Text: Luke 9:28-36
Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Years ago, there used to be a television commercial in which a hush would come over a crowd and then voice would come on and say, “When E. F. Hutton talks, everyone listens.”
In today’s text, we hear the voice of the Father declaring, “This is my Son. Listen to Him.” When Jesus talks, everyone is to listen.
Why is it that it seems that people in general would be more willing to listen to E. F. Hutton regarding earthly riches rather than listen to Jesus talking about heavenly riches? In fact, it just seems like there are a lot of people who just don’t and won’t listen to Jesus. People in general are much more prone to speak the word “Jesus” in a vain way from their mouths rather than listen to a word from Jesus in a beneficial way in their ears. By nature, we are quick to speak and slow to listen. We speak even when we don’t know what we are talking about.
There is a time to talk and there is a time to listen.
For instance, if you go into a movie theater and begin a conversation with the person sitting next to you, you will most likely be told to keep quiet. That person is trying to listen to the movie. If you go to the library and make a lot of noise, you may have someone come and tell you to hush.
There is a time to talk and there is a time to listen.
If you approach a cash register at a fast food restaurant, the cashier will expect an order from you. Unless you speak up, you will not get what you desire. If someone were to ask you what is the hope that you have for eternal life and you remain silent, how will that person hear about the Good News of salvation in the name of Jesus?
There is a time to talk and there is a time to listen.
For some reason we seem to get confused on when we should keep our mouths closed and when we should open up our ears.
Today’s gospel text makes it very simple; it boils down to this, when Jesus talks we are to listen. The problem is that by nature we are not very good listeners. We have very selective hearing. We hear what we want to hear. In fact, we are not very good speakers either. We have very selective speaking. We speak what we want to speak.
From today’s Gospel text, we learn to guard the door of our lips and open the window of our ears. We are to hear the word of Jesus and then speak that same word, confessing it to be true.
In today’s text, there was a holy conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus about the coming exodus. In our English Standard Version of the Bible, the Greek word is translated as “departure.” The Greek word is actually, “exodus.” The name, “Exodus” that we give to the second book of Moses, comes from the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. In the Greek, you can see the clear connection between the “departure” from Egypt and the new “departure” from Jerusalem. This was the heavenly conversation regarding the death of Jesus in Jerusalem.
Peter jumps into the conversation and quickly changes the subject from departure, or literally “exodus,” to staying. He doesn’t want to focus on the future; he wants to maintain the present. He wants to build tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. He wants to hold onto the glory.
To put this into perspective, it would be like going to an airport and holding a conversation with an airline employee that is not helpful. There you are trying to establish the departure time and location of your plane and the desk attendant is trying to tell you about a hotel in town to stay in. Your intention for going to the airport is not to stay or spend the night. Rather, you are trying to leave town. You are trying to depart.
Well in today’s Gospel text, Jesus is talking about the most important event in the history of the world. He is talking about the exodus in Jerusalem in which He will depart; He will die, and take His people with Him into the Promised Land.
Peter on the other hand, being quick to speak and slow to listen, wants to talk about how great it is that Moses, Elijah, and the glorified Jesus are present. Peter truly wants to live in the moment. He really doesn’t know what he is saying. He doesn’t understand that in order to obtain glory, there must be suffering. In order to have life, there first must be death. In order to win the victory, there must be a fight. In order to understand, he must listen to the words of Jesus.
When Jesus talks everyone will listen. Either you will listen now or you will listen on the Last Day. When you listen now, you listen with faith. These are the words you hear now and they will be the same words that you will hear then. Jesus says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34 ESV). As you listen now, you hold to His Word with faith. You have His word now and will have His Word then.
If you reject His Word now, and do not believe, you will still listen to Him. You will hear His Word then on the Last Day, when He says to all the unbelievers, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41 ESV). On that day, every mouth will be kept silent and every ear will be opened.
As believers, you have begun the holy conversation now here in time. As you continue to hear the Word of God and to speak that Word, you continue in this conversation. As we gather around that Word, there is a time to speak and a time to listen. The Word reveals your sins, you listen, and then you speak the same Word back by confessing your sins. Then the Word declares you forgiven, you listen, and then you speak the same Word back and say, “Amen. It is so.”
In today’s Gospel text, Peter is quick to speak, but then when he hears the voice of the Father he is silent. But, after the resurrection of Jesus, his silence is broken when he proclaims boldly what the Lord has done. In his second epistle he reflects on the transfiguration by saying, "I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure [literally my “exodus”] you may be able at any time to recall these things. 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 were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain." (2 Peter 1:13-18, ESV)
With Peter, you have listened and continue to listen to Jesus. You already know the verdict. Your final destination is not on the ground or in the ground, but rather your destination is in heaven with your Lord. His departure is your departure. His death is your death. His life is your life. His exodus is your exodus.
As the Israelites were lead out of Egypt, so too are you lead out of this fallen world. They were freed from bondage and slavery to Pharaoh; you are freed from bondage and slavery to the devil. As First Corinthians chapter ten tells us that they were baptized into Moses through the water of the Red Sea, you have been baptized into Christ through the waters of Holy Baptism. Amen. Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding guard and keep your hearts in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
