When you are troubled, when you are in despair . . . there is no more genuine, no more certain proof that Christ has given Himself for you than the Word that you read, the Word that you hear, and the Sacrament you receive.

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Above all what John wants us to know from these words is this: when the disciples were confused, when they were fearful of earthly powers, when they were afraid that they might suffer the same fate at the hands of the religious leaders that Jesus suffered . . . when they were scared that what happened to Jesus might happen to them simply because they were identified with Jesus . . . Jesus shows up to give them the comfort that what has happened to Him will indeed happen to them.

Jesus appears to His disciples to demonstrate that yes, He had died, but now He lives. Jesus appears to His disciples to give them comfort. To give them peace. Jesus appears to His disciples to demonstrate that He has conquered death.

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We are united in our common humanity, yes. But that common humanity is our fallen nature. It is our sinfulness. That is the one thing we all share. And for many people—all too many people—that is the tragic whole of the story. There is no possibility of being pleasing to God . . . not apart from the work of the Spirit. Not apart from the work of the Son.

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Let us not mince words nor attempt to redefine those terms. Paul has not spoken of qualities that we deem to be good and right and true; he has spoken of concrete realities that are goodness, righteousness, and truthiness. Goodness is not something that we have the right to determine or define according to our whim, it is an inherent characteristic of God Himself, and therefore the fruit of the light is fruit that He has given, it is fruit in which you now mirror Him, fruit that gives you to understand what is—and what is not—genuine goodness, true righteousness, full truth.

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Let us stop for a moment and consider just how ludicrous this sounds: if I could keep God's law to such an extent that I could make myself righteousness, then God would owe me. Say that again: God would owe me. Is that something that we truly believe could ever be true? That somehow, the Creator of the Universe, the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hillsides, the God who judges the hearts of all men . . . that somehow we could have that God over a barrel? That we could put Him in a position where we could rightly demand our just wages from Him?

Instead of something as inconceivable as that, is it not more truthful, more in line with reality, to acknowledge that we have nothing to offer God except the filth of our sin . . . and that those who do so are truly blessed, because God covers up that sin?

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When Jesus takes on flesh in His incarnation, He does so that He can stand in place of all humanity. When Jesus undertakes His earthly ministry, He does so that He can undo all the damage that sin has inflicted upon us. When Jesus enters into our flesh, He does so that He can succeed in all the places where we have failed.

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Matthew has not chosen this story to simply wow us with Jesus' holy radiance. The Holy Spirit has not inspired the recording of this account so that we can marvel at Jesus' power. Because everything that happens on this mountaintop has a vital counterpoint in one, simple, humble truth: after going up this mountain, Jesus came back down. He came back down because He still had work to do. So in all that we see in the Transfiguration of Our Lord—and there is much for us to see and at which to marvel—the most stunning thing is that the Mount of Transfiguration is not the high point of Jesus' ministry. That privilege is reserved for something else. Something quite different.

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Salt has an essential character: it is salty. Which seems silly to say, but Jesus says something that I still find quite strange: What if salt were no longer . . . salty? What then?

Salt has a flavor. It adds its flavor to our favorite foods, and when it is absent, we consider the food bland . . . tasteless.

Salt has a function. It works as a preservative. Salt absorbs water, which pulls the moisture from meats and such, thus making them far less likely to rot and decay. If salt was used on a cut of meat, you could travel with it for quite some time, depending on its nourishment. If salt was not . . . well, you know it takes mere days—or even mere hours—before the meat is utterly inedible and spoiled.

And you, church, are the salt of the world.

This podcast can never be a substitute for in-person attendance at a local church. Click here to find a local church you can connect with! Find a Lutheran church near you!