TRANSFIGURATION
We’ve gone from one mountain to another this week!
From the Sermon on the Mount, today we are jumping ahead to another
mountain and the moment known as the Transfiguration.
As the disciples looked on, a change came over Jesus: his face was shining like the
sun, and his clothes were dazzling white. Then the three disciples saw Moses and
Elijah talking with Jesus.
So Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how good it is that we are here! If you
wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
(Matthew 17:1-3)
So this magician is given a job aboard an ocean liner. Sounds like a great job, but
sadly for him it was not an easy gig because every time he does a trick, the
Captain's parrot would yell, "It's just a trick. That's not real magic.”
And even worse, things like, “Its in his other hand!”
Or, “The card is in his back pocket!”
The magician was furious. His tricks were being spoiled, he really wanted to
strangle the bird, but there was little he could do. After all, it was the Captain’s
parrot.
Then one evening during a storm, the ship sank while the magician was I the
middle of a performance.
Somehow the parrot and the magician ended up in the same lifeboat. For several
days they floated aimlessly in the ocean. They just glared at each other, neither
saying a word to the other.
Finally, the parrot broke the silence. "OK, I give up. What did you do with the
ship?"
The parrot couldn’t explain that last trick! It was too much to comprehend, even
for a smart parrot….
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three sheltersone for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Over the years, scholars have tried to explain what on earth Peter meant by this
suggestion.
I think trying to find the meaning of these words is a lost cause.
It’s simply the way Matthew explains: Peter was frightened and he just said the
first thing that came to into his head. He simply could not comprehend what was
happening.
The GNB says at the beginning of verse 5, “While Peter was speaking…”
The Message version of the Bible says “While Peter was babbling…”
That just about sums it up!
2
Sometimes we try to speak and we don’t know what to say.
A friend of a friend is a big fan of the Irish singer Van Morrison. He dreamed of
having an opportunity to meet him.
Then one day, totally unexpectedly, there was Van Morrison almost directly in
front of him.
He couldn’t let the moment pass, so he called out “Van!” as loudly as he could to
get his attention.
And when the singer looked at him it was his big chance to say something good,
something memorable, something profound.
But as he opened his mouth what came out was “….you are the man!”
“Van – you are the man.”
That’s all he could think of! And he felt totally embarrassed afterwards.
Well here is Peter, and his mouth is hanging open as he has this experience of
Jesus looking transformed, and now he sees this vision of two of the greatest
men in Israel’s history. And he doesn’t have a clue what to say. All he knows is
this is amazing and it would be great to capture the moment.
And he doesn’t even have a camera.
Why these two guys – Moses and Elijah?
These two men were seen as the great figures of Israel’s history. Moses was the
man who led them to freedom. Elijah was regarded as the greatest of the
prophets.
Their presence in the vision validates Jesus and also implies that Jesus is even
greater.
Also, both Elijah and Moses had mountain-top experiences of God where their
appearance had changed.
But what really happened that day?
I haven’t a clue.
We will never know. It was one of these experiences that is very hard to put into
words.
Actually its interesting that if you talk to people, a great many folk can tell you of
a moment they had that they can’t fully describe – it might be an experience of
wonder, of a sense of ‘other,’ (something more), or of Gods presence, or strength
or peace.
It’s usually something that almost never happens in their normal lives.
Something that doesn’t seem to fit in with logic - so hard to explain to another
person - yet something that was real enough.
So what then, is the transfiguration all about?
3
First, it’s an experience that Jesus had.
We’ve jumped ahead in his story. This event happened when he was beginning
his final journey to Jerusalem. Here he would be meeting up with the people who
hated him most – people who had great influence and power.
Jesus knew the road ahead would be very tough. And so he was coming up the
side of this mountain to find quiet and some space to pray.
He wanted to stay close to God.
He needed to stay close to God.
And then, as before at his baptism, he hears the words of God given to him to
empower, and strengthen, and encourage him.
God breaks through to Jesus to help him know that he is not alone.
But the Transfiguration was also an experience for the three disciples.
This vision was granted to them. It happened to them to encourage them.
They would never able to forget or discount what happened here.
It’s the moment when three of Jesus’ friends see the link between Jesus and God.
It’s here that they get an insight into his identity.
At this moment they get a new understanding of God, of Jesus and of the world.
While Peter was talking, a shining cloud came over them, and a voice from the
cloud said, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased—listen to him!”
(Matthew 17:5)
The story ends with everyone descending the mountain to the world once more down to the world of work,
down to a world of need,
down to ordinary life.
But the Transfiguration is more than this.
It isn’t just about Jesus and the disciples.
It’s also about us.
There is something for us to see.
Jesus was transformed. The disciples were transformed.
And we are called to be transformed.
Gods plan for us is that our lives change as we become moulded into better
people.
The nearer we are to Christ the more our lives should reflect God’s love.
4
Next week begins the season of Lent. It’s a time for us to reflect on our
discipleship and our spiritual lives.
And next Sunday you will be hearing about some ideas we have for us to mark
this season.
The writer Joanne Harris wrote a novel called Chocolat, subsequently turned into
a film with Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp and Judi Dench (to name but a few of
the well-known cast).
This story is set in France – when a stranger and her daughter arrive in a very
stuffy and traditional town and open up a chocolate shop at the beginning of
Lent, no less, much to annoyance of the apparently moral and pious residents.
But everything is not what it seems.
The newcomer, Vianne, turns out to be the very person to liberate the locals from
their joyless, lifeless faith, and she creates new possibilities for the community.
And near the end of the film, one of the changed people, Pere Henri, the village
priest, stands up to deliver his sermon, but its not like his negative judgemental
homilies of the past.
“I’m not sure what the theme of my homily today ought to be. Do I want to speak of
the miracle of Our Lord’s divine transformation? Not really, no. I don’t want to talk
about His divinity. I’d rather talk about His humanity.
I mean, you know, how He lived His life, here on Earth. His kindness, His tolerance…
Listen, here’s what I think. I think that we can’t go around… measuring our
goodness by what we don’t do. By what we deny ourselves, what we resist, and who
we exclude.
I think… we’ve got to measure goodness by what we embrace, what we create… and
who we include.”
These are great words..
Instead of measuring our goodness by what we don’t do – lets measure goodness
by what we embrace, what we create, who we include.
We often think holiness is related to being aloof, staying away or giving up stuff.
True holiness is more about what we do.
Jesus makes this clear on the Sermon on the Mount.
Having just been reflecting on the Sermon on the Mount these last weeks, and as
we approach the beginning of Lent , we get a timely reminder today of what
holiness is in God’s eyes.
“What is clear here is that holiness is not about not doing things. It is about doing
things that make a difference. It is not about avoiding so-called sinful behaviour,
but about doing justice, compassion, fairness, non-violence and generosity. It is
about caring for those who are vulnerable and poor, and treating all people with
the same respect and dignity.”
(John van de Laar: Sacredise – from last week’s commentary)
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It’s a call to action – to involvement – to living life to the full.
As Jesus and the disciples couldn’t stay in that place of prayer forever – but
needed to return to the real, broken world, (to where they would live out their
faith), we need to do likewise.
At the transfiguration God gave a command.
“Listen to him!”
Listen to Jesus. Pay attention to him. Follow where he leads.
This is God’s calling to you and I.
We cannot see God. But thanks to Jesus more than anyone else, we can see what
God is like.
That’s why, like the first disciples before us, we need to listen to him.
Jesus is a good man –
a great man –
a compassionate healer –
a wise teacher –
a wonderful person.
But more than even that – Jesus is filled with God,
and if we want to know how to live,
if we want to know how to be close (and stay close) to God,
if we want to be all that we can be,
we need to listen to him.
Matthew 17:1-9
March 2 2014