Matthew 17:1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Jesus went up the mountain. Well, to be perfectly honest, this is not the first time Jesus has gone up a mountain. Jesus had been going up and down mountains, and back and forth across lakes, and has walked through deserts and cities all throughout the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus has been going up mountains, preaching, teaching, and resting. Jesus has been going up mountains, but it is on this mountain that everything changes.
When Robb asked me what Sunday I would like to preach, I immediately jumped on Transfiguration Sunday. This is a great text! There is so much going on in this passage that one could speak about. Here is Jesus, taking his three closest disciples, on a special trip. Special trips are always fun and exciting, aren’t they? This four-some go on this long hike up a big ole mountain, for no apparent reason at all. We don’t know what was said on that hike up the mountain, maybe Jesus did some more teaching, maybe they talked about what was going on in their lives and their mission; maybe their conversation was similar to conversations we have when we go hiking; oh look at that beautiful shrub, isn’t this view fabulous? Quickly turning to, my knees hurt, my feet hurt, when are we going to get to the top… and then there is that point in the hike when all talking ceasing, when all we are looking at is where are feet need to go next, and the only sound is that of our labored breathing. I don’t know what was said on that long hike up the mountain, but once they reached the top, Peter, James and John were in for more than just a great view of the surrounding countryside. What they encounter is perhaps one of the greatest special effects moments in the Bible: Jesus is transfigured! His face shines like the sun! His robes, which were probably really dirty, and grimey, and sweaty, especially from that hike he just made, become dazzling white! I imagine a bright light surrounding his entire body, nearly blinding the poor trio, and THEN, the two greatest prophets of the Hebrew people appear! Moses and Elijah! Holy smokes! And THEY’RE probably all dazzling white too, and they start talking to Jesus! Woah! This is big stuff! These three are probably thinking, wow, we knew Jesus was important, but he must be really something for Moses and Elijah to come down from heaven to talk him! And Peter –I love Peter, he’s always saying putting his foot in his mouth or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time- gets super excited and interrupts the conversation that is happening between Moses, Elijah and sparkly Jesus- Can we stay? Let me build you houses! This is great, let’s keep this going! And then his excitement is turned to fear as a loud booming voice, from inside a cloud, of course, declares those words that were first spoken at Jesus’ baptism, that “THIS is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; LISTEN to him!” And of course, in true dramatic fashion the three fall to the ground in fear and awe, quaking, I imagine as the Cowardly Lion so quaked as the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz shouted at him, and then- suddenly- everything returns to normal. Moses and Elijah are gone. The great cloud is gone. And when Jesus goes to his friends, he is no longer dazzling; it’s just Jesus. Dirty Jesus in his grimey robes, consoling them, telling them not to be afraid. They go back down the mountain, back to reality, back to the other disciples, changed. Changed, and charged with a secret: Tell no one of this until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Wow! Talk about Hollywood-esque! We’ve got lights, sound effects, and our poor actors have to cover a spectrum of emotions within a short period of time. The message? Jesus is Divine! Jesus is the Son of God! Hallelujah!
If only it were that simple.
As I wrestled with this text I had to put aside this Technicolor version of the Transfiguration that we are probably all so familiar. As I did, I found myself asking questions. So let’s walk through this again. Six days later- six days after what? If we start to read backwards in the text we soon find the answer: six days after Peter has declared “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Now, Peter has been with Jesus almost since the beginning; after Jesus was baptized by John, and after he fasted in the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by Satan, he comes across these two brothers who are fishermen, Simon who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, and he said, “Follow me.” So they did. Next Jesus comes across two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, and he says to them, “Follow me.” So they did. This Peter, who joins up with Jesus in chapter four, who hears all the sermons, witnesses all the healings, is there when Jesus calms the storm, who tries to walk out on the water with Jesus (Matthew 14:28), it takes this Peter until chapter 16 to come to the realization that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. I suppose we can be a little easy on Peter; none of the disciples are every very bright, no matter what Gospel you are reading. But this makes me wonder; if Peter has just figured out who Jesus is, and Jesus knows he knows this, then why bring him up on the mountain? If Peter clearly knows this, why does he need to be reaffirmed? Couldn’t this mountaintop experience have better served one of the other disciples? Why is it Peter, who is witnessing this miraculous revelation, also the one who is naïve enough to think that we can prolong these mountaintop experiences indefinitely?
Maybe I should be gentler with Peter. After all, don’t most people want to keep living in their own personal moments of transfiguration? When we first see our children and realize that our lives will be changed forever? When we get into the college or career field we have felt called to, and suddenly doors seem to be opening? When we get that promotion, with all the new authority and perks that come with it, and we see life only moving up from this point? When our hearts are strangely warmed, and feel closer to God or Christ than we ever have before in our lives and we can say, without a doubt, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and that I am a beloved child of God? Don’t we think these mountaintop moments will last forever? But then, just as Peter, James and John had to come down the mountain, so do we.
They came down that mountain, and returned to life as usual, but with some changes. Jesus had already been teaching, and healing, and the Pharisees had been plotting against him as he “broke” the Jewish laws, especially regarding the Sabbath. After the transfiguration Jesus continues healing and teaching, and being tested by the Pharisees and scribes; he also begins telling the disciples how he will die, and that one of them will betray him. The light that shone so brightly on the mountain is starting to get a little darker, and the disciples begin to get nervous, and to doubt, and to fall even deeper into misunderstanding. The storm brews even thicker once they enter Jerusalem, and we see a different side to Jesus, as the disciples do as well. Jesus becomes filled with righteous anger, throwing merchants out of the temple, overturning tables, and publicly speaking out against the scribes and Pharisees, saying over and over “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees!” Surely this is not what the disciples thought they were getting into; surely this was not the direction their mission had been headed… They descend into that valley of doubt, but some descend further than others. And there is one who descends so far, one who had NOT been to the mountain, who had not heard the voice of the Living God cry out “This is my Son the Beloved,” who becomes so lost that he betrays his leader. “Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him” (Matthew 26:14-17).
As the events of Holy Week unfold, all of the disciples descend from the mountain; Judas betrays Jesus, many of the disciples, scatter, and even Peter, Peter who should know better than anyone else, denies his relationship with Jesus. Are there not times when we too come down from our mountains, when we walk through valleys of trials, and doubts? Are there not times when we suddenly feel so far away from God that we can no longer remember that moment on the mountain, when we can no longer remember that feeling of love and closeness, when all we feel is alone and deserted? Are there not times when we, too, are tempted to deny, or flee, or even betray our God?
We don’t often talk about what happened to Judas. Judas moved beyond doubt; he moved to despair. “When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:1-5). So deep was his guilt, and his despair, so deep was the chasm he felt between himself and his God, that even the words of the psalm “if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there…If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” even the darkness is not dark to you” (Psalm 139) could not resonate within his soul.
This Sunday is a turning point, not only in Matthew’s gospel, but also in the seasons. We celebrate the divinity of Christ, we recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and then we descend the mountain, to journey together through Lent, through this season that ultimately leads up to the crucifixion of Jesus. We journey with the disciples through their doubts and fears, and we observe as they mourn the loss of their great teacher.
But hear the Good News: because we stand on this side of the resurrection, we need not descend into despair. Because we stand on this side of the resurrection we know that the tomb will be empty, and the Christ is alive! And because we stand on this side of the resurrection, we can fully place our trust in God, who never deserts us, who is always beside us, up the mountains and down the valleys that make up our lives.
