In the Name of the Father and of the  Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord
and Savior sanctify you in the truth; for His word is truth. Amen
The Transfiguration of Our Lord (2014)
A Ministry of Seeing Jesus Only
Rev. Toby Byrd
“And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (Matthew 17:8, ESV)
A week prior to the events of the Gospel Reading for today, Jesus had told His disciples,
“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the
Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28, ESV) Usually when we think of Jesus
coming in His kingdom, we think of the Last Day. Yet we know that the return of Jesus on the
Last Day has not yet occurred. Therefore, this cannot be the meaning of His statement. But
perhaps the Gospel Reading for today is at least a partial answer to this question, at least for
three of His disciples who find themselves on a mountain, alone with our Lord Jesus and two
heavenly figures; Moses and Elijah.
Jesus has taken St. John, St. James, and St. Peter with Him to a secluded mountain top to pray.
While there on that mountain, Jesus is transfigured before them. There, on that mountain, during
their nighttime prayer vigil (Luke 9:32), our Lord’s divine image is displayed in all its brilliant
splendor to these three disciples. Our text says, “He was transfigured before them, and his face
shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (v. 2). An incredible brilliance
emanated from Jesus, filling the area with a bright light that startled the disciples. This brilliance,
that emanated from Jesus, was His divine glory, that glory He possessed from eternity, that glory
of which He had emptied Himself during His humiliation (Phil. 2:6) that He may be seen only in
the form of a servant. However, on this night things were different. On this night Jesus permits
His divine nature to pierce His human mantle; thereby illuminating everything around Him with
His glory for all to see. On this night, in the presence of His chosen disciples, the very glory of
heaven was on display in our Lord’s Transfiguration.
Although our Lord’s appearance was more than enough to startle the disciples, later they would
be overcome with great fear when, shrouded in a bright cloud, they would hear the voice of God
declare: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5,
ESV) Our text then says, “When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were
terrified” (v. 6): the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the Son of Man was at hand.
We’re not certain how long they remained lying on the ground, trembling in fear as they were,
but, soon Jesus came to them and touched them, saying “Rise, and have no fear.” “And when
they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only” (vv. 7-8).
What a marvelous statement! Yes, Moses, Elijah, and the bright cloud had departed leaving
Jesus alone with His three disciples. The revelation had come and gone, and although the vision
fades, the truth does not pass away: Jesus is the true Son of God, filled with splendor and glory.
And although the disciples would see no one save Jesus, the inference in this statement has
eternal consequences, no one can see God without first seeing Jesus.
No more than a week before this night St. Peter, in response to our Lord’s question of; “Who
do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15, ESV) said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.” (Matthew 16:16, ESV) Having confessed this true reality of God in Christ Jesus, our
Lord, Jesus rewards St. Peter’s response, saying to him; “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew
16:17, ESV) By faith, St. Peter saw Jesus, in the flesh for who He really is, on this night he is
privileged to see God’s only-begotten Son, in His divine glory, for who He really is. But when
St. Peter came down off that blessed mountain, like so many of us after we see Jesus, he forgot
what he saw. It was not too long after our Lord’s Transfiguration that St. Peter would deny Jesus
no less than three times.
Much like St. Peter, we are given the privilege of seeing Jesus, but we can only see Him
through the eyes of faith; a faith which only comes by hearing the Word of God; a faith which
can only be maintained by feeding it the Word of God. Thus, by remaining in Word and
Sacrament ministry, we see our Lord’s divine glory manifested in many different ways.
We see His glory in the life of faithful pastors as they lovingly tend the Savior’s flock, day in
and day out — proclaiming and administering the Gospel in Word and Sacrament ministry. We
see His glory in the lives of the faithful as they fulfill their calling as Christian fathers and
mothers, bringing their children up in the Word of God. We see His glory in ourselves as we
witness the love of God in Christ Jesus to others. We see the glory of our Lord in the faces of
Christian martyrs who, in the face of death, confess their faith in the Crucified Jesus.
Moreover, we also see His glory in the lives of those who once saw Him, but whom no longer
look for Him, having forgotten long ago the splendor of His vision. Broken by sin and the
problems of life, the veil of unbelief covers their eyes of faith, obstructing the glory of Christ
from shining through. Yet, regardless of their lack of vision, Jesus has not abandoned them
because He knows that a small, glowing flame of faith still burns within their hearts. This flicker
of belief, this smoldering wick of hope, is waiting to be re-kindled by the Gospel into a roaring
flame of faith. The Holy Spirit says of Jesus; “a bruised reed he will not break, and a
smoldering wick he will not quench” (Matthew 12:20, ESV).
To, such as these, He calls us to be true witnesses of His glory. Therefore, we take our cue
from Jesus and continue to proclaim God’s love for all men in Christ Jesus. We continue to
proclaim the Gospel, our Lord’s atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins; saving all men from
sin, death, and the devil.
As our Lord Jesus came to the frightened disciples lying prostrate on the ground, touching
them and telling them, “Rise, and have no fear.” (v. 7) we, too, are asked to go to the weak in
faith and touch them with the Word of God, telling them to, “Rise and have no fear.” This is the
Ministry of Seeing Jesus Only. Whether you are in public or private, at the sickbed or in the
board room, at work or at play, by both word and deed the goal of your Christian witness should
be to help other see Jesus. Moreover, while you are answering your call to help others see Jesus,
remember, the best place of all to see Jesus is here, in Church. Invite those you help to come to
Divine Service where they can see Jesus everywhere they look. They’ll see Him in every part of
the liturgy; in the words of absolution, the Introit, the Kyrie, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Readings,
the Creed, in the Sermon, the Preface, the Sanctus, in the Words of consecration, and the Agnus
Dei, in Holy Communion, and in the Nunc Dimittis, not to mention the hymns and prayers.
Everywhere they turn, everywhere they look, the divine glory of our Lord Jesus shines in Divine
Service, as He pours out His love and forgiveness to all who attend. At the close of the service
He tells us all; “Rise and have no fear, for I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
However, unlike the instruction He gave the three disciples as they departed the mountain, “To
tell no one the vision” (v. 9) He does not tell you to keep quiet regarding what the eyes of your
faith have seen. On the contrary, He tells you to go forth from this place and proclaim the Gospel
for the forgiveness of sins in His name. He tells you to go forth from here and tell others to come
that they may see Him in this place, Grace Lutheran Church, Paris, TX. He tells you to, “Go …
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am
with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)
But know this; following the commission of our Lord Jesus Christ is often demanding and at
times even dangerous as it is not always met with enthusiasm. On the contrary, it is often met
with skepticism, even anger. But our calling is to make disciples and we do so through Word and
Sacrament ministry steeped in the tradition of our Lutheran fathers; Sola Gratia, Sola Fides, Sola
Scriptura, [Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone.] Thus, if you want others to see no one
but Jesus only, then arm yourself with God’s Word of Holy Scripture and the Small Catechism,
go forth from this place helping others to see Jesus as He has been revealed to you; as the
crucified Christ upon the Altar of the Cross, shedding His blood for your forgiveness, dying in
your place, and rising from the grave on the third day as a promise of the resurrection of the
faithful on that Last Day when our Lord Jesus will return to Judge the living and dead.
If you want others to see Jesus as you do, bring them here to Divine Service that they may
covered by Christ through the Gospel message proclaimed from this chancel in the words of the
liturgy, the sermon, and in receiving His body and blood in, under, and with the bread and wine
of Holy Communion. Yours, mine, and this churches ministry is A Ministry of Seeing Jesus Only
let us pray that the Holy Spirit will enable us to fulfill our call. Amen.
May the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus. Amen