Dinner Guests
The Feast of the Transfiguration
4 August 2024
The Rev. Robert J. Kossler
As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white. Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him. (Lk. 9:29-30, NRSV)
The Sunday edition of the New York Times includes a book review section. Although not up to the breadth and depth of the New York Review of Books, it can be pretty entertaining. I am always curious to see which books by which authors make their best-seller lists. Surprisingly, one author had four out of five books on the best-seller list of Trade Paperbacks. How does that happen?
For me, the most thought-provoking article each week is an interview under the heading "By the Book," which covers writers on literature and literary life. (By The Book, Writers on literature and the literary life) The titles invite you to listen to a writer talk about reading and writing. Some memorable titles include:
Edan Lepuckis’s Favorite Place to Read is in the Bathtub or
Tara Westover Likes to Read Herself to Sleep When She Can or even Mona Simpson's Fiancé Promised to Read "Middlemarch." He Never Did. Now He's Her Ex.
Given the titles, you can see why they might be intriguing, funny, and delightful. The writer in each interview answers similar questions such as:
What books are on your nightstand?
What's the last great book you read?
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
How do you organize your books?
But my favorite question is: You're organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite? It's a great question, and the authors' responses run the gamut, ranging from figures I know to most I don't. One of my favorite responses was from a writer who invites three European writers, along with the caveat, “At no point in this scenario would I cook."
The idea of throwing a literary dinner party makes me wonder who I might invite. Would I choose writers who are still alive? Or recently deceased? Or even someone who died centuries ago? And I wonder who we as a community might invite. It is something to ponder. There is no right or wrong answer, but it would tell us who we are as a church.
Today's Gospel reminded me of the literary dinner party idea with Peter as the host and Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as guests. What would they talk about? What would they eat? It's an intriguing idea, especially when you add God to the party, arriving as the party is winding down.
This account of Jesus’ transfiguration appears in Mark (Mk. 9:2-10), Matthew (Mt. 17:1-9), and Luke (Lk. 9:28-36). The Evangelists' reports are similar, with some minor differences. Luke, surprisingly, adds a description of Jesus' conversation with the two patriarchs. John, always a bit different in his storytelling, does not record this story.
Days before this event, Jesus explained the requirements of discipleship. He demands that anyone who wants to follow him must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow. The challenge is personal. It also requires recommitting daily to the task of discipleship. Jesus ends by telling those around him that "there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." (Lk. 9:27) And I wonder, was Jesus' Transfiguration and meeting with Moses and Elijah this foretaste?
You might also be wondering why Moses, why Elijah. Why not Abraham or David or any of the other Patriarchs? I think it concerns who was physically in God's presence. We know that Abraham spoke to God. We also know that David and many others talked to God or heard God's voice. But other than Moses and Elijah, who physically was in God's presence?
In our reading from Exodus, we learn about Moses' transformation on Mt. Sinai.
Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Ex. 34:29)
Moses' direct conversations with God and God’s presence on that mountain changed him. He was not the same man as when he went up the first time. Moses' proximity to the Divine had a lasting effect on him, one that everyone could see—his face radiated from that interaction. The change in Moses was so dramatic that it frightened Aaron, his closest confidant.
When did this change in Moses' appearance happen? Before God asked Moses to cut the stone tablets like the earlier ones he broke, Moses sought God's favor and asked, "Show me your glory, I pray."
And he (God) said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen." (Ex. 33:18-23)
Repeat,
I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.
Scripture tells us that no one can see God's face and live. Of all God's creation, Moses comes closest. He doesn't see God's face, but he does see God's back. This life- altering experience reflects Moses's uniquely deep relationship with God.
Something similar happens to Elijah. King Ahab sets up a test between the prophets of Baal and Elijah's God. Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal with God's help and has them executed. He flees Ahab and Jezebel, fearing for his life. He traveled forty days to Mt. Horeb, where he spent the night in a cave. God speaks, asking why Elijah is here, and Elijah tries to explain his actions and fear. God then says,
"Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. (1Kg. 19:11-13)
Elijah is the second person to stand in God's presence. But, unlike Moses, Elijah hides his face and does not see God. God does not offer to hide Elijah as God did for Moses, so Elijah hides his face.
These men are unique: Moses, the Lawgiver, and Elijah, God's prophet. God blessed them with a special gift: being in God’s presence and surviving, which is why they are on that mountain, conferring with Jesus. Mountains are places of mystery and danger. They are liminal spaces, which is why so many contemplatives seek God there. And it is most likely why Jesus went there to pray.
So, what are we to make of this story? Why do we celebrate this day?
The Transfiguration is a prefiguration, a glimpse of what is to come. Jesus prepared these three disciples for the inevitable—his execution and burial in a tomb, his resurrection, speaking to Mary Magdalene, and later meeting the other disciples. And, after a time, he ascends. Through his Transfiguration, these men witnessed Jesus' identity and divinity. True, he healed the hopeless and raised several people from the dead but despite those miracles, questions remained about Jesus’ true nature.
St. Peter later reminds us in his second letter,
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Pt. 1:16-18)
Unlike the Evangelists, Peter witnessed this life-changing event. His and the other's faces may not have radiated, but their spirits did radiate, "shining light in the dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts." (Ibid., 1:19)
And isn't that the message we take from our church services every Sunday? Our mission as Christians reminds us to shine light into the dark places. Our faces may not radiate like Moses's, but as disciples and witnesses of Christ's love, we bring that Good News to those we meet.
Amen.
Works Cited
By The Book, Writers on literature and the literary life. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com: https://www.nytimes.com/column/by-the-book
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Vol. Luke). (1989). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.