The Transfiguration

Matthew 17:1-9 (NRSV)

The Transfiguration

¹Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴Then 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.’ ⁵While 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!’ ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ ⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

I am indebted to William Barclay’s commentary for this reflection.

The Transfiguration probably happened on Mount Hermon, 14 or so miles from Caesarea Philippi, a mountain that is so high that, on a clear day, it can be seen from the Dead Sea. It also probably took place at night because earlier we have read that the disciples were weighed down with sleep. Jesus probably went there to discern the will of God and answer the question for himself: “Was it God’s will that he go to Jerusalem to the Cross?” He needed to hear the voice of God, for Jesus wanted to do what God wanted him to do and not just what he wanted to do. Barclay suggests that “Jesus had no will but the will of God.” When Jesus had a problem “... he did not seek to solve it by the power of his own thought; he did not take it to others for human advice; he took it to the lonely place and to God.”

This raises huge questions for us today. How do we hear the voice of God? It is an oversimplification to say that we just refer to the Bible, because we know that it is a complex collection of different books that needs interpretation. The horrors of fundamentalism warn against this sort of approach. So we need something else. God definitely speaks through the Church – more than just individual advice – but the collection of those who together seek the mind of Christ. Some would suggest that this is best done through the local congregation – the position of Congregationalists including Baptists. Roman Catholics would suggest that it is the Pope – but I cannot accept this because history has also revealed how this can be wrong. I like the idea of the whole of Christendom. Today the truth about racism is universally accepted, as is the sanctity of human life amongst other things. Perhaps Kant was on to something when he suggested that we need to seek the absolutes in what is true for all people at all times – the categorical imperatives. But then there is the matter of individual conscience. People like Martin Luther, William Wilberforce and others had to take the lonely path – going against the Church of the day. Indeed our Lord’s path was lonely.

We too need to go up the mountain to listen and be refreshed. We do need to listen to the voice of God deep within the depth of our being. As Paul Tillich puts it, we need to allow the Ground of All Being, touch us at the core of our being. But at the same time we do need others who are prayerfully doing the same, to witness with our spirits that we are indeed in tune with God’s Spirit.

Moses and Elijah, the characters that appeared with our Lord, both had their most memorable experiences on mountain tops: Moses on Mount Sinai when he received the Law and Elijah on Mount Horeb where he found God in the still small voice of calm. Moses died on Mount Nebo and Elijah was taken from a mountain top at the end of his life by chariots of fire. The Jews believed that Elijah would return as the forerunner to herald the coming of the Messiah; they also believed the Moses would be a companion of the Messiah. Often preachers have focused on this and the way in which Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets, but it would appear that of greater significance was the fact the Moses and Elijah confirmed for Jesus that the path to Jerusalem and the Cross was the right path.

But it is also true that Moses and Elijah were both law givers – bringing the Laws of God to people; Elijah was the greatest of all the prophets because in him ‘... the voice of God spoke to people with unique directness ...’ (Barclay) The significance of this event lies in the fact that the two greatest characters in the history of Israel appeared to Jesus and said to him: “Go on!”

Added to this came the voice of God coming in the cloud – the shekinah – the glory of God revealed in the cloud. God had done the same when he revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses and God appeared in a cloud when Solomon’s Temple was dedicated. On mountain tops, clouds appear quickly and on this occasion, accompanied by a voice, the experience would have been transfiguring for all concerned, but it was most special for Jesus himself and would have ‘... enabled him inflexibly to walk the way to the Cross ...’ (Barclay)

But the experience would also have had a lasting impact of Peter, James and John. They could not understand what Jesus had been saying to them and it had looked as though all that lay ahead of them was shame and disgrace. Now they were given a glimpse of glory. No Jew would have experienced the shekinah and not realise that God was present and active. So, as Barclay explains, this experience should have enabled them to see through the shame, triumph through the humiliation and the crown beyond the cross.

But they still did not understand, but at least they were given a glimpse of the truth.

Peter, always the man of action thought that he needed to do something. But he needed to realise that there is a time for stillness, contemplation, wonder, adoration and for awed reverence, especially in the presence of God. As Barclay explains: “Before a man can fight and adventure upon his feet, he must wonder and pray upon his knees.”

But there is a converse truth here as well. Some people value spiritual experiences so much that they never want them to end: “The mountain of Transfiguration is always more enjoyable than the daily ministry or the way of the Cross.” But we still need to go the mountain for from these experiences we do get our strength for our daily ministry. But the moment of glory does not exist for its own sake: “... it exists to clothe the common things with a sheen and a radiance they never had before ...”

Wishing you a wonderful mountain top experience this weekend so that you are enabled to minister effectively throughout next week.