Matthew 17:1-9
You’ve probably heard sermons on the Transfiguration many times. The Transfiguration is described in Matthew, Mark and Luke in slightly different ways, and referred to by the author of the first epistle of Peter, who claims to have been an eyewitness. But the essential story is the same.
What do you do with this story that we’ve just heard? There are three themes that people seem to concentrate on. One is that Jesus does this so as to assure his inner circle, Peter, James and John, that he is the Messiah that the Jews have been expecting, so that when his crucifixion takes place, they will be the ones who convince the rest of the disciples to keep the faith. That of course didn’t work out so well, because as we all know, Peter claimed he did not know Jesus, and the rest of the apostles deserted him as well. John tells us that “the beloved disciple” stayed at the foot of the cross, but most scholars think John is using the beloved disciple figure as a stand in for the ideal Christian.
A second motif is to point out that here is old Peter again, missing the point, speaking before thinking. Kind of like you and I, right? In the gospels Peter comes across as the disciple who always misunderstands, especially in Mark. In fact, for a long time because of this people thought of the gospel of Mark as sort of a transcription of what Peter remembered. Matthew and Luke and John all try to paint Peter, who by then is a hero to the church, a leader who got things off to a good start, a martyr who died hanging upside down on a cross -- as someone who finally learned his lesson -- but Mark, taking down the words of Peter, paints him as continuing to be foolish and hardheaded. So, you and I are like Peter, we misunderstand, we get things wrong, we are not very good disciples. But like Peter, God works with the clay that we are, and will continue to build up his church using us, the imperfect ones, the flawed rocks that make up his church.
A third motif is that Peter and the others want to stay up on top of the mountain, preserving this moment when God shows himself. That’s well and good, but should they be up there when the message they are meant to proclaim is down here, at the foot of the mountain, where the people who are like sheep without a shepherd live? Shouldn’t the shepherds be down there smelling like their sheep, not up on the mountaintop contemplating divine things. But Jesus actually says nothing about this. All he says when things are all over, is that they are to tell no one. And of course, “do not be afraid”, which might be easier said than done after you’ve heard the voice of God the Father.
And of course, I could mention that Jesus is the culmination, not only of the law, represented by Moses, but the prophets as well, represented by Elijah.
Well, maybe there is another way to look at this event in the story of Jesus. The Transfiguration after all, is a moment of clarity. Peter and the others behold Jesus as he really is -- a man out of whom divinity shines, the Son who reflects the light of the Father. Peter has a moment when he not only sees the divinity of Jesus, but he also sees in one moment what that divinity is all about -- Jesus became Man so that we may become God. Not literally, of course, but Jesus did make it possible for human beings to take on divinity, to reflect the glory of God in their beings, to enjoy the great heavenly banquet for all eternity. Jesus shows them how we all are meant to be. And Peter gets it right for a change. “Let us build three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Let us preserve this moment when we can look at what humans are to become, what God has meant for us to be. And Jesus does not say, “No, you don’t understand, that’s not why I did this.” He says instead, “Rise and do not be afraid”. Because what God has in store for us should make us afraid, a little bit. Because we clearly don’t deserve it, what God has destined is indeed that he draws us into the ocean of his grace, that we become children of Jesus’ Father, that for us, death will be the mere turning of a page in our destiny of eternal life. That’s the vision of Peter, that’s what we need to carry down from the mountain -- that God loves us so much he wants to give us his own life, immortal life, life without limitations.
Peter is wrong about one thing, though. He wants to build tents for Moses and Elijah, but he doesn’t need to build a tent for Jesus -- Jesus' body is the tent, the tabernacle, that shines forth with the presence of God.
