Sundry Times and Divers Manners
Sermon Text || Year C: Transfiguration Sunday
GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things… Hebrews 1:1–2, KJV
A Brief Explanation of the Season
Skippable if you aren’t interested in the Christian calendar.
On this Sunday, Christians around the world take time to remember the Transfiguration. This also marks the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany, where Jesus’s glory is revealed to the nations. Next Sunday marks the first Sunday of Lent. For some of you, your church may have an Ash Wednesday service.
Lent is a time of repentance. It’s a time to give something up like Jesus did during his forty days in the wilderness. Even if you’ve never given something up for Lent before, maybe this is a time to start. You don’t have to make a big deal of it or post anything to social media. It can be between you and God.
Sundry Times and Divers Manners
The Exodus of Jesus
Luke 9:28-36 contains Luke’s account of the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying, his appearance was transformed into what seemed to be a bright light. At this time, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking to Jesus.
They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. Luke 9:31
Many versions of the Bible say that they appeared to speak about Jesus’s departure, but I love how the NRSVue says “exodus.” That is what the Greek word is technically. This one word brings an entire world of meaning to the text. Throughout Luke and Acts, the physician will be making connections between the life and ministry of Jesus (and the apostles) and the Exodus. In Luke’s mind, Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises concerning the restoration of Israel.
But if Jesus was undergoing an exodus, what bondage was he leaving behind? According to Paul, Jesus was born “under the law” to appear “in the likeness of sinful flesh” so that he could defeat sin and death (Galatians 4:4; Romans 8:3). Jesus’s death and resurrection mark the time of his exodus from the realm of the flesh and into the realm of the Spirit. We follow him as our new Moses in this New Exodus.
For a deep dive into this, read what is said about Jesus by the various people he meets in Luke 1 and the conversations found in the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus in Luke 24. Notice the people’s expectations and Jesus’s response to them.
Then They Disappeared
As the apostles witnessed what was taking place, Peter spoke up and requested that tabernacles be made for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We might think about Jesus representing the new covenant while Moses and Elijah represent the law and prophets respectively.
Jesus had a great relationship with the law and prophets. He continuously quoted from them, and his ministry often embodied the principles of justice spoken about in the prophets. In Luke 24, Jesus boldly claimed that Moses and all the prophets spoke of himself (Luke 24:27).
Yet Jesus also knew how reading the Scriptures can be a roadblock to knowing Jesus if it’s done in the wrong way:
You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that testify on my behalf. John 5:39
Paul also understood this when he wrote,
But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, the same veil is still there; it is not unveiled since in Christ it is set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 2 Corinthians 3:14–16
When Peter requested that tabernacles be built for all three men, he was interpreting the transfiguration in a veiled way. Even though he was face to face with the unmasked glory of Christ, his elevation of Moses and the prophets to the same level as Jesus clouded his vision (this made me chuckle, pun not intended - editing Daniel).
So, while he was speaking these words, the disciples were enveloped in a cloud and God said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”
When the voice had spoken, Jesus stood alone.
Putting the Scriptures in their Place
The Scriptures are inspired by God. They were written for our learning. They are good for our instruction in righteousness. But the Scriptures are not God. They testify of Jesus. They point to the Word of God, which is Christ. But they themselves are not adequate within and of themselves to impart eternal life into us because eternal life is a free gift of God through Christ.
Believe me, the Scriptures are life-giving. I love reading and studying my Bible, but we can idolize the Bible, which is really idolizing our own intellect.
In them you think you have eternal life, but it is the Scriptures that testify of Jesus who is our eternal life.
This is just one of the lessons the Transfiguration teaches us—that the word of God is subservient to the Word of God. Only when we read the Scriptures through the lens of Jesus do we have a chance of properly understanding them. If we read them without Jesus, then we will walk away with a veiled view of who God is, what the kingdom is like, and how we are to live.
So, for example, when someone goes to the Scriptures to justify behavior that is not very Christlike, we need to take this as a reminder that just because something is “scriptural” does not make it true. There’s all sorts of things one can attempt to justify by misusing the Scripture (Luke 4:9-11).
Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness only because Jesus is who he says he is, and it is only when interpreted through Jesus that these words impart life. Count your tabernacles.
“Listen to him.”
Lectionary Reading: March 2, 2025 - Transfiguration Sunday
Old Testament: Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm: Psalm 99
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Gospel: Luke 9:28-36