Texts: Mark 9:2-9; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. He had done this with them many times before—gone up a mountain, or to a quiet place, away from the people, to pray, to listen to God the Father. Only this time, because Peter, James, and John went with him they witnessed God’s own glory revealed in Jesus.
It confirmed who Jesus is, but as Jews who revered Moses and Elijah, the disciples were confused to see Jesus speaking to them. Why were Moses and Elijah there?
One time I was telling this story to young children in Sunday School. I asked them what they thought Jesus was saying to Moses and Elijah. One excited little boy raised his hand and said, “Jesus was telling them, ‘I got all A’s on my report card—and one B’.”
Well, Jesus was in the process of making his father proud.
Thinking that Moses and Elijah had returned for good, Peter wanted to build dwellings for each of them. But that was not the reason for them or the disciples being there. The disciples were there to witness the glory of God in Jesus, and to hear God speak these words, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”
Moses and Elijah represented the Law and the Prophets, and now they were being superseded by Jesus, God’s Son. The torch of God’s light was being passed from Moses and Elijah to Jesus Christ. As soon as the words were spoken, Moses and Elijah disappeared.
This is the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany, the season we celebrate God’s revelation of Jesus as his Son. It began with Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The wise men who visited the baby Jesus were Gentiles. All people, Jews and non-Jews, were being shown the Son of God. This day is the culmination of the revelation of Jesus as God’s Son. It is called the Transfiguration. Jesus was transfigured, his appearance changed from human to heavenly.
There were only three witnesses. Why? Would it not have been more effective if thousands of people had seen this for themselves? If God is revealing himself to the Gentiles, why were there only three Jewish witnesses?
Throughout Scripture it is God’s pattern to reveal himself as he wishes. Back then, as it is now, sometimes the people are not ready, were not prepared, to witness the fullness of his glory. We remember Moses coming down the mountain with his face shining, from seeing the glory of God. His face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil to speak to the people. It seems that in due time God reveals his glory to particular witnesses for a reason.
In the second lesson from Second Corinthians this morning Paul confirms that God’s own light has shown believers the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Though Paul was not present at the Transfiguration, he understands God revealing himself to certain witnesses. Paul acknowledges that the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. But this is not God’s doing. The god of this world—perhaps a reference to Satan, has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel in the glory of Christ, who is the very image of God. Paul himself had been blinded by the glory of God at his own conversion. Jesus spoke personally to him, and the direction of Paul’s life dramatically changed. He went from being a persecutor of Christians to being persecuted for being a Christian.
There is unusual chaos in many American cities. It seems we do live in a time in which many people have been blinded by the god of this world. They believe in and perpetuate lies, and it makes them angry, so they commit crimes and other injustices to ‘get even’. As with the early Christians in Rome, innocent people who are trying to do good are the ones blamed. It’s not easy to get accurate news about what is happening. One has to do research, to find eyewitnesses to learn what is happening and why. When will God reveal his glory to all these lost people?
The Church—one, holy, catholic, and apostolic-does believe that God will continue to reveal himself to the world. Christians meet Jesus in prayer and the faithful reading of God’s Holy Word, so it benefits us to continue to seek him in this way. When we read the Gospel we are overhearing Jesus speaking and interacting with the people in his time. He is speaking to us as well.
The Bible is the foundation for all that we believe about God. Those who make the regular reading of the Bible a spiritual practice, prayerfully studying it with an open heart and mind, expecting God to speak to them, will encounter God there. Sometimes a sudden insight is revealed, or there is a gradual understanding of a vexing problem, or a sense of peace or the presence of God is felt. Though we may know most of what is in the Bible at one level, with each re-reading there is the possibility of a new or deeper understanding of a particular passage.
When I first read Huckleberry Finn at the age of 12, I thought it was a grand childhood adventure. Tom, Becky, and Huck were the main characters—and Jim was in the background, the only adult in the picture. But when I re-read it again in high school, I realized at a deeper level it was also about the evil of slavery and the dignity of all human beings. Jim was very important to the story, not just a person in the background. Many times I’ve had a similar experience reading scripture, something I’ve read many times before, coming to a new and deeper understanding of God.
What happened with the Transfiguration of Jesus was so spectacular it would be easy to over look three little words. “Listen to Him!” God told the witnesses to listen to Jesus, not Moses or Elijah. Those of us here listen to Jesus. How could we encourage others do the same?
I don’t know how to encourage people in faraway places and cities to listen to Jesus. But, I do believe it is significant that as our culture drifts away from the knowledge and wisdom of God found in the Bible, more people feel lost and angry. Perhaps we could pray for God to reveal to us what we should do there, or how we could support Christians trying to share the Gospel around the world.
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our practice of Lent. The season of Lent is a time for our spiritual preparation for Easter, the Day of Jesus’ Resurrection. We may abstain from things we normally enjoy to make more room for prayer, or to identify more with the sacrificial love of Jesus. We may add appropriate devotional prayers.
Perhaps this year we could add special daily prayers for God to reveal His Glory to more and more people, for them to meet His Son Jesus, and to listen to Him speaking to them. Amen.