The Transfiguration Of Our Lord
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
2 Kings 2:1-12
Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.
-- 2 Kings 2:9b
As we approach the Sunday when we reflect on the transfiguration of Jesus, we read about the ascension of Elijah, who later would be one of the figures who would consult with Jesus on the mountaintop at the time of Jesus' transfiguration. Elijah was one of two people in the Hebrew scriptures who did not die. (The other was Enoch in Genesis 5:24.) Because scripture reported that Elijah did not die, the tradition developed that Elijah would return to prepare the way for the coming of God's Messiah. Therefore we have the debate in the gospels as to whether John the Baptist was Elijah returned.
At the time that Elijah was about to be taken up in the chariot of fire, his protégé, Elisha, asked that he might receive double the share of Elijah's spirit. The story will have a haunting echo for Jesus' disciples because, unlike Elisha, the disciples will abandon Jesus as he goes on his final journey. Yet Elijah's response will also play an important role in Jesus' disciples' journey. Elijah says, "If you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted to you; if not, it will not" (v. 19). In the story of the transfiguration, there is evidence that the three disciples that accompany Jesus wish to stay close to him, as did Elisha with Elijah. Yet later they will abandon him at a critical stage of his crucifixion. It is only later, at his ascension (Acts 1:8), that the disciples will see Jesus' departure and receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
In both stories, the reception of the Spirit is less dependent on the one who will receive it than it is on God. God determines if and when we will receive the Spirit that enables us to do God's bidding. We are not in charge. We can only wait and trust in the wisdom of God.
Psalm 50:1-6
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
-- Psalm 50:2
This portion of Psalm 50 reminds us that the presence of God is an awesome experience. Like God's presence on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19) and later at the transfiguration, God's coming is accompanied by signs that time cannot be visited by eternity without clear signals that the natural has been disrupted. "Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him" (v. 3). When faith is considered a natural routine that fits comfortably into the other events of our life, we are not prepared for God's presence in our life. To pray that God might be present to us is to pray that our life might be disrupted in a life-changing experience. The psalmist also reminds us that God's coming is more than a personal event. When God speaks, God "summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting" (v. 1). Faith experiences of the divine that remain private events are experiences of a God that is far too small. When God, who is timeless, reaches into time to express a divine word, "the heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge" (v. 6). This portion of the psalm is a call to worship. As we prepare ourselves to worship the eternal God, our world is measured against "the perfection of beauty," and we all must stand in awe. Allow yourself to be bathed in the awe of God and be humbled.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:6
Paul suggests "... the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (v. 4). There is an echo in this statement of the Genesis statement that we were created in the "image of God" (Genesis 1:27). In that sense, Jesus is what we should have been. The image of God in each of us has been defaced because we have been blinded by the god of this world. It is not hard to identify the various manifestations of the worldly loyalties that "blind" us to what in Christ we could be. Our own transfiguration, in which we can once more shine forth in the beauty that God originally intended for us, can only take place as we submit ourselves like "slaves for Jesus' sake" (v. 5).
The very idea of submitting ourselves to anyone is contrary to our prideful independence. Yet the irony of faith is that we are asked to risk our independence by submitting ourselves like a slave to the very one who has chosen to be our slave. "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God (is seen) in the face of Jesus Christ." Such an approach may give fresh meaning to that much distorted passage in Ephesians 5:21-33 where husbands and wives are asked to enter into a mutual submission in the same way as we do to the Lord who has committed himself totally to us.
Mark 9:2-9
And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.
-- Mark 9:2b-3
This is a story rich with symbolism that deepens our understanding. It begins with the phrase, "six days later." Is this simply chronology or is there an echo of the creation story and a suggestion that we are marking a sabbath that both brings to an end and indicates the beginning of a new creation? The disciples are led "up a high mountain apart" (v. 2). It is common to believe that you can experience closeness to God on a high mountain that is apart from the bustle of civilization. The presence of God is marked by a transformation that cannot be explained by earthly events. "And his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them." White also speaks of a purity that cannot be equaled. The confirmation of this revelation is made manifest by the presence of the two premier figures through which God has spoken. There is Moses, the bearer of the law, and Elijah, symbolizing all the prophets who recalled people to obedience.
Peter, representing all disciples, speaks out of the terror that anyone would experience in the presence of the holy. Most interpreters suggest that he wanted to freeze the experience by making three booths there on top of the mountain. If that is correct, it is certainly a warning to those who cling to a profound religious experience and seem never to be able to move beyond repeating the story over and over again. God is not dissuaded by their terror but overshadows them with a cloud. The message is clear: " 'This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!' Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus" (vv. 7-8).
The entire interpretation of God's revelation from law to prophecy was now seen in Jesus. The response expected was not to stay frozen in terror but to listen to the one who has overcome our fears and opens for us the manifestation of God in our lives. We are invited to be part of God's new creation.
Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.
-- 2 Kings 2:9b
As we approach the Sunday when we reflect on the transfiguration of Jesus, we read about the ascension of Elijah, who later would be one of the figures who would consult with Jesus on the mountaintop at the time of Jesus' transfiguration. Elijah was one of two people in the Hebrew scriptures who did not die. (The other was Enoch in Genesis 5:24.) Because scripture reported that Elijah did not die, the tradition developed that Elijah would return to prepare the way for the coming of God's Messiah. Therefore we have the debate in the gospels as to whether John the Baptist was Elijah returned.
At the time that Elijah was about to be taken up in the chariot of fire, his protégé, Elisha, asked that he might receive double the share of Elijah's spirit. The story will have a haunting echo for Jesus' disciples because, unlike Elisha, the disciples will abandon Jesus as he goes on his final journey. Yet Elijah's response will also play an important role in Jesus' disciples' journey. Elijah says, "If you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted to you; if not, it will not" (v. 19). In the story of the transfiguration, there is evidence that the three disciples that accompany Jesus wish to stay close to him, as did Elisha with Elijah. Yet later they will abandon him at a critical stage of his crucifixion. It is only later, at his ascension (Acts 1:8), that the disciples will see Jesus' departure and receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
In both stories, the reception of the Spirit is less dependent on the one who will receive it than it is on God. God determines if and when we will receive the Spirit that enables us to do God's bidding. We are not in charge. We can only wait and trust in the wisdom of God.
Psalm 50:1-6
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
-- Psalm 50:2
This portion of Psalm 50 reminds us that the presence of God is an awesome experience. Like God's presence on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19) and later at the transfiguration, God's coming is accompanied by signs that time cannot be visited by eternity without clear signals that the natural has been disrupted. "Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him" (v. 3). When faith is considered a natural routine that fits comfortably into the other events of our life, we are not prepared for God's presence in our life. To pray that God might be present to us is to pray that our life might be disrupted in a life-changing experience. The psalmist also reminds us that God's coming is more than a personal event. When God speaks, God "summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting" (v. 1). Faith experiences of the divine that remain private events are experiences of a God that is far too small. When God, who is timeless, reaches into time to express a divine word, "the heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge" (v. 6). This portion of the psalm is a call to worship. As we prepare ourselves to worship the eternal God, our world is measured against "the perfection of beauty," and we all must stand in awe. Allow yourself to be bathed in the awe of God and be humbled.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:6
Paul suggests "... the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (v. 4). There is an echo in this statement of the Genesis statement that we were created in the "image of God" (Genesis 1:27). In that sense, Jesus is what we should have been. The image of God in each of us has been defaced because we have been blinded by the god of this world. It is not hard to identify the various manifestations of the worldly loyalties that "blind" us to what in Christ we could be. Our own transfiguration, in which we can once more shine forth in the beauty that God originally intended for us, can only take place as we submit ourselves like "slaves for Jesus' sake" (v. 5).
The very idea of submitting ourselves to anyone is contrary to our prideful independence. Yet the irony of faith is that we are asked to risk our independence by submitting ourselves like a slave to the very one who has chosen to be our slave. "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God (is seen) in the face of Jesus Christ." Such an approach may give fresh meaning to that much distorted passage in Ephesians 5:21-33 where husbands and wives are asked to enter into a mutual submission in the same way as we do to the Lord who has committed himself totally to us.
Mark 9:2-9
And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.
-- Mark 9:2b-3
This is a story rich with symbolism that deepens our understanding. It begins with the phrase, "six days later." Is this simply chronology or is there an echo of the creation story and a suggestion that we are marking a sabbath that both brings to an end and indicates the beginning of a new creation? The disciples are led "up a high mountain apart" (v. 2). It is common to believe that you can experience closeness to God on a high mountain that is apart from the bustle of civilization. The presence of God is marked by a transformation that cannot be explained by earthly events. "And his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them." White also speaks of a purity that cannot be equaled. The confirmation of this revelation is made manifest by the presence of the two premier figures through which God has spoken. There is Moses, the bearer of the law, and Elijah, symbolizing all the prophets who recalled people to obedience.
Peter, representing all disciples, speaks out of the terror that anyone would experience in the presence of the holy. Most interpreters suggest that he wanted to freeze the experience by making three booths there on top of the mountain. If that is correct, it is certainly a warning to those who cling to a profound religious experience and seem never to be able to move beyond repeating the story over and over again. God is not dissuaded by their terror but overshadows them with a cloud. The message is clear: " 'This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!' Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus" (vv. 7-8).
The entire interpretation of God's revelation from law to prophecy was now seen in Jesus. The response expected was not to stay frozen in terror but to listen to the one who has overcome our fears and opens for us the manifestation of God in our lives. We are invited to be part of God's new creation.
