The Second Sunday of Lent – Feb. 28, 2010
Luke 9:28 – 36
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
Eastern Orthodox Christians value this story of Jesus’ transfiguration, noting its central place in the gospel narratives. You could almost make the case that the first half of Jesus’ ministry was spent headed toward this mountain, where he “went up” with Peter, John, and James. When he came down the mountain, he began the deliberate move toward Jerusalem, betrayal, trial, and crucifixion.
I’ve been shaped by an understanding of the story that influences my spirituality. It is an ingredient in much of Orthodox spirituality.
One Orthodox interpretation of the transfiguration says that the real miracle in the story is not that Jesus’ appearance changed and that his clothes became bright. This interpretation insists that the real miracle in this story is that the disciples “became fully awake” and saw Jesus – finally! – as he really was all the time. When the disciples woke up, they didn’t see Jesus as they had seen him previously. They saw Jesus’ glory and humanity and divinity and essence.
In short, the disciples finally glimpsed the inner light that illumined his life 24/7. Previously, though, they had missed it. They had slept through it.
The “sleep” of the disciples, therefore, becomes a metaphor for spiritual drowsiness. It speaks to our inattentiveness, the way we sleep-walk through life, dull and unaware of the things around us and within us that are most real. Disciples, the very inner circle of Jesus, could live and walk and eat with Jesus, giving him their very lives, and not notice after all those months and years what was most real about him.
The story, then, suggests that at least some of the spiritual life is about waking up, about seeing what is real, seeing what is at the heart of life, seeing to the inner essence of things, people, and events.
We are all asleep to some degree. The Gospel invites us to wake up, so that the blind see, the lame walk, the lost are found, and the wounded are healed.
We are invited to a deeper level of spiritual awareness, a God-consciousness that transforms our lives and in the process transforms the world.
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
Eastern Orthodox Christians value this story of Jesus’ transfiguration, noting its central place in the gospel narratives. You could almost make the case that the first half of Jesus’ ministry was spent headed toward this mountain, where he “went up” with Peter, John, and James. When he came down the mountain, he began the deliberate move toward Jerusalem, betrayal, trial, and crucifixion.
I’ve been shaped by an understanding of the story that influences my spirituality. It is an ingredient in much of Orthodox spirituality.
One Orthodox interpretation of the transfiguration says that the real miracle in the story is not that Jesus’ appearance changed and that his clothes became bright. This interpretation insists that the real miracle in this story is that the disciples “became fully awake” and saw Jesus – finally! – as he really was all the time. When the disciples woke up, they didn’t see Jesus as they had seen him previously. They saw Jesus’ glory and humanity and divinity and essence.
In short, the disciples finally glimpsed the inner light that illumined his life 24/7. Previously, though, they had missed it. They had slept through it.
The “sleep” of the disciples, therefore, becomes a metaphor for spiritual drowsiness. It speaks to our inattentiveness, the way we sleep-walk through life, dull and unaware of the things around us and within us that are most real. Disciples, the very inner circle of Jesus, could live and walk and eat with Jesus, giving him their very lives, and not notice after all those months and years what was most real about him.
The story, then, suggests that at least some of the spiritual life is about waking up, about seeing what is real, seeing what is at the heart of life, seeing to the inner essence of things, people, and events.
We are all asleep to some degree. The Gospel invites us to wake up, so that the blind see, the lame walk, the lost are found, and the wounded are healed.
We are invited to a deeper level of spiritual awareness, a God-consciousness that transforms our lives and in the process transforms the world.
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