The Lutheran Hour

"Up and Down the Mountain"

#93-24
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on February 15, 2026
Guest Speaker: Rev. Michael Schutz
Copyright 2026 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: Matthew 17:1-9

I’m Pastor Michael Schutz, lead pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, and Vice-President of Lutheran Church—Canada. It’s a joy for me to be with you today to share God’s Word with you.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The city where I live, in Penticton, British Columbia, it’s a bit of a unique place. Our area, known as the Okanagan, is sometimes known as “Canada’s Hawaii,” known for our good weather, water, beaches, and tourism. And over the years it’s been competing with Napa Valley in California for being known as the best wine tourism region in the world.

Now, within our region, our city has a rather unique feature. I’m told it’s the only city in the world to have two different lakes on two different edges of the city. Our city is bordered on the north edge by Okanagan Lake and on the south by Skaha Lake. And on the east and west edges of our city are mountains. Now they aren’t the great big mountains like we would find in the Rockies or the Cascades (although neither of those ranges are all that far away from where I live either.) The Cascades, which I would cross to go to the west coast, they extend from just east of us in southern B.C. down to California. And the Rockies, that great big mountain range, which I cross going out east, start way up north in B.C. and extend all the way down to New Mexico. Those are huge mountain ranges, and the ones that I see every day, they’re not that big.

But they’re about the same as some of the mountains around the area where Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain and had what we could easily call “a mountain-top experience.” We don’t know exactly which mountain it was. It was somewhere in the area of Galilee. But whichever one it was specifically, the internet tells me that the mountains in that area are about the same height as the ones which surround Penticton where I live.

And that “mountain-top” experience is what we observe today in our churches. Today is “Transfiguration Sunday.” It’s the day that marks the end of the season of Epiphany and leads us into the season of Lent. We read about that experience today in the Gospel according to Matthew 17. “And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’”

Matthew doesn’t tell us exactly which mountain this happened on. He only tells us that it was a high one. The point isn’t the exact place that it happened, but what it is that happened on that mountain. Mountains are an important thing throughout the Bible. Significant things happened on mountains. We think of the Sermon on the Mount, or the mountain where Noah’s ark came to rest. Or, as we hear about Moses and Elijah today, we think of Mount Sinai, where God appeared to Moses and called him into His service. You might remember in Exodus 3, when Moses saw the burning bush and when God said that he, that is Moses, was going to be the one to lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. That was the same mountain where God spoke His Law to the people of Israel after bringing them out of Egypt, where He gave them the Ten Commandments. On that mountain, the LORD was present in cloud and fire and smoke.

And we think of Mount Carmel, where again the people of God gathered together with Elijah, where “the fire of the LORD fell” at the altar in answer to Elijah’s prayer. On that mountain, the Lord, God, YHWH demonstrated that He—and not Ba’al—was the true God.

Because of the mountains around my city, it’s easy for me to look around at my area—even out my dining room window—and picture these kinds of things. And often I and my family, we drive up one side of these mountains and down the other as we travel to the west coast of Canada, over those Cascade Mountains, or in the other direction over the Rockies towards the prairies where I grew up. And thinking of the trip up and down a mountain, it’s pretty easy for me to picture. (Though, I have to say, I’m almost always driving up and down, at least most of the way. Walking up and down, that’s another thing entirely.) Now, maybe you can easily picture these things too because of where you live or because of where you’ve travelled. Maybe you live on the prairies with wide open spaces; it’s a little harder to visualize.

But either way, what’s really important is not which specific mountain Jesus led His disciples to, but what happened on that high mountain on the day when Jesus was transfigured. Here on this high mountain, Jesus gives Peter, James, and John more of a glimpse of the fulness of His glory. They had already seen other glimpses: the signs that Jesus had performed: healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, cleansing lepers, feeding thousands with just a little bit of food, even raising the dead! They already knew, and believed, and confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God! But now their faith—for just a moment—becomes sight in a new way. Here on the mountain Jesus gave them a new revelation of His glory.

Matthew tells us in Matthew 17:2. “He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.” Now, it might be easy for me to visualize the mountain itself, but this is a lot harder to picture in my mind. Matthew describes it for us in a way that we can understand, but it is harder for us to imagine just how glorious this was.

Jesus again shows them that He is more than just a man. And here, on this mountain of transfiguration, God Himself is with His people, just like He was with Moses on Mount Sinai. Here on this mountain, God demonstrates that He is the true God, just like He did with Elijah on Mount Carmel.

And then Matthew tells us, “There appeared to them [that is, to Peter and James and John] Moses and Elijah, talking with Him,” with Jesus. What an amazing thing that these two men would now appear with Jesus and talk with Him! Now, Matthew doesn’t mention another little detail, but Luke in his Gospel account tells us that they were talking about the upcoming departure—the upcoming exodus—of Jesus. What a fascinating conversation that must have been!

I can imagine taking a trip up and down a mountain, but it’s much harder for me to imagine being Peter, James, or John, and witnessing all this! Can you imagine what they must have been experiencing, what mix of awe and confusion and fear, and just being overwhelmed?

I mean here you have two of the foremost prophets of old. Moses: the man who God used to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt and the man who delivered God’s Law to them. And Elijah: the man who not only showed at Mount Carmel the truth of who God is, but the one who God used in other amazing ways—used Him to bring relief from famine and to raise a child from death. And Elijah never experienced death but was taken up by God in a flaming chariot.

These two are talking to Jesus about what is soon going to happen in Jerusalem. And Peter and James and John, they get to witness this firsthand.

Maybe you’ve thought that you would just like to talk directly to God, to talk with Him face to face like Moses and Elijah did, or like Peter and James and John and the rest of the 12 apostles did during the earthly life and ministry of Jesus. Maybe you’ve thought, “I could climb up a high mountain too, away from the hustle and the noise and the distractions of every-day life, someplace where I can really focus. Maybe then, God would show up for me.” Maybe you’ve thought, “If I could just get myself in a good spot, then I could have some kind of mountain-top experience with God. And hey, if Moses and Elijah and Peter would be there too—all the better!” Maybe you’ve wanted God to “show up” for you in a way that’s just spectacular, in a way that would leave no doubt about who He is.

Now, I can understand those thoughts. But when we think that way, we’re relying more on our own efforts to get up to God, or on the spectacle of it all. We’re not trusting in the Word that God actually has spoken to us. We want to go beyond His Word and manufacture some kind of experience ourselves. You know, Peter can relate to that desire, too. He’s there, in the very presence of the glory of Jesus and great prophets, and he can’t help himself. He’s not quite sure what to say and do, but he knows he has to say and do something. And maybe you can relate to that, too. So often when we encounter Peter in the Gospel accounts, he seems to be an “act first, think later” kind of guy. Maybe that’s the way you go about life, too. But even if not, even if you have the total opposite of a personality that Peter does, I’m sure that you can understand how overwhelming this experience was for him and for James and for John.

And so, Peter, being Peter, not knowing what else to say and do, offers to build tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But instead of accepting this offer, God the Father shows up. Once again, just like in those days of ancient Israel, the cloud of glory descends on the mountain and God speaks to Peter and James and John. And He says, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” The words that the Father spoke at the Baptism of Jesus, He now speaks again here on the mountain. The Father tells the disciples who Jesus is: His very Son! And He tells them once again that He is well-pleased by His Son. And then He adds this call: “Listen to Him.” That word, that call, it wasn’t only for those three disciples there on the mountain-top that day. That call was for the rest of the 12, for all disciples of Jesus, and for all people everywhere.

God the Father speaks to you today, inviting you to know, to believe, to confess that Jesus is His beloved Son, that Jesus is the One who fulfilled all the will of the Father, and to listen to what He has to say.

Now, I’m sure that Peter, James, and John were listening to that conversation on the mountain that day. I’m sure they had listened to Moses and Elijah through the writings of the Law and the Prophets in what we know as the Old Testament. But now they were to listen especially to Jesus.

There are so many voices competing for your attention: voices on the radio, voices on the internet, voices on the television, voices in your local community. And there may be many good things to hear, but above all of them, listen to the voice of Jesus. Listen to what Jesus has to say to you.

Now, would it help for you to find a mountain that you could climb and be away from all the voices of your every-day life? Maybe. But you don’t need to find a mountain. Jesus speaks to you, even right here and now. And when you hear God’s Word, and especially His word of commands to fear, love, and trust Him above all things, when you hear that God is the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth, authority even over life and death, and yes, even your life and death—that can be a daunting, even a terrifying thing to hear.

You might react like Moses, doubting and questioning God’s call, and maybe even saying something like, “Lord, just send someone else.” You might react like Elijah, coming close to despair because he felt all alone as God’s prophet even after the events of Mt. Carmel. When you encounter even just a glimpse of God’s holiness, power, and majesty, it can even lead you to fall down in fear, just like Peter and James and John. Just like another prophet of old, Isaiah, who knew that his sin was so great that he could not stand in the presence of the holy God.

God gave Moses what He needed to fulfill His call to him. And He did the same with Elijah. Instead of coming to him in a great wind or earthquake or fire, He spoke in a still, small voice to bring Elijah His word of comfort. He did the same with Isaiah, who received the touch of the coal from the altar, and he received the good news of the atonement of his sin. He did the same for Peter and James and John, touching them in their moment of fear and speaking good news. And He does the same for you today. He says, “Rise, and have no fear.”

Rise.

Jesus led Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. They rose above the plains, where so often God had brought His people to meet with them. And now Jesus meets with you—wherever you are—and says, “Rise.” Rise from your fear and your doubt. Lift your head and eyes and hands to Him in faith. Rise with Him even out of death, because He rose from death for you.

We’ve been talking all about going up the mountain, and what was happening up there. But there’s another important piece to this whole account. And we read about it in verse 9. “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’”

Peter didn’t end up building any tents up there on the mountain. When the disciples rose from their fear according to the word of Jesus and they looked up again, Moses and Elijah were gone. Only Jesus was left with them. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Moses and Elijah were always leading to Jesus. All of the Law and the Prophets were leading to Jesus. And now Jesus, having led them up this high mountain, having revealed His glory to them in a new way, He now leads them back down off of it. That glorious place was not the end. It was simply a stop along the way. Jesus was heading towards Jerusalem, where He would suffer betrayal and injustice at the hands of sinners, where He would suffer death on a cross to make atonement for the sin of the whole world—yes, even for your sin and for mine. Where He would take all of your fear and doubt and sin and nail it to that cross, revealing His true glory as your Saviour, and accomplishing the work of your salvation.

If you’re familiar with the church year we use in our churches, you know that we’re just ending the season of Epiphany. It’s that season after Christmas that is full of light and hope and the revealing of Jesus to the world. We might call that a “season of ascent,” where maybe it feels like we’re climbing up the mountain. And the next season in our church year is the season of Lent. Lent is a quieter, more somber and reflective time. We might call that more of a “valley” season.

And so today on this Day of Transfiguration we stand on the bridge between seasons. We stand on a plateau after having come up the mountain of Epiphany. But we can’t build tents here. We can’t stay up here, away from every-day life; we’re faced with the descent again. But we don’t descend off the mountain alone. Jesus leads us still even now. He is with us as we enter into the valley once again.

The city where I live is in a valley, so again, it’s not hard at all for me to picture this. Coming down off of a mountain, it’s a pretty regular occurrence. And maybe that’s true for you, too. Maybe it’s not driving down the road off a mountain in British Columbia, but it’s in the world that we live in. Every-day life is full of valleys. And maybe clouds and fire and smoke are more symbols of trouble than they are reminders of God’s presence with us. But I invite you to hear the word of Jesus to you today: “Rise and have no fear.”

Jesus has accomplished all that He had set out to do—all that He and Moses and Elijah were talking about that day. He has defeated death, rising again on the third day, never to die again. He has ascended beyond the height of any mountain, taking up His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords.

And when they were walking down off of that mountain, it wasn’t time yet for the disciples to share all that they had experienced there. But after Jesus had accomplished the true and greater exodus for us, after He had risen from the dead, bringing true life to us, it was time to tell all about it!

And we continue to celebrate that today, that in fact Peter and James and John—who were eyewitnesses of the Transfiguration—did tell others about it. We celebrate that Luke gathered up all the research and he wrote it down, and that it’s been passed down the ages to us. And I celebrate it that you’re now sharing in it with me here again today.

And we go on from this day into the season of Lent. And even through the rest of our lives, looking forward in faith, looking forward to what John wrote later on in Revelation 21, where the Holy Spirit led him up a high mountain once again to show him the City of God—the new Jerusalem—coming down from heaven. It’s a place where we won’t live in tents but in the Father’s house with many rooms. It’s a place where our faith will become sight, where we will behold the full glory of God not with fear but only with pure joy. It’s the place where God Himself will dwell with us forever. Amen.

And now may the peace of God, which is more precious than any human understanding you could ever attain, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, even unto that great day. Amen.

Reflections for February 15, 2026
Title: Up and Down the Mountain

No reflection segment this week.

Music Selections for this program:

“A Mighty Fortress” arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“Crucifer” by Sydney H. Nicholson, arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“How Good, Lord, to Be Here” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“O Wondrous Type! O Vision Fair” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) Used by permission.