Sermon for Sunday, July 5th, 2026 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Exodus 34:29-35 ESV] 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
New Testament Reading:
[2 Peter 1:16-21 ESV] 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Gospel Reading:
[Luke 9:28-36 ESV] 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. 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. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”–not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 17:1-13 ESV] 1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Introduction:
There are events in the life of Christ that we celebrate and most Christians know immediately what is being referred to.
The INCARNATION is the birth of Jesus Christ – Christmas.
The CRUCIFIXION is the death of Jesus on the cross. – Good Friday
The RESURRECTION is his coming back from the dead – Easter.
But there are some that are less readily remembered. I have in the past tended to confused these two – the ASCENSION and the TRANSFIGURATION. Both occur on mountain tops! But the ascension is when Jesus, at the end of his time on earth, ascended up into heaven. While here, we have the transfiguration, where, when Jesus was still in his time of ministry on earth, was transfigured before three of his disciples, and his face shown like the son and his clothes became white as light.
Now 6 days have passed. And remember in the last passage Jesus had said that “some” there would see him coming in his kingdom. This is now that event. They are going to see his glory.
You might have noticed that Matthew says 6 days between Jesus’s prophecy about the “some seeing him come in His kingdom” and the transfiguration, WHILE Luke says “about 8 days.” Don’t think that this is a discrepancy between the two disciples. It is simply a matter of how they count the days. If they count the days in between events then it is 6 days, but if they count also the days of the events at the ends of the timeline, then it is 8 days. So it is a matter of two different ways of counting; exclusive and inclusive.
Those who are present for this astounding event are Peter, James, and John. These three must be seen as especially notable disciples. Almost an inner circle. At least Peter and John are. James – and this is not the James who wrote the epistle – is not as prominent, but is known as being one of the two sons of Zebedee along with John.
And they come up on a mountain. The mountain is not named in any of the Gospels. But while at the Ascension Jesus is on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem, here at the Transfiguration the tradition from the early centuries in the Christian Church is that he was on Mt. Tabor in Galilee. That may be a likely location, but the text doesn’t specify. I think the fact that the mountain is NOT named is indicative of it not being a well-known place; it might just be some nondescript mountain.
Now, on that mountain where Jesus led the three disciples, we have a few things happens. Four things:
1) Jesus is transfigured.
2) He talks with Moses and Elijah.
3) God the Father speaks from heaven.
4) Jesus speaks to the disciples.
I. Jesus is Transfigured
There is something similar in the Old Testament. We just read the account of it it, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai “the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.”
With Moses the people saw the REFLECTION of the glory of God. Like how the moon reflects the light of the sun. But with Jesus the disciples saw the actual glory of God, like looking into the sun itself. And it is not just Jesus’s face that shines, but his whole self, clothing including.
We could add this to the list of the many proofs of Christ’s divinity seen in Matthew’s Gospel.
Peter speaks of the event when he says, “but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
And John – one of those who was present at the Transfiguration – refers to this in his Gospel when he says:
[John 1:14 ESV] 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, AND WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
When did they see Christ’s glory? At the Transfiguration.
Otherwise, Jesus did not have any special appearance. The scriptures make no note of his physical characteristics. But now, at the transfiguration, a great sight is beheld.
II. Moses and Elijah Appear
Then we read that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the mountain. These two, no doubt, represent the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). These also the two that met God on a mountain in the Old Testament. Moses in Exodus 34 on Mt. Sinai, and Elijah also on Mt. Sinai in 1 Kings 19.
Their miraculous presence now with a glorified Jesus indicates that they are “passing the torch;” that we are to listen to Jesus.
Indeed, the people were to listen to Moses who brought the law from God, and the people were to listen to the prophets who brought a word from God.
Now, one GREATER THAN Moses is here.
III. God the Father speaks from Heaven
So God the Father says: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; LISTEN TO HIM.
Again, a sign of divinity. Jesus is given authority! Authority above every man. Of no other man does the Bible say “listen to him.” They might say “obey the laws or the words of the prophets which came from God through a certain main” but only with Jesus is authority full such that we are to listen to HIM. Such a statement can only be made if Christ is divine.
Now, God the Father says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This is the same thing He said at the beginning of Matthew, at Jesus’s baptism.
[Matthew 3:17 ESV] 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This statement repeated functions to reaffirm God’s view of Jesus. These statements act as a sort of book-ends to the life of Jesus in the Gospel. God was pleased at the beginning, and he is STILL pleased with Jesus.
We cannot say the same of ourselves.
We believe that we are sinners from birth. Now, some Christian traditions have an idea of an “age of accountability” before which children are not sinners. This is wrong; we are born into sin. But even if it were right, we can certainly say that BY THE END OF OUR LIVES there is no way can God say of us “I am well pleased.”
It is only because we are saved by the blood of the lamb can God say to us “well done my good and faithful servant.”
IV. Jesus Speaks to the Disciples
Now Jesus says two things to the disciples there on the mountain. One, “do not fear.” And two, “don’t tell anyone what happened until after I am raised from the dead.”
He says “do not fear” because the disciples were terrified. I’d be too. Its not everyday that someone starts shining bright white in front of you. In fact, I’ve never seen it happen.
But you know why they were terrified? It is actually not primarily or only because of the bright light, but rather the text is clear, they were terrified because they heard a voice from heaven! THAT would be terrifying indeed.
So terrified were they that they fell on their faces. Jesus had to encourage them to stand up. And when they did Moses and Elijah were gone. This again seems to be a “passing of the torch.” They showed up, in a sense blessing Jesus with their presence, and then they are gone. Jesus is now the one we are to listen to.
And the first command he then gives the disciples is not to tell anyone what happened until after he rises from the dead. This is that “messianic secret” we’ve seen before; Jesus’s time will come, but for now the disciples must keep quiet so as not to draw the attention of the authorities.
So then, what of applications in regards to the transfiguration? We’ve learned so far to “listen to Jesus above all else” and that “Jesus is above the law and the prophets.”
But I want to note especially two other applications:
Application 1: We shall shine in Heaven
I saw some article in the news recently titled “Achieving that Divine Glow.”
Now Ladies … if you’re looking for that one skin care product that achieves a divine glow, KNOW THIS … it doesn’t exist. (they just want your money). BUT, one day, in heaven things will be different. We shall all glow indeed.. The hymn Amazing Grace ends saying “Now we’ve been there 10,000 years, BRIGHT SHINING LIKE THE SUN, still no less days to sing God’s praise then when we first being.” We shall shine like the sun.
Not of ourselves, but of the reflection of God. This is not just an idea of the hymn writer; it is Biblical as well:
[Daniel 12:3 ESV] 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
[Matthew 13:43 ESV] 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
[Philippians 3:21 ESV] 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
[1 Corinthians 15:41-42 ESV] 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
So great was the glory shining from Jesus that Peter wanted to stay there and see more. He suggested “let us make three tabernacles.” Let us stay. Indeed, that was not to be. But in heaven all of God’s people shall stay eternally.
Indeed, we shall shine, but now finally, GOD IS LIGHT.
Application 2: God is Light
God is Light. He’s glory naturally shines forth.
Matthew Henry well summarizes the many Scriptural teachings on this point:
The great truth which we declare, is, that God is light (1 Jn. 1:5), dwells in the light (1 Tim. 6:16), covers himself with light, Ps. 104:2. And therefore when Christ would appear in the form of God, he appeared in light, the most glorious of all visible beings, the first-born of the creation, and most nearly resembling the eternal Parent. Christ is the Light; while he was in the world, he shined in darkness, and therefore the world knew him not (Jn. 1:5, 10); but, at this time, that Light shined out of the darkness.
But the full light of God was regularly HELD BACK. Only is something like the full glory of God in Christ seen here in the transfiguration. But this is a foretaste of the feast that is to come. In heaven the glory of God, the Light of Christ, shall be fully seen and fully known.
That which the select disciples saw, we shall see as well, and that even for all time.
Glory be to God; the God of light who shines in the darkness.
Let us pray.