NL 229: Transfiguration
image: La transfiguration by Joseph Tissot (wikimedia)
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Mark 8:27-9:8
Initial Thoughts
Lectionary creators realize something most people in the pews don’t - The Transfiguration is a big deal. We cover this in every year of the RCL and now here we are in the Narrative.
Ash Wednesday reading is Mark 9:30-37. 9:9-9:29, coming down the mountain, is not covered.
RCL breaks this reading into two parts - Transfiguration and Lent 2B; 9:1 is left out. Here we have the two scenes in the proper order.
Transfiguration Sunday: Why is this a thing?
End of Epiphany
The ordinary made extraordinary
The human made divine
F Buechner: “Even with us something like that happens once in awhile. The face of a man walking with his child in the park, of a woman baking bread, of sometimes even the unlikeliest person listening to a concert, say, or standing barefoot in the sand watching the waves roll in, or just having a beer at a Saturday baseball game in July. Every once and so often, something so touching, so incandescent, so alive transfigures the human face that it's almost beyond bearing.”
UMC Discipleship article gives two reasons:
“We celebrate the revelation of Christ's glory "before the passion" so that we may ‘be strengthened to bear our cross and be changed into his likeness.’ The focus of the Lenten season is renewed discipline in walking in the way of the cross and rediscovery of the baptismal renunciation of evil and sin and our daily adherence to Christ”
“In the biblical context, the synoptic gospels narrate the Transfiguration as a bridge between Jesus' public ministry and his passion. From the time of the Transfiguration, Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem and the cross.”
“In the East, the Festival of the Transfiguration has been celebrated since the late fourth century, and is one of the twelve great festivals of the East Orthodox calendar. In the West it was observed after the ninth century by some monastic orders, and in 1457 Pope Callistus III ordered its general observance. At the time of the Reformation, it was still felt in some countries to be a "recent innovation," and so was not immediately taken over into most Reformation calendars, but is now found on most calendars that have been revised in the twentieth century. A recent tendency in the West is to commemorate the Transfiguration on the Sunday just before Lent, in accordance with the pattern found in the Synoptics, where Jesus is represented as beginning to speak of his forthcoming death just about the time of the Transfiguration, so that it forms a fitting transition between the Epiphany season, in which Christ makes himself known, and the Lenten season, in which he prepares the disciples for what lies ahead. Whether observing the Transfiguration then will affect the observation of it on 6 August remains to be seen.” Society of Archbishop Justus
Bible Study
Mark 8:27-38
Literary Context
Come immediately after Jesus asking, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter proclaims “You are the Christ.” The part about Peter’s name being changed is not here. That already happened, without any fanfare, in Mark 3:16.
Begins a new phase of Mark. Up until now, things were going relatively smoothly. There were miracles, healings, feedings. There has been some conflict, but nothing too serious. From here on, things turn darker. After Transfiguration, there are conflicts, arguments, and Jesus predicts his death two more times.
In all the Gospels, this is a part of a much larger story that is a transition. By Jesus’ own words, the story from here leads to the Cross.
All three synoptic Gospels tie these events together:
Peter says “You are the Christ.”
Jesus predicts his death, Peter rebukes Jesus. Jesus rebukes Peter (not in Luke)
Jesus teaches about saving and losing your life - All must “take up their cross,”
Transfiguration
Jesus heals a boy.
Prediction about death/arrest
Alternating Private/Public words
Public: Prediction of death and resurrection
Private: Exchange with Peter.
Public: Lose life to gain it.
Prediction of death and resurrection
Begs questions: “How much did Jesus know?” or “Was it Jesus’ mission to die?”
High Christology: Jesus knew from start exactly what was happening, and death on the cross was his mission from day one.
Low Christology: Jesus knew that the things he was teaching were not going to be tolerated. He knew, even provoked, conflict that led to his death, but the teaching and community he built was the mission, not his death.
Answering this determines much about the rest of Lent, and the way we see Resurrection.
If mission was to die, then it could be argued that resurrection is superfluous.
Failure of the disciples
Three first of three passion predictions
Each is followed by a failure of the disciples
Peter's rebuke
Who is the greatest
James and John arguing who sits at the right hand
Reveals the difficult of the church to accept a crucified Christ
Exchange with Peter
Peter just made the declaration that Jesus is the Christ.
He’s about to tag along on Transfiguration
In between, he’s Satan.
“Get behind me” is in direct opposition to “Come after me,” which is what Jesus told Peter to do when they first met.
Peter’s mistake is in stepping out of order. Jesus demands that he “get back in line,” or simply, “let me lead.”
Satan, or ‘tempter,’ is briefly mentioned in Mark 1. Peter here is tempting Jesus to let up, to do less than what he was called to do.
Lose life to gain it
Not a suicide mission, but he wants followers to understand his life is about more than leftover bread and calmed storms.
Also a reminder that the only way to fully live, is to live for others. This is a story that has been told many times, and has even been tested. Check out this story that reminds us that the only way to feel good about money is to give it away.
Mark 9:2-7 - The Transfiguration
Literary Context
The voice from the cloud "This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!" is a close mirror to the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness."
Mark 1:9-15 is reading for the first Sunday in Lent, so that phrase will be repeated for two weeks.
Lead up to this story:
Jesus predicts his death, Peter objects, Jesus says, “Get behind me Satan,” (8:33)
Jesus tells crowd that they must “take up their cross and follow me,” and he assures them that, “some of you standing here won’t die before they see God’s kingdom arrive in power.”
Is this story the response to that? Is this a taste of “God’s kingdom arriving in power”?
Cuts off verses 11-13 about Elijah and alluding to John the Baptist.
After this story: They come down from the mountain right into a squabble between other disciples and legal experts. The disciples are unable to heal a boy. Jesus does, and says, “You faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you?”
Moses, Elijah, and Jesus form a connection with time. Reminder that Jesus is not an isolated incident, but a part of a story of redemption.
That they are dressed in white that shines reveals a holiness that can barely be looked at.
Peter, James, and John form an inner circle of three. Same guys he took with him apart in Gethsemane. Also involved in first two call stories (Andrew gets left at bottom of mountain).
Peter’s response is justified.
Fear is sometimes the right response to God.
We (progressives) often do not like to think about a proper fear of God, but when faced with the power of God, fear is the only true response.
Peter’s response is faithful.
Building shrines is a way to house one of these men in preparation for the coming kingdom. Peter thought that they were going to stay and spend the night. He has no way of knowing that they aren’t sticking around. Jesus tells him otherwise.
Peter’s response is bad timing.
The coming of Moses and/or Elijah signaled the beginning of the end. Building booths was the right thing to do. The problem is that Jesus says, “Not yet. I still have to suffer and be rejected.”
You cannot skip over the bad parts.
Markan Secret and Disciples’ confusion.
He orders them not to tell anyone and they are confused about the concept of being raised from the dead.
Both are common themes in Mark. Serve as story-telling device and as a way to contrast those who were there and do not understand, and those who hear the stories, and do.
Thoughts and Questions
When do we feel tempted to take the easy road? When we’re called to a difficult task, there is inevitably a time when we wonder if it is worth it. We start to think of plan B, or some way to sneak away. I saw a poster a long time ago that said “The workout begins the moment you want to quit.” In a way, Jesus ministry really begins when he is first tempted to take the easy way out. Instead he reminds everyone that his path does in fact head straight for the cross.
The lie of redemptive violence (the idea that violence is a good and appropriate response to evil) permeates nearly every part of our culture: from cartoons (think Popeye, Bugs Bunny or Wile E. Coyote) to celebrity twitter battles, to bullying, to how we teach US history, to how we interpret the cross. The cross does not justify violence. In dying on the cross Jesus breaks the cycles of violence and refuses to participate in the myth of redemptive violence. The idea that one would not “strike back” is so radical that the disciples cannot wrap their minds around it. Later the church uses the cross to perpetuate the myth (blood atonement theology) instead of declaring that violence is NEVER redemptive. The idea that we can solve the world’s problems through violence leads us further down the road of nuclear weapons, domestic abuse, and school shootings. It is time to stop the cycles of violence - even if it means our own deaths - to take up our cross and begin to truly follow Jesus.
Parallel between Jesus’ baptism/transfiguration and our liturgical understanding of baptism/confirmation? Next week begins Lent, which is the season of preparation for new members. Lenten journey may begin this week, with a reminder of what lies ahead. Cannot skip the hard parts to get to the good stuff.
The Transfiguration reveals Jesus’ full divinity. Clothed with white, talking with Moses and Elijah, and voice from heaven leave no doubt that this is the Messiah. That he continues to go about his business as a healer and teacher reveals his utter humanity.
Much can be made of the three who were on the mountain, but we must also remember the other three that were there - Peter, James, and John. They were invited into this experience for a reason. They were meant to be witnesses, at the right time, of Jesus’ glory that was revealed in this encounter with God. We are invited to the same mountain, to take our place with the disciples, armed with the luxury of hindsight. We can know that it is not time to build shrines. Instead, it is time to build bridges.
Transfiguration is both mysterious and strange and also very practical: like Moses we are called to embody the spirit of the Law and represent God’s truth and justice, and like Elijah we are called to speak truth to power and wait to hear the silent voice of God. Instead of shying away from the mystery- perhaps this Sunday is a chance to embrace it and the practical implications of being transfigured by Christ.
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen