Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
https://soundcloud.com/hapearce/reflection-for-october-18-2024
Luke 9:28-36
The Transfiguration
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
The Transfiguration is a story that’s more fervently embraced by our brothers and sisters of the Eastern Orthodox tradition than it is in the western church. That’s probably because Orthodox Christians have more of an appreciation for ‘the holy’ than we do in the West. Our version of the faith is more rational, it seems to me – more oriented toward coming to understand God. Orthodox Christians are more oriented toward encountering the holy.
To really appreciate the significance of the story of the Transfiguration, it seems to me, it’s important to know what went before. The Transfiguration took place eight days after the story that was the subject of yesterday’s Reflection. As you might remember, in that story Peter first identified Jesus as the Messiah. In the conversation that followed, Jesus revealed to the disciples that he would be rejected and killed by the nation’s leaders, and then would rise again. He also told them that following him would mean they should be ready to give up their lives, too. The Transfiguration is the next story in Luke’s gospel.
The word ‘transfiguration’ isn’t a word we use much. The word appears in the dictionary, defined as ‘a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state.’ But the word is almost never used except in connection with this story from the Bible. What happens in this story is the Transfiguration, which is defined as what happens in this story. But that doesn’t make the meaning much clearer.
So maybe a more helpful way to think about the Transfiguration is as a revelation – as an occasion when the true nature of Jesus was revealed to the disciples. They’d seen him do amazing things, like healing the sick and calming storms and feeding thousands of people with some kid’s lunch. But as far as the disciples could see, Jesus was just a human being with amazing powers. In this weird event we call the Transfiguration, on the other hand, the three core disciples were shown just what Jesus was: a supernatural being – a divine being.
And the fact that Moses and Elijah appeared with him is significant, too. Moses was the one through whom God’s Law came to the Hebrews, and Elijah was a representative of the great prophets. It had also been foretold that Elijah would come back to announce the day of the Lord. So it was being revealed to the disciples that Jesus was the fulfillment of “the Law and the prophets.” And that was shorthand for God’s whole covenant relationship with his people.
So you might think of the Transfiguration as a way of revealing to the disciples just who it was they were dealing with, as we might say.
Some New Testament scholars have also pointed out something else that’s very interesting about the Transfiguration. In a sense, the Transfiguration provides a strange “negative version” of the scene at Jesus’ crucifixion. Both events take place on a hill or mountain. At the Transfiguration, Jesus appears with two of the great figures in the history of the faith. At the crucifixion, Jesus appears between two criminals. At the Transfiguration, the scene is bathed in a dazzling bright light. At the crucifixion, the world falls dark. At the Transfiguration, the voice of God sounds forth and claims Jesus as his beloved Son. At the crucifixion, Jesus cries out in the agony of God’s absence.
If you look at Christian art representing the Transfiguration and the crucifixion, it’s striking how similarly the two events have been drawn or painted, but one dark and one light – like I said, as though one was a negative of the other.
One final thought on this strange event:
Peter, James and John were allowed to witness a unique event that revealed something amazing and overwhelming to them: the actual, divine nature of Jesus. It was amazing, but this “mountaintop experience” lasted only a few minutes – maybe even seconds. Then they had to go back down the mountain and back to the work Jesus had called them to.
We might still have “mountaintop experiences” today. People have them at camps and conferences, at big special worship services, and sometimes just sitting in the beauty of nature. Those experiences can refresh and strengthen our faith and prepare us for the hard work of discipleship. But we can’t withdraw from the world and build shelters for ourselves on those mountaintops. Like Peter, James and John, we’re called back to the work of helping to bring about the kingdom of God. And we can carry within us the memory and inspiration of those special experiences as we return to our calling as followers of Jesus, sharing his love in a broken and hurting world.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for showing us on that mountaintop the true nature of Jesus, and for giving us a preview of the glory you are establishing through him. Give us mountaintop experiences, too, to inspire and empower us for the work you give us to do, but then call us back down the mountain and into your service. Amen.
Have a great weekend, and worship God joyfully on Sunday!
Henry
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