Scripture Passage
Sermon Text
The passage that we read today is a beautiful passage that if you draw a picture, you’ll draw a very nice painting. But we have to understand the context a little bit. Six days ago, Peter was rebuked by Jesus. Actually, Jesus rebuked Peter with really harsh words. He even called Peter ‘Satan’. This is what is said, “But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”” I don’t know how Peter survived after hearing this. His Lord or his friend told him, “You are Satan! Get behind me. You have your mind on the earthly things, not heavenly things.” Hearing all that, I don’t know how he survived. That was six days ago.
And then six days later, Jesus took Peter to this mountain. This is what he said, “Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.” Matthew started with six days. In other words, he connects this incident with what happened six days ago. So he said, six days later, this thing happened. At the mountain, Peter experienced a tremendously wonderful, out of this world kind of experience. Something he never experienced in his life. He saw complete change of Jesus. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white. A complete transformation. People call it transfiguration.
And he saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. I’m wondering what they were talking about, why they were there. Jesus was talking with these people. Matthew doesn’t record what they were talking about, but luckily Luke recorded what they were talking about. This is what Luke said, “Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” This departure is death. It’s not about going on a “journey” departure. They were talking about Jesus’ death in Jerusalem, but wasn’t that the very reason why Peter was rebuked by Jesus?
Six days ago, Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter made a greatest confession. He said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Highest and most beautiful confession he made about Jesus. And it was not his own discovery. Jesus knew that it was given by God. Jesus said, “And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”” So Peter got this understanding through God, not on his own. But right after that, when Jesus said, “Okay, I’ll die though in Jerusalem soon.” That’s when Peter reacted very harshly, even to the point of rebuking Jesus. When you read the Greek word, Peter actually rebuked Jesus. That’s when Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Satan, get behind me.”
What Jesus Wanted to Show
Death. Peter thought of death as all bad. We think of death as all bad. We have a very negative attitude towards death. But death, my friend, is not the end. Death brings complete transformation to us. Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain was a foreshadow of what would happen to him after his death. Jesus wanted to show Peter this glorious picture. Jesus wanted to show that, “Peter, death is not necessarily all bad thing.”
Of course, Peter did not understand the full significance of what he experienced. Even after this mountain top experience, Peter denied Jesus three times. When he faced his own death, he was so scared he trembled and he denied Jesus three times. Even though he had this wonderful experience at the mountain top, when he faced his own death, he was unable handle that he was too scared. But whatever he experience on this mountain probably was in Peter’s memory for the rest of his life. It never disappeared. Even after he denied Jesus, probably he remembered his experience on this mountain.
Understanding An Experience in Retrospect
After a few decades, about thirty or forty years later, we can see that Peter was still remembering that. This is written in Second Peter, Peter’s letter. This is what he said, “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 had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.” This was written a few decades later. And yes, he still remembered his mountain experience. Sometimes, my friends, we do not understand what we experience while we are experiencing it, we just experience it. But only much later can we understand the full significance of what we experienced at that time. Only retrospectively, “Ah, that’s what I experienced.” That’s what he meant, what that experience meant. Only later, we understand what we experience.
Yes, death can be scary. Death can be scary. At TBS meeting last Tuesday, we were talking about death. They’re all twenties, thirties, mostly thirties. Young people still tell me that they’re thinking of death. Death is not a topic only to all people. Death can be scary to anyone. Yesterday I had a training for the elderly woman and then I gave them the five stages of death that people are going through. As soon as I talked about death, they were thinking about their own selves. “Oh, I will go through that stage too.” They were a little bit down when I was talking about it. Death is not something that we can escape. Death can make people depressed and dark.
But today, Jesus showed us. Yes, death is an inescapable reality, but it is not as bad as Peter thought. The real change happens when we die. Death brings resurrection. That is what baptism is. Isn’t it? Die with Christ and rise with Christ. Only after the resurrection, Peter could understand the full significance of this mountain top experience. That’s why Jesus said, “Do not tell them what you saw on this mountain.” This is what Jesus said as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus order them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” He told them not to talk about it because they will not understand it.
The Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You
Jesus touched him and said, “Get up, do not be afraid.” That is what Jesus wants to say to us. Get up, do not be afraid. Sometimes we feel that life is gloomy. We get sad, too. Sometimes we are overwhelmed with fear. That is when Jesus comes to us and comforts us. We may not have a dramatic experience like Peter had, but we experience our own small heaven. We experience our own small heaven. Don’t make your life hell. Even when you feel like life is like hell, you have to find the heaven. Love and forgive. You will experience heaven. Seek righteousness. This is what Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Be humble and have a broken and poor spirit. This is what Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Trust and leave everything to God. You will find peace. And then you can see heaven come to you. Heaven is not here or there, heaven is in you.
This is what Jesus said, “Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Depending on translation, the kingdom of God is within you. Heaven is within you. If you’re filled with heaven, you’ll live in heaven. But if you’re filled with hell, not only will you live in hell, but you will make everybody else around you live hell. Live heaven. Don’t let anyone take away the heaven that is within you.
Sometimes we are lonely. Yes, sometimes we are hurting. Sometimes we are angry, as we reflected last week. Sometimes we get angry. Sometimes our feeling of hatred torments us, and sometimes our problems paralyze us. But, you know, all these things? They just pass by. They’re not going to be with you forever. They will just pass by. But heaven within you will be eternal forever. It will not just pass by. The heaven God created within you, that heaven will take you to heaven. If you seek it, you’ll find it and you will experience it. I hope that all of us live a wonderful life of heaven every moment.
Leave a Reply