Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 - Aug. 6 - The Transfiguration of the Lord
[Dan 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Pet 1:16-19; A: Matt 17:1-9 B: Mark 9:2-10 C: Luke 9:28b-36,1237]While [Peter] was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
The "transfiguration" is mentioned in all three of the "synoptic" gospels, each with its own emphasis. In Mark, it is the revelation of the "hidden" Messiah; in Matthew, the revelation of the New Moses; in Luke there is an emphasis on prayer. Today's passage is taken from the Gospel of Luke.
The theological term for this event is a "theophany" - revelation of God. The transfiguration takes place on a mountain, which was the usual place for revelations in the Old Testament (and in Matthew's gospel, the Sermon on the Mount]. In Luke, it is a personal experience of Jesus while he is praying. His experience spills over to Peter, James and John, who see the figures of Moses and Elijah, who represent the Law and the Prophets, and then experience the presence of God in the cloud [the way Moses did on Mt. Sinai] and here the voice that reveals Jesus as "my chosen Son."
This is a pretty big experience for three fishermen from Galilee. It comes shortly after Jesus has predicted his suffering, death and resurrection. They kept it to themselves! It may have been too much to "process!" Nevertheless, the story made its way into the traditions that were kept in the community and reported in the gospels. As the Letter of Peter in today's second scripture says, "We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty....."
From our perspective, 2000 years later, the transfiguration could seem like an odd insertion in the middle of the story of Jesus, but it is meant to help us realize a bigger picture that takes in the whole plan of God. It can help us to understand the importance of all those Old Testament stories that have been a part of our reflections here over the past couple of months. Jesus is the "chosen Son" and we must listen to him. AMEN