THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD study notes

 

Exodus 24:8–18
2 Peter 1:16–21
Matthew 17:1–9

 

God Manifests His Glory in the Body of Christ Jesus, Transfigured for Us by His Cross

Alleluia, song of gladness, Voice of joy that cannot die
Alleluia, is the anthem Ever raise by choirs on high;
In the house of God abiding That they sing eternally.
 

Alleluia, thou resound-est, True Jerusalem and free;
Alleluia, joyful mother, All thy children sing with thee,
But by Babylon’s sad waters, Mourning exiles now are we.
 

Alleluia, cannot always, Be our song while here below;
Alleluia, our transgressions, Make us for a while forgo;
For the solemn time is coming, When our tears for sin must flow.
 

Therefore in our hymns we pray Thee, Grant us, blessed Trinity,
At the last to keep Thine Ester, With Thy faithful saints on high;
There to Thee forever singing, Alleluia joyfully.
-Alleluia, Son of Gladness Lutheran Service Book #417
 

O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah. In the voice that came from the bright cloud, You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to fullness of our inheritance in heaven.

 

The transfiguration confirms “the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). The divine glory of Jesus is manifested in the word of His apostles, who were “eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). “He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:2). Moses and Elijah witnessed the fulfillment of the Old Testament in this Lord Jesus, and the Father testified concerning Him: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5).

By His own blood, shed on the cross, Jesus makes and seals the new covenant with us. Hence, “the appearance of the glory of the Lord” is no longer “like a devouring fire” (Exodus 24:17), but it is graciously revealed in His own body. As “Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel” went up the mountain with Moses and “beheld God, and ate and drank” (Exodus 24:9, 11), we also behold the Lord our God in Christ Jesus, and we abide with Him as we eat and drink His body and blood at the altar.

From Oswald Bayer’s interpretation of Martin Luther’s Theology, pages 228-9:

“The effect that the law creates is not surprising. One has no trouble understanding what it means to rely on oneself and on one’s own deeds; the action-consequences relationship has its own logic. But the gospel is absolutely, completely incomprehensible. That God rescues one from, and brings one safely through, the deserved judgment is a miracle. Law and gospel cannot be plausibly intertwined together; their existence is hard and fast in opposition to each other. The gospel is literally a paradox: it stands against that which the sinner can reasonably expect; it stands against damnation.”

Only the gospel changes hearts.   

The Transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-9

Matthew 17:1

Καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατ’ ἰδίαν.

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Jesus bore carried them up to a high mountain according to themselves.

6 days after what? The confession and prediction of His passion...

Why 6 days? He will rest perfectly in the tomb He dies on the day old Adam was created. A contrast with Luke who spoke of 8 days...Matthew sees this in view of Good Friday....Luke looks to Easter. See Exodus 24 a bookend with the Beatitudes where Jesus incarnates the Law.  5 books of the law and 5 discourses from Jesus. Fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18.

Each of the gospels is prologue to the passion.  John will speak of the Transfiguration in chapter 1, "we have seen His glory" Peter will mention it in his epistle. (2 Peter 1:12-18) this is a picture of Jesus' exaltation, a glimpse of the last great day...His 'glory' is demonstrated in the cross... 

Matthew 17:2

καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔλαμψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς.

And he was transfigured before them, and his face (lamped) shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

These are heavenly clothes. Gold shines like light.

Matthew 17:3

καὶ ἰδοὺ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας συλλαλοῦντες μετ’ αὐτοῦ.

And behold, (right then and there before them) there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, (singing heaven's hymn) 'talking' with Him…

The is the "glory of the Lord." Where is Jesus now? Dispatched from heaven to be present with us. He is fully man and God and uses his exaltation to fulfill the Father's promised.

Matthew 17:4

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Κύριε, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι· εἰ θέλεις, ποιήσω ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς, σοὶ μίαν καὶ Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καὶ Ἠλίᾳ μίαν.

 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents (booths, tabernacles) here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."  

~ Luke "not knowing what he was saying." ~ Peter is a Buddhist we need to house the God who needs not be housed. Jesus is just one among many. Glory w/o the cross...

Matthew 17:5

ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ἰδοὺ νεφέλη φωτεινὴ ἐπεσκίασεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα· [f]ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ.

He was still speaking when, behold, (right then and there here before you) a bright cloud "overshadowed" (see Colossians 2; Hebrews 1; only the son is revealed. The Father is the stamp of the coin. Jesus is the coin) them,(right then and there here before you) a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

See Ex.40:34ff; 1 Kings 8,

Jesus is the source of this light, He is the temple, the cloud, the glory. See 2 Corinthians 4,

Matthew 17:6

καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα.

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

They feared greatly...they fall when the Father speaks...same verb as in Luke 2.

Matthew 17:7

καὶ προσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἁψάμενος αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἐγέρθητε καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear."

Jesus says this walking on the water, notice the monergism; He came, He touched, He spoke.

Matthew 17:8

ἐπάραντες δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν οὐδένα εἶδον εἰ μὴ [h]αὐτὸν Ἰησοῦν μόνον.

And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Still prostrate...fear not...now they can look up...yet an attitude of reverence, respect, honor.

The Father desires to be heard and known but only through the Son. Peter wants only to speak. Listen only to the Son.

Matthew 17:9

Καὶ καταβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγων· Μηδενὶ εἴπητε τὸ ὅραμα ἕως οὗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν [i]ἐγερθῇ.

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised (out)from the dead."

-The three have just witnessed the resurrection yet they don't get it. This is NOT the be all and end all…only the resurrection.

This is an opportunity to preach the theology of the cross…how is God Known? You see God in no other way but Jesus. 

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts, ‘The Transfiguration of our Lord’ © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

LCMS Lectionary notes © 2017

Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Saturday prior to Epiphany 5

[1]

1John 3:16-19; Hebrews 13:16; Matthew 25:40—Sunday’s Hymn of the Day is Thy Strong Word (LSB #578). This wonderful hymn tells the story of salvation as the Lord speaks to us in and through His Word. All three persons of the Trinity are mentioned in the last stanza. God the Father, light-creator, Jesus is the one eternal God begotten from the Father light of light. The Holy Spirit is the light-revealer. Together with angels in heaven, we praise the Triune God Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Hymn 381 Thy Strong Word

Tune: Ton-y-Botel (Thomas John Williams 1869-1944)

Text: Martin H. Franzmann (1907-1976)

The tune has been given the name "Ton-y-Botel", which means, ‘it was found in a bottle.’ This tune was set in previous hymnals to the text "Once to Every Man and Nation," a poem of James R. Lowell opposing our war against Mexico. This text, written in the 20th century, seems especially appropriate in the later Epiphany season, a time when we as Church stop to reflect on the whole meaning of Christ's incarnation and our response. We see Jesus coming into our lives as light, the beacon of hope and life we follow even in the dark times, as in mid-winter. Here, in this brilliant marriage of text and music, is a jewel, which lifts us up as we sing at once more confident and joyous, journeying on in God's shining light.[2]

Collect for Saturday of the week of Epiphany 4: We have come, O God, at Thy bidding. Unless we are willing to be healed, Thou canst not heal the world’s hurt. Grant us now in the power of Thy Spirit to hear the word, which maketh whole the sick, and all things new that were old. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.[3]

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

[2]https://www.epiphanyep.org/blog/epiphany-hymn-of-the-week-thy-strong-word

[3] Collect for Saturday of the week of Epiphany 4, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY 

 

Friday prior to Epiphany 5

[1]

Matthew 5:13-20—A More Excellent Way of Life – The Christian life exceeds living by the Law

The Christian life exceeds living by the Law. Followers of Jesus, Disciples of Christ are the light of the world. Since Jesus said He was the light of the world, this may seem to be a contradiction. Christians are light. You do not become light by good works. You are light because, and only because you are in Christ, the Light. The light you have is not produced by your own. You are only the reflection of the light of Christ who dwells in you by faith. If you are not seen as light in the dark world, it indicates you are not in Christ. If the light is in you, it will be seen by your good works, which result as naturally as a candle sheds its light as a natural part of its essence.

As salt and light, Jesus’ followers live by a superior righteousness.

The word ‘righteousness’ has a twofold meaning. Its ethical meaning embraces virtue, goodness, and unrighteousness. The religious meaning means being rightly related to God and neighbor. The righteousness of God is God’s rightly relating us to him. The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees was an ethical righteousness, which involved a strict keeping of the letter of the law. The Christian has a righteousness that exceeds the ethical. It is a right relation with God and with the neighbor. Anger is a symptom of a broken relationship. Forgiveness renews this relationship.

O God, you know that we cannot withstand the dangers, which surround us. Strengthen us in body and spirit so that with your help, we may be able to overcome the weakness that our sins have brought upon us.[2]

Collect for Friday of the week of Epiphany 4: Bestow on us, O God, all that Thou dost ask of us, that in asking life of Thee we may be ready to share Thy life, and the weight of it, which is Thy love in Christ Jesus. [3]

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

[2] Epiphany Collect, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

[3] Collect for Friday of the week of Epiphany 4, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1005 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

Thursday prior to Epiphany 5

 

[1]

1 Corinthians2:1-12—The Christian life results from a gospel of power. Paul decided to know nothing except Christ. Is that smart? Paul knew more than most. He knew how to make a living by making tents; the Bible thoroughly, for he was a student of the great Gamaliel; the philosophies of the day, for he was a university student. When it came to making a living, we need to know much. When it comes to making a life, knowledge and wisdom are useless. It is enough to know Christ, for He is the truth about God and life.

Weakness can be strength. This was the case with Paul He felt that his ability to speak an oratorical in great wisdom, as was the custom of his day, was inferior.

 With fear and trembling, he perhaps stuttered and stammered the words of the gospel. In spite of his halting speech, people came to accept Christ as Savior. What did this prove? The Word of the cross is the power to win people to Christ.

Paul shows how the foolishness of the cross is at once the content and method of his approach to the Corinthians. One commentator remarks, “Paul himself, the apostle of the crucified and risen Christ becomes the proclamation of the cross, for his congregation, in that in his life of suffering there congregations encounter him as the primary living commentary on his theology of the cross. “

Paul came to Corinth clothed in weakness (see 2 Corinthians 10:10; 12:7-10) yet, it was in that weakness that the power of God was made manifest so that faith might rest secure in the power of God rather than in the “wisdom of men.” (2:15) 

Collects for Epiphany 5: O Lord, keep Your Church continually in the true faith that, relying on the hope of Your heavenly grace, we may be ever defended by Your mighty power.[2]

Collect for Thursday of the week of Epiphany 4: Thou hast called us into thy presence, O God. Be Thou therefore light for our darkness; and strength for every high purpose wherein we are weak. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen [3]

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

[2] Collect for Epiphany 5, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

[3] Collect for Thursday of the week of Epiphany 4. For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

Wednesday prior to Epiphany 5

 

[1]

Isaiah 58:3-9a— A More Excellent Way of Life – The godly life expresses itself in service

A proper fast will bring God’s presence and blessing.

The godly life is expressed in service. Among most Christians today, fasting is scarcely practiced. If Isaiah were living today, he probably would not have used it. Though fasting is not generally practiced, the principle still applies. Religiosity in terms of cultic practices, without practical helpfulness to the neighbor, does not bring God’s blessings. When we put our religious devotions into sharing with the less fortunate, we open ourselves to God’s presence and blessings.

The life of a Christian is the primary subject of this Sunday. It is a way of life that is better than living by the letter of the Law. According to Isaiah, true fasting results in meeting the social needs of people. 

Fasting today seems secondary and scarcely practiced. If Isaiah were living today, he probably would not have used it? Or would he? The principles still applies though fasting is not generally practiced. Religiosity in terms of cultic practices, without practical helpfulness to the neighbor, does not bring God’s blessings. When we put our religious devotion into sharing with the less fortunate, we open ourselves to God’s presence and blessing.

In verse 9a, God promises to be at the beck and call of those mired in the troubles of sin. Surely, there is no greater comfort for a person convicted of his sins by the Law than the promise of God to send at the ready with His outstretched hand, His mighty arm and the offer of His righteousness in Christ.

These verses offer comfort once more to a post-Christian world that has largely returned to its old sinful self by this stage in the Epiphany season. Once more, it is clearly manifest that man cannot save himself not ever by feigned righteousness.

A Collect for the Epiphany Season: Lord God, on this day you revealed your Son to the nations by the leading of a star. Lead us now by faith to know your presence in our lives and bring us at last to the full vision of your glory.[2]

Collect for Wednesday of the week of Epiphany 4: O God, Thou that will not flatter us who love flattery, and dost offer us toil who love ease, open our eyes that we may see what Thou wouldst have us see in all the world about us, and our ears that we may hear what word Thou wouldst speak in him who is that Word, even Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen [3]

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

[2] Epiphany Collect, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis

[3] Collect for Wednesday of the week of Epiphany 4, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

Tuesday prior to Epiphany 5

 

[1]

Psalm 15 — This psalm gives instruction to those who wish to have access to God at His temple. Thomas Jefferson called this psalm the picture of “a true gentleman.” This is a testimonial of the man of God. What does God require of the individual who seeks his company? He expects right conduct, right speaking (verses 2-3a), right relationships with others (verses 3b-4), and a right use of wealth (verse 5) See Psalm 24. Who swears… (Verse 4) i.e. who keeps his word whatever the cost; Verse 5, one of the Jewish laws, see Leviticus 25:36-37. It was not a total ban on lending at interest, but applied to fellow Israelites.

Psalm 15:

This psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. In it, David meditates over the character of the man received into the presence of God. We have no precise occasion for this psalm, but it may well have been on the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). This was a time when David was very much concerned with the questions asked and answered in this psalm.[2]

Collect for Psalm 15: Lord Jesus, you first chose to live among us, and in returning to your Father, you made an eternal home for us. Help us walk blamelessly in your ways and bring us at last to your holy mountain, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen [3]

Collect for Tuesday of the week of Epiphany 4:  Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and earth. Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen [4]

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-15

[3] Collect for Psalm 15, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

[4] Ibid, Collect For Tuesday of the week of Epiphany 4

Monday prior to Epiphany 5

 

[1]

Psalm 119:1-6; antiphon, Psalm 112:12—In the Introit for Sunday, we pray, Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me Your statutes!  This Psalm is an acrostic based on the Hebrew letter Aleph.

We meditate on the Word of our Lord and we walk blameless as we are directed by Him who speaks to us in and through that same word.

The Antiphon begins; Blessed are You, O LORD. The psalmist seems to interrupt his thoughts on the connection between God’s word and a pure life with this expression of praise. The greatness of these ideas and the reality of them in his life have made this praise necessary.

Teach me Your statutes. This demonstrates the humility of the psalmist. Though filled with God’s word and a desire for purity, he sensed his constant need for instruction by God. He didn’t simply need to read God’s statutes; he pleaded with God to teach him.

This saying is written in the front of some Bibles: “This book will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you from this book.” The psalmist understood this principle, and longed for God to be his teacher, and to keep him in God’s great book.

We need to be disciples or learners. [2]

An Excellent Way of Life

The life of a Christian is the primary subject of this Sunday. It is a way of life that is better than living by the letter of the Law. According to Isaiah, true fasting results in meeting the social needs of people. In the Epistle gives the source of Christian living – a gospel of power and not the wisdom of man. Christ is the Word of life. We ask that we may see and hear Him as the Life.

Light is the dominant theme of Epiphany. A candle is a symbol of the season. Christ is the light of God whose glory is manifested throughout the season. Epiphany 5 continues the theme of life but with a different twist. Now Christians are the light of the world because they are in Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus tells His followers, “You are the light of the world,” Isaiah in the Old Testament says the light shines out of those who properly fast. In the Epistle lesson, the source of the light is in the crucified Christ proclaimed by Paul.

Collect for Psalm 112: Lord Jesus You are the light shining in darkness for the upright. Teach us to love one another as Yu love us, that we might bring peace and joy to the world and find the happiness of Your home where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Collect for Psalm 119: Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our LORD.[3]

Collect for Monday of the week of Epiphany 4: Father in heaven, from the days of Abraham and Moses until this gathering of your church in prayer, you have formed a people in the image of your Son. Bless this people with the gift of your kingdom. May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen [4]

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-119

[3] Collect for Psalm 112 and 119, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

[4] Ibid, Collect for Monday of the week of Epiphany 4,