Sermon - March 6, 2011
Year A - The Year of Matthew - Transfiguration Sunday
Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9

Matthew the tax collector, who wrote the Gospel of Matthew, is speaking to us today. In this account of the transfiguration, he wants us to be sure to hear some things. He wants us to be aware of some of what took place on that day. After all, that is why he wrote it down. Matthew begins this section by saying," Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain." He says that for a reason.

Today’s readings all speak of mountains – high mountains, holy mountains. In the ancient world, mountains were seen as the ultimate in holy places. The Greeks had their gods living on Mount Olympus. The Egyptians had no mountains, so they built some, which we know as the pyramids. Moses received his call and the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Moses in his old age dies on a mountain from which he is able to see the Promised Land. 

For some reason, humans associate great things with mountains. We see pyramids in Mexico. Near here by Vermillion, we have Spirit Mound, which was a holy place for the American Indians. When one is in a big city, one can always pick out the tourists because they are looking up in awe at the skyscrapers. We like high things. It is only fitting that Jesus' full divinity is revealed to his disciples on a mountain as we see in the Transfiguration account.

Mount Tabor, the traditional site of the Transfiguration, is lush and it is green. The traditional site of Sinai is mountain desert. It is a geographic contrast to consider. Sinai, the desert, and Moses begin the journey; Jesus and the bright mountain of Tabor mark the culmination of the journey. We are seeing the progression of the holy history of Israel. That progression has not only brought us to Jesus, it has brought us to the moment when he shows to his disciples the fullness of his glory. Now, the journey will continue. Jesus will eventually make his way to Jerusalem and the cross of Good Friday.

However, for now the journey although it is nearing an end, it is not yet finished. Jesus is transfigured. What exactly goes on when Jesus is "transfigured"? It is not merely the same as what we think of as being "changed". Essentially, who Jesus is on the "inside" is made physically manifest on the "outside". His physical appearance tells us something about his identity. He is human and he is divine. He is glorious, but in an unexpected way. He is transfigured; he is changed before his disciples so that they might have a glimpse. 

Most of us want "change" on the outside; God wants change on the inside. Remember that when Moses came down from the mountain, "his face shone from being in the presence of God". Someone once described this as being like spiritual sunburn - Moses reflected God's glory. It was not something that came from within, but something that came from without. In the person of Jesus, the glory that was hidden within is now made manifest.

There is something to be said for witnessing the glory of Christ in Matthew's Gospel. It is telling us not only something about the nature of Jesus; it is also speaking to us as it did to the disciples. Closely associated with seeing the glory of Christ, is seeing the glory of God in each individual. To see Jesus for who he really is tells us that the glory of the Transfiguration was for us, but that that same glory is also part of us. We are to reflect that glory in our lives and church.

Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountain. They represent the law and the prophets bearing witness to who Jesus is. Meanwhile, Peter does what too many of us tend to do: when God is doing something amazing, we focus on something else. We often forget that when Jesus makes his presence known, that is what we should pay attention to him. If God is at work, we are not to become bogged down in the wrong things. 

How often do we become so obsessed with little things that we forget what is important? 
This can be true with friends, family, as well as church. We can be like Peter when we spend our time and energy on the "externals" - the mere trappings of church - and then we can miss the presence of Jesus in our midst.

The account of the Transfiguration continues with the voice of the Father saying, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" The voice from the cloud is an echo of the voice heard at Jesus' baptism. It speaks not only of Jesus' identity, but also of his relationship to the Father. Then, there is that little addition: "Listen to him." If the Israelites were to listen to Moses and the revelation from the old mountain, how much more are to listen to Jesus and the revelation from the new mountain? 

The phrase "this is my beloved..." connects the two episodes of baptism and transfiguration in the person of Christ. Matthew wants us to see the connection in ourselves: we are called in baptism to be beloved of God, so we are also called to be transfigured for baptism is pointing forward to the resurrection to the renewed body, the resurrected life, the fully transfigured life that will be given to us in God’s grace. It is only after death and resurrection that the final transfiguration takes place. 

In response to the voice on the mountain, the disciples fall down in fear. Matthew says, "When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, 'Get up and do not be afraid."' 

Some people wrestle with this part. They do not like the fear that is expressed in these lines. However, Matthew wanted us to read it because what we see is a natural reaction. I would have been in awe, wonder, and fear myself had I been on that mountain. I would have been afraid because it would have exposed my weakness. We are weak before God. Strength is only an illusion. Before God, we see true strength and that makes humans uncomfortable because we want to be gods. We want control. However, before the glory of God, we see our sin and feel our fear. 

Matthew then gives us an important part of the account. After the glory, light, Moses, Elijah, the cloud, the drama and dazzle, Jesus is still who he is. He has not changed. He has only revealed who he is. Therefore, he comes to the frightened disciples, and Matthew writes that Jesus touches them and says, "Get up and do not be afraid." That action by Jesus is part of the revelation. Jesus in all his glory has come for us. The holy history has been carried out so that we might be freed from sin and death.

We now draw to the end of Epiphany season. Lent begins on Wednesday. During the Epiphany season, we have followed Jesus from birth, to early childhood, to baptism, and his teachings and miracles as an adult. All of these events give us insight into the person of Jesus. Now, we will enter Lent, and we do so knowing that Christ came so that we, too, might be changed in our lives and in the resurrection to come. His history also becomes ours through our baptism into his death and resurrection. Amen.