Heaven is Jesus
Matthew 17:1-9
February 10, 2019 anno Domini – Redeemer
Epiphany begins and ends with heaven. A star appears in the heavens and guides the wise men to a little toddler in Bethlehem. Peter, James, and John get a glimpse of heaven. A couple of really old guys, Moses and Elijah, long gone, are alive. Jesus shines with heavenly glory. God the Father brags up His Son. That’s heaven right there. Every description of heaven we get in Scripture centers around Jesus. All attention is on Him. Everyone is looking at Him – the angels, the prophets, the apostles, all the saints. The glory of heaven is not about you getting to do whatever you want all day long. The glory of heaven is Jesus, true God and true man, being honored and praised for His saving work, for saving you.
Is it any wonder Peter wants to stay there? Who doesn’t want heaven? Who doesn’t want it right now? Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
In his request Peter said, “Lord … if you wish.” Two weeks ago we heard Leper pray the same thing, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus said, “I will, be clean.” Sometimes the Lord wills what you will and other times He doesn’t. He healed the leper. Peter never got to build his three tents. Peter wasn’t getting heaven His way. He had hardly finished his prayer when the Father interrupted him with the bright cloud and His booming voice, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Heaven comes in one way – to Moses, to Elijah, to Peter, to James, to John, and to you – it comes in Jesus. Listen to Him.
Elijah and Moses are with Jesus. That should be very comforting to you. We know they are two of the greatest characters in the Old Testament, but sometimes our Sunday School knowledge of Bible Stories is like the obituaries in the newspaper. We hear all the good works a person has done, many times exaggerated to the point of near perfection, but rarely, if ever, do we hear of their faults. Moses brought the 10 plagues on Egypt, freed the Israelites from slavery, wiped out Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea, received the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai, and led those grumbling, whining Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness. But do you remember that Moses was banned from the Promised Land? All those good deeds and Moses never got in, because of one sin. God told Moses to speak to a rock from which water would flow for the Israelites, but instead of speaking he struck the rock with his staff twice. Moses didn’t get into the Promised Land because he did not believe God’s Word. However Moses did get into heaven. That’s proven by the text. He’s alive and with Jesus 2500 years after he died.
Elijah was a great prophet at one of the lowest times in Israel’s history. King Ahab ruled. His wife Jezebel, well she was a Jezebel. Instead of worshipping the Lord, Israel was filled with entertaining worship – the worship of sex, the worship of the false god Baal. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a duel. 450 Baal prophets against one prophet of the Lord. It was a battle Royale, and in the end the Lord God of Israel won; Elijah was the only prophet left standing. 450 false prophets were dead in a single day. It is one of the most glorious events in the Old Testament and one we preachers love.
Do you remember what happened the next day? Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life. Elijah should have said, “Big deal. Listen Lady Jezebel, the Lord just took out 450 of your best men in one afternoon. Bring it on.” Instead Elijah ran for his life, hid in the wilderness, and made the Kingdom of God all about himself. He complained to the Lord. He was the only one left in Israel who cared. He wanted to die. “Lord, take away my life.”
Peter wanted to get to heaven without Jesus going to the cross. Moses didn’t believe the Word of God was strong enough. Elijah thought the Kingdom of God couldn’t exist without him. They don’t sound much different than us.
Like Peter we would like glory without suffering. Our church would certainly be more popular if we preached a Dave Ramsey Jesus who will make you rich or a Joel Olsteen Jesus who will make you happy or a Joyce Meyer Jesus who will fix all your hurts and brokenness. We however are obligated to preach a crucified Jesus because that’s the only Jesus found in Scripture. He’s the only Jesus who actually helps you.
Like Moses we doubt God’s Word is strong enough – strong enough to sustain His church, strong enough to forgive our sins, strong enough to help us endure whatever life and death bring us. How often do you think God’s Word is not enough? It’s not enough to get you out of bed, to keep your children interested, to make life worth living, to give you joy and contentment. So God’s Word just becomes one of many things in our lives that we look to.
Like Elijah we despair that church is so small or we think it all depends on one person – the perfect pastor, the rich member who can pay the bills, the woman who faithfully serves in every capacity in the local congregation.
Stop it. Repent, or as St. Matthew writes twice – behold, which really is the command “look” – look at Jesus. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well please;, listen to Him.” Look and listen. When the disciples finally looked up they saw no one but Jesus only. Then they heard Him say, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
Look – this Jesus, in case you missed it, this guy whose body shone with the glory of God, this guy who talked with Moses and Elijah, this guy whom the Father confessed as His Son, this guy is God. Jesus of Nazareth is God. So when He is raised from the dead know this – God died for your sins. God shed His blood to atone for you. God paid the price for Moses’ anger, Elijah’s fears, and Peter’s foolish wish. God paid the price for your gossip, for your worship of sex, for your coveting of your neighbor’s life, and stuff, for your desire to get to heaven without serving or suffering or sacrificing. Listen to Jesus. He went to the cross for your sins. He rose from the dead. He gave His gift of forgiveness to His Church – to deliver – to you – in the water of baptism, in His body and blood in the Supper, in His Word. Look! The Son of Man is raised from the dead. Look! The Father is well pleased with His Son’s sacrifice. Listen! Your sin is forgiven and heaven is open. You’re there with Peter, Moses, and Elijah – all in the name of Jesus. Amen.