Our readings for today speak of
several momentous encounters, intimate times of worship, life-altering episodes
with God that are so transformative that they visibly reflect a change in the
countenance of Moses and compel Peter to want to “do something.”
Likewise, when we experience such
moments, we are destined to be changed. . . . Paul understood this when he
spoke of “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to
another.” Encountering the holiness of God will alter the way people see us and
the way we relate to others. – Chris L. Brady
Luke 9:28-36
[37-43]
The fact that this event is
situated on a mountain and contains a command links this episode with that of
Sinai. The three gospels place this episode immediately after Jesus states that
he was destined for execution and that those who follow him can also expect to
lose their lives. These are the specific points to which the divine voice
command was to “listen.” – Regina Boislair
Exodus 34:29-35
No doubt the lectionaries assigned
this pericope because a Christian reading of it associates the radiance that
the Israelites witnessed in Moses' face with that of Jesus' transfiguration
witnessed by Peter, James and John. This segment has two traditions: 34:29–33
speaks of a single incident following Moses' descent from Sinai with a second
set of tablets while 34:34–35 speaks of repeated experiences of the Israelites
of Moses radiance after his conversations with God. . . . Moses' radiance and veiling illustrate his
special role and calling as mediator between God and the Israelites. – Regina
Boisclair
2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2
There are a number of concerns with
respect to this selection. First, the message of this passage is an expression
of Christian supersessionism, a premise that claims that Judaism and the
covenant with Israel were abrogated by Christ. . . part of a teaching of
contempt towards Jews and Judaism that most churches have officially rejected.
Second, the passage rightly
recognizes that Jewish understandings of their own scriptures are not the
understandings that Christians take from these texts. (Paul calls this veiling
and compares it to the veil Moses put on his face to mask the effects of the
glory of God from the Israelites.) …[B]iblical scholars and the Pontifical
Biblical Commission have called special attention to the fact that while
Christian readings of the scriptures of Israel are legitimate and of primary
importance for Christians, such interpretations cannot displace the
understandings of that would have been given to the text in their original
social location in Israel and in the Jewish community. . .
. . . This having been said, Paul
treats Moses as a type of apostle. Both are ministers to the glory (presence)
of God.
…The lectionary sees a connection
between the glory that caused Moses to be veiled and the transfiguration of
Jesus witnessed by Peter, James and John. In this instance there was no veil
and Moses and Elijah also appear as affirmation of Jesus' role. – Regina
Boisclair
Regina Boisclair,
a Roman Catholic biblical scholar, teaches at Alaska Pacific University,
Anchorage, Alaska.
Chris L. Brady
is lead pastor of Wilson Temple, United Methodist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Homily Service 40, no. 3 (2007): 26-40.
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