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.

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God allows us to witness the wilderness, the barren desert, of our lack of faith. To see the fruitlessness, the barrenness. And when we finally come to the end of our road . . . when we finally come to the sad realization that we are dead without Him . . . He forgives. He heals. He restores.

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In every way possible, King Jesus embodies the promises of Isaiah. In His person. In His rule. He is, in fact, the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. His rule in eternity will be, for us and all of creation, a rule completely characterized by peace. By harmony. By joy.

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This mountain—the mountain of God's holiness— is without doubt the most important mountain in the world. And Isaiah sees that in the latter days its preeminence among all other mountains will be established, its glory will be made firm.

It is here on this mountain we learn what both of our sin and His mercy. When God judges our sin, does He do so rightly? Without a doubt, and we who let His word have its way with us know that we have no recourse, no plea to make, but must simply agree that the very cause of all our strife and quarrels lies not in our hands, but in our hearts.

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To look upon Jesus' suffering and weep without repentance, without faith, is to miss entirely who He is. To miss what He does. Such weeping is mere sentimentality. And sentimentality saves no one. It denies that His suffering is necessary, as though we could find salvation some other way.

What is necessary is to see Jesus rightly. Not to deny suffering and attempt too take Him down off the cross, but to leave Him there and believe upon it. What is necessary is to see Him numbered among the sinners, to recognize that He takes that label upon Himself, and in that He offers you His peace, His Kingdom, His forgiveness.

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!