CW 388: Down from the Mount of Glory
Two events serve as bookends for the season of Epiphany. At the beginning of Epiphany, we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’s ministry with the Baptism of our Lord, and now at the end, we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord. Down from the Mount of Glory is a hymn that recalls the wonderous and amazing events of the Transfiguration of our Lord. Shortly before the events of Holy Week, Jesus went up on a high mountain with his disciples Peter, James, and John. While they were on this mountain Jesus was transfigured before the eyes of his disciples. Jesus is both true God and true man, but during his time on earth, he did not make full use of his divine powers. At the Transfiguration Jesus revealed his divine nature to his disciples briefly. Peter, James, and John saw the awesome power of the Lord revealed in Christ. The Gospels tell us that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became whiter than snow. While they were on the mountain Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” These are the same words that God the Father spoke at the baptism of the Lord. The Transfiguration was a powerful revelation of our Lord’s power. It would be a powerful comfort to the disciples during the dark days after the arrest and crucifixion of Christ. As we begin the season of Lent the Transfiguration reminds us that only the death of God on the cross could make full payment for the sins of the world. The Transfiguration assures that Jesus is true God and that all authority on heaven and on earth has been given to him. Verse 1: Down from the mount of glory came Jesus Christ, our Lord. Recall the wondrous story, rich gem in sacred Word. Again your faith will view him in double glory here; the greater homage due him will in your life appear. Verse 1 of our hymn asks us to recall the wonderous story of the Transfiguration. As we think about the marvelous details of this event, we remember the great act of love that Jesus performed on our behalf. Jesus was true God from eternity. He had all the power and majesty of God, and yet for a time he chose to willingly set aside that power to live as a human being. The Creator became the creature. Christ clothed himself with human flesh so that he could suffer and die in our place. When we think about the love that our Savior showed us, we are moved to live our lives according to his will. Question: What are some ways that you can honor Jesus in your life? Verse 2: Transfigured, Christ, the lowly, stood radiant in the light, light found in Godhead solely, for human eyes too bright. Then came a voice from heaven, confirmed what here we see; the words “my Son” were given to seal his deity. Verse 2 of our hymn reminds us that even as Christ lived as a lowly human, he was still true God. We worship Jesus because he is a member of the Trinity. We worship one God who is three Persons and three Persons who are one God. This is a profound mystery that is beyond our ability to understand. The two natures of Christ, that he is true God and true man, are also beyond our ability to understand. These are the truths that Scripture teaches us, so we accept them by faith. Scripture is clear that Jesus needed to be true God and true man to save us. Jesus was true man so he could place himself under the law for us and die for us. He was true God so he could live a life free from sins and by the death of God pay for the sins of the whole world. Question: Why is the holiness of God too bright for human eyes? Verse 3: Yet mark this glory hidden! See him the mount descend and, by the Father bidden, his willing footsteps bend to seek humiliation in deepest depths of woe, to suffer degradation no mind can probe or know. Verse 3 reminds us of the amazing truth that Christ endured all his humiliation and suffering for us willingly. When we speak of the humiliation of Christ, we mean both the humiliation he endured as he was tortured and suffered on the cross and the humiliation of setting aside the full use of his divine power for a time. Think of the mystery of the almighty God living as a tiny baby or of the Creator of the universe feeling pain and fatigue. All of these things Christ endured willingly because of his great love for us. Christ did all this in perfect obedience to the will of the Father. Jesus knew precisely what was going to happen to him that first Holy Week. He knew he would be flogged and beaten, he knew that he would be nailed to a cross, and he knew that he would endure the torments of hell and be forsaken by the Father. Yet he endured all this willingly so that by his perfect sacrifice the world could be reconciled to God. Question: What does it mean that we cannot know the sufferings that Christ endured? Verse 4: Strange how his journey ended! In love that is his fame our Lord again ascended a mount—the hill of shame. Upon the cross he proffered himself to agony; his holy soul he offered to set the guilty free. In verse 4 the hymn writer contrasts the Mount of Transfiguration and the Mount of the Crucifixion. Transfiguration shows the awesome glory and majesty of our Lord, while Calvary shows us the ultimate agony and shame that our Lord endured. Christ died to save us. This is why Jesus came to the world. Christ had a single purpose. He came to fulfill the promise that God had made to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By his death and resurrection, Christ crushed the head of Satan and paid for the sins of the entire world. He destroyed the power of sin, death, and hell and set God’s people free. Question: Why did God need to die on the cross? Verse 5: Then hail the double glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and let the wondrous story full peace and joy afford! The holy mount acclaims him the majesty divine; Mount Calvary proclaims him Redeemer— yours and mine. Our hymn this week emphasizes the unique and double glory that belongs to Christ alone. Jesus is true God and true man. The glory of his divine nature was revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. It assured his disciples and assured us that Jesus is indeed the holy Son of God. He came to this world to suffer and die to set all people free from the horrors of sin and death. By faith in Christ, these glorious blessings become ours. By the death of Christ, we have been redeemed. We have been purchased by the holy, precious blood of Christ. All of our sins have been washed away. Our guilt has been paid for. Praise be to God for our glorious Redeemer who died to save us! Question: Why do we say that Jesus has double glory? Down from the Mount of Glory is a beautiful hymn that reminds us of the glory of our Savior. We are humbled when we consider how Christ in his great love for us set aside the full use of his divine power for a time so that he could be tempted in every way that we are and yet be without sin. We see glimpses of the divine nature of Christ when he healed the sick, calmed the storm, and performed other miracles. We see a greater glimpse on the Mount of Transfiguration. We will see the full revelation of our Savior’s power when he returns on the last day in all his glory to judge the living and the dead. We look forward to that great and glorious day with joyful anticipation as we await the coming of our Savior.