As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church
“Don’t tell anyone what you have seen…” --Mk 9:9
Whenever I think about the feast of the transfiguration the expression that immediately leaps into my mind is to “see the light.” I wonder if that expression might have this feast as its origin. The light surrounding Christ is a central feature of the story. This feast is about seeing the light that illumines the deeper reality of who Christ is. But what happens when we, or in this case, the three apostles, see the light? Does the reality of the event become immediately clear? The tradition, as expressed in the icon of the transfiguration, would seem to indicate that the apostles are bowled over and thrown into confusion rather than brought to a new and clearer awareness of the reality of Christ. So, seeing clearly in the moment may not be the message here. The Transfiguration of Christ may not be violent as an explosion [the atom bomb], but maybe what is happening here is a clearing away of our expectations and preconceived notions so that a new opportunity to see clearly emerges.
After all, the apostles had lived with Jesus for a long time. They heard him preach. They ate with him. They traveled with him. Now they are about to approach his passion and yet they remain in the dark about what is really going on. It reminds me of driving a car into either the morning or evening sun. Rather than being illumined by the light, we are blinded by it. And it’s scary! Our first inclination might be to pull over, stop the car and wait until the angle of the sun changes enough so that we can get our bearings and see again. A reasonable and human response, but not often possible. No surprise then that Peter proposes setting up shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah to freeze the moment. But that moment passes as quickly as a turn in the road moves the sun into another less threatening trajectory and we heave a sigh of relief. Moses and Elijah are gone and only Jesus remains. And in their confusion and bewilderment, Jesus guides his three companions back down the mountain to the reality of his passion and death that will unfold in a relentless and steady way. The moment on the mountain is not to be talked about now, it is to be reflected on as the days pass and then understood after the resurrection.
Isn’t it often true that we understand confusing circumstances in our lives through twenty-twenty hindsight? It is the later reflection on what happened that finally helps us “see the light.” And isn’t this an axiom of life? If someone does something that triggers anger in me, the best response is to wait and reflect first, not to immediately react. A marriage falls apart; it may not be best to marry the next person you meet! Lose a job; don’t sign up for the first available position, but rather take the unemployment check and do a thorough search for the right position for you. And elsewhere, what does Jesus say? Slapped in the face? Turn the other cheek. This is not to encourage us to become floormats for others but rather to avoid taking the easy route of immediate reaction that will simply escalate the situation rather than resolve it. So, the Transfiguration of Christ may very well be about the transfiguration of the moment as much as the transfiguration of the person.
Today, we are very fortunate to have Dr. Roberta Ervine as our guest presenter who will speak to us this afternoon about this idea of transfiguration as understood and depicted in the Armenian tradition. I encourage all of you to come back here at 1:30 for her presentation. I know you will not be disappointed.
Christ is in our midst!
