NL 329: Transfiguration - Luke 9:28-45
image: “Transfiguration” by Kelly Latimore (Vanderbilt Divinity Library- Shared through Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License)
February 14, 2021
Luke 9:28-45
Initial Thoughts
Frederick Buechner: “It is as strange a scene as there is in the Gospels...“Even with us something like that happens once in awhile...Every once and so often, something so touching, so incandescent, so alive transfigures the human face that it's almost beyond bearing.”
Transfiguration Sunday: Why is this a thing?
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
Literary Context
Eight days after Jesus asking “Who do crowds say that I am?” and disciples saying John the Baptist, Elijah, or another ancient prophet. Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ. Then Jesus warns of the rejection, death, and resurrection that is to come.
“Take up your cross and follow me”
No Peter denying this and no “get behind me Satan”
Immediately before another warning about arrest and Jesus “determined to go to Jerusalem.”
Transition between Galilean ministry and journey to Jerusalem and Passion.
This Sunday is the transition between birth and Epiphany stories and Lent.
Named one of Five pivotal events of Jesus’ life Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension.
Two parts - The Transfiguration itself, and coming down.
28-35 Jesus took Peter, John, and James up to a mountain to pray.
“On Eighth Day” could be allusion to Resurrection, which happened on the ‘eighth day’ - the day after the Sabbath. Also could be seen as the second ‘First Day.’ The start of a new week, a new creation.
“Jewish thought associates eight days with circumcision, [also] perhaps here anticipating Jesus’ resurrection on the ‘first day’ after the old week.” (Amy Jill Levine, The Jewish Annotated New Testament, p. 133)
Answers old joke about “What did God do on the eighth day?”
Inner circle is a good lesson for leadership in church.
Matthew and Mark say these three were also pulled aside as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. Not mentioned in Luke’s passion.
Fred Craddock points out that “As he was praying” confirms Jesus’ prayer life as an important part of his ministry. Linked to his baptism in 3:21, where the Spirit comes “while he was praying.”
Moses and Elijah
The Law and the Prophets
“Moses and Elijah: unlikely representing “Torah” (Pentateuch) and “Nevi’im (Prophets); more likely representing Israel’s preeminent prophets, both of whom faced rejection” (Amy Jill Levine, The Jewish Annotated New Testament, p. 133)
Both men had mysterious deaths
Moses was buried by the Lord, and ‘no one knows where Moses’s grave is.” (Deut. 34:6)
Elijah was taken up by a chariot in 2 Kings 2:1-11
Mountaintop Experiences
Elijah encounters God speaking in the silence when he tries to flee from the authorities (Jezebel and Ahaz) who were hunting him and God calls him back to his task (1 Kings 19)
Moses’ message is rejected by the Israelites and has to ascend the mountain again, in the wake of the Golden Calf narrative to receive the message of God again
United the Jewish and Christian narratives - “this would serve to refute all who claimed Jesus somehow contradicted the Hebrew Scriptures-on the one hand Jews who saw Christianity as an aberration or heretical departure from the ancients, on the other hand Gentiles who claimed Judaism and its traditions were false and that Jewish Scriptures had nothing to do with the true faith.” Gonzalez, Luke p.127
Only Luke tells us that they talk about “Jesus’ departure” interpreters say “Jesus’ exodus in Jerusalem.”
Jesus’ apparent defeat and death (which he has just predicted) is actually going to lead to liberation and life
Disciples: Want to build a shrine to all three.
Had already confessed Jesus as Messiah, but now see him in all his glory.
Almost overcome by sleep (like in Gethsemane, or almost fainted out of sheer terror)
No shrine, must keep moving.
No longer about all three - but must listen to Jesus. It is through Jesus, God’s son, that we must now understand Moses and Elijah. Jesus is the lens through which we read and know the Law and the Prophets.
Of course, we built a church there. Peter ended up getting his way.
36-43 A strong argument can be made - by Craddock - that the Transfiguration should stand alone. Telling this story afterwards can lessen the impact of what just happened.
Text after 37 really fits more with stuff until 50, when Jesus actually sets out for Jerusalem.
However - perhaps this is a reflection on the lack of transformation in the disciples. Jesus - empower by the knowledge that he is God’s beloved is transformed and then becomes an agent of that transformative love in healing the boy.
Peter and the disciples are not transformed, they don’t “get it” (see Luke 9:43b-50). Therefore, because the good news has not changed them, they are unable to affect change in others
Thoughts and Questions:
This is a story about transformation which is the hoped for outcome of the Church- the transformation of people into disciples and the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God. How many of our churches/church members are aware of this? A good question to ask is how has the good news changed you (and if it hasn’t-then perhaps we haven’t been sharing the good news)?
An opportunity for celebration- how has your community of faith transformed your local community?
An opportunity for challenge - in what measurable ways will you transform your church and community in the future?
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen