As it is this year, this Sunday’s lesson is the one just before Lent. We supposedly do this so that we are strengthened before we journey with the passion of Christ, aka Lent. Recall that passion doesn’t only mean love and desire but also suffering. Might not want to have mentioned that on Valentine’s Day, albeit St Valentine went through a whole lot of suffering as well, i.e. condemned to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.
In the Eastern Church, they have celebrated this since the 4th C, whereas the Western Church only git started from the 9th C, but even then only really got going from 1500 onwards.
This passage is preceded in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s accounts (I use their names but they weren’t associated with these particular Gospels until the 2nd C, not because they wrote them) by nigh on the same conclusion to Jesus teaching the disciples what they all need to do to make it. In Mark 8:34-9:1, there’s a lot of what’s known as apocryphal language, that is what is going to happen to Jesus and how it is all going to end well, i.e. eternity etc. Recall that the Jews struggle with the concept of Jesus dying on a cross, especially as a criminal. Hence, all three Gospel writers have Jesus, or the Son of Man – that’s a term drawn from Daniel 7 – returning with plenty of Angels in his company. And Jesus concludes (Mark 9:1; Matthew 16:28, and Luke 9:27) that ‘some are standing here who will not taste of death before they see the kingdom of God‘. Whatever it was, it was going to happen real quick. Perhaps it wasn’t a literal instruction – what do you think?
Now, there is an argument brewing, as both Matthew and Mark feel that only 6 days have passed since then, but Luke has a different schedule, and feels it is 8 days. Jesus is accompanied by Peter, James and John as they go up a mountain. Every time a mountain is mentioned, it usually is a sign that Jesus is going to commune with God. Where is our mountain? Where do we go to be with God? As some might say: where is our thin place?
However, in this instance, Jesus’ clothes were suddenly washed brighter than any Daz washing soap power, whiter than any earthly bleach – better any variety that could be used with eradicating Covid anyway. There, with Jesus, was Moses and Elijah: two main characters from the Hebrew Scriptures. Only Luke mentions that Peter was so fascinated by all this commotion that he actually was heavy with sleep, and could only just keep one eye out for what was going on.
Peter talks of erecting 3 tents, but that might have been pure gibberish, because before the words had left Peter’s lips, a cloud had enveloped them all. In Scotland, this can be a frequent occurrence, especially up a Munro. But then a voice is heard, just like the voice that they heard at Jesus’ baptism all that time ago, by the River Jordan – ‘This is my beloved son, listen to him‘. As the words echoed around the mountain top, the clouds lifted and Jesus was alone: Moses and Elijah had seemingly gone.
Eighth Day?
Was Luke trying to give a pointer to the Resurrection, which happened on that 8th day; or possibly it was just the first day of the new week – just like we have 8 sides to a baptismal font, to represent that we are starting again on the first day of a new phase of our life journey. We are a new creation – was Jesus that also?
Praying
This might be a difficult topic for some. Yes, we ‘do’ it in Church, but there we are led. How do we pray by ourselves? Do we pray because we want something particular to happen, or to ‘be with God’? Jesus doesn’t seem to be asking for anything, just giving of his time to be with God.
Two Characters
Moses and Elijah may well be seen as representing the Torah and Nevi’im respectively- both of whom faced rejection. Also, both died in mysterious circumstances: Moses was buried by God, and the grave was never found; and Elijah went to be with God, not by Uber, but by chariot. Moses went up a mountain but returned – in a Triumph – back down to find that what he had discerned was rejected by the Israelites. Elijah meets God up a mountain in that wonderful verse in 1 Kings 19, where we have many seasons of weather all in one day, bit like Scotland.
What might it mean?
It may not be a literal event. Some feel that it was a pre-Mark misplaced resurrection account – recall that Mark doesn’t really have a resurrection story. For more detail have a look here (RH Stein – Journal of Biblical Literature, 1976 – JSTOR). The appearance of Moses and Elijah may well be a literary device to emphasise that Jesus is following in the steps of great sandals. Once the cloud left, there was no shrine, so no opportunity to get a memorable selfie. The story is moving onwards. Yes, it is important, but let’s not get burdened by the detail here – there’s a whole lot more going to happen very soon indeed. And it is about what we want to do as disciples – that preceding set of verses to this story.
The trio of seemingly favoured disciples didn’t get the message. They then are unable to tell others of the real significance of this ‘event’ or sign. What should have been an incredible sign to these three disciples was lost to them, and it may well have been to me as well. Jesus is trying to emphasise that the journey goes onwards to Jerusalem, where it’s not going to end well at all for him – or so it would seem.
Luke has been trying to get that message across to all who could ‘listen to Jesus’. Recall about the blessings and woes from the Sermon on the Plain (and also here), and then Jesus telling the disciples what they must do as ‘some of them wouldn’t taste death before they see the kingdom of God‘.
So, with many churches being challenged as congregations either dwindle or age, what transformations are we seeking? What might we do to either bring life to our community, or sustain those within our community? Or did we not listen?
Peter talks of erecting 3 tents, but that might have been pure gibberish, because before the words had left Peter’s lips, a cloud had enveloped them all.
-I thought Peter could still offer to make three tents, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah after everything was back to normal (cloud gone).
Wonder why God reveals himself to only some people and creates so much confusion in the process for the rest of the world.
Was the transfiguration of Jesus needed to support his teachings?
So, with many churches being challenged as congregations either dwindle or age, what transformations are we seeking? What might we do to either bring life to our community, or sustain those within our community? Or did we not listen?
-This situation is happening only in the Western world currently.
If this Transfiguration is really akin to the Resurrection, where Jesus is joined by other great prophets, then this is a metaphorical story to emphasise Jesus’ importance. What I have done in the past is to read it as an account of a physical event. The linking to the Resurrection really does support the teachings of Christ.
In terms of transformation, it could be read as suggestive of such action, but it might rather be my innate wish for the church.
Whether the church of today, especially the evangelical church in the US, is listening may be “critiqued”, to put it politely. The recent AI video of ‘Trump Gaza’ portrayed the 47th POTUS as a golden statue. Moses might have a few words about that…
The appearance of Moses and Elijah may well be a literary device to emphasize that Jesus is following in the steps of great sandals.
“Love your enemy”
What about David and Goliath? God never asked David to Love Goliath. During the Bible study, I heard from someone that the OT has different teachings from the NT. If so, why to emphasize that Jesus is following steps of great sandals
Not too sure where Love your enemy relates to this week’s post. Of course the verse from Leviticus speaks of love one another.
The Hebrew Scriptures are a vat collection of Jewish stories which portray YWHW as one who has power, such as a King. David and Goliath may be such a story that encourages folk that wee Israel can withstand the aggression of mighty nations such as Assyria and Babylonia…even if it couldn’t for centuries.
Still, Moses and Elijah were ones that didn’t die – in explained human ways – so it fits nicely with Jesus.
Moses and Elijah were ones that didn’t die – in explained human ways – so it fits nicely with Jesus.
I thought resurrection is the concept of coming back to life after death. Jesus died as human and rose again, unlike what happened to Moses and Elijah.
But they did at the Transfiguration…didn’t they?
During the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah met with Jesus (who was still alive). So did you mean that Moses and Elijah were resurrected before Jesus?
Also, what has this to do with – “Moses and Elijah were ones that didn’t die – in explained human ways”?
In the blog post I explain that Moses was buried by God and Elijah was carried away in a chariot (not Uber). So not in natural human ways. Mosdes died because he failed God, but God was still with him – and buried him (Deut 34).
The Transfiguration story is considered, by scholars, a metaphorical reference to the resurrection. Jesus is there with the other great prophets from the Hebrew Scriptures. Scholars feel that it has been inserted into the Gospels to emphasise that the resurrection is part of the plan, albeit this was many decades after the actual event; hence, we have to be careful that we don’t read this as historical.
I still don’t understand how scholars found a relationship between Moses and Elijah’s unusual end to Jesus’s resurrection. Unlike Moses and Elijah, Jesus suffered and really died before his resurrection.
To explain briefly as it might be a full essay otherwise :
What I’m trying to say is that the Transfiguration is a scene that emphasises the link between Moses, Elijah and Jesus. It links the Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels. This metaphorical scene shows the transcendancy between these 3. Moses and Elijah have ‘died’ and home to be with God. Jesus has also died and has gone to bed with God. Furthermore, he is now back with the disciples.
I’m going to be eriting more of the resurrection nearer to Easter. However, it might be prudent to consider what exactly Jews believed in circa 30 CE, then again in 80CE when “Luke’s” Gospel was written. If you look at what Paul speaks about the resurrected life in his first book of 1 Thess and then again in 2 Cor, much later, and then in Philippians, much later still – the perspective of resurrection changes. Our problem is that our understanding has been distilled over the millennia and we feel we have a right hold of what actually they believed – but do we? It may be very vague indeed.
Lastly, the Transfiguration story was written by ‘Mark’ and embellished with ‘Luke’ to make a blend of OT and NT which “could” relate to the Resurrection. For further teaching https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicBiblical/s/TTHcUUZYLb
Now you skipped relating Moses and Elijah to Jesus based on how they died and instead said – “It links the Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels”. So I take it that instead of Moses and Elijah, other prophets from the OT were equally good for this Transfiguration.
“This metaphorical scene shows the transcendence between these 3. Moses and Elijah have ‘died’ and are home to be with God. Jesus has also died and has gone to bed with God. Furthermore, he is now back with the disciples”.
Going to bed with God after death is interesting
I thought Jesus only died once as a human, and that was after the “Transfiguration” story. Meaning he was with his disciples before he died.
Moses represents the Torah, and Elijah the Nevihim, the Writings. It is not just two OT great men but what they also represent – I thought I had mentioned that in the blog post. Apologies if I didn’t.
To clarify. The transfiguration story is considered to be a literary device to emphasise the connection between the OT and the resurrection, written many years after the resurrection, but inserted into the Gospel story.
I’m saying it didn’t happen. It’s a way of explaining something so profound but confusing aka the resurrection.
You did mention in your blog that Moses represents the Torah, and Elijah the Nevihim, the Writings.
If Moses and Elijah showed up, it is surprising that the disciples recognized them.
I think the commonalities between Moses, Elijah and Jesus was that all of them faced rejection.
“If Moses and Elijah showed up, it is surprising that the disciples recognized them.” Yes, hence a literary device.
If Moses and Elijah showed up, it is surprising that the disciples recognized them.
The commonality between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus was that they faced rejection.