February 11, 2024 – Transfiguration Text: 2 Corinthians 3:12-13; 4:1-6
Dear Friends in Christ,
Somebody is “in their glory” when they are at their best. When do you think your mother was/is most in her glory? When she is all dolled up, looking pretty, ready to go out for a nice dinner? Or when mom came to you in the middle of the night with hair all mussed to take care of you when you were sick? On a personal level most of us would say when she gave comfort at 2 a.m. She showed her love. She was in her glory.
When is Jesus in His glory? Is it today at the Transfiguration? After all, he is radiant, and His Father says He loves Him. But the greater glory was the bloodied and beaten body of Jesus on the cross. That is where He most clearly shows His love. He comforts us in our sin and forgives us. Oh, what glory.
This is the Gospel message. We don’t hide or veil ourselves behind our sin. Drop the charade. You and I are sinners, and we know it. Step out so the glory can shine on you.
“THE VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY”
The first veil is the veil Moses put over his face. This is the old covenant. “Moses…would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.” (v. 13). This is the teaching that the Law cannot save us. Israel was being taught that without the shedding of blood, there could be no atonement. On their “Day of Atonement” they would sacrifice a “scapegoat.” They were learning how God would redeem the world, by transferring our sins to another. With every Passover, they were to look to “the Lamb of God” who would once and for all take away the sins of the world. Jesus would be the fulfillment of that covenant, once the veil is taken away.
It is too bad that some do not see beyond the old covenant; the veil essentially remains. The Scriptures remain a closed book, and we miss seeing the one behind the veil: Christ . . . on every page!
Our Gospel from Mark is the Transfiguration event. We see in Mark, the three disciples were “terrified.” They are afraid even before the clouds and voice appear.
We know about clouds overshadowing us. How many times have you been driving in fog the last couple of weeks? Not a comfortable feeling. The car coming towards you is hidden and then there it is. It has literally come out of the veil of fog.
What veils do we hide behind? Do we ever hide behind our glory? The feel-good moments. The compliments. The accomplishments. “I’m a better driver than that person who won’t put their lights on in this fog.” “I would never lie like that guy on television.” “How can people do that?” We veil our sinful condition in subtle ways that we hardly notice. We are in a fog, and we need an escape. It is this same veil that kept many in Israel from receiving him. John writes in his Gospel, “he came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13)
When Jesus said from the cross “It is finished,” the veil was being lifted. The veil was also torn in two from top to bottom in the temple. The fog has lifted, the veil is taken away, we can see the Lord clearly. We see Him as He truly is – our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the Law. In fact, we, by God’s grace, with “unveiled faces,” also begin to reflect the glory of Christ as the Gospel has its way with us. The Law cannot produce such a change. The Gospel can, because it’s all about Christ and what He accomplishes for us on the cross.
God continues transforming and transfiguring us as we hear the Word of God and frequently use the Sacraments. This is a lifetime event, until we make our “exodus” to eternity.
Paul would continue his apostolic ministry. He didn’t lose heart because it wasn’t about Moses or Elijah. It is only about Jesus. Paul is free. We are free. Free to confess Christ.
St. Paul doesn’t resort to “disgraceful, underhanded ways.” (4:2) He doesn’t have to sugarcoat the Word of God to make it more appealing. Paul had it in his day, we have it in ours. We simply confess Christ as Lord and Savior when and where God gives the opportunity. As our text says some are going to be “blinded” but we don’t lose the courage or moxie, because the result isn’t our responsibility. That always and only rests in the hands of God.
God has shone in our hearts. He has given us the knowledge. The veil has been taken away. Be bold confessors of the new covenant – “Jesus Christ as Lord.” (4:5)
Amen.