The Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-13
Rev. Mike Browder
March 6, 2011
My favorite painting is a watercolor that was done by Chick Larsen. Chick was on of my favorite people in this world. (I could tell you stories about Chick. He has gone on to be with the Lord now.) In the 1970’s he was the cartoonist for the Richmond Times Dispatch. I became his pastor in 1980. Chick was a zany guy. He was ahead of his time. He acted just like Emmaus people today, but there was no Emmaus yet. He used to raise his hands like people in contemporary worship. Well, there was no contemporary worship yet. So he raised his hands during the doxology. There was Chick, 70 years old, praising God and grinning like a kid!
The reason Chick was like this was because he had been blessed with a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit. For that reason, his favorite passage in the Bible was the story of the Transfiguration. For years, he worked to paint a picture of it. His main struggle was to bring out the brightness of Jesus. He could not find a white that was bright enough. (Remember how the Bible says that it was brighter than any bleach or detergent could make it?) The Lord finally gave Chick the answer: He used a pale yellow to outline the white. The effect was dazzling. The brightness of Jesus literally jumps out of the painting. You feel that you are in the very presence of the Holy Spirit.
Chick knew about the God that we encounter in the scriptures today. He knew about the God of Psalm 99 who reigns in the heavens with the cherubim, the God we worship on his holy hill. Chick could identify with the God that Moses met on Mt. Sinai who was like a devouring fire: The God who transfigured Jesus on the mountaintop. Peter says, “You can know that this, like other NT scriptures, is true, because I was there when it happened. I heard the voice of God.” John, who was there too, says, “We beheld his glory.”
There are many powerful symbols to teach us as we dig deeper into the transfiguration story. If you go to Israel today, you can visit the Mount of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor. It is across the valley from Mt. Megiddo - Harmageddon in Aramaic, the place prophesied for the last battle at the end of the world. The two figures, who appeared, Moses and Elijah, are the two most important spiritual figures in the OT. Moses brought the law; Elijah was the most important of the prophets.
In Judaism, in Jesus day and today, the Law and the Prophets are the two divisions of the Hebrew Bible. [In fact, that’s what Jesus called the Bible. Remember how he said, “You have read this in the ‘Law and the Prophets.’”] Anyway, back to Moses and Elijah. Both men spoke to God on the mountain top: Moses was there for 40 days, which is probably why we read this passage right before the 40 days of Lent. Elijah was on the mountaintop when he saw the earthquake, wind, and fire, but he heard God in the still small voice. You don’t have to shout to hear the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Spirit comes in a quiet moment. The Psalm says: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Moses and Elijah are both symbols of the resurrection. Neither one has his death reported. The Bible says that God himself buried Moses. And Elijah, as you remember, was taken up in a chariot of fire. Notice also that the Transfiguration story comes right after the confession of Jesus as the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi. The first story pointed forward to Jesus’ crucifixion. This story points towards Jesus’ resurrection, glorification and victory. The cloud mentioned in the Gospel is the symbol of God’s presence, just as it was in Exodus.
Jesus was praying when he was transfigured. When you read Luke, you realize that Jesus prayed before every important event in his life. Here he was asking for the Father’s guidance and blessing. And God answered, “I am well pleased.” Let me say something here, especially to our youth. Take a lesson from Jesus here. First, always begin with prayer. Second, make sure you begin by asking for guidance from God and from others. All of the worst mistakes I have made in my life have come from running off half-cocked and not asking for guidance first.
The Gospel writer tells us that, as Jesus prayed, his face glowed from the presence of God. We remember how Exodus tells us that Moses’ face glowed when he came down from the presence of God on the mountaintop. My friend, when you are in the very presence of God, your face in going to glow!
After he saw what happened, Peter wanted to build 3 monuments. (It is no wonder Peter is the founder of the church: we are still building monuments.) But in this case, he missed the point. Luke says Peter didn’t realize what he was saying. The problem is that he was trivializing the presence of God, by trying to capture it in a monument. By the same token, Jesus doesn’t stay in a tomb. Remember what the angel said? “He is not here: He is risen!”
Also, I think Peter wanted the moment to last forever. This is not surprising. A lot of times, when we have a good experience, we want the moment to last forever. Part of this is a good thing, part of it is not. It is good to want to be filled with the presence and the power of God. On the other hand, you are off track if feel-good moments are only as deep as your walk with God goes. Faith should make us warm and cozy sometimes. But it should also take us out of our comfort zone and challenge us. It is kind of like getting out of bed on a cold, dark, rainy Sunday morning. It is so warm and nice under those covers. You hate to get up. [And naturally, that reminds me of a story.]
Still, there is nothing like having a mountain top experience with God. If you have ever had one, you know what I mean. “We beheld his glory.” The psalmist says, “I am as full as a hungry person stuffed with their favorite food.” “We beheld his glory.” Martin Luther King says, “I have been to the mountain top!” Praise God!
The reason the Transfiguration Story has always been a favorite among Christians is that the transfiguration of Jesus reminds us of how the Holy Spirit transforms us. When God’s spirits fills our hearts and souls, we are overflowing. We are transformed. The Greek word, which we translate as transfigure, is the word metamorphosis. We have this word in English. It means a complete change, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. When God’s spirit fills your heart, you are transformed!
A few years ago, when I was visiting our Methodist church in Cuba, we had a moment that was a mountain top experience in every sense of the word. There was one morning when we had no activities planned. Pastor Julio was using his car to take an elderly lady to the doctor (who was in another town). So I asked if we could take a walk. The pastor’s wife Estrella, and one of the young adult leaders took us on a walk through town. We walked past the center of town and up the hill on the other side. Where the road turned at the top of the hill, we stopped. They pointed to where Julio used to have to ride his bike for several hours to the mission churches. In the other direction, there was a path. They said that it led up to the top of the ridge where their church sometimes gathers to pray.
We said, “Well we have to see this.” So we continued to the top. When we arrived, the sight was unbelievable. It was a panoramic view of the green mountaintops all around. We were so touched by the view that we were inspired to spend time in prayer. First, we prayed alone, talking with God individually. Then we prayed together, led by Estrella. That woman really can pray. When we finished, we were all aglow, and speechless. My friend from Virginia, Larry, was the first one to speak. He said, “I can sure see why Peter wanted to build 3 monuments. You sure feel like you want to do something!” We had been to the mountaintop!
In one of the talks during the Alpha Course, Nicky Gumbel describes being filled with the Holy Spirit. He says: “It is kind of like a gas heater. The little pilot light stays on all the time. But when you fill it with fuel, the flame goes whoosh!” You and I have the little flame of God’s spirit all the time. But when we are filled up with the Holy Spirit, it goes whoosh!”
I don’t know when this might have happened to you. Maybe you were praying, and you suddenly found yourself lost in the Lord. Maybe you were praising God. Maybe you were singing. Maybe you were praying out of love for someone else. And words were not enough. Your heart just took over. Whoosh!!
Today, I pray this for you. That you will walk with God on that mountaintop. That you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. That the flame will go whoosh!
That God will bless you so much you will never forget it.
Let us pray: Lord, kindle the flickering light of your Holy Spirit within our hearts. And let us be on fire for you. Amen.