The Gospel of Luke follows
closely the account in the Book of Exodus. Moses went up on Mount Sinai to talk
with God. “The appearance of the
glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the
sight of the people of Israel.”
“As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant
in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had
been talking with God.”
The stories about God speaking
through Moses and Jesus are fascinating.
God speaks in many ways, some are the mountain-top experiences we have
in life, some are the uncomfortable ways of other religions, and some are
through people who are oppressed, homeless, unemployed, and poor.
Peter, James and John, the
disciples Jesus took with him to the mountain, saw what few people have ever
seen. Peter was perhaps too scared
to see what was plain before his eyes: Jesus revealed as the light of lights,
the glory of God who becomes flesh, living among us as one of us. “While Jesus was praying, the
appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Peter was there to see; he reacted with
awe and fear and spoke about making dwellings for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Then he heard a voice from the cloud
declaring, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.”
God’s appearance in the Exodus
story was like fire in the eyes of the people. Jesus’ appearance on Mount Sinai was “dazzling white.” Moses had taken with him Joshua, his
assistant and successor. Jesus
took with him his closest friends, including Peter, who was to become a leader
in the early Christian community following Jesus’ death. The gospel story is intended to show
that just as God spoke to Moses on a mountain, so he also spoke to Jesus.
The experience of Jesus being
transfigured, or changed, was for the disciples a visionary moment. They saw the light and the radiance or
glory of his face, and his whole appearance as it was happening. The vision of the two people who talked
with him, Moses and Elijah, long since dead, and the most notable figures in
Israel's history, signified that Jesus and his ministry were supported by both
law and prophecy. The divine voice
that came out of the cloud and spoke was a familiar symbol pointing to God’s
presence. The experience was both
awesome and terrifying.
There are several interpretations
of this story in terms of what it meant for the disciples and what it can mean
for us today. One of the
commentaries states, “it recounts a vision in which the veil between the
visible and invisible worlds is momentarily drawn back and Jesus is revealed in
his true light. It is difficult to
speculate on the nature of the event … because so many details in the gospels
suggest that Jesus as the messiah was a secret from the disciples until after
the resurrection.”
The experience on the mountain
indicated that Jesus was changed in the disciples’ understanding of him. It was tremendously important because in
the days following the resurrection members of the early church were expecting
Jesus’ imminent return. The gospel
accounts had not yet been written.
Jesus had not returned. The
early followers of Jesus were suffering painful and difficult times. Many of them were persecuted and
executed by the Romans who occupied their land. In the midst of that reality their faith had to be expanded
and transformed. Jesus had taught
them how to pray, but in the time of persecution they needed to experience the
power of the resurrection in a new way,
When you and I look at all the
suffering around the world, the millions of refugees, victims of gun violence,
the zika virus in children, and wide-spread
poverty, we have to make difficult choices about how our faith propels us to
action. The decisions we make, the
people we elect as legislators, affect our lives and the lives of those who are
most vulnerable.
All of us during the course of
our lifetime have experiences of anxiety, sorrow, disappointment, pain or
suffering. However, despite all
that may confront us we are not alone.
There is a gift of grace and love that helps us to move through these
experiences. That gift is known to
us who are within the household of faith and in relationship with God.
Climb the mountain with Moses and
Elijah, and with Jesus and the disciples. Envision your own transformation and
our common destiny. Join with the
voices of women and men who share the vision of the early followers of
Jesus. Say with them “we have had
enough of a world filled with hate, prejudice, oppression, violence, poverty,
and all the bad things that inhibit goodness, justice and peace.” Work for a world in which faithful love
is possible and where peace flows deep like a river. When our voices are heard, and when our actions are visible, even
in a world that whimpers in misery, there truly will be a dazzling light on all
our faces and knowledge of the glory of God. Amen.
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