The Transfiguration and the Body of Christ
2nd Sunday of Lent (A) – Lectionary 25
For most of his earthly ministry, Jesus walked dirty roads in sandals, just like everyone else. He got tired, hungry, thirsty, and dirty. Today, on the mountain of transfiguration, his disciples receive a glimpse of glory.
We certainly want to recognize this mystical experience as a profound revelation of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Peter, James, and John hear the very voice of God announcing that this Jesus is the beloved Son of God. They see Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the spirit-filled prophet in conversation with their master. Jesus explicitly identifies himself as “the Son of Man,” the one prophesied, and prophesies his own bodily resurrection.
And also, though, there is something here for us as the body of Christ, the Church.
There is a line of teaching that the body of Christ on earth, the Church, walks the same path that Jesus himself walked. In this vein of teaching, just as Jesus was born, entered into the covenant, grows in favor with God and neighbor, proclaims the kingdom of God, performs miracles, is sought as an earthly king for earthly benefits, then is rejected, persecuted, scourged, murdered, buried, and rises from the dead to ascend to heaven, so, too, the Church. Indeed, this way of thinking of the history and destiny of the Church on earth has proven fruitful for many centuries.
So, then, let’s consider this account of the transfiguration in light of not only the earthly body of Jesus, the Christ, but also as an allegory or example of the body of Christ, the Church.
As the Church, we individually and corporately spend the majority of our existence trudging along dirty roads. The place where the Church encounters the world is messy. We kick up dust, and mud accumulates on our sandals. Too often, we look at the Church, and see her travel-weary exterior. Sometimes we judge her harshly, pointing out the failures of the individuals and institutions of the church as a defense perhaps for our own failures. Some are even tempted to separate themselves, as if to avoid contact with something unclean. Often, we ignore the problems, and fail to do what is in our power, just as the disciples at the last supper failed to wash the feet of one another, and of Jesus.
How do we respond to the messiness at the intersection of the body of Christ on Earth, and a fallen world?
Then, Jesus “was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.”
Despite appearances, the Church, the body of Christ, is also a thing of glorious beauty. In and through the Church, we even now on Earth are partakers of things of heaven. And, the things of this kingdom of heaven consist of a conversation with Moses and Elijah – a conversation with the law, and with the Holy Spirit, both of which we experience in a new way through Jesus Christ.
Like Ejijah, and like Jesus, the Church… the body of Christ… we… receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a spirit who chooses to remain with us. Like Moses, Christ and his Church present for us laws. As Deacon LeRoy often said, these laws are more often descriptive than prescriptive. The laws of Christ and his Church primarily describe how we should live and act in order to enjoy life as citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. They are not declared for us to follow lest we face punishment, as much as they are describing “the stuff that works.”
Will we allow the Holy Spirit to remain with us? Will we do “the stuff that works” by living the law and commandments, beginning with the greatest, to love the Lord our God with everything we are, and our neighbor as ourselves?
Peter suggests building tents, or tabernacles. Indeed, this is textual evidence that this transfiguration is not only about the transfiguration of Jesus of Nazareth, but also about the church. Peter suggests remaining upon the mountaintop, and creating a place where people could come to converse with Jesus, with Moses, and with Elijah. “While he was still speaking…” a voice says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” There are two things here I would like to mention.
First, Jesus tells them to keep this secret. This is big news. It changes everything. There is no room for doubt about the identity of this Jesus. Obviously, this needs to be proclaimed to all the world, and right away. And yet, Jesus tells them to keep this secret.
Secondly, in the account we receive, it is while Peter is speaking that a voice comes from a cloud announcing the beloved Son. Let’s hear it again:
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said,”This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Without the teaching authority of the Church, we could easily read this as saying that the one speaking right now – Peter – is the beloved Son in whom God is well pleased, and to whom we should listen. Thankfully, we do have the teaching authority of the Church, who brings us context and clarification from the very Apostles. We are not confused about the subject of God’s proclamation. Will we trust the Church when her commandments don’t make sense to us? Will we trust God when he tells us to go when we would like to stay, or to stay when we would like to go? Will we trust the Church to help us understand the word of God?
And, finally (for now), the words of the Father: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Christ is the head of the body of Christ, the Church. The Father is pleased with the head. Thus, it is fair to say that the Father is also pleased with the body. Indeed, God loves the Church with a fierce and eternal and perfect love.
Do we love the Church?
Finally, for real, this time, I invite you to remember that the Church is not just “the Church” – the formal institution. The Church is very much us. I am the Church. You are the Church. These things apply not only to how we look at the corporate body of Christ, the Church, but also how we should consider ourselves.
We spend much of our life interacting with and being soiled by the things of this world. And yet, we are living already in the Kingdom of Heaven. We partake even now of the glorious riches of that kingdom. God desires that each of us shine like the sun, and that we live lives that demonstrate both right living (the law), and the life and love of the Holy Spirit. God desires that we will see God’s glory and righteous order and love, but not be afraid, so that after this Lent in which we struggle up a high mountain to see God, we come down at Easter to bring the good news of what we have seen. Because the Son of Man has been raised from the dead, and we are the Church, which exists to evangelize – to proclaim the good news of the Gospel – that God loves us, and has provided a remedy for all our sins and failures.
