Matthew 17:1-9
The event known as the Transfiguration has its own feast day during the summer, August 6. But every year on this last Sunday after the Epiphany, the Gospel reading is one of the accounts of Jesus’ transfiguration. We just heard Matthew’s version. Jesus goes up a high mountain, taking Peter, James and John with him. While they are there, his appearance is “transfigured.”
Transfigured isn’t a word most of use often, but it does have a meaning outside of the Gospel stories. It means to appear more beautiful, more spiritual. To the disciples looking on, Jesus’ figure appears changed to something more dazzling and glorious.
I’m surprised that I hadn’t really thought about this before, but our fictional literature (especially children’s literature) is full of people whose physical appearance changes. Think of all the cartoon superheroes from Superman to Spiderman, the incredible hulk to transformers, werewolves to wonder woman.
I’ve got to think that somewhere out there in the land of weird Christian kitsch, there’s a kids’ Jesus transfiguration action figure who glows bright white when batteries are installed.
But there is at least one big difference between Jesus and Superman. Jesus doesn’t actually change. This is an epiphany story. It is about revelation, not transformation. It’s more about the disciples than Jesus. It’s about the disciples being enabled to see who Jesus always has been. They see a human being filled with the glory of God. A human being whom they have known, talked with, shared meals with totally filled with the glory of God.
Jesus doesn’t change on the mountaintop. But this story is about change. It is about how us, about how regular human beings like us can change.
The Society of St. John the Evangelist, formerly known as the Cowley Fathers, is an Episcopal monastic community for men. These days one of their ministries is a brief daily reflection on a particular word available online of via email. A couple of days ago the word was “change.” And Br. Curtis Almquist wrote this:
The miracle of Jesus Christ’s Gospel is that people can change, and change for the better. Much better. Radically better.The collect for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany is also about change:
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory.We pray that we will be changed to be more like Jesus, to become more glorious. The Transfiguration is our promise of this possibility for us. It is the promise that human beings can be filled with the glory of God. That we, as human beings, can change and become more and more filled with the glory of God.
And there are benefits of this change for us. We may not become like Superman, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but we will receive gifts that are actually more helpful as we live our daily lives. As we are filled, infused with the glory of God, God’s own peace will grow within us. God’s peace. The peace which passes human understanding. A resource to us as we live in a world filled with tension and conflict. God’s glory brings us a more confident faith to support and guide us in our daily lives. And the fruits of God’s glory shine forth in our ability to live compassionately and as people of hope. To act with God’s compassion towards all of God’s beloved children and to beacons of hope in the dark places of our world.
How does this change happen? How do we become filled with more of God’s glory? It comes through being close to Jesus.
So the promise of the transfiguration is a wonderful promise as we begin Lent. Lent is a time when we take on some intentional disciple we strive to live closer to Jesus. That’s the point of all of our Lenten disciplines. To live closer to Jesus. And the promise of this day, this last Sunday after the Epiphany, is that living close to Jesus will change us. Change us from glory to glory.
The miracle of Jesus Christ’s Gospel is that people can change, and change for the better. Much better. Radically better.
