Our class on
Tuesday evening had a lot of questions about some details in the gospel text,
so I’ll reread parts of the text and explain some of the details.
2Six days later: when we see a
note like this, we want to know what happened six days ago. It turns out that
it was Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. This
was followed by Jesus’ statement that he would soon be killed and raised again.
To which Peter said, “No, Lord! That will never happen to you!”
Jesus took with
him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by
themselves. Peter, James and John are the three lead disciples. Perhaps we can
think of them as deacons, or officers. They are shown more because more will be
expected of them after the resurrection. They will be charged with building
Jesus’ church.
Jesus was
transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling
white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. Jesus’
appearance was changed, and his clothes became whiter than we humans can
imagine. White is the traditional color of angels, and of the divine. It may be
the same white people have reported when describing near-death experiences. Jesus’
clothes turn white to demonstrate that he is the holy one of God. Jesus is the
Son of God. The disciples are looking at God’s glory displayed in Jesus.
4And there
appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Moses is usually
thought to represent the Torah, the covenant between God and people. He is
sometimes called a prophet, and the people are waiting for a promised prophet
like Moses.
Elijah represents
the prophets who call the people back to worship of the Lord. We read this
morning about Elijah’s non-death. He was carried to heaven in a chariot without
first dying. There is a tradition that he will return, either as the Messiah,
or as a predecessor to the Messiah. The appearance of Moses and Elijah tells
the disciples that Jesus is the promised son of God, the Messiah. This is big
news, good news!
In response to the vision, Peter
said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three
dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Peter
is suggesting that they make little shelters and stay for a while to get to
know each other. The dwellings would be like those used for Sukkot, a Jewish
harvest festival. The shelters, or booths, remind the Jews that their ancestors
spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.
But Peter really did
not know what to say, for they were terrified. They have never
experienced anything like this, and they don’t know what to make of it. Even
more, then, there is a voice coming, it appears, from the clouds. The voice is
the voice of God. At Jesus’ baptism, God’s voice was heard only by Jesus. “You
are my son, and I’m proud of you.” This time, the voice speaks to the
disciples. “This is my son. Listen to him!”
What are we to
make of this story? Shortly before Jesus heads to Jerusalem for the last time,
he reveals himself as God’s Son by revealing God’s glory. He lets the disciples
know that he is the fulfillment of all that has been promised by God through
Moses and the prophets beginning with Elijah.
The disciples are
trying to understand what is happening by fitting something new into their old
experience. They want to make booths, to enjoy the moment with Moses and
Elijah. They are attempting to put a square peg into a round hole. And with
God, that is not a good idea.
We know that the
disciples are looking for a messiah, and believe that he will be a new King
David who will form a powerful army and get rid of the Romans. They are not
expecting the messiah to be an incarnation of the divine – God with skin on.
They are not expecting the messiah to be crucified like a common traitor to the
empire. And they certainly are not expecting the resurrection, even though
Jesus has predicted it several times. They are not expecting a square peg,
which will never, ever fit into a round hole.
We, too, try to
fit square pegs into round holes. There was a story in the news this week about
a fashion show featuring role models instead of fashion models. The women in
the show included actor Jamie Brewer. She is known for her roles on American
Horror story, and for her leadership in several societies. We usually think of
models and actors as fitting a particular mold. But Jamie is different; she has
Down Syndrome. She is a square peg who doesn’t fit into the usual round hole,
and she challenges our thinking about actors and models.
Christians have a
long history of having things a certain way. In this way, we are not much
different from the ancient Jewish leaders. We like worship the way we like it,
and are reluctant to make changes. We like certain kinds of music, and hesitate
to experience other forms. We choose seats in worship and during coffee hour,
and sit in them every week. We do not like it when someone asks us to change
the shape of our round hole to match the new circumstances of an evolving
square culture. We like our round pegs
because they fit nicely into our comfortable old round holes.
And yet, since
God is always doing a new thing, and these new things are always for our
benefit, we must work at thinking in new ways all the time. We must always be
looking for God’s light to be shining and showing us the new path we are to
follow. We must always be preparing and opening our hearts for what God is
doing, and not allow ourselves to get caught trying to maintain our round holes
when God has crafted new square pegs. In this way, we will be permitted to view
the glory of God, as the disciples did so long ago on the mountain.
Holy One, you
revealed yourself to the disciples in a blaze of glory. You reveal yourself to
us in subtler ways: in a bite of bread and a sip of wine; in a splash of water;
in a cross of oil on our foreheads. Lead and guide us to follow wherever you
lead, and help us to trust that new adventures are your will for us. Amen
