Sunday Link – Shining with The Light Jesus Gives – Matthew 17:1-9 | SL20260215

OPENING CHORUS(es) and OPENING PRAYER   

WELCOME and THANKS for joining us.   

OPENING COMMENTS   

• Today is Transfiguration Sunday, a moment that bridges the season of Epiphany and the journey into Lent.   
• Our theme this week is shining with the light Jesus gives.   
• The selected passages that support the theme are …      
  • In Exodus 24:12–18, Moses ascends the mountain into the cloud of God’s glory, where he receives the word that will shape a people.   
  • In Psalm 99:1–9, the psalmist invites us to stand in awe of the Lord’s majesty.   
  • In 2 Peter 1:16–21,  Peter testifies that the story of Jesus’ glory on the mountain is not a myth.   It was a reality he saw with his own eyes — a lamp shining in a dark place.  
  • In Matthew 17:1–9, we join the disciples on the mountain.  There Jesus is transfigured, radiant with divine light.  He is affirmed by the Father’s voice: “This is my Son, the Beloved … listen to him.”   
• These texts remind us that to encounter the glory of Christ is not an escape from the world.   It is  a call to return to the valleys of life, shining with the light Jesus gives  and listening closely to the One who leads us into God’s mission.  

TRANSITION SONG  

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SERMON  

Shining With the Light Jesus Gives    

Matthew 17:1–4,5-9  

Matthew 17:1–4,5-9 NKJV	Matthew 17:1–4,5-9 NRSVue
1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.   3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.    4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”	Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light.  Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud  overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice  came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”   6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  7 But Jesus came and touched them and said,  “Arise, and do not be afraid.”   8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.	While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud  overshadowed them, and a voice  from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”  When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.  But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”  And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”  (See 2Pet.1:16-21)	As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”   (See 2Pet.1:16-21)

 

INTRODUCTION:  The Beauty of Opposites    

How many of you like roller coasters?    Why do we think that an activity that causes us fear is also fun? 

(That question reminds me of times I spent floating in deep waters holding on to driftwood … when I was unable to swim well.  It was dangerous, but I somehow found fun in doing it.) 

Being scared seems like the opposite of fun — it’s a paradox.  

Living a life of faith can involve embracing paradox.  A paradox is an idea or statement that seems wrong or impossible but actually makes sense upon deeper consideration.  It’s two seemingly opposite things or qualities that can actually be true at the same time.  Like, a terrifying yet fun pastime.  

Or as Christians believe, you must lose your life to find it.   

We live surrounded by these tensions — words and experiences that hold both sides of a truth at once.  Life is full of these “both-and,” not “either-or,” moments.  

And perhaps that’s why the Transfiguration of Jesus, the story we read in Matthew 17, is so striking.  Because here, on a mountaintop, heaven and earth, human and divine, fear and glory, all meet in one breathtaking vision.  

In Jesus, all opposites are held together in perfect unity.  

The Story of the Mountain  

Matthew tells us:

“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light.”    

Try to picture that moment.  The dusty, familiar face of Jesus — the one they’d walked miles with, eaten with, laughed with — suddenly radiant with divine light.

It wasn’t that a spotlight shone on him.  The light shone from within him.  It was his own glory, his own divine life breaking through his humanity.  

This is what theologians call theophany — a visible manifestation of God.  And it’s what Christians call the Transfiguration.  This word in Greek is metamorphoo, from which we get our word metamorphosis.

It means transformation, but not just surface change.  It’s the revealing of what’s always been true beneath the surface.   The Transfiguration is the revelation of Jesus’ divine identity.  

For a moment, the veil between heaven and earth is pulled back.  The disciples see Jesus as he truly is: the eternal Son of God, radiant with the glory of the Father, and filled with the Spirit’s light.  

This is not Jesus becoming something new.  It’s Jesus revealing what has been true from eternity.   

The Triune Glory Revealed   

And then something even more mysterious happens. “Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.”    

Moses and Elijah were two very important figures of Israel’s history. 

• God chose Moses to lead the nation of Israel, and God gave the people rules that we call the Ten Commandments.  God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses to deliver to Israel, so he is considered the great lawgiver.   
• Elijah was a prophet, and a prophet was a person chosen by God to deliver his messages to the people.  These messages often urged people to stop sinning.  

So, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus — one representing  God’s covenant law,  the other God’s prophetic promise.  

They stand beside Jesus, and in that moment the disciples glimpse something extraordinary.  All of Israel’s story, all human longing, and all divine promise, converge in Jesus.  The Law and the Prophets — two strands of God’s revelation — find their fulfillment in one person.

And then, as if to seal it all, a bright cloud overshadows them.  It’s a sign of the Spirit’s presence,  echoing the cloud that led Israel in the wilderness, the same glory that filled the tabernacle and later the temple.  

And from that cloud, the voice of the Father speaks: “This is My Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

The Son climbs a high mountain, the Spirit appears as a cloud, the Father speaks.  The whole Trinity is present and active in this moment of revelation.  

• The Father’s voice.
• The Son’s radiance.
• The Spirit’s cloud of glory.

The Transfiguration isn’t just a miracle; it’s a window into the eternal communion of God’s own life.   

 

What the Disciples Saw — and What We See  

Peter, James, and John can barely take it in.  Peter, always the one to speak first, says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you wish, I’ll set up three tents — one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.”  

It’s almost endearing.  Peter wants to hold onto the moment, to freeze it, to make it last.  But he misunderstands.   

He sees three great figures — Moses, Elijah, Jesus — and wants to honor all three.  But the voice from heaven interrupts him, as if to say: No, Peter.  Not three.  One.   

“This is My Son, the Beloved … listen to him.”   

Jesus is not one teacher among many, not one prophet among peers.  He is the One in whom all others find their meaning.  When the disciples finally look up, they see no one except Jesus alone.  

When the radiant light fades, when the cloud of glory lifts, when confusion settles — they see only Jesus.  He is enough.  

What Transfiguration Means for Us    

Now, what does this vision mean for us today?  

Why does this strange, luminous story appear just before Jesus turns toward Jerusalem and the cross?  We can understand it as preview of resurrection, a revelation before the road of suffering.  

Let’s look at what we learn through this moment on the mountain.    

1.  Wholeness comes through Jesus’ transformation, not ours.   

The word metamorphoo reminds us that what happens to Jesus also happens to us through him.  The same divine light that radiated from Christ is the light that transforms us.  Paul uses the same word in Romans 12:2 NRSVUE: “Be transformed (metamorphoo) by the renewing of your mind.”  

Paul does not tell us to transform ourselves.  He describes what happens when the Spirit renews us from within, when we shine with the light Jesus gives.  

In Jesus, God has already done the transforming work.  The Transfiguration is not only about Christ’s glory; it’s a promise of our participation in that glory.  

The humanity Jesus assumed — our humanity — is being made whole, healed, and renewed in Him.  Wholeness is not something we build; it’s something we receive.  

In Jesus, the fragmented pieces of our lives are gathered up and made whole.  Our strengths and weaknesses, our joys and sorrows, our victories and failures are made whole in Christ.  

2.  The transfiguration reveals that death has no final power.  

The disciples didn’t fully understand it at the time, but the vision they saw that day would become an anchor for their faith.  When they later witnessed Jesus’ suffering and death, they could remember: We saw his glory.  We know who he truly is.  

The Transfiguration foreshadows the resurrection.  It shows us that the light of God’s life is not extinguished by death — it shines through it.  The One who stood radiant on the mountain is the same One who will stand radiant outside the empty tomb.  

Jesus tells them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”  

Only after the resurrection will they truly understand what they’ve seen.  The light of life cannot be contained by death, and in him, neither can death contain us.  

This is our hope.  Death, failure, evil, and fear do not have the final word — God’s transforming love does.  

3.  In Jesus, opposites are held together in wholeness.  

The Transfiguration is a story of contrasts reconciled: 

• • • • Human and divine meet in one person.
      • Earth and heaven converge on one mountain.
      • Law and Prophets find unity in one Lord.
      • Bewilderment and comfort coexist in one touch.

Peter, James, and John fall face-down in fear — but Jesus comes and touches them, saying, “Get up. Do not be afraid.”  

In Jesus, majesty and mercy are never opposed.  The infinite God stoops to lay a hand on trembling disciples.  The One who shines like the sun also bends low in tenderness. 

This is the paradox at the heart of the gospel:

• • • • The same God who commands the universe also washes feet.
      • The same glory that blinds the heavens also comforts the fearful.

And so, the Transfiguration teaches us to hold opposites together.  It teaches us to see strength in gentleness, power in humility, and light in the midst of shadow.   

4.  God still speaks, listen to him.   

The Father’s command, “Listen to him,” is not just for Peter, James, and John — it’s for us, too.  We live in a world of noise — endless voices, opinions, and distractions.  But on the mountain, God narrows the field.  

“Listen to Him.”   

Not to the world’s anxiety.  Not to our own fear.  Not to the old scripts of shame or inadequacy.  

“Listen to my Son.”  

When we listen to Jesus, we hear not condemnation but compassion.  We hear not demands but invitation.  That voice brings peace to our chaos and unity to our divided selves.    

 

Application: Living Transfigured Lives    

So how do we live in light of this revelation?  
How do we carry the mountaintop vision into the valley of ordinary life?  

Let’s draw out three simple invitations.  

1. Understand You Are a Work in Progress 

Transformation takes time.  Negative habits, emotions, or patterns don’t disqualify us from God’s love — they’re the very places his transforming grace is at work.

We can acknowledge our struggles honestly without losing hope.  Jesus didn’t shine because he escaped humanity; he shone through it.  In the same way, God’s light meets us not in our perfection but in our process.  

So, when you fail, don’t despair.  When old wounds resurface, don’t hide.  Bring them into the light.  Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Nothing.  

2. Believe That God’s Delight Includes You  

At the Transfiguration, the Father declares, “This is My Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased.” 

Those words are spoken over Jesus — but because we are included in him, they are spoken over us as well.  God’s pleasure is not something we earn; it’s something we share.  

Through Christ, the Father looks at us and says, “You are My beloved child. In you I am well pleased.”  To live in that truth is to be freed from the endless striving for approval.  

It changes how we see others too.  If God delights in them, how can we not?  So, we become a people who extend grace instead of grudges, who forgive quickly, who see others not as problems to fix but as people to love.  

3. Be Quick to Comfort the Fearful  

When the disciples fall to the ground in terror, Jesus doesn’t scold them; he touches them.  “Get up. Do not be afraid.”  

What a picture of divine compassion.  The same Jesus who shines with uncreated light reaches out with human hands.  The same voice that commands the wind whispers comfort to trembling hearts.  

We are called to do the same — to be people who offer a steady hand to those overwhelmed by life.  Not with platitudes, but with presence.  Not to fix it, but to remind them they are not alone.  

The Spirit — called the Comforter — now lives in us to continue this ministry  through us.  Every time we comfort someone in pain, the touch of Jesus reaches through ours.  

 

The Transfigured Vision of Wholeness     

At the heart of the Transfiguration is a promise:  That all the fragmented, divided parts of our lives are being gathered into wholeness in Christ.   

He is the meeting place of opposites — the true and final integration of heaven and earth, God and humanity, glory and humility.   

And because he has brought our humanity into his divinity, nothing in us is wasted.  Even our contradictions, our tensions, our unfinished edges — all can be transfigured into beauty.  

In Christ, the opposites don’t cancel each other out; they are redeemed and harmonized in divine love.   

CONCLUSION:  Seeing Jesus Alone     

When the disciples opened their eyes after the cloud lifted, they saw no one but Jesus alone.  That’s the vision we need too.  Not Moses, not Elijah, not the competing voices of law or performance or fear — but Jesus alone.  

All-powerful, divine glory and healing, merciful grace are not opposites; they are one and the same in the radiant face of Christ.  

And the voice that spoke from the cloud still speaks to us now: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”  

• Listen — Jesus’ words transform us.
• Look — Jesus shows us who we truly are in him.
• Rise — Jesus is with us, and we do not need to be afraid.

For the light that shone on the mountain  shines  in our hearts,  revealing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  May we shine with the light Jesus gives us.  

Amen.   

SONG OF RESPONSE

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