Generically
speaking the word, transfiguration, means a change in form or appearance. It
also means an exalting, glorifying or spiritual change. Harry Potter diehards define
transfiguration as a core subject taught at Hogwarts, the art and science of
changing an object’s form and appearance. That is not what we understand and
observe today.
I
want you to understand why we observe Transfiguration today, that is, why the
church places it on the Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday, why Luke
placed it in chapter 9, and what practical application the Transfiguration
plays in our lives.
The
church places the Transfiguration on the Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday.[1] As a Christian feast, the
Transfiguration commemorates Christ’s transfiguration or metamorphis on a
mountaintop in the presence of three disciples. It makes a great deal of sense
to observe it today, because when we look at the church’s liturgical year
beginning with Advent, we see Epiphany framed by the Baptism of Jesus and the
Transfiguration. On these Sundays, God the Father proclaims, “You
are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” and “This
is my Son, my Chosen One.”[2]
The
Season of Epiphany reveals who the child Jesus is, and emphasizes that He is God’s
Son. We hear this at the beginning of his ministry and as Jesus turns his face
to go to Jerusalem, which happens right after the Transfiguration. After this
Sunday, the church observes Ash Wednesday, which plunges us down into the
valley of Lent, which precedes Easter.
Today,
we look over the valley of Lent to Easter, where in the Transfiguration we glimpse
the glory of God, which He reveals fully in the Resurrection of our Lord. Imagine
looking from one mountaintop to another, knowing that there is a deep valley
between the place where you stand and the next peak. So, liturgically, today, we
say good-bye to Alleluia and anticipate its return at Easter. This is how our feast
fits into our liturgical year.
Luke
placed the Transfiguration in chapter 9, and when we expand the text beyond vv.
28 and 36, depressing news precedes it. After Jesus’ multiplication miracle,
Peter confessed him the Christ. Jesus predicted his passion, death and
resurrection, and after Peter and Jesus exchanged rebukes, the Lord stated the
cost of discipleship. Depressing indeed.
As a
striking counterbalance, the Transfiguration reveals heavenly glory vis-à-vis
the humiliation just predicted in 9:21, in which Jesus said, “The
Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
In
the last verse before the Transfiguration, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there are
some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God
after it has come with power.”[3]
Jesus meant the Resurrection, which all standing there, with the exception of
Judas, witnessed on Easter. Luke closed the Transfiguration passage with, “When
the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no
one in those days anything of what they had seen.”[4] In other words, the
Resurrection frames the passage.
If
we expand the passage to include the whole Bible, we see that the Old Testament
clearly underlies Luke’s Transfiguration account. He opens by telling us that Jesus
took Peter, James and John – the disciples who witnessed Jesus’ agony at
Gethsemane[5] – up a high mountain. Moses took Aaron,
Nadab, and Abihu up Mount Sinai to meet God.[6] So, from the outset, Jesus’
ascent triggered thoughts of a new Sinai experience.
As
it was for Moses and Elijah, the mountain was a special place in Luke for
prayer, contemplation, apostolic commissioning, and, as shown in the Transfiguration,
extraordinary revelation.[7] In chapter six, we read
that Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer
to God.”[8]
As I
explained earlier, transfiguration means a glorifying or spiritual change.
There are several Old Testament references regarding this change. In Exodus,
after Moses met God, his skin glowed.[9] Later, the Psalmist wrote
of God, “You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with
light as with a garment.”[10] And Daniel described God’s
clothing as white as snow.[11] So, we see the glorifying
or spiritual change when man meets God.
In their
transfiguration accounts, Matthew described the change in Jesus’ face, and Mark
described only His clothes, but Luke described Jesus’ face and clothing.[12]
Next,
two Old Testament figures appear. Verse 30 states, “two men were talking with him,
Moses and Elijah.” Moses represented the Law. He lifted eschatological – or end-time hopes
– as Israel awaited the Messiah. In Deuteronomy, we read, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me
from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”[13]
Therefore, in the minds of Jewish
people, the appearance of Elijah and Moses fulfilled every hope, for the
glorious end-time had now begun with the coming of Jesus.[14]
To the righteous, such an appearance brought delight, but to the sinful, scorn.
As with Jesus, people rejected Elijah and Moses. In particular, Elijah was a model
for suffering at the hands of the ungodly.
Responding to the unfolding action
of the Transfiguration, Peter proposed what he thought a brilliant idea.
Actually, his proposal was a clumsy way for a practical man to express what to
do at such a time. Given that God declared and commanded, “This is my beloved Son; listen
to him,” Peter’s proposal to put Elijah and Moses on par with Jesus is
even more out of place. Luke reminded readers how inappropriate Peter’s idea
really was, but first, the cloud.
In between Peter’s suggestion and
God’s command came the cloud, a theophanic motif, or a sophisticated way of saying
how God showed himself. In Exodus we read, “The Lord went before them by day in a
pillar of cloud to lead them along the way.”[15]
And later, “When Moses entered the tent, the pillar
of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. When the people saw the
pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise
up and worship, each at his tent door.”[16]
Transfiguration’s cloud on the
mountain and the voice of God that spoke from it echoed what occurred to God’s
people in the Sinai. In short, as God spoke there, God spoke here.
The
Transfiguration remained the disciples’ private event until after the Resurrection.
It encouraged them to persevere. Before
the Transfiguration, the disciples could only focus on Jesus Crucified; after it,
they could focus on Jesus Resurrected. Biblically and liturgically, we look
over the valley of Lent and see the Risen Lord on Easter Sunday.
Having examined why
the church places the Transfiguration on the Sunday immediately prior to Ash
Wednesday, and why Luke placed it in chapter 9, we now examine what practical
application the Transfiguration plays in our lives.
Returning to Peter’s proposal, we
see it was inappropriate. Tents were dwellings of the world to come. Peter wanted
the vision to last and to withdraw Jesus from this earth.[17]
Fortunately, the voice commanded Peter to “listen to him,” a message Peter did
not like.
“Listen to him,” is a message we,
like Peter, dislike and disregard. To listen to Jesus requires intimacy. To
listen requires intimacy, but after 25 years of counseling couples preparing
for marriage, counseling couples enriching their marriage, and counseling
couples dissolving their marriage, the complaint underlying all faults is,
“You’re not listening.”
Now, if the person with whom you are
most intimate informs you that you are not listening, how often does our
Heavenly Father say it? I know He tells me multiple times throughout the day. I
am sure He reminds you too.
First, let us presume that God wants
us to listen to Him. Evidently, He does, for in Luke, Jesus summoned
disciples, created The Twelve and called them into fellowship with him.
The first duty of the apostle – before
preaching or casting out demons –was to be
in fellowship with Jesus. This is part and parcel of
the portrait of the fully human Jesus. He needed a support group. He longed for
fellowship. He lived as a person in community, not as an isolated prophet.
These were not merely Jesus’ pupils, but his friends and coworkers. He appointed
them for fellowship and to witness.[18]
Jesus
calls you into fellowship with Him. He calls you to be with Him. The Father
calls you to listen to Him. Throughout each day, how much time do you
fellowship with or listen to Jesus? To put that into perspective, let me read a
snippet of A Man’s Guide to Spiritual
Disciplines. [19]
“A
young businessman told me, ‘I really don't have a lot of time for
prayer and Bible reading. I have young kids, I'm building my career, and I'm
very active in my church.’
When
I was in that same mindset, I took a suggestion from management guru Peter
Drucker. I sat down with a piece of paper and charted how I actually spent my
time. Drucker says everyone has expectations about what their chart will say,
and without exception, everyone is surprised by what they actually find. I
discovered that I spent one to two hours every night watching television. … I
started going to bed early instead of watching TV, and getting up two hours
earlier in the morning. People sometimes think I'm crazy to get up at 4 a.m.,
but that's okay. I'm in conversation with God.
Martin
Luther is famous for commenting, ‘I have so much to do today
that I'm going to need to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to
get it all done.’ We must learn to see
prayer as the most powerful and efficient use of our time.
If
you want a close relationship with Jesus, you can have it, but you must
cultivate that relationship through conversation.”
If
you want a close relationship with Jesus, you can have it, but you must
cultivate that relationship through conversation. Listen to him. Pray.
Responding
to the unfolding action of the Transfiguration, Peter proposed what he thought
a brilliant idea. Actually, his proposal was a clumsy way for a practical man
to express what to do at such a time. A selfish, sinful or worldly way for a
good man.
When
we scrutinize many of the brilliant ideas we propose, we see that they are
actually clumsy, selfish, sinful or worldly. While this observation makes me
squirm with remorse, regret or revenge, I know it is true. Like Peter, I do not
listen to Him because I do not take
time to listen to Him. I am too busy for prayer and Bible reading. I
have young kids, I'm building my career, and I'm very active.
Do I
make choices based on listening to Jesus or to a sinful world and my sinful
self? Are the choices I let my children make based on the teachings of our
church or the values of our culture?
Friends,
your presence here, listening to me, tells me you want a close relationship with
Jesus. You can have it, but you must cultivate that relationship through
prayer. Listen to him as he prepares to take his disciples to the mountaintop.
“If anyone would come after
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever
would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will
save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or
forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the
Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father
and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”[20]
From
here, the mountaintop of Transfiguration, I can see our Risen Lord on Easter
morning and when we gather in fellowship with Him. Today, His Word washes away
my sinful inclinations and thoughtless ideas; enriches my choices and
relationships. His Body and Blood nourish me for the journey through Lent’s valley
and life’s trials. His Spirit enlightens my mind and moves my heart to love deeply
as Jesus loved.
Between
now and Ash Wednesday, chart how you spend your time. Throughout Lent, instead
of watching TV or reading social media, turn in early and spend that amount of
time in conversation with God each morning. If you want a close relationship
with God, you can have it, but like the people Jesus called into fellowship,
you must cultivate that relationship through prayer and conversation.
When
you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus.[21] Amen.
[1]
Arthur Just, Lectionary Podcast, Transfiguration of Our Lord. https://www.facebook.com/ctsfw?fref=nf
[2] Luke
3:22; 9:35
[3] Luke
9:27
[4] Luke
9:36
[5]
Mark 14:32-42
[6]
Exodus 24:0
[7]
LaVerdiere, 42f
[8] Luke
6:12-13
[9]
Exodus 34:29-35
[10]
Psalm 104:1-2
[11]
Daniel 7:9
[12] Luke
9:29
[13]
Deuteronomy 18:15
[14]
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (2002), 352f.
[15]
Exodus 13:21
[16]
Exodus 33:9-10. See also Ex 40:34-38; 1 Kg 8:10-12
[17]
Peter Edmonds, The Way Companion to the Sunday Missal. Oxford: Campion Hall
(2014), 16.
[18]
Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand
Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmanns Publishing Co. (2001), 151.
[19]
Patrick Morley, A Man's Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines: 12 Habits to
Strengthen Your Walk With Christ. Chicago: Moody Publishers (2007). Adapted at http://www.christianitytoday.com/moi/2011/006/december/too-busy-not-to-pray.html
[20]
Luke 9:23-27
[21]
Philippians 4:7
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