Old Testament: Exodus 24:12-18
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9
Epistle: 2 Peter 1:16-21
Yesterday was Transfiguration Sunday, celebrated in
Protestant traditions the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. Chronologically, the Transfiguration happens
just a few verses before Jesus heads to Jerusalem and the events of holy week so
it makes sense to celebrate it now. But
the Transfiguration, at least from my perspective, is a little bit confusing
both in terms of the actual events and the significance for the followers of
Jesus. Just to review the events, Jesus
brings Peter, James, and John up to a mountain where he is “transfigured” or “metamorphosed”
before them. Moses and Elijah appear as
well and Peter speaks up and offers to build three tabernacles, one for each of
them, to commemorate the event. But
while he is still speaking, a cloud comes and overshadows them, and repeats the
words from Jesus’ baptism, “This is my beloved Son, with whom
I am well-pleased; listen to him.” (17:5) Finally, the three disciples look up
and Moses and Elijah are gone and Jesus tells them not be afraid or tell anyone
what has happened there until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.
To begin with, this passage is full of allusions to, and imagery from, the Old Testament. Many important episodes in the Pentateuch and elsewhere occur on mountain tops. Abraham is provided a sacrifice in place of Isaac, Moses meets the Lord at various times including his initial calling and when he receives the tablets from God, Moses affirms the covenant in Deuteronomy from a mountain before the Israelites enter the Holy Land, and Elijah battles the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
There are also precursors to Jesus’
transfiguration by the two people he meets on the mountain. After Moses met the Lord on the Mount Sinai,
his face shone and the other Israelites were afraid to go near him. (34:29-30)
Elijah’s example is a stretch, but as he doesn’t die; rather, he gets taken up
to heaven by chariots in a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11) Presumably, Elijah went
through some type of transformation to prepare himself for heaven. Nevertheless, Moses and Elijah represent the
Law and the Prophets affirming Jesus.
Peter’s comment about building tabernacles
for each of the three figures comes from the Feast of Booths where Israelites
built tents to eat in during the feast days.
Additionally, the cloud is reminiscent of many episodes, especially in
Exodus-- the cloud leads Israel out of Egypt. In our reading this week, the Lord spoke to
Moses from a cloud when he received the Law, and when Moses entered the tent of
meeting, a cloud descended while Moses spoke to the Lord.
These are just some brief explanations from
precursors in the Old Testament, but they reveal that it is impossible to read
or understand this passage without first understanding the Old Testament. With any issue in Jesus’ life, or scripture
in general, a question I want to ask is why.
Why was Jesus transfigured and, did he have to be? I don’t know the answer to either one of
these questions, but the precedent is set at least in some sense. This event does reveal, however, that Jesus
is the Son of God and confirms that he is on the right path in obedience to the
Father. I wish I had more to say, my
pastor preached on this passage as well Sunday morning and made the observation
that in his preparation he noticed that neither Oswald Chambers or Charles
Spurgeon had touched on this passage in the resources he looked at. Certain things just remain a mystery to
us. And these things keep us humble and
remind us to read and explore what others have said on these things.
Briefly, I just want to touch on the
reading from 2 Peter. He alludes to the
Transfiguration here in explaining that the Gospel is not something just
fabricated by him and others. Peter
actually witnessed these things and is sharing from his eyewitness
account. We are constantly reminded throughout
the New Testament that Jesus was real, and that he did come to earth as a
person in the flesh.
Perhaps this week some of you might want to
explore the Transfiguration a little more and what it meant for Jesus and us
today. It is an interesting topic. Also, remember that Wednesday is Ash
Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
Begin to think about how you can use this time before Easter to prepare
your heart and mind to celebrate. We
give up something during Lent, not so we can lose weight or kick a bad habit;
we give up something or change some routine so we can make more space for the
Lord in our lives. Whether the word and
practices of “Lent” or even “Easter” are in the Bible, the ideas are and pray
and fasting are as biblical as can be.
We can all grow in our relationship with Christ and through his Spirit
to the glory of the Father. Lent is a time to purposefully set practices in
place to seek the Lord. Let us all take
the time during Lent to seek the Lord.
Grace and Peace.
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