[Sermon Archive] - [Weekly Devotional Guide]

This Week's Sermon THE TRANSFIGURATION of OUR LORD 22 February 2009 "It's Going to Get Worse before It Gets Better" Mark 9:2-9 LSB Series B Pastor Philip G. Meyer Soli Deo Gloria!

"It's Going to Get Worse before It Gets Better" are words that we've heard a lot lately. They've been spoken by politicians, economists, street-corner philosophers, and by people who probably don't know very much about our nation's economic situation, yet we pretty much agree that they are true. Of course, we also hope that these words are wrong, that somehow we'll avoid worse pain. The trouble is, nobody knows. If only we could see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow . . . If only we knew the outcome.

Knowing the outcome would certainly have made for a far less-stressful viewing of the Super Bowl for me! The game started out superbly for the Steelers and they were cruising along until the fourth quarter and then things got bad, very bad, as the Cardinals scored again. Things got bad and then got worse as they seized the lead. It looked as if there were no hope for the Steelers. But, of course, in the last minute it all got better. It really did get worse before it got better!

That may be a way for us to understand the Transfiguration and its aftermath. Consider everything that led up to it. Mark lists lots of miracles that Jesus performed before this. In chapter 8 alone, Jesus fed the four thousand, also with a reference to the feeding of the 5,000 men; he healed a blind man at Bethsaida; Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Then Jesus foretold his suffering, death, and resurrection. He called for people to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him [8.34-38], concluding by making reference to his coming in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And then he spoke these words immediately before our reading:

"Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." (Mark 9:1, ESV)

Even though the transfiguration did not take place for another six days, I am sure that those words about the kingdom of God coming with power continued to play over and over again in the disciples' ears. Things were looking good, very good, the disciples must have thought. The kingdom of God was going to come with power, and while there might be difficult moments, it was coming.

There on the mountaintop things could not have been better. Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John. His appearance took on an otherworldliness. Jesus appeared before them in glory. Not only that, but Moses and Elijah, the two great figures of the Old Testament, appeared with him. These men had gone to their heavenly glory and now were here with Jesus. It couldn't have gotten any better! Peter suggested making the situation permanent by erecting three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Presumably, Peter, James, and John would be content to sleep out in the open, so great was the scene.

Things would get worse, much worse from their perspective. As they came down from the mountain Jesus told them not to say anything about what they had seen until he had risen from the dead. We should probably have the next verse included in our reading:

"So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean." (Mark 9:10, ESV)

They had no idea how much worse things would get. Jesus would enter Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd but would be arrested a few days later, betrayed by one of his own disciples. He would be tried by the Sanhedrin and condemned to death. Pilate and the Roman government would acquiesce to the Sanhedrin's demands, and Jesus would be crucified, suffering the death of a criminal. Things could not have gotten any worse. Where-how could the kingdom of God come with power in the face of such utter defeat? As it was, all the disciples except for John and the women, fled once he had been arrested.

In a few days Lutherans will sing a well-known Lenten hymn, Jesus, I Will Ponder Now. It includes these words:

440 Jesus, I Will Ponder Now

3 Yet, O Lord, not thus alone
Make me see Your passion,
But its cause to me make known
And its termination.
Ah! I also and my sin
Wrought Your deep affliction;
This indeed the cause has been
Of Your crucifixion.

Text and Music: Public domain
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.

Pondering what caused this turn of events is not easy nor enjoyable. It was your sins-my sins-which caused things to get much worse for Jesus. Death and Jesus do not seem to go together. A Messiah and death don't seem to go together. Islam fervently maintains that Jesus could not be the Messiah because messiahs don't die. They have only triumph after glorious triumph, and to them the cross is certainly not a triumph.

But you know that the kingdom of God does indeed come with power at Jesus' crucifixion. When he died there is the power of sin forgiven. Jesus' death unlocks heaven for the world because his death is an atoning death. His death is good for all sinners of all time, of every nation, tribe, and people. In Jesus' death is the ultimate good-God restores fallen humanity to himself in the only way possible: the innocent One dies for the guilty and Christ's innocence is distributed to the world in Holy Baptism.

But things will get worse for us, too. Earlier Mark records:

"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." (Mark 8:34-35, ESV)

Repentance is what characterizes the Christian life. Lent does not extinguish the joy of heaven because Jesus lives. The best is yet to come! Of course you know the Gospel account! It does get better three days after Jesus died. He rose from the dead! Jesus conquered our old evil foe. He conquered sin and death for us. When everything looked to be at its worst, it was actually getting better, better than anyone could have imagined because Jesus' death ushered in a kingdom that has no end, a kingdom where he rules in glory and power on behalf of his Church forever.

That joy is wrapped in the very worst that could happen, Jesus' death. It is important for you to know that it was your sin that made this death necessary. It is even more important for you to repent of your sins so that you receive all that Jesus has earned by his death and resurrection. And so, the Church puts away her "alleluias" for a time, a time when we re-examine our lives in light of God's Word, a time when we repent of our sins, a time when we contemplate what it cost our Lord to redeem us,.

We would rather not go through that kind of thing. We would rather skip right to the glorious end. Yet, such repentance and sorrow for our sin is necessary, not for Jesus, but for us, that we might be prepared to rightly celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection, so that our faith might be strengthened as we use Word and Sacrament, repent and be absolved yet again.

The best is yet to come! Why can we be so sure that the trials and tribulations, the crosses that we bear, will be lifted? Because Jesus was transfigured! This glimpse into the eternal glory of Christ encourages us in these gray, latter days when there is so much uncertainty about tomorrow, about life.

When the vision was over, Peter, James, and John saw Jesus only. They had heard the Father's voice from heaven say:

"This is my beloved Son; listen to him." (Mark 9:7, ESV)

Yes, "It's Going to Get Worse before It Gets Better," and that it gets better is sure because God's promises are sure. A glorious future awaits those who are in Christ through faith. Their sins, forgiven because of Christ's death, can accuse them no more. Instead, there is only this kingdom of Christ's righteousness for them. No matter how bad things may get in this world, they will get better for those who belong to Christ.

So, forward we go into Lent. Christ will feed you along the pilgrim way with his Word and Sacrament. He will absolve you of your sins. He will encourage you with his body and blood. God the Holy Spirit grant that you see and listen only to Jesus as things get worse in the world, and that you trust his Word that everything will work out for your eternal good!