March 2, 2014
Pentecost Last (Transfiguration)
Matthew 17:1-9
2nd Peter
1:16-21
1:16-21
(prayer)
It doesn’t matter if you had hopingly planned for the moment or if it was a big surprise; it doesn’t even matter if you liked or hated it… the simple truth is that there is no going back from the first kiss. It is an early relationship plateau where everything that happens after it, is forever in the shadow of that first kiss. Even if you and your pucker-partner never kiss again or if the two of you never speak of it again, you are changed forever and so is your relationship: for better or for worse. There were key moments in the life of Jesus, where his closest followers caught - in him - a glimpse of the holiness that is at the heart of all being. Often times those moments were fleeting, but they were hard to forget. And certainly, these times sparked new understandings and beliefs about Jesus that could not be ignored even as the moment passed. This Sunday, we explore one such Bible story.
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Simon [Peter], James and John are often mentioned as among first followers (cf. Mt 4; Mk 1; Jn 1 [Simon only]). There are a few biblical narratives where Jesus goes off alone with these three – it is fair to call James, Peter and John as Jesus’ inner-circle. Jesus retreats with these three in today’s mountain top experience as well as for Jesus’ private prayer in the garden at Gethsemane the night of his arrest.
Earlier in Matthew’s gospel (the same one we read from today), Jesus had invited these fishermen to become ‘fishers of men’. I’m not sure why “Andrew” is not included in this inner-circle of Jesus, but Jesus seems to have had a special relationship with John, James and Peter.
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Today’s reading (from Matthew 17) begins with the contextual words “Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain”. The first thing we wonder is what happened six days earlier. The previous passage in Matthew (and in Mark and Luke where this story is also told) is what is called Peter’s Confession:
W ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
W ‘Some say John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
W ‘But who do you say that I am?’
W Jesus sternly ordered them to not to tell anyone he was the Messiah.
W Jesus began to show his disciples that he must undergo great suffering. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But Jesus said to Peter, ‘you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
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So, a few days before the mountain retreat we read about this morning, Jesus and his disciples had this odd conversation about who Jesus is. The message is murky – Son of Man, prophet, Messiah. Who am I? Don’t talk about it?
With those simple words “six days later” (or “about eight days” later in Luke), the authors of the gospels wants us to assume that the odd conversation (about who is Jesus) is fresh in Peter’s mind.
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As I said this event (and Peter’s Confession which precedes it is retold in three of the ‘synoptic gospels’ (Mark, Matthew and Luke). That tells us that it already is a significant tradition by some forty years after they occurred when the gospels were written in the 70s of the first century. The story-elements don’t vary much (meaning Matthew and Luke didn’t see much need to edit what they found in Mark):
R On the mountain top, Peter, James and John witness a physical change in Jesus’ appearance – his skin was glowing, his clothes were dazzling white.
R Suddenly in the deserted place are two other people – with the transfigured Jesus. Without a word, the disciple instinctive know that these people are Moses and Elijah.
R Peter speaks (remember he was also the one who spoke up when Jesus asked “who do you say that I am?”) – it is good for us to be here, let me make tents for you and Elijah and Moses.
R A sudden fog/cloud surrounds them and a voice is heard: ‘This is my son, the beloved/chosen. Listen to him.’
R And then (without warning) things were back to normal: the voice was silent; the cloud lifted; Moses and Elijah were gone; and Jesus looked normal.
R Finally as Jesus had done after Peter’s Confession, he instructed the disciples to not talk about this.
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Peter had experienced moments of clarity – over three years of discipleship Peter had concluded that his rabbi was especially endorsed by God – the long-awaited Messiah in
fact. Then, only a week later, Peter saw (with his own eyes) Jesus standing in glory with heroes of the faith. And Peter is told: keep all this to yourself!
fact. Then, only a week later, Peter saw (with his own eyes) Jesus standing in glory with heroes of the faith. And Peter is told: keep all this to yourself!
Have you ever had some juicy, amazing news that you were under some obligation to not say anything about (self-imposed or to others)?
Is that something you find easy to do? Do you have a reliable vault?
And... if you can keep the secret by not talking about it, what about sending out some non-verbal message? How’s your poker face?
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Who do people say that I am?
The Messiah, Christ!
Don’t talk about that.
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Shall we make tents for everyone?
Listen to my belov`ed child. And... Don’t talk about what you’ve seen and heard here.
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The question that keeps popping up in my mind is why Jesus was so insistent on his followers keeping these insights and experiences inside. Why did they have to keep the Messianic Secret – that’s what Biblical scholars call this aspect of the gospel narrative: the Messianic Secret.
At the turn of the 20th century, William Wrede suggested that these commands for silence may not be historically reliable – perhaps Jesus never said anything like this and it was
simply a literary technique used by the author of the Gospel of Mark (copied by both Matthew and Luke, who used the already written Mark as a starting point for their gospels). Wrede suggested that Mark invented the secret commands as a way of easing tensions in the early church between the concept of Jesus as the Messiah and the non-messianic aspects of his ministry. Most of Wrede’s theories starting to lose popular support by the 1920s with the exception of a theological explanation that the fullness of Jesus as the Messiah is not able to be fully known apart from the experience of his death and resurrection. This might make sense theologically regardless of whether the statements were really said by Jesus or not.
simply a literary technique used by the author of the Gospel of Mark (copied by both Matthew and Luke, who used the already written Mark as a starting point for their gospels). Wrede suggested that Mark invented the secret commands as a way of easing tensions in the early church between the concept of Jesus as the Messiah and the non-messianic aspects of his ministry. Most of Wrede’s theories starting to lose popular support by the 1920s with the exception of a theological explanation that the fullness of Jesus as the Messiah is not able to be fully known apart from the experience of his death and resurrection. This might make sense theologically regardless of whether the statements were really said by Jesus or not.
Historically, if we assume that these messianic secret statements have some foundation of things Jesus told his disciples, the most common explanation is that Jesus wanted to avoid
achieving ‘celebrity’ status at this point in his ministry. That would help him avoid stifling crowds and maybe would serve to keep his opponents at bay.
achieving ‘celebrity’ status at this point in his ministry. That would help him avoid stifling crowds and maybe would serve to keep his opponents at bay.
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I can’t offer any unequivocal explanation for the messianic secret: I don’t know whether they are there as a fact of history or as a result of some literary technique – they certainly are theological: but what we are too believe about it is not obvious from the text alone.
We can see a late first century theological interpretation from the letter of 2nd Peter. Although this letter purports to be written by Jesus’ inner circle disciple, Simon Peter, most scholars agree that it must have been written later than Peter’s life time. It seems to rely on
the letter of Jude for some of its content (and that letter is thought to be from a time after the letters of Paul were already being widely circulated in the early church).
the letter of Jude for some of its content (and that letter is thought to be from a time after the letters of Paul were already being widely circulated in the early church).
The letter of 1st Peter is more often thought to be more directly related to Peter: either
written/dictated by the Apostle or by a biographer who knew Peter.
written/dictated by the Apostle or by a biographer who knew Peter.
So, even though the first hand description of the transfiguration that appears in 2nd Peter, chapter 1 may not be from the apostle’s own hand, but it does contain for us what the early church thought about that experience:
Jesus did (and does) reflect the glory and honour of God. Jesus’ words and actions were supported by God and therefore are to have authority in our lives. Furthermore, since this has been passed on to ‘us’ over the generations by those who claimed to have experience Jesus in the flesh (and even though who saw him transfigured), we should be guided by the assurance that Jesus is God’s beloved child.
This assurance should be a blessing in our lives akin to a lamp shining in a dark place – giving us safety and comfort until the full light of the day comes into our lives.
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Theologically, the transfiguration of Jesus gives us a small glimpse into the glory and majesty of God. A window into the realm of God, where all that we hope and dream comes together with God’s desires.
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I wonder if it was possible for James, John and Peter to come close to grasping that as when they first came down the mountain.
I enjoyed a collegial coffee with a minister friend of mine this week, and as we talked about of respective sermons for this Sunday, we wondered if the purpose of the messianic
secret may have been, not so much to hold off the news until a more opportune time for others to hear it, but to allow time for the experience to think in – to give these disciples permission to chew on what they had seen and heard for a while – to not be so quick to try
and figure it out – to let the seed (so to speak) germinate for a while before you try to explain what the flower is going to look like.
secret may have been, not so much to hold off the news until a more opportune time for others to hear it, but to allow time for the experience to think in – to give these disciples permission to chew on what they had seen and heard for a while – to not be so quick to try
and figure it out – to let the seed (so to speak) germinate for a while before you try to explain what the flower is going to look like.
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You see, once the whole thing becomes public and the big discussions and debates start, the natural human tendency is to explain it: what does it all mean? To share and compare ideas and see if there is an explanation that makes sense. Ironically, this opening of conversation can have the result of closing off the mind to the original event that defied explanation and was simply experienced.
What Peter, James and John experienced was a glimpse into the mystery of God – and mystery is... (well)... mysterious.
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I wonder if the messianic secret is our bible’s way of inviting us to sit with the mystery for a while.
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As hard as some secrets are to keep, I suggest that it is harder to live with uncertainty, to abide in mystery – to accept that not everything is easily explainable – that one of the
most faithful things to say is “I just don’t know!”
most faithful things to say is “I just don’t know!”
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This season of Epiphany - that began with the light of a guiding star and ends with a lamp in a dark place - is leading us into a time of teaching and worry and suffering and the challenge to
see if we are up to paying the costs of discipleship.
see if we are up to paying the costs of discipleship.
Are we ready for Lent?
I don’t know.
But the experience awaits us and God promises to be our guide.
And that may be just enough for us to be changed forever.
And that may be just enough for us to be changed forever.
Let us pray:
O Mystery, O Holy Love, may our hearts be stilled. May our souls behold your divine grace.
May we embrace this mystery-laden journey with our Christ. Amen.
May we embrace this mystery-laden journey with our Christ. Amen.
****offering****
Too wonderful!
I saw things too wonderful for words.
Caught in the eye of a whirlwind
Caught in the eye of a whirlwind
I was summoned to behold in amazement
the primal foundations of Earth,
the depths of darkness in the underworld,
the source of rains that fall in the wilderness,
the hidden wisdom in the clouds,
the distant mystery of the constellations,
the uncontrollable wild oxen,
the soaring eagle and the odd ostrich.
All that I saw was wonderful,
so very good.
so very good.
In what I saw, I saw God.
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