Introduction
Every year we hear the Transfiguration story the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. No matter the year, on the Sunday before Lent begins, we hear the transfiguration story. All three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, tell this story. Many of the details are similar but there are some distinguishing characteristics.
In all three the transfiguration story keeps the major themes. Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter, James, and John, three of the twelve disciples. And in each of the three Gospels, Jesus is transfigured, his face changes or shines, and his clothes becomes dazzling white, reminiscent of how Moses looked when coming down from the mountain after seeing God. Then Moses and Elijah come and talk with Jesus. Astounded by what they are seeing, Peter asks to make tabernacles, dwelling places, for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. And then a cloud overshadows them, and a voice says a variation of “This is my son, my Beloved; listen to him.” And they head down the mountain.
Each of these contain variations of these events but each of them highlights these major points. What this tells us, is that this story, was important to early Christians. So, important, that it was told almost verbatim by each Gospel writer. So, we as Christian readers of the Bible, should ask ourselves, why is this moment so important? There are many possible reasons for this. And there are many good ones.
One of the simpler reasons is that this text shows God’s favor with Jesus. If you are a Christian in the early church and you are trying to put forward the idea that you have a God who is authoritative and has chosen this representative, this prophet, this Messiah, you would want a story that will shows this power and authority. This chosenness from God.
But this text also has deep roots with the Jewish tradition. Moses and Elijah, the two great prophets of Israel, coming to support and talk with this new leader of Israel. This is a scene that shows Jesus’ glory (as Luke puts it). His face changes, his clothes become dazzling white reminiscent of Moses on the mountain. This is a text where we are supposed to see that deep connection as Jesus being a prophetic messianic figure of this long tradition.
With this idea of seeing Jesus’ glory on the mountaintop, Peter’s reaction is one that is right, correct, in the Jewish tradition. Despite how many preachers have preached that Peter misses the point by suggesting this, according to scripture, when you see God’s saving actions in this world, when you see God’s glory in this world, the great ancestors of the Jewish tradition would make tabernacles for God in that place. Abraham and Jacob built altars in places where God saved them or made covenants with them. Moses instructs the Israelites to build the Tabernacle for the ark of the covenant that is carried with them all the way through Exodus. David builds an altar. Solomon builds a Temple. According to tradition, Peter is right in suggesting this. “Let us make three dwelling places one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. It is good for us to be here.”
Peter, James, and John see the glory of Jesus in this moment. And yet in each of the three gospels, before Peter can make these dwelling places, the cloud overshadows them and the voice speaks out over them and they become of afraid, cutting off that idea. And afterwards, they return down the mountain.
In each of the three gospels there is this tension around whether or not this is a moment that truly represents the glory of God. There is a tension as to whether or not this really points to who Jesus is. And it is only in Year C, that we are given the chance to see something else. There is a major possible addition in Year C. In this year, there is a bracketed portion of the text that we are encouraged to read. It is the story of the father and the possessed boy.
The Continued Transfiguration Text
The Transfiguration story is one of those stories that we get every year but, in this year, we get more to the story. This year we hear that when Jesus comes down from the mountain with Peter James and John, he is confronted by a father who’s only son is suffering from a demon.
This story happens in each of the three synoptic gospels immediately after the Transfiguration. But it is only this year when we hear about it with the Transfiguration text in the lectionary. And in each of the three gospels, Jesus interacts with the father, hears that the disciples failed to heal his son, and then heals this man’s only son.
And in Luke’s gospel we get this fantastic line at the very end of this extra story: in Chapter 9 verse 43, “And all were astounded at the greatness of God.” This is the line that our eyes should be drawn to. This is the line that Luke uses to interpret why these two stories being paired together is so important.
Preaching Possibilities
Jesus Always Moves to the Level Plain (in Luke)
For us as humans our natural inclination is to see glory in the grand and beautiful. Most years we celebrate the transfiguration, not hearing this other part of the story because it is this spectacular event. Out of context of the rest of the Gospel, it feels like a coronation of sorts. Note how often in Christian imagery we see Jesus with a crown and a wonderful robe with a scepter even though none of it is ever described in are gospel texts. We can be drawn to this moment as a display of grandeur, beauty, and power.
But what Luke shares in the last line of our text today, is that the glory of the Lord, is revealed when Jesus comes down from the mountain. Jesus comes down from the mountain, and immediately saves a child, liberates him from a demon, so that he and his father can live peacefully in community again (think about Luke’s sermon on the plain).
Jesus immediately comes down off of the mountain into the harsh realities of this world in order to heal and save this world. God’s glory is not revealed in displays of grandeur, but God’s glory is revealed in God’s saving actions for God’s people while being among God’s people.
We know all too well that the transfiguration mountain top is not the climax of our story. Jesus coming down from that mountain top is not the climax of our story. But it is in the saving actions of Jesus being crucified on a hill outside of Jerusalem. The saving action of God for all of God’s people. And even then, he came down from that hill to bring the promise of new and eternal life to all people.
We as a church should celebrate the glory of God in this world. We should see it, honor it, worship it. But the glory of God is not found in the mountain top of grandeur. The glory of God is seen in God saving actions of all of God’s people.
The glory of God is seen in the humanity of Jesus Christ being with humans in need in this world.
This is the heart and center of our gospel message. It is the root of the Christian church and our faith. And yet it is so important that we remind ourselves of this message. God and God’s glory, found in the personhood of Jesus Christ, is displayed in Jesus’ is saving actions for humanity among humanity.
And that reminder becomes even more important in times like this.
A pastor friend of mine lifted up a saying from Sierra Leone, “When two elephants fight, the grass suffers.”
When world leaders, empires, and superpowers jockey for power and control, it’s the people who inevitably get hurt. When billionaires play at economics, it’s often the working class that suffers with job loss, unemployment, and reduction of benefits. When the media treats those in need (or those facing oppression) as a punch line or as a gotcha headline with statistics then they become mere labels and their humanity, story, and life are lost in the news cycle.
The world and our nation’s leaders (of any time) place the mark of success and the mark of American pride on the moments of grandeur. The promise of greatness. The promise of riches and prosperity. It is not uncommon for leaders to describe the USA as the “city on the hill.”
But our attention as the Christian Church, should follow in the example of Christ. Jesus is not found residing in the isolation of the mountain top. But Christ descends from the mountain to be with the people of God. Jesus did not know what he was walking into as he came down from the mountain, but he responded to the need that was in front of him. Jesus knew (in Luke at least) that God’s kingdom is found on the level plain.
Micah Krey 
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