The Festival of the Transfiguration of Our Lord --- 26 February 2017

Matthew 17:1-9

1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." 

And he was transfigured before them

·        Years ago, there was a TV game show in which three people all claimed to be the same person. At the end of the questions, the moderator would say “Would the real So-and-so please stand up.” The actual person would stand and the panel of celebrities would then see if their questions actually revealed the right person.

·        In the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus as we hear it in our Gospel reading this morning, the question might be the same: “Would the real Jesus please stand up!”

·        We see Jesus and three friends, all disciples, go up a mountain. The past few weeks we’ve been hearing part of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew. Matthew is believed to be speaking to a Jewish audience so having such wisdom proclaimed on a mountain would echo the giving of the Law to Moses on the mountain we hear about in the reading from Exodus.

·        Then, we see Jesus transfigured on the mountain, where … his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear and finally the whole scene is overwhelmed by a glowing cloud. From the cloud – like the cloud mentioned in the reading from Exodus – comes the voice of the Father, telling the disciples that Jesus is his son and that they should listen to him.

·        Understandably, the disciples are terrified and fall to the ground, until Jesus touches them and tells them not to be afraid. As they look up, they realize that they are alone on the mountain with Jesus. After that they are ordered to remain silent about all that went on up on the mountain and they return to the other disciples at the mountain’s foot.

·        So which is the real Jesus – the transfigured Son of God whose face shone like the sun or the more day-to-day “son of man” who walks with them and shares their meals and daily lives?

·        Some might say that Jesus showed his true face to the disciples in the mountain top episode, revealing himself in glory, while spending some time in an earthly form, to return to a heavenly existence later.

·        There are others who say that all this is allegory or myth or a literary device to convey a message not readily seen in the very human Jesus who teaches what the prophets (like Elijah and Moses) have always taught, who accompanies his disciples on their common travels, and who is no more than they are.

·        As for me, I’d have to answer the question of which is the real Jesus by saying “Both!” This is not simply your pastor being silly or obtuse or mysterious. It is the same Jesus who is transfigured on the mountain and who travels and talks with his friends every day. We are the ones who separate Jesus into parts when he was always one, always himself. When we recite the Creed together in a few minutes, be aware that this is what we say in saying “and became truly human”, confirming that Jesus is divine and human.

·        When Jesus told his disciples to Get up and do not be afraid, they saw only him. Moses and Elijah were gone and the bright cloud had disappeared. We might wonder if they realized that the glory, the light, the voice, and the sum of the Law and the prophets were all still with them in the one who stood alone with them and moved down the mountain with them. This may have been part of the reason they were told to keep this event to themselves until after the Resurrection, for only then would this all make sense. In any event, he calms their fears as they make their way back to the rest of their group.

·        Being told Do not be afraid is found elsewhere in the Gospels, particularly when something special and extraordinary is taking place. It is heard when the angel choirs announce the birth of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. It is also heard at Jesus’ resurrection appearances according to Matthew.

·        Here we are today, being told to be unafraid in the face of a saviour we have faith in but have never seen. Where is God’s glory to be found in our lives, since we were not present on the mountain with Peter, James and John?

·        The glory of God is found in grace and grace is found in the most unusual places.

·        An early Christian teacher, Irenaeus of Lyon was fascinated by the Transfiguration of Christ and must have been thinking along these same lines. He wrote: "the glory of God is a live human being and a truly human life is the vision of God". A human being living in God’s grace is the reflection of the glory of God on earth. To go further, a person living their life in God’s grace give the world a vision of nothing less than God.

·        This raises us and our lives in Christ up to a blessed level in a most unusual and unexpected way. It is grace that transforms us and if we see grace as the very life of God, it is grace that transfigures us in a way that can be seen with the eyes of faith.

·        Lent is coming shortly and Easter follows. May these times become times of grace and transfiguration for us. May we always reflect the very light and life of God.