This week's year's option for the last Sunday after Epiphany will be the feast of the Transfiguration. The story occurs in all 3 synoptic Gospels, with some variation of details. See Luke 9:28 and Matt 17. A coupling can easily be made with other readings and images from scripture. Exodus 24:12-18 tells us the story of God giving the Commandments (lit 'words') from Sinai. A comparison of the words from the two mountains can make a good start. The new word from the mountaintop is that Jesus is the Beloved, and to listen to him is the key to the new commandment. 2 Peter 1:16-21 makes reference to the transfiguration "on the holy mountain" (this is the new Sinai?), and the letter says something of the nature of revelation. Matthew's version is rather fuller than Mark's version, so we will start there:
Matthew 17:1-9
1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.
Mark's 9 version:
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.
We have a setting like that of Sinai - a sort of divine revelation on a mountaintop. A note on the geography. Tabor, the traditional site of the Transfiguration, is lush, (Mt. Hermon is a strong possibility, and it is a source for the Jordan...streams of water). The traditional site of Sinai (or any other site you might want to suggest as plausible) is mountain desert. I find it an interesting geographic contrast to think about - both Tabor and Hermon are so geographically different from anything in the Sinai, north or south... What exactly goes on when Jesus is "transfigured"? It is not merely the same as what we think of as being "changed". Essentially, who Jesus is on the "inside" is made physically manifest on the "outside". His physical appearance tells us something about his identity.
The Year B OT reading comes from 2 Kings 2:1-12, the story of the taking up of Elijah. Like the Transfiguration, it is a story about seeing something "unearthly"; Elisha sees Elijah for who he has become in God: "a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven". And in Mark's version of the Transfiguration, Jesus and his disciples go on to talk about the "coming of Elijah" in the next pericope.
Most of us want "change" on the outside; God wants change on the inside. Remember that when Moses came down from the mountain, "his face shone". This is rather like a spiritual sunburn - Moses reflected God's glory. It was not something which came from within, but something that came from without. In the person of Jesus, the glory that was hidden within is now made manifest.
[4] And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [5] Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ [6] He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
Moses and Elijah - representing the law and the prophets bearing witness to who Jesus is. Meanwhile, Peter does what too many of us tend to do: when God is doing something amazing, we focus on building projects. Now it doesn't of course have to be a building project, but when Jesus makes his presence known, that is what we should pay attention to. If God is at work, don't get bogged down in the wrong things. We can be like Peter when we spend our time and energy on the "externals" - the mere trappings of church - and then we can miss out on the presence of Jesus in our midst.
[9] As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Church of the Transfiguration/ Mt Tabor/ Israel/ 2007
UPDATE: lunch is now well finished. Now where was I? Oh yes, the Transfiguration. There is something to be said for learning to see the glory in Christ. Parallel to this is learning to see the glory in each creature made in the image of God. To see Jesus for who he really is should have a profound effect. Likewise, seeing every other human being as a creature made in the image of God should also have a profound effect.
The voice from the cloud is an echo of the voice heard at Jesus' baptism. It speaks not only of Jesus' identity, but also of his relationship to the Father. And then there is that little addition: "Listen to him." If the Israelites were to listen to Moses and the revelation from the old mountain, how much more are to listen to Jesus, and the revelation from the new mountain.
The phrase "this is my beloved..." connects the two episodes of baptism and transfiguration in the person of Christ. And I suppose that we are to see the connection in ourselves: as we are called in baptism to be beloved of God, so we are also called to be, well, not exactly transfigured yet, but changed. And there is a pointing forward in the reference to the resurrection to the renewed body, the resurrected life, the fully transfigured life which will be given to us in God's grace. It is only after death and resurrection that the final transfiguration takes place.
That whole fear thing throws people for a loop, eh? The disciples fear simply the sound of the voice; I wonder if they comprehended at the time what the words were actually saying? [When confronted with an actual religious experience, most men retreat into "Home Depot" mode...]
All too often we castigate these expressions of fear on the part of humans as some sort of divine bullying - as if the disciples' fear was God's fault. It is entirely possible, and I think more likely, that human fear at the manifest presence of God is rather an indication of problems within ourselves, rather than in God. Jesus touches and reassures: do not be afraid.
This passage is a fitting end to the Epiphany season - we have followed Jesus from birth, to early childhood, to baptism - all events which gave us insight into who he is. The Transfiguration gives us a "final" glimpse of who he is. The season of revelation is complete.
Great thoughts which I'll save for the last Sunday after Epiphany, which I think is the 22ns, not the 15th...
Posted by: Tim | February 12, 2009 at 03:40 PM
Shoulda read "this year's option" r/th "this week's option". What can I say? Working on two sermons at once... :^)
Posted by: joseph | February 12, 2009 at 04:27 PM
Moreover, the number and hardness of the Rules called the Pie, and the manifold changings of the Service, was the cause, that to turn the Book only was so hard and intricate a matter,that many times there was more business to find out what should be read, than to read it when it was found out. (Original Preface of 1549)
:-)
Posted by: Susan | February 12, 2009 at 09:10 PM
lol - I fear we have returned to those days...
Posted by: joseph | February 12, 2009 at 09:34 PM
Susan, that's my favourite quote from the Book of Common Prayer! Thank you!
Posted by: Tim | February 12, 2009 at 10:13 PM