The reading
Matthew 16:24 - 17:8
16:24 Then Jesus told his
disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life
will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For
what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
Or what will they give in return for their life? 27 "For the Son of Man is
to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone
for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who
will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his
kingdom."
17:1 Six days later, Jesus took
with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain,
by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like
the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to
them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus,
"Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three
dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While
he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the
cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well
pleased; listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the
ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Get up and do not be afraid." 8 And when they looked up, they saw no
one except Jesus himself alone.
The message
Today’s reading marks the end of
the epiphany season. The word Epiphany
means revealing or realization and comes from ancient Greek drama, the moment
in a play when the main character realizes something that changes his or her
entire story. Epiphany in the church is the time when people realize who was
born on the Christmas. We start with the
visit of the magi who bring gifts to the new born Jesus and his family, Gold,
Frankincense and Myrrh, symbols that Christ is king, God with us and that he
will die and rise again. After this, we have the baptism of Jesus, where the
voice of God says “this is my son, the beloved”. Those are the same words we hear today at the
Transfiguration but this sudden story is not like much else in the
Gospels, The transfiguration, the brief
changing of Jesus appearance from human to divine, is concerned with how Jesus,
as God with us, is revealed to the world.
With about 8 weeks left until
Easter we have completed half our time with the Gospel of Matthew. We have had a chance to see where Jesus
works, what Jesus does every day, where he goes and who he works with. We
started with Christmas, with the birth of Jesus, the new star, the gifts of the
magi, and his fleeing from the jeaolusy murderous wrath of Herod. We have heard stories of Jesus Baptism,
temptation, miracles, healings and teaching with great authority in the Sermon
on the Mount. We saw how Jesus reacts to
the death of a friend and coworker (john the Baptist). He wants to go and pray, finding some peace
alone but ends up spending the time healing, teaching and then feeding
thousands with a little bread and fish and then walking on water. We hear Jesus
talk about the kingdom of God, stop to care for those in need, to embrace those
others cross the street to avoid, to
declare the unclean, welcome, to teach, to correct faith practices that are not
so faithful, to pray, to live the scriptures.
That is Jesus daily life and it all points to God.
A few years ago, a local pastor
started a program where he made appointments to meet church members at his or
her job and go to lunch with them. I saw it in his weekly email and thought
well, that’s new. Part of me wondered, well who would want to take me to work
and show me off to their co-workers, how would everyone else in the office,
store, factory or restaurant feel about it.
Of course, there is something much deeper going on. To see where someone lives, works or goes to
school, what they do with most of their days, helps you to get to know someone,
their passions, interests, even how or if they live out their faith in the
world or to ask that question, how does your faith inform what you do. Throughout my ministry, working with people
has always been a chance to talk, to get to know them, to counsel, to learn and
often to be inspired.
That is why today’s reading is
sudden and out of place. It is complicated, confusing or odd. Right before the
Transfiguation was Jesus feeding the crowds, a story that ends with him walking
on water and being worshipped by the disciples (Now, the Frankinsence the magi
brings, an incense used in worship makes sense). Today, we start with Jesus
talking about his death at the hands of worldly authorities and announcing the
resurrection (now, the myrrh that the magi brings makes more sense, it was a
perfume used to anoint the dead and prepare bodies for burial) . Then Peter and the others questions or
rejects this, he confronts their disbelief, inability to accept what would
happen soon, with news of their own suffering and struggle. "If any want to become my followers, let
them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. This is the exact opposite of where they
thought Jesus was going, the exact opposite of what people expected the messiah
to do. The people expected a military
hero, not a shamefully executed subversive.
They expected an army of angels to bring change and defeat the powers of
this world, not a group of fishermen, tax collectors, foreigners, sinners and
even women.
In one of the most extreme
switches in the scripture, we go from Jesus talking about his execution to the
Transfiguration, Now Jesus appearance changes, shining with the light of God
and appearing with Moses and Elijah, Jesus is clearly king (now the gold that
the magi bring makes sense) In the Old Testament we learn that when Moses
speaks to God on the mountain top, Moses’ face shined, he could not be looked
at, he had to put on a veil. Now, a few days after openly talking about his
death and resurrection, things change. Now, there is the transfiguration. This is the proof that Jesus is the Messiah,
the son of God, the savior, the promised one, the word made flesh, this is the
evidence. The voice of God proclaims
“this is my son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased”. Others have healed,
others have done signs of power, others have taught in new ways, but this is
different.
Peter James and John know
what this means and they want to mark it, to make 3 booths, altars for Jesus,
Moses and Elijah, this needs to be
remembered and marked. It should be repeated in the temple, in the streets of
Rome, in front of the high priest, the king of Israel, the emperor, in the
center of Jerusalem, in the places of power.
Moses and Elijah, the giver of the law and the greatest of the prophets,
each verify Jesus claims to fulfill God’s promises. This was what the disciples needed, Hey, you
think you are interpreting the law right, well here’s Moses, the law giver, ask
him. You don’t think Jesus is a prophet, well here is Elijah, the greatest of
the prophets, ask him. Don’t believe us,
well ask him. Jesus rejects this, It is not the right time or way. Instead
Peter James and John are told to keep this quiet until later. God in the world will be revealed in other
ways.
This story is always the reading during
the Sunday before Ash Wednesday (although it is not in that order in scripture,
we heard the reading on the temptation about 4 weeks ago), Who is going to into
the wilderness, subject to temptation, not floating above it, enduring, God
with us in suffering, amongst the least of us,
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