The Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A

"GET THE PICTURE?"
Exodus 24: 12 – 18; Psalm 99; Philippians 3: 7 – 14; Matthew 17: 1 – 9
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, Given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

We’ve probably all had the experience of going through a box of old family photos.

Remember picking through those, only to find that there were some that you couldn’t recognize, because the frame of reference had been lost entirely? The faces in the photos weren’t recognizable, the circumstances or the physical setting weren’t all that clear, and so the result is that the meaning of the photo to those who were looking at them years later was lost to history, to the mists of time.

Today’s Gospel account, from Matthew, chapter 17, has a lot to do with the frame of reference the original disciples (and we, as modern-day disciples) have as it relates to Jesus’ identity. As Jesus’ identity is disclosed more and more to His disciples, their recognition of Him grows in its focus and understanding.

Far from forgetting the circumstances and setting of this event, which has come to be called The Transfiguration, those original three who witnessed it, Peter, James and John, remembered it. After Our Lord’s Resurrection, they shared it with the others. We, in turn, remember it today as a direct result of the witness of those early disciples, who became the Apostles.

I imagine that the Transfiguration was a memorable milestone in understanding who Jesus is for the original disciples who witnessed it. It is a major marking point for us as well.

So, let’s turn to the account itself. We must begin by establishing the frame of reference for the events that took place on the mountaintop that day:

Jesus Himself establishes the frame of reference: Turning back one chapter, to Matthew 16: 13 – 20, we remember that Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” In reply, they offer the various answers they’ve heard in their travels with Jesus, “Some say John the Baptist, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asks, “But what about you, who do you say that I am?” And Peter (as usual) is the first to respond, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

And Jesus confirms Peter’s answer, saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Peter, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”

So, the frame of reference has been established by the Lord Himself: It is the identity of the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God.

This reference point allows us to move into the account of the Transfiguration, for the Lord is about to begin filling in the picture, now that its frame has been established.

As we look at today’s account, we note the following:

Similarities to Moses’ ascent to Mount Sinai: Matthew records the passage of six days’ time since the previous events (Matthew 17: 1), which is analogous to the passage of six days in Exodus 24: 16, many scholars note. In addition, we see the presence of the cloud which envelopes the mountain (see Exodus 34: 29 – 35). Finally, Jesus’ face shines with the glory of God (the Hebrew word for this divine glory is shekinah).

Moses and Elijah: Moses is the mediator of the Old Covenant, the Torah, given by God on Mount Sinai (another similarity to the Transfiguration), and Elijah is the one whose return will mark the coming of God’s anointed, [1] the Messiah. [2]

“This is my Son, the Beloved, with Him I am well pleased; listen to Him”: The voice from heaven that was heard at Jesus’ baptism [3] is heard again, and the same words are heard again, except that the words, “Listen to Him” are added.

What might we understand from these key features of this event?

I think the following stand out:

God’s glory and Jesus’ identity are made known: God’s voice is heard, and Jesus’ face glows with the divine glory of His Father. In essence, we see the “big picture” of Jesus’ divinity, and God’s great, long-term plan, in sending Jesus as the “Anointed One”, the Messiah.

Continuity with the past: Jesus becomes the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, the Torah. He says as much in His Sermon on the Mount, when we read, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill.” [4] As Moses recedes from view, Jesus is left alone to be the giver of the New Covenant, which is sealed with His blood, as we hear Him say at the Last Supper, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” [5]

But Jesus also becomes the fulfillment of the Malachi’s words, for Elijah’s presence and subsequent disappearance signal the arrival of the Messiah. [6]

The Transfiguration is not a monument to the past, but a herald of the future: Notice Peter’s response, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [7] Peter’s suggestion is ignored by the Lord, however…..Peter’s lack of understanding in chapter 16 (when he objects to Jesus’ description of His coming suffering and death in Jerusalem) shows up again here. Jesus’ point seems to be: We cannot build a monument to this event to remember it as an event in the past, for it looks ahead to prefigure the coming Resurrection, when Jesus’ divine glory will be seen in His resurrected body.

Remember a time when you “got the picture”? Suddenly, you understood the meaning of a significant event in your life, maybe because you understood not only the actual event itself, but the context – the frame of reference – into which the event itself fit.

I think that’s how the Transfiguration worked for the disciples….as time went along after the Resurrection, most likely, they remembered this event as being the first time they really began to understand that Jesus is the Son of the living God, the full disclosure of God’s glory and power. Maybe they remembered that His Resurrection resembled in a lot of ways His Transfiguration. Undoubtedly, they remembered that, with God, “all things are possible”, [8] and that the power of death – our ultimate enemy – has been conquered in Christ Jesus’ death and Resurrection, once and for all time.

For us – modern day disciples – we are called to continue to learn Jesus’ true identity. Far more that the fulfillment of the Law or a great teacher, Jesus is the “Son of the living God”, bringing with Him the fullness of God’s glory and power. We are called to continue to see a more and more complete picture of His identity, in order that we might understand who we are, and whose we are.

AMEN.


[1] A common first century understanding in Judaism, based on Malachi 4: 5 – 6
[2] Messiah is the Hebrew word for “anointed”. Christ is derived from the Greek equivalent.
[3] See Matthew 3: 17.
[4] Matthew 5: 17
[5] Matthew 26: 28
[6] Reading on into chapter 17, verses 10 – 13, Jesus makes it clear that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come. Essentially, it seems that we are to understand that the Messiah’s arrival is near.
[7] Verse 4
[8] Matthew 19: 26