February 15, 2026 – Transfiguration Text: Matthew 17:1-9
Dear Friends in Christ,
Many of you know I thought of my parenting at a young age. I wanted to love my children, give them time, take them to church and not be a dad of cliches. The boys rarely asked why they had to do something, and I never used the line, “because I said so.”
That doesn’t mean they didn’t need to learn to trust me. We did the exercise where they fell backwards into my arms, and I told them I would always be there for them. They had to trust me the first time they jumped into a swimming pool or rode a rollercoaster. Like Ronald Reagan said about the Soviets and their military equipment, “trust but verify.”
This continued as they got older – trust but verify. One year for my birthday I wanted to go to Kobe where they fix the food in front of you and give you a show. They complained, didn’t really want to go and I said, “trust me.” Well, we went and they had a wonderful time. Dad got saki squirted in his mouth and the fiery volcano onions were a treat. I never heard much after that. They could always trust me. In fact, I would say to them, “you are just like a son to me.” They would respond, “Dad, I am your son.” My one-liner back was, “that’s what the blood tests say.”
Today we are on the mountain with Jesus, a few disciples, and two of the greatest figures from the Old Testament. God the Father and Christ our Brother patiently give us a very good reason to . . . .
“TRUST BUT VERIFY”
Our Father and Brother give us clear reasons to trust Jesus. Most of us know the basics of the transfiguration. Jesus with Peter, James, and John go up a mountain. Jesus was transfigured. Face like the sun and clothes as white as light. Moses and Elijah join in the cloud and then the Father’s voice. It is a trust but verify moment. Who better to give it than God Himself? “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (v. 5b)
There on the mountain we are given ample reasons to trust this Jesus. His radiant glory. This is no ordinary man. With Moses and Elijah there it shows that Jesus is the fulfiller of the entire Old Testament. The voice. Shouldn’t that be convincing enough?
Following this time on the mountain, we have the experiences that move us to trust and listen to Jesus. Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, and it happens. Trust but verify. Jesus showed that He was the Spon of God by rising from the dead. Trust but verify. We can trust His promises of forgiveness and eternal life. The inerrant Word of God says it is so. Trust but verify. The witnesses who saw all of this with their own eyes. Trust but verify.
There are those who don’t want us to trust this Jesus. They say that Jesus’ claims are outdated and ridiculous. People’s lack of trust in this Savior show when they leave the church because they think all religions are the same. They are not. Only in the Christian religion did God love us by dying to pay for our sins. Jesus is the only way, truth, and life.
Others distrust because they think they need to add something to this Jesus. They may be pulled away by false churches who grow big with a false message. No means of grace. For us Christ says, “This is my body” and “This is my blood” for life and salvation.
Others may say, “follow your heart, do what makes you happy.” But our hearts can lead us astray. Only Christ’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit in the means of grace lead us to eternal life and cause us to love as He did.
Like our boys had to trust me, even when it was hard and maybe didn’t always make sense, we must trust Jesus in these same circumstances. As His children He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him. He asks us to trust His Word even as the world makes fun of it and twists it and misuses it. He asks us to trust even when our life events don’t seem to make much sense. He verifies His love for us daily, hourly, minute by minute. When we fall backwards, He is always there to catch us. He is always there for us.
Our heavenly Father could get away with, “do it because I said so.” Sometimes for our good, He may do that. But even more importantly He asks to trust. He says, “Listen to Jesus; hear Him and the message of the cross. He will rise again.” You will hear about that in Lent . . . and then Easter. Another time to “trust but verify.”
Amen.