Last Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C)
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| The Transfiguration by Armondo Alemdar |
28About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes flashed white like lightning. 30Two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him. 31They were clothed with heavenly splendor and spoke about Jesus’ departure, which he would achieve in Jerusalem. 32Peter and those with him were almost overcome by sleep, but they managed to stay awake and saw his glory as well as the two men with him.
33As the two men were about to leave Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. We should construct three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — but he didn’t know what he was saying. 34Peter was still speaking when a cloud overshadowed them. As they entered the cloud, they were overcome with awe.
35Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!” 36Even as the voice spoke, Jesus was found alone. They were speechless and at the time told no one what they had seen.
(37The next day, when Jesus, Peter, John, and James had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. 38A man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to take a look at my son, my only child. 39Look, a spirit seizes him and, without any warning, he screams. It shakes him and causes him to foam at the mouth. It tortures him and rarely leaves him alone. 40I begged your disciples to throw it out, but they couldn’t.”
41Jesus answered, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42While he was coming, the demon threw the child down and shook him violently. Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 43Everyone was overwhelmed by God’s greatness.)
Other readings: Exodus 34.29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3.12-4:2
Collect:
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Child revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus the Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
My wife and I used to be part of a non-denomination, Charismatic church where spectacular miracles were expected and anticipated at almost every service. Granted, we never really saw any such thing, but that was the expectation. Furthermore, if one wasn’t experiencing the miraculous in their daily lives, well, they must be “living in sin” and hindering the work God.
I remember once being in a Bible study group with the head pastor of that church. We had just read the passage where Jesus said people who believe in him would do even “greater works” than Jesus himself (John 14.12). He asked the group what Jesus could have possible meant by such a statement. My response was along the lines of “greater” meant quantity; Jesus meant his followers would do more works since he was “going to the Father.” The pastor disagreed.[2] He believed “greater” meant quality. At the time, I didn’t have the courage to “buck the system” but I remember thinking, “How can there be anything ‘greater’ than raising the dead?”
But his emphasis on the quality of the works magnified the problem — as followers of Jesus, if we aren’t doing “greater works” than Jesus we must have some “unconfessed sin” in our lives. I don’t think I was the only one who walked out of the Bible study carrying a huge weight of guilt and condemnation, whether real or implied.
In our Lesson today there seems to be that same kind of experience — a dualism between mountain top “glory” and deep valley “condemnation.” A classic “either / or” scenario.
In the first part of the story, we have the Transfiguration of Jesus. Transfigure is an old word (first used in the 14th century) that means transform or change. And that’s just what we read. We’re told that Jesus’ face changed and his clothes “flashed white like lightning” (verse 29). Now some people understand this change as proof of Jesus’ divinity. But I don’t think that’s what the text is trying to tell us. I mean, Moses and Elijah also appeared and they were “clothed with heavenly splendor” (verse 31). We aren’t supposed to understand that they were divine, too, are we? No. So what does this change mean?
While this passage doesn’t “prove” that Jesus was divine, there is some sense of sacredness in the scene. Peter, overcome with what he was experiencing, blurted out that three shrines should be built, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah (verse 33). But, as the text says, Peter didn’t know what he was talking about.
I know people like Peter. Heck, I’m people like Peter! There was a time in my life when I didn’t know how to handle sacred moments whether it was the birth of a child or the death of a loved one or any other of the hallowed occasions we experience. And since I didn’t know how to just “let it be,” I would spout off some nonsense and squash the moment (1 Thessalonians 5.19). While I’ve gotten a lot better with being in those spaces, I still find myself wanting to gush out something just so I won’t have to deal with the deep feelings being churned up by the experience. And when I sit with people as a spiritual director, I know that some react the same way.
But then the sacredness changes, doesn’t it. I tend to see that in the imagery depicted here — Moses and Elijah representing the Old Covenant age (the Law and the Prophets personified; often referred to in the New Testament as “this age”), and Jesus representing the New Covenant age, the Realm of God, New Creation. We see for a time, the Old Covenant age and the New Covenant age existing simultaneously (see Matthew 13.24-30) but after God speaks, the New Covenant age is all that’s left.
This is a mirror of the rest of the New Testament. The Old Covenant age didn’t end with the resurrection or even Pentecost. No; it continued for roughly forty years even though it was “obsolete” and “out of date” though it would “soon disappear” (Hebrews 8). The Old Covenant quite literally “disappeared” with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE.
But then sacredness gives way to the ordinary and, so it seems, evil. The day after the “mountain top” experience, Jesus, Peter, John, and James come down to a waiting crowd of people. A man approaches asking Jesus to help his son who’s “demon possessed.” The man states that he went to Jesus’ followers to help but they couldn’t.
Now, whether we believe in demons or not, this is a scary situation for the man and his family. I’ve had personal experiences with people, while they may not be possessed by a “demon,” have had emotional episodes that result in outbursts and behaviors that are so unlike them one would be forgiven if one believed they were “taken over” by someone or something else.
Back in the day, I was taught people can be “demon possessed” and this happens because they’re “evil” or they do something that God doesn’t like so they’re “punished,” left open to the “devil.” Or, more subtly, as we saw last week, often we ourselves are made to feel condemned since God (supposedly) doesn’t answer our prayers because we aren’t “spiritual” enough — we don’t fast or pray enough or give to the church enough or some other such legal condemnation.
And the text does seem to speak to that, doesn’t it. Jesus replies, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you?” (verse 41). This statement from Jesus (uttered, it seems, in frustration) wasn’t for all people in every age. No; that judgment by Jesus was for a specific group of people — his own generation. It was that generation who experienced a visitation from God and rejected it (Luke 19.41-44).[3]
But what if we lay aside the weight of legalism, guilt, and condemnation and see this differently. Perhaps we aren’t supposed to read the second passage as the “or” half of the “either / or.” Perhaps this passage represents a great “both / and.” That is, the sacred is not only found on the mountain top but in the dirty, dingy everyday. The sacred is found in the desperation of a parent over their sick child. The sacred is found in the exhausted irritation of a clergy person. And sacredness is found in the bewildered, confused, struggling, and (probably) embarrassed followers of Jesus.
So, on the last Sunday of Epiphany, let us not look to have “mountain top” experiences. Instead, may our eyes be opened and let us see our “ordinary” lives transformed into sacredness. May our understanding be changed and let us recognize the people around us “clothed with heavenly splendor.”
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In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
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[1] Scripture quotations marked (CEB) are taken from The Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.
[2] Which always happens. Or, perhaps a better way of putting that is I generally disagree with the pastor!
[3] Some people may not like that, and I understand that. But us liking it or not doesn’t change the fact that Jesus pronounced judgment upon the nation of Israel and it came to pass within roughly 40 years through the Roman army (Matthew 23-24).
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