For the second year, Mary Ellen is playing Upward Basketball, and Ken and I are co-coaching her team. An important part of the Upward program is the weekly devotionals that take place during part of the practice time. This year, the girls have been learning about faith. The verse throughout the season has been Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “We live by believing, not by seeing.” This week the devotional led us through considering what it might be like to describe life on dry land to a fish living in the ocean. Such tales would certainly be hard for a fish to believe, but just because the fish’s worldview is limited to the ocean doesn’t mean that land and life on land don’t exist. And the same is true when it comes to our belief in God and Jesus Christ.
Ken and I have talked with the girls about how, even though we can’t see God, we can believe in him because we can see the things God does in this world like the sun rising and setting, and all the animals and plants that God has made, and the way that God helps sick people get better. And we’ve talked about how we can believe in Jesus even though we’ve never met Jesus because we have the gospels, all the stories that people who knew Jesus tell about everything that Jesus did and taught while he was living in this world. And one such story is the one we heard this morning, the account of Jesus’ transfiguration.
Just before Jesus’ transfiguration, Jesus is traveling with the disciples, and he asks the question, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples tell him that some say he is John the Baptist or Elijah, while others say he is a prophet. So then Jesus asks the men, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Messiah.” Now, in the transfiguration, we, along with Peter, James, and John, get to see what that means. What the transfiguration tells about Jesus, though, is probably much more significant than we realize. It seems like something of a fairy tell, but the story of Jesus’ transformation or transfiguration describes what was an actual event with the deepest significance for everyday reality. As Jesus stands on the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John, he is transformed before them. His clothes become dazzingly white, brighter than anything you can imagine. And this transformation is a sign. It is a sign of Jesus being entirely caught up with, even bathed in, the love, power, and kingdom of God, such that it transforms his whole being. This transfiguration is the physical sign of God’s message spoken just moments later, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him.”
It’s easy enough to dismiss such events as some sort of odd hallucination. Jewish scriptures and traditions tell of various events like this; when the veil of ordinariness that normally prevents us from seeing “inside” to the reality of the situation is drawn back, such that we can catch a glimpse of the greater reality. And indeed, that is what happens in this moment high atop what was probably Mount Hermon, just north of Caesarea Philippi. Needless to say, the disciples are quite scared. Peter blurts out the first thing that comes to mind as the events unfold, trying to make sense of the whole scene as he ties it into the the prominent Jewish festival, the Feast of Booths. According to some Jewish expectation, God would usher in the new age, the “Day of the Lord,” during the Feast of Booths. Peter was, of course, wrong about the timing, but God’s words are a reminder to pay attention to all that Jesus is teaching them about the future of God’s kingdom.
So what is it, exactly, that Jesus is teaching the disciples and others? Can we look at this whole situation, not just from the human point of view, but from God’s point of view? Think about all that has happened in the gospel up to this point. Jesus has been leading the disciples to this new view of God’s kingdom. In extraordinary action and puzzling but profound words, Jesus has been unveiling for them what God is up to. The disciples are having their eyes opened so that they can see for the first time the inner reality of God’s kingdom and the central truth that, even though he doesn’t look like what they expected, Jesus really is the Messiah! Now Jesus takes the disciples up Mount Hermon and his kingdom-revealing work continues, but now on a different level. It’s like a child with a microscope who can look for a moment upon a different reality and afterwards see everything in a new way.
But what was the inner reality of Jesus’ work? Well, for one, he was continuing and completing the tasks of the great prophet Elijah, and the greatest prophet of old, Moses. It’s interesting to note that these two revered prophets had disappeared from view rather than dying in the ordinary way. Their mysterious disappearances had become the stuff of legends, but now they reappear, with the veil of ordinariness drawn back for a moment, and Jesus is with them, shining in brilliant light. The appearance of Elijah and Moses is a sign that Jesus is not just indulging in fantasies about God’s kingdom, but that he is speaking and doing the truth. It’s the sign that he is indeed the true prophet, the true Messiah. And that’s what the heavenly voice is confirming. Jesus is God’s special and beloved son. Elijah and Moses were vital in preparing the way. Jesus is finishing the job.
You know, the transfiguration reminds us of God’s great work through Jesus Christ because it’s so easy to fit Jesus into whatever mould we want to create for him. “There's the Republican Jesus—who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values and owning firearms. There's Democrat Jesus—who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money. There's Therapist Jesus—who helps us cope with life's problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves. There's Starbucks Jesus—who drinks fair trade coffee, loves spiritual conversations, drives a hybrid, and goes to film festivals. There's Open-minded Jesus—who loves everyone all the time no matter what (except for people who are not as open-minded as you).
There's Touchdown Jesus—who helps athletes fun faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls. There's Martyr Jesus—a good man who died a cruel death so we can feel sorry for him. There's Gentle Jesus—who was meek and mild, with high cheek bones, flowing hair, and walks around barefoot, wearing a sash (while looking very German). There's Hippie Jesus—who teaches everyone to give peace a chance, imagines a world without religion, and helps us remember that "all you need is love." There's Yuppie Jesus—who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars, and buy a boat.
There's Spirituality Jesus—who hates religion, churches, pastors, priests, and doctrine, and would rather have people out in nature, finding "the god within" while listening to ambiguously spiritual music. There's Platitude Jesus—good for Christmas specials, greeting cards, and bad sermons, inspiring people to believe in themselves. There's Revolutionary Jesus—who teaches us to rebel against the status quo, stick it to the man, and blame things on "the system." There's Guru Jesus—a wise, inspirational teacher who believes in you and helps you find your center. There's Boyfriend Jesus—who wraps his arms around us as we sing about his intoxicating love in our secret place. There's Good Example Jesus—who shows you how to help people, change the planet, and become a better you.
And then there's Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Not just another prophet. Not just another Rabbi. Not just another wonder-worker. He was the one they had been waiting for: the Son of David and Abraham's chosen seed; the one to deliver us from captivity; the goal of the Mosaic law; God in the flesh; the one to establish God's reign and rule; the one to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoners, and proclaim Good News to the poor; the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world....This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord and God. He is the Father's Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins—more loving, more holy, and more wonderfully terrifying than we ever thought possible. This Jesus was the Creator come to earth and the beginning of a new creation.”1
Sometimes it’s hard to understand all that Jesus says. It’s hard to comprehend all that he does. And it’s especially difficult at times to find Christ’s meaning for our own lives. And so we do the best we know how. We build up images of the Jesus we want to worship. We fit Jesus into our own worldview so that he makes sense. People have been doing it for centuries, it’s what Peter did as Jesus stood there in the presence of Elijah and Moses. He tried to give meaning to Jesus’ transformation based on his own experience and knowledge. But the great significance of Jesus’ transfiguration is that it lifts us beyond our limited capabilities; it pulls back the curtain of our own worldview and gives us a glimpse of the fullness of God’s kingdom. And God’s words to the assembly on the Mount of Transfiguration are wiser than we can imagine. In all those times when we are trying in vain to make sense of the confusing realities of this world, all we need do is listen to God’s beloved Son. If we simply “listen to him,” we will see, and experience, and know the Messiah in whom all the promises of God and all the hopes of the world are complete.
Just listen.
