Transfiguration
Sermon by: Rev. Mary Alice Mulligan, Ph.D.
Several things are going on in worship today. In a little while, we will celebrate as we welcome new members. Most of us are pretty happy when people join the church. And then we will be receiving commitments of our talents and treasures, which is also a good time to celebrate as we recognize people are serious about investing their time and energy into the ministry of St. Andrew now and into the future. And we have a candidate for music director. So it’s a busy day. We could almost lose track of what holiday it is. I mean for most of us, the Sunday of the Transfiguration is not one of the big events of the church year. We could easily overlook such a minor holiday. But, I think it could be helpful to spend a few minutes investigating the scene. Apparently Matthew, Mark, and Luke thought it was important enough to put it in their Gospels. They must have believed we had something to learn from the transfiguration. We remember the earlier scene on the road when Jesus asks the group, “Who people say I am?” and then he asks more pointedly, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ.” The three synoptic Gospels then describe the Transfiguration scene as happening six days after Peter’s declaration. Please stop now and read Matthew 17:1-9.
The transfiguration of Jesus would make a challenging painting. How might one paint the explosive glow of Jesus face, like a blinding burst of sunlight, and the power of his being dazzling through his clothing? How would one communicate who they think Jesus was in the vibrant scene on the mountain? Trying to figure out the meaning of ancient events is mind-boggling. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer claimed a more important challenge is to think about the question Jesus asks all his disciples. Who do you say that I am? Bonhoeffer stated the question this way: Who is Jesus Christ for us today?
The transfiguration was a vision. Jesus called the mountain experience a vision, as if it didn’t matter if Moses and Elijah were physically present. What mattered was the disciples saw the presence of God in Jesus, which placed him ahead of any of the other prophets, no matter if every prophet who ever lived showed up on the mountain. The vision on the mountain was real, although we do not need to claim the biblical account is factual.
Let’s consider what a vision is. It's not necessarily some kind of sleeping dream state, but rather a way to visualize one’s best future. When Martin Luther King Jr. told his followers he had a dream, he was not telling them a nighttime event which he remembered when he woke up. He was sharing his best hope for an anti-racist society, where children would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Dr. King was, in fact, placing a vision before his followers which they could visualize and strive for.
Matthew’s description of the vision on the mountain showed us how those three disciples could see Jesus for who he really was for the first time, even though they supposedly had traveled with him, watched him heal hundreds of people, and listened to his teaching month after month. In the glorious moment of transfiguration, the disciples saw Jesus, because their daily interpretation of who he was, for a moment was torn open. He ceased being merely their virtuous teacher and traveling companion. Matthew paints a scene which spreads out a vision for the followers of Jesus.
So, the Transfiguration vision shows us: God is present among us. The Creator of the universe is willing to figure out a way to be present among puny us. Sounds like love to me. I must admit, I relish the mountain scene where God’s glorious reality explodes from within the humanity of Jesus. After all those months of being with his disciples, a week after they recognize he is the Messiah, the divinity within him erupts past the fleshly veil and displays to his closest three who he really is: he is the presence of God among them. Then, Matthew reports, they experience a mountaintop moment similar to what happened to Moses. A bright cloud overshadows them and they hear a heavenly voice. But this voice identifies who Jesus is, in case there was any doubt. No wonder they fall to the ground in shock and awe. We can almost hear Matthew shouting, “Look at Jesus, erupting with the glory of God!” What an amazing scene.
But when it is done, another holy moment happens. Jesus touches them. He is back to his normal incarnational self. And he says, “Get up…do not be afraid.” With God’s compassionate touch, Jesus calms the frightened disciples. In touching them, Jesus shows us that the transfiguration is not the only moment God’s presence is revealed. Jesus manifests the glory of God, not only when his humanity is dropped, but in his most human moments. He reveals the presence of God every loving moment. Although the disciples cannot fully comprehend what is about to happen as Jesus moves toward Jerusalem, Matthew’s reporting is a guide for his followers: Jesus is God’s Beloved. “Listen to him.” And the scene also promises that they will not be alone. God’s presence is not restricted by human flesh. In other words, Matthew is showing us that Jesus gave those disciples a vision for the expansive power and presence of the divine. Almighty God chooses to be present with the followers of Jesus.
But here’s an important reminder. The message was not for then. The disciples had to wait to understand. Jesus reportedly says not to tell anyone until after the resurrection. Of course they wouldn’t even know what that meant, except they needed to wait to tell anyone. In other words, the message was not for the disciples on the mountain. After all, Matthew wrote about it decades later. The disciples could not understand in the moment. The message is for later followers.
We might think of a houseguest who visits each February. On the day of their departure, as they close the car door, they say, “See you soon.” As far as we know, we won’t see them for a year. We won’t know what they mean until later, when the whole story plays out. A surprise birthday party, returning to Sarasota for cancer surgery, or they just bought a condo down the block? We have to wait to understand.
The followers of Jesus cannot understand what happens on the mountain until later. Only in light of the full story – Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection – could followers understand. Which we can also hear as a message from Matthew. The message of , transfiguration is for later followers, like us. We know the whole story. So, what’s the message? We heard some of it already. God was always present in Jesus. All of his loving touch of others, his healing and teaching, his calls for generosity and forgiveness – all of those moments display the presence of God. But we also see from the transfiguration that God with us is not limited to the fleshly existence of Jesus, which means we can experience the presence of God in Jesus now. Whenever we carry out the ministry of Jesus, we can sense the presence of God among us.
When a little group spent an afternoon in the St. Andrew kitchen making food for the Project 180 houses, they could feel God’s presence. And when they took the food and broke bread with those new friends, the presence of God was bubbling over. Jesus wants us to understand. He gave his followers a vision of how God wants to be in the world, which happens through compassionate actions of people of good will. God wants to feed and heal and show compassion to people, which happens through other people, like us. Each person should be treated as a precious human, because each was created in love. But amazingly, whenever we follow Jesus’ teachings, the people served experience God’s presence, and so do those who serve, because whenever people are treated with God’s love, God is present. God’s power is always right at our fingertips, whenever we put our energy into God’s purposes.
On Wednesday of this week, just 3 days from now, Lent begins. Our devotionals are available. A Bible study begins a week from Tuesday. The season is perfect for spending time listening to a divine message for us personally and for us as a congregation, so we can sense God’s presence infinitely available to us now.