February 3, 2008
| Transfiguration Sunday, 2008 | Isaiah 35:1-10 | |
| James 5:7-10 | ||
| Matthew 11:2-11 |
Peter gets beat up in a lot of sermons on this text. There is usually something in the transfiguration sermon about how Peter- and all of us- want to capture and save our best, 'mountain-top' experiences. We want to preserve those moments and dwell in them. Peter is often said to be guilty of the wrong impulse.
"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."
Peter used the word for Tabernacle. A tent. A booth. It means a temporary structure, a portable shelter. But remember this word had a rich and deep religious history among the Jews.
The Lord God was present to the wandering Israelites in a Tabernacle. A Tabernacle is a Godly dwelling. Peter thought that this moment, this vision was worthy of worship. For Peter, this moment was an expression of a Holy Presence. A Holy Visitation deserves a tabernacle.
All those standard remarks about Peter in all those standard sermons may be quite legitimate. I am here to tell you that browbeating Peter for his desire to build tabernacles is not my message today. Today I take a different tack. I'm NOT going to browbeat Peter for his desire to savor the moment. No way.
Today I have a new reason to browbeat Peter. I am going to browbeat Peter for his sense of fair play.
You heard me. For his sense of fair play.
Peter says, "I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
That sounds like fair treatment. We put a lot of stock in fairness. Equal pay for equal work. Equal opportunity for employment, fairness in housing, equal justice in the courts.
But this fairness is radical. Peter was way ahead of the curve, ready to treat Jesus as an equal to Moses and Elijah, ready to exalt Jesus SO HIGH that he shared status with Moses the great leader, and Elijah the great miracle worker. That's a radical move.
For you Superbowl fans it means Peter was ready to put Jesus directly into the Jewish Hall of Fame even before Jesus retired as a player.
That's pretty bold and generous of Peter.
"...one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
But the voice from heaven says, "Peter, think bigger."
When the vision fades, Jesus stands alone before those disciples. Not Jesus WITH Moses and Elijah. Jesus only. The voice says "Listen to him."
This scene is more than a glowing vision. Here is where the scripture plants a flag and stakes a claim- that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and speaks with the authority not of a great prophet, but of God.
This is where we must tread carefully. This is a claim that intends to trump other truth-claims. That alone is enough to make enlightened people nervous.
Are we saying that Christians are better people than other people? Not at all.
We are saying that at the center of reality is a God who meets human beings where they are.
The BEST that God offers the world is NOT a map for us to climb the mountain. The BEST that God offers is a loving presence that walks with us, beside us, knowing the thrill of the mountain and also the disappointments of the valley.
This text says the presence of Jesus is better than the holiest law. This text says the presence of Jesus is better than Elijah's miraculous food.
This text gives a glimpse of a far future in which Jesus gathers all history into his presence. We get to see how the story turns out.
The death of Jesus is coming. But it is not a disaster. It's a victory. The victory is this: God's loyalty to humanity is victorious over human cruelty, and despair.
Here the curtain of reality is drawn back, and we see that the power within Jesus is stronger than even the grave.
We live with this absolute claim, not as people forcing absolutes on others, but as people called to bear witness to God's loving presence through the God made flesh.
This presence is still with us. This is most certainly true.