Dear Christian friends:

We often drive up to the mountains to have a vacation and rest. We need a vacation once a year and we need one day each week to rest from our daily work and duties. That is why God commanded the Sabbath day.

Also our soul needs times for rest and an opportunity to be renewed. Here in our text we see that Jesus and three of His disciples went to a high mountain to be “apart with themselves." (verse 2) Jesus and the three disciples went up the high mountain to part from the world and to be renewed. They went on a mountain retreat.

What happens when we go apart from the world to be with Jesus?

What happened when the three disciples, Peter, James and John, went apart from the world up the high mountain with Jesus? They saw God's glory. In our text we read, "Jesus changed before their eyes, and His clothes became shining white, more white than any painter can mix." (verse 3) Also Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus. They also had changed glorious bodies. Here on the mountain Jesus showed His glory same as He will appear in heaven. Also Moses and Elijah appeared with glorious, heavenly bodies, bodies that will never die, but will live forever in perfect health.

The changed, glorious bodies of Jesus and the believers are not really God's glory. The real glory of God the Father and of Jesus the Son is that God loved the world so much that He gave His only beloved Son to suffer and die to save the world from sin and Satan's power. God's love for sinners is His glory. This our text shows.

Our text tells us that Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain and talked with Jesus. What did they talk about?. Here in our text Mark does not tell us what they talked about. But Luke also wrote about this event, and Luke tells us that they talked “about His death, which He would soon finish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9:31) Moses and Elijah were Law preachers when they lived here on earth, but now they do not preach the Law; they preach the Gospel. They talk about Jesus' suffering and death which He would soon finish. Jesus holy', innocent suffering and death shows God's great love and mercy for sinners. God's love for sinners is His real glory. God the Father was also there on the mountain that day. He said about Jesus, "This is My beloved Son: hear him.” (verse 7)

On the mountain, when the three disciples went apart from the world to be with Jesus, they saw and experienced God's real glory. That happens to us when we go apart from the world to be with Jesus.

When do we do that? When are we apart from the world and alone with Jesus? When we gather here in church each Sunday. Here we baptize sinners in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that they can have new birth and new eternal life! Here we confess our sins and wrongs and eat the bread and drink the wine, the body and blood of Jesus, which He gave and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.

Here the pastor preaches the Good News every Sunday: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Here in church is our mountain retreat! Here we gather to be separated from the world and to see and experience God's glory in Jesus Christ.

It is good that we gather here each Sunday to be with Jesus apart from the world. Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here." (verse 5a) It was good for Peter, James and John long ago, and it is also good for us today. But often we don't want to come here or we are not eager and excited to come here. Shame on us! Let us confess this sin to the Lord. Forgive us, Lord!

We need to go up the mountain apart from the world to be with Jesus each Sunday, but them we need to go back down the mountain and out into the world again.

Peter wanted to stay on the mountain with Jesus. He did not want to go back down the mountain. Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, let us make three tents, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah." (verse 5b) Peter was afraid, excited and inspired by seeing God's glory in Jesus, but He did not understand it very well yet or fully appreciate it yet. (verse 6) But Jesus did not let Peter and the others stay there on the mountain. When they all left the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone the things that had happened until after He had risen from the dead. (verse 9) After Jesus finished His salvation work, after Easter, after He ascends into heaven, then they are to tell the whole world what they saw and experienced on the mountain.

Jesus also commands us to respond to God's love and go down the mountain and out into the world to minister to the people who have not yet seen and experienced God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus commands us to preach, baptize, teach and witness about God's glory, His wonderful love for sinners in Jesus Christ. But often we are selfish and refuse to give for church and missions. Often we delay or refuse to witness to those who do not yet know God's love in Jesus. Let us confess this sin also. Let us pray: Forgive us, Lord! Inspire us and help us to go down the mountain. Below is a hymn prayer we need to sing and pray often:

‘Tis Good, Lord, To Be Here,
Thy Glory Fills The Night;
Thy Face And Garments, Like The Sun,
Shine With Unborrowed Light.

‘Tis Good, Lord, To Be Here,
Thy Beauty To Behold
Where Moses And Elijah Stand,
Thy Messengers Of Old.

Fulfiller Of The Past!
Promise Of Things To Be,
We Hail Thy Body Glorified
And Our Redemption See.

Before We Taste Of Death,
We See Thy Kingdom Come;
We Fain Would Hold The Vision Bright
And Make This Hill Our Home.

‘Tis Good, Lord, To Be Here.
Yet We May Not Remain;
But Since Thou Bids Us Leave The Mount,
Come With Us To The Plain.

'Tis Good, Lord, To Be Here, TLH 135 Hymn

Amen.