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Title: Jesus, Prophet Above Prophets
Text: Luke 9:28-36
Liturgical Date: Transfiguration C
Calendar Date: March 2, 2025
Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson
Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County serves Baileys Harbor and other communities around Northeast Wisconsin.
The Call to Listen to Jesus
Today, we heard these words from God: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” In this sermon, we will explore the theme that Jesus is the prophet above all prophets and that, because of this, we ought to listen to him. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to allow the voices of others to cloud our minds and hearts.
This truth is reinforced for me almost every time we discuss the resurrection in our youth catechism classes. When we begin talking about the resurrection, a couple of eager students often get excited to tell me they know all about it. They explain that when we die, our souls go into other people’s bodies and are born again. I have to correct them: “That’s not what we teach. That’s not the doctrine of the resurrection; it’s the doctrine of reincarnation, which is not a Christian teaching at all. It’s a belief from Eastern religions, not part of our faith.” It’s so easy to let the words of false prophets cloud our minds and hearts, and that’s what this sermon is about today—listening to Jesus.
Peter’s Error on the Mount of Transfiguration
Peter made a similar error on the Mount of Transfiguration, though his mistake was less severe than the one I just described. He didn’t give honor to false prophets, but he failed to recognize who the ultimate prophet truly was. His error offers us instruction, especially since we sometimes commit the greater sin of not recognizing the true and ultimate prophet.
What exactly was Peter’s error? In his sleepy stupor, Peter said, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He was reacting to the fact that Moses and Elijah had begun to depart, and he didn’t want them to leave. He thought it was good that they were there, and as someone skilled with his hands, he believed it was fitting for him to build tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus to keep them from departing. Peter’s mistake was thinking there would be a loss if Moses and Elijah left. He failed to recognize that the fullness of what God had to offer was present in Jesus alone.
Our Greater Error: Listening to False Prophets
Our error is often much worse than Peter’s. Instead of giving equal honor to true prophets like Moses and Elijah, we too often lend our ears to those who are plainly false. For example, I mentioned the confusion in my catechism class, where unchristian teachings like reincarnation cloud our minds and hearts. But it doesn’t have to be people who exalt themselves as religious figures. How many of us let what we see on social media influence our perspectives on right and wrong, good and bad? We allow those voices to hold greater sway over our minds and hearts than the voice of God in Christ Jesus. Perhaps it’s not social media for you—maybe it’s what you see on television, hear on the radio, or absorb from podcasts. Many people believe the words of Christ are outdated, backward, or even embarrassing. They say, “What Christ taught was then, and this is now.” In countless ways, we allow false prophets to have equal, if not greater, influence over us than Christ Jesus.
God’s Corrective in the Transfiguration
God offers a corrective, both to Peter and to us, through the Transfiguration. This corrective comes in multiple forms. First, it appears in the testimony of Moses and Elijah themselves. As the text tells us in verses 30 and 31, “Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory, spoke of Jesus’s departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah discussed Jesus, showing us that the entire Old Testament bears testimony to him—not only through Moses but also through later prophets like Elijah.
God also offers a corrective through his own words. A cloud envelops the scene, and a voice declares, “This is my Son.” Moses and Elijah were great men, indeed servants of God. Through Moses, God led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery, but this was only a foreshadowing, a preparation for an even greater deliverance—an exodus accomplished in Christ Jesus. Moses was a great writing prophet who recorded the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, as the Word of God. But Jesus is the Word of God, not a mere servant but God’s own Son. Elijah, an incredible wonder-working prophet, performed mighty miracles through the Lord’s power. Yet Jesus is the miracle of miracles, rising from the dead. As the Son of God, he bears all of God’s wisdom, knowledge, power, and authority. He surpasses even these good prophets, Moses and Elijah, and far outstrips the false prophets whose words so often tickle our ears.
The Chosen One Foretold
God then adds, “This is my Chosen One,” revealing that the one prophesied throughout Scripture has arrived in Christ Jesus. He is the one foretold in Genesis 3, the son of Eve who would crush the head of Satan even as his heel was struck. He is the prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18, exceeding even Moses. He is the one prophesied in Isaiah, wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. This Chosen One is here in Jesus. Therefore, we ought to listen to him. To remove any doubt about whom the Lord is speaking, the cloud lifts, and only Jesus remains.
Heeding the Call to Listen
What does this mean for us? First, brothers and sisters in Christ, we should heed the Father’s command to listen to Jesus. Even I, as someone paid to study the Bible, can reflect on my own life and realize how much time I spend listening to the radio, podcasts, or scrolling social media—sometimes more than I spend studying God’s Word. Are these things inherently evil? No, not by any means. They can be used for evil purposes, but in themselves, they are not wicked. Still, I can relate to the need to spend more time in God’s Word and be more attentive to Scripture.
There are many ways to do this, but let me offer a few practical suggestions. For many of us, especially the younger ones, the first thing we do in the morning is pick up our phones to check notifications. I see how foolish this can be—including for myself—because half the time, those notifications are from so-called friends who want to argue, disagree, or call us out. How much wiser it would be to open the Word of God instead of turning on the morning news with its doom and gloom or scrolling through notifications. Or consider this: as we drive down the road, instead of turning on the radio or a podcast, we could play God’s Word over our speakers. These are just two ideas among countless possibilities. The point is that Jesus will have greater sway over our hearts and minds if we are attentive to his Word. As we enter Lent, this is an especially fitting time to prioritize this practice—which is why we add midweek services to give you more opportunities to hear God’s Word.
The Freedom Christ Offers
Listening to God’s Word builds trust, and this is how we honor Christ as the prophet above all prophets. Christ offers something no other prophet—not even Moses or Elijah—could accomplish: freedom from sin, death, and the devil. Moses and Elijah discussed Jesus’s “departure,” alluding to how Moses helped the Israelites depart from slavery. But Christ has delivered us from a far greater slavery—one that no one else could, would, or has overcome.
Christ has defeated death and delivered us from its power. He did this through the forgiveness of our sins. Though Christ had no sin, he shared in the consequences of sin through his death on the cross. As St. Paul writes, “The wages of sin is death.” This is only natural: when we reject the way of life God gave us in the Ten Commandments, we reject the Life-Giver himself. We contribute to chaos, destruction, and death. When we die—whether in this world or eternally—we receive the just deserts of our choices in sin. Yet Christ, though sinless, shared in that death on the cross. By doing so, he defeated sin through the ultimate act of loving obedience to the Father and the ultimate act of loving sacrifice for us. He fulfilled the law to its greatest extent, and we get to share in that victory. Where there is now no sin, there is also no more death. Christ has led the way into life through his holy resurrection. On the third day, he rose again from the dead, proving he is the prophet above all prophets.
Christ’s Victory Over Falsehood and Death
Every false prophet lies in the grave—Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Buddha—but Christ Jesus has risen. Even Moses, a true prophet of God, died and was buried because of his sin. But Christ our Lord has risen from the dead. Though we won’t say this for another 40 days after Wednesday, let’s proclaim it now: Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection, the firstfruits of the world to come. He has led the way out of the valley of the shadow of death and into the still waters and green pastures of eternal life. That is our destiny as well, through his power and might.
Christ has also cut off the lying tongue of the devil. As we trust in him for salvation, the forgiveness of our sins, and everlasting life, we rely on his Word and instruction. When the devil seeks to deceive us—calling bad good and good bad, evil right and right evil—Christ conforms our minds to his truth, which is the truth. Even when the devil tries to drive us to despair, convincing us we could never be God’s children, Jesus, the Son of God by nature, assures us that we are God’s sons and daughters by adoption.
Conclusion: Formed by the Prophet Above All
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us listen to him who is the prophet above all prophets, the Son of God. By listening to him, our hearts and minds are formed to his will. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.