesus that made him not only willing to let Jesus use his boat, but eager to hear what Jesus had to say. Peter didn’t mind pushing bedtime back a bit. But then Jesus pushes Peter, and asks him to do something that, frankly, was nonsensical – go out into deep water and let down your net.

Again, it wasn’t as if Peter had come home emptyhanded that morning for lack of trying. He had tried. All night long. He had used every trick in his tacklebox, every insight into the lake’s layers and the fish’s tendencies. And now this carpenter is telling the professional fisherman to go out in broad daylight in the heat of the day and do something that had been proven to be unsuccessful under far better circumstances.

It would have been so easy for Peter to say, “I really should get home to my wife and mother-in-law. It’s been a long night. I need some rest. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but trust me, it won’t work. If you want to, maybe we can try again later.” But he doesn’t! He says, “Upon your word.” Would you have put your freshly washed and folded nets back in the water if you were Peter?

Or after Jesus’ instructions prove helpful, what would you have done then? Would you have done what Peter did? On the spot, dropping his nets, leaving his boats – his multi-boat franchise with partners – and follow Jesus? Or would you have said, “Jesus, that’s too much. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the fish. Really, I do. But I have a life here. I’ve built up a business. I have a family to think about. This is my home. This is my life. Jesus, you’re asking too much.”

Honestly, for me, this is the piece that makes me the most uncomfortable about myself, because this is the one time that Jesus didn’t ask Peter to do anything. Peter just did it of his own free will, voluntarily! He literally dropped everything and followed Jesus. Would you?

Doesn’t Jesus do the same for us? He asks for our passive attention in much the same way he asked for Peter’s boat. You don’t have to do much. It might mess up your schedule, but just sit and listen. All it’s going to cost you is time. And yet, how many times have you said it? “I’m too busy.” “I can’t make it; I’ve got too much going on.” “I can’t sit down with my devotions; I’m already late for work.” “My wife and my family are waiting for me.” “Not this time, Jesus; maybe some other time.”

But even when you do carve out a Sunday morning – even when we do give our time and attention to Jesus, he always takes it one step further, doesn’t he? “Ok, now that I have your attention, I’ve got something else for you to do.” And most of the time it not only feels inconvenient but unreasonable.

Don’t game the system. You may not earn as much money, you may have to pay more money, but be honourable and upright. Don’t stoop to their level. Their lies and manipulation may get them a raise at work, may get them friends at school, but be honest and kind even if it costs you. Love your enemy. Yes, even that one. Pray for your leaders – for presidents and prime ministers – even if you’ve prayed all night long and haven’t seen any results. Share the gospel, even if it’ll make it awkward.

The fact that Peter and Andrew, James and John left everything behind and followed Jesus that day is crazy, especially when we think about all the things we’re afraid to lose for Jesus – our time, our attention, our relationships, our livelihood, our hearts. There’s a lot that we can be afraid to lose, but we have one who says to us, “Don’t be afraid.”

Jesus asked a lot of Peter. To his credit, Peter obliged and Jesus blessed him with such a catch of fish that he and Andrew couldn’t haul it in. Even after James and John brought another boat, the abundance of Jesus’ generosity and power and love threatened to sink them all.

Peter’s reaction was perfect: “I am a sinful man.” Jesus’ response was even better: “Don’t be afraid.”

This is the thing that blows me away – not just about this text but about Christianity in general: this was a legitimate epiphany for Peter. I’m sure that he would have admitted that he wasn’t a perfect person before this, but it wasn’t until that moment that he realized how unworthy he really was.

This was an epiphany for Peter. But it wasn’t for Jesus. Jesus knew who Peter was long before he stepped on his boat. Jesus knew how sinful Peter was, better than Peter knew himself. Jesus knew how little Peter would understand – how often Peter would continue to stumble – but Jesus came to Peter anyway, and pushed him.

It wasn’t too much for Jesus to ask for Peter’s passive attention. It wasn’t too much for Jesus to ask for Peter’s irrational obedience. Because Jesus was willing and able to give so much more to Peter than he was asking of him. He had already given Peter his love. In his mercy, he did not hold Peter’s sinfulness against him or insist on perfection as a prerequisite to disqualify him. Jesus saw a sinner and called him to be his disciple. And then in his grace, Jesus showered him with blessings too great for him to handle – a catch of fish that not even 4 professional fishermen in 2 professional fishing boats could reel in. More than that – a place at Jesus’ side, a partnership in Gospel ministry, and a peace that could only come from the forgiveness of Peter’s sinfulness.

That’s the same thing that Jesus has done for you – he saw a sinner and called you to be his disciple. He knew who you would become before he came into this world. He carried your every sin to the cross before you were born to commit them. And that didn’t stop him from loving you or still coming to you through his Holy Word or some sinful mouth that was sent to proclaim it to you.

Jesus loves you – sinner though you are. And of all the irrational things that Christianity contains, that’s the greatest – the greatest mystery, and the greatest gift. And it’s that gift of his love that continues to come to you today in much the same way he did for Peter, slowly and progressively, but in a persistent way that challenges you to stretch and grow in your faith and love for him.

He asks for your attention. And you’ve given it to him. You’re here today. You’re listening to these words. You weren’t too tired or too busy today. Remember that the next time work goes long or your homework piles up. Remember that when you’re traveling or tired. There will always be excuses not to give your attention to Jesus, but he calls you so give him your attention, even if it’s passive – even if all you do is sit and listen.

But don’t be passive in your faith. Jesus calls you to more than that. He calls you to change, to push yourself past your comfort zone and do things that might not make sense to you – to be kind to those who are anything but to you; to have integrity and seek God’s kingdom while everyone else is doing whatever it takes to get ahead in this earthly rat race; to share the Gospel even when it’s scary, even when you’ve tried before and haven’t seen the results you wanted.

The truth is, there are many more fish in the sea – too many, in fact, for any one of us, or even all of us put together to be able to haul in. But this is God’s mystery and God’s gift: he chooses sinners like you and me to fish for people – to do what Peter did, i.e. to listen to Jesus even when it seems irrational and try again. Never to give up or write it off as a lost cause, but to trust in Jesus’ generosity and power and love.

That might sound strange to you. You might not be able to envision it for yourself today. Had Jesus approached Peter and told him that he was going to leave his neighbourhood, lose his livelihood,  and be the leader of his church – face hardship and persecution, even death, for Jesus’ sake – he probably would have called Jesus crazy. Jesus did call Peter to change, but it wasn’t a change that took place overnight. It started with Peter’s attention, which inspired faithful action, and resulted in complete dedication.

God is working the same in you. He has your attention today. Continue to give it to him, even when you’re busy and tired, and then turn that attention into faithful action and complete dedication as you put your faith in him – your Saviour, whose generosity and power and could sink ships with his grace and save souls with his love, which you are privileged to know and called now to share. God bless your growth in faith and your fishing in his name. Amen.

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS