Matthew 17:1-9
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
While he was still peaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
When the Disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
“Bustin’ Out!”
[Illustration from article “Super Bowl Sunday Partying, Eating and Consumption Statistics: Statistics Beyond Football About Guacamole and Potato Chips”, by Os Davis published Feb 1, 2006. (heavily modified)]
[All football and Super Bowl stats from NFL.com]
They oughta just make today an official national holiday; 125 million Americans can’t be wrong. Think about it: How many other non-holiday days have all of the elements of the Super Bowl? The gathering of family and friends, the donning of ceremonial garb, the feast of fried stuff with cheese… and the desperate search for hangover cures the following day? Let’s face it: Even if you can’t tell Randy Moss from peat moss, odds are you’ll be plunked down in front of the tube watching the biggest sporting event of the year.
Maybe you know nothing about the game and you’re just there for the commercials; or maybe you’re one of those people who can spout statistics like it was your job to memorize them… “You know Brady had 4,806 yards in the regular season… he scored 50 touchdowns breaking the single season record held by Peyton Manning. And he only had 8 interceptions! That makes for a passer rating of 117.2!” Well… despite what end of the spectrum you are on… here are a few statistics we all can understand:
No less than $55 million is expected to be spent on food alone for The Big Game. After spending an estimated ten million man-hours (give or take a few of seconds) preparing all that grub, Americans are expected to consume the lot within approximately fifteen minutes, well before the first touchdown is scored. Twice as much Pizza is consumed on this day than any other day of the year, and twice as many parties are thrown on this day… beating out even New Years Eve! There is a lot of preparation and a lot of hype leading up to today.
Two full weeks have passed since the last football game was played, yet the media has not found any lack of material to talk about for hours and hours on end. Is Tom Brady’s ankle as bad as some think? Is he going to have to wear a boot during the game? Is it all a media stunt by Bill Bellichek? They analyze every little thing to N’th degree.
They analyze the field conditions, the atmospheric pressures, the psychological pressures… and these so called master prognosticators use all of these elements to predict who the winner of the Super Bowl will be like they were predicting the weather. Almost unanimously… they have dubbed the 2008 Patriots the greatest team to ever walk the face of the earth. They predict a blowout of massive proportion that will ensure that the Patriots go 19-0… the first undefeated team in the history of Football since the new 16 game schedule. All of this, before a single play is made.
So why not just hand the trophy to Tom Brady, along with yet another Super Bowl MVP title, pass along the bad news to the 1972 Dolphins. And we can all just get back to our routine where nap time is the most exciting thing to happen Sunday afternoons. But there is a reason they still play the game. Even the wisest of prognosticators does not know how the game will actually end.
In Super Bowl X, the game was capped by a spectacular Terry Bradshaw throw as he was hit. The pass landed safely in the arms of Lynn Swann for a game-winning 64-yard touchdown to win the game. In Super Bowl XXV, the Giants were leading the Bills 20 – 19. On the very last play of the game, Bills kicker Scott Norwood attempted a 47 yard field goal to win the game. He missed… and the Giants won the game. In Super Bowl XXXVI the Patriots were tied with the Rams, 17 all… in the final minutes of the game Tom Brady completed three passes to J.R. Redmond to set up one of the best kicks I’ve seen in a pressure situation. Adam Vinatieri won the game with a 48-yard field goal as time expired.
Finally, Super Bowl XXXIV… the Rams vs the Titans. Steve McNair rallied the Titans from a 16-0 deficit in the second half and appeared to be sending the game into overtime. McNair did it with great scrambles and good throws. The end of the game was classic. McNair fired a pass to Kevin Dyson, who appeared to be heading toward a touchdown. Rams linebacker Mike Jones made the stop at the Rams’ 1-yard line to prevent the overtime and give the Rams the victory. What does this prove? Nobody knows how the Super Bowl is going to end… not even the smartest of announcers.
Well folks, we have spent a lot of time talking about the Super Bowl… it is high time we find out what all of this has to do with today’s text. Many months ago… we had our “Great Fall Kickoff” where I had a football sermon that related the resurrection of Jesus to a come from behind victory to win the big game. Well… if Jesus’ resurrection was the come from behind victory… our scripture text today represents the actual kick off to the big game.
Much like the Super Bowl… there was a lot of talk and excitement surrounding Jesus and his ministry. Word spread all across the Holy Land about this Jesus and some of the amazing things he had done. People were flocking from all over to come and see Jesus… watch him perform miracles… and hear him teach. We are talking thousands of people. Everyone was trying to decide what it all meant. I mean… here was a guy who was doing things these people had never seen… had never even heard of… and just like the mass media of today… the rumor mill began to spin as people were taking guesses at who this man Jesus really was.
Right before our sermon text for today… back in chapter 16… Jesus was talking to the disciples about what the rumor mill was churning out. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say that I am?”
That is the climate… right before the kick-off to the big game. People are looking at Jesus… analyzing all the statistics… examining all the events that have happened, and then they make their prediction… they attempt to answer the questions that are on everybody’s lips. Who is this man Jesus? Is he the messiah? Is he going to be the champion?
The wisest of prognosticators of Jesus’ time looked at the evidence and were not impressed with what they saw. They took everything they thought they knew about their coming champion and weighed it against the evidence of Jesus.
As I have mentioned in sermons past… their champion was going to be a military leader… Jesus was all about love and peace. (First down - no gain.) Their champion was going to be a political leader… Jesus had no interest in politics whatsoever. (Second down – no gain.) Their champion was going to free them from Rome. (Third down – no gain… time for Jesus to punt.) With this evidence… they declared to whoever would listen that - NO… Jesus was not the champion… was not the messiah… he was NOT going to win the big game. Remember… this prediction came before the game even kicked off.
This all brings us up to today’s text… the transfiguration of Jesus. Lets review… Jesus takes his starting lineup – Peter, James, and John up to the top of a mountain with him. There Jesus is transfigured and glows vibrantly, as best as theologians can describe it… in this moments the three disciples were finally able to see Jesus in his full manifestation… to see him as both God and man. Suddenly Moses and Elijah are by Jesus side… now it is important to understand that Moses represents the Law by which the Jews lived by… and Elijah represent the prophets to whom they listened to. The Law and the Prophets… the two most important things in the Jewish religion, and then there is Jesus… between the two of them… and he is lifted up by God as the greatest of all three. Greater than the Law that they worked so hard to follow, greater than the Prophets that guided them by through the toughest times… as God’s voice descends upon a cloud to announce, “This is my son whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
Forget what the people are saying… forget what the teachers of the law say… forget what all the prognosticators say… this game is just getting started… and the ending is gonna surprise a few people. Because from up on high on the mountain God himself has just announced that Jesus has taken the field as none other than the son of God. You wanna doubt because he doesn’t fit your expectations… I guess that’s your choice… but here we are… the big game… kickoff… on one side you have all the expectations of what your Jesus is suppose to look like… on the other… Jesus is showing us who he really is…. Which side are you going to bet on?
The next two months, we will be observing the liturgical season known as Lent. It is a season of personal preparation leading up to Easter. For Jesus… the journey to Jerusalem starts today. And there at Jerusalem… a cross is waiting for him. Every step Jesus takes from this moment onward takes him closer and closer… to his death.
For us… the journey officially begins this next Wednesday when we will come together as a congregation to observe Ash Wednesday. Every Sunday from here on out… we journey closer and closer to the cross on Good Friday. Every Wednesday at noon… we will worship here ecumenically… as we journey closer and closer to the cross. Every day during Lent, you will have the opportunity to read your Lenten devotional… as we journey closer and closer to the celebration of the empty tomb on Easter.
People will go to great lengths today to prepare for the biggest game of the Football season… but I wonder… are we willing to prepare just us much… for the biggest game of the Church season? The kick off is coming soon. What is the outcome of the big game going to be for you? GAME ON!
