Transfigurations,
at least in the Bible, apparently involve light and silence. On the mountain
with his disciples, Jesus appears “dazzling white.” Jesus tells the disciples not
to speak of this event to anyone.
Paired with
Jesus’ utter transformation is that of Elijah who, although a human prophet, is
whisked into the heavens without dying. And just as with those who witness
Jesus’ transifiguration, along the way to the place where the whirlwind will
take Elijah aloft, his apprentice, Elisha, tells onlookers not to say anything
about what is about to happen.
Light and
silence both take their place in these noteworthy moments of epiphany. In both
stories, the mantle is passed.
Mark 9:2-9 and 2 Kings 2:1-12
Jesus stands
on the mountain brightly lit with the two major pillars of faith: Moses and
Elijah. Jesus is, indeed, among highly select company. The message this
carries? He is to be revered as are these figures who represent the law and the
prophets.
As
we come to the end of the season of ordinary time after the Epiphany, the
scripture stops us abruptly with anything but the ordinary. Here is another
epiphany, a manifestation or showing forth of God in Christ. This is the most
vivid such manifestation in the gospels, prior to the resurrection, if you set
aside the epiphany of the angels of the incarnation. This manifestation can be
seen as a foretaste of the resurrec- tion appearances, and perhaps a sample of
the vision of God that we anticipate seeing, as St. Paul tells us, not ‘‘in a
mirror, dimly,’’ but ‘‘face to face.’’
As Christians today, we stand on the other side
of provable fact. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without understanding this.
Beginning with the ‘‘un-ordinariness leading up to the incarnation, reason
bursts the boundaries of how we discern the working of the world. And the power
that formed creation, that omnipotent power, chose to limit power to become
like us, a human being, whose love isn’t to be proved by worldly standards, but
through surprising interaction which results in healing, new character
formation, freedom from bondage, ability to love even one’s enemies.’’ [quoting
Madeleine L’Engle]
.
. . Thus we stand on the mountain with the disciples, unsure of what to make of
this glowing god before us, but pretty sure that it is a moment of revel- ation
of greatness and power, the culmination of the Law and Prophets. Seeing this
confirmation of the past in the present guides us to acknowledge a future where
any darkness faced will be ringed with the light of this moment. With that
vision, we can face whatever comes our way, not with certainty or proof, but
with a life-affirming story that gives light to our path.
– Sara Webb Phillips
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Whereas light
and blinding brilliance describe the identity of Jesus as God’s Son and of
Elijah’s special treatment, in a twist of imagery, the writer of this letter
uses the metaphor of blinded minds to describe unbelievers. Their veiled
understanding keeps them from seeing the “light of the gospel.” God is the one
who shines in the heart “to give light.” All others will remain as those who
“are perishing.”
In a sermon at
First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois in 2002, Dean Francis brought
the Transfiguration to life with a meditation on that oft-heard phrase about
having a “come to Jesus meeting.” Saying it is his favorite expression, Francis
notes a problem in it.
In
an unusual way by seeing Jesus solely as the one that we go to, we are enabled
to manage our relationship with him in a way that doesn’t cause too much
confusion, doubt or change. Jesus doesn’t show up as an unexpected guest for
dinner. He doesn’t come knocking on the office door while we are doing our
taxes. Because after all he doesn’t come to us, we go to him. Yet it is in the
Transfiguration that we see the full picture of Jesus. We see God in glory, as
flesh transfigured, and then we realize—Jesus comes to us. Jesus, sweet
heavenly dove, is one of us. In this moment on the mountainside, the divinity
cannot be contained, and bursts forth so bright, the gospel writer could only
think of the image of clothes so bright that ‘‘no one on earth could bleach
them’’ (v 3). It’s not all about us managing our relationship to Jesus; it is Jesus
appearing yet again to shatter our preconceptions.
Sara Webb
Phillips is a United Methodist pastor serving North Springs UMC in Sandy
Springs, Georgia.
Homily
Service 39, no. 3 (2006):
35-46.
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