How
many of you looked in the mirror this morning and didn’t like what you saw? How
many of you have wished that you could have someone wave a wand or something
and all the wrinkles and moles and splotches would be gone? How many of you
have wished that you could be transfigured, transformed outwardly into
something better?
Our
gospel lesson from Matthew is about that day when Jesus went up the mountain
with his three friends, Peter, James, and John and they witnessed Jesus’
transfiguration.
They’d
been with Jesus for quite a while now. Six days before they went up the mountain
he’d told them about the suffering and persecution and death that was waiting
for him in Jerusalem.
I
wonder what they thought they were going to do on top of the mountain. They
knew that many times Jesus went away to the mountain to be alone with God, to
pray. Maybe they thought that’s what they would be doing there, praying.
The trek up the mountain wasn’t easy, apparently, since Matthew
doesn’t record any of their conversation. They may have been too out of breath
to talk. I know what that’s like.
Matthew doesn’t say how soon after they arrived that the
transfiguration took place he just says, ‘2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the
sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.’
That’s quite a change from the Jesus they’d been with. But it
didn’t end there. As they looked they saw two other men with him who they
decided were Moses and Elijah. How’d they know that? There weren’t any pictures
of either of them and yet they were sure that’s who they were.
But the scariest thing is still to come. After Peter said that he
thought it would be a good idea to put up three tents or memorials, this
bright, white cloud settles over all of them and from deep within the cloud
there’s this voice that says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased. Listen to him!”
That drops them to their knees. They were kind of like the
shepherds were when the angels appeared and told them about the birth of the
Messiah in Bethlehem. They were sore afraid. I think that means they were
scared to death; so scared they fell to the ground.
And when they looked up Moses and Elijah and the cloud were all
gone. They were alone again with their rabbi, Jesus.
He touched them and said, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” A little
anti-climatic don’t you think? Get up. Don’t be afraid.
And then he instructs them to not say a word about all this until
after his death. Like anyone would have believed them anyway.
But the question I want us to think about today is, “What do we
believe.” Do we believe that they
actually saw what Matthew wrote about or did they dream it or was it a vision?
Have any of us ever seen or experienced anything like Jesus’ transfiguration?
The closest I can come to seeing anyone transfigured, glowing with
light, is seeing the face of a mother holding her new born baby for the first
time, or maybe the face of a bride as she walks down the aisle toward the love
of her life.
In this story, notice that Jesus says nothing about anyone’s sins
or failures. He just tells them to get up and don’t be afraid.
Isn’t that the same thing Jesus says to us when he calls us to
service? Get up, arise. Don’t be afraid.
I know most of you have heard this gospel lesson many times. And
you’ve probably heard many pastors give their interpretation of Matthew’s
words.
Today, I’d like you to hear Jesus’ words, “Get up. Don’t be
afraid,” as a call, a call to service for Him, a resurrection if you will,
maybe a transfiguration. I don’t know
exactly what Jesus is calling you and me to do or be but I am hearing him say,
“Get up. Don’t be afraid.” And I trust
him enough to believe that he will be beside me as I answer his call, whatever
that may be.
What about you? What is Jesus calling you to do or be? Listen to him!
Get up and don’t be afraid!
No comments:
Post a Comment