Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Monday Easter IV - Luke 9:18-36
Monday Easter IV
Daily Lectionary Readings: Leviticus 9:1-24; Luke 9:18-36; (Sirach 51)
Luke 9:18-36:
[18] Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” [19] And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” [20] Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
[21] And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, [22] saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
[23] And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [24] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. [25] For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? [26] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. [27] But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
[28] Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. [29] And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. [30] And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, [31] who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. [32] Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. [33] And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. [34] As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. [35] And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” [36] And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. (ESV)
Luke Chapter nine is all about the order of the Kingdom – suffering before glorification. In this context, we see in Luke 9 that the proclaiming and miracle-working prophet, Jesus, was rejected. After the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, we have Peter's confession. Jesus then proclaims the coming passion and to say nothing of it to anyone. We then hear about the cost of taking up our own cross daily and following in Jesus' way. Now we come to the Transfiguration. Even in the glory of Jesus' Transfiguration, His passion is shown to be the way to His ultimate glory, as Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) discuss His "exodus" - the entire journey of the Suffering Servant who fulfilled all of the Law and Prophets. It both anticipates His glory when "it is finished" but also shows the two possible responses: Peter's "theology of glory" - misunderstanding, and God's – the glorious Christ as the one who suffered to fulfill all that was written about Him, and that all would then be participants in His suffering and glory.
Luke narrates specific details not found in Matthew’s Gospel. Luke notes that Jesus went up the mountain to pray. Luke often notes Jesus’ withdrawal to desolate or isolated places to pray, and His prayers are prior to significant events, cf. Luke 3:21 Jesus prays as the Spirit descends on Him after His baptism; 5:16 the increase in the crowds and controversy regarding Jesus; 6:12 before the calling of the twelve; and 9:18 prior to the first passion prediction.
Luke uses the word ἔξοδος, exodus, drawing a clear parallel back to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Here Jesus embarks on His own exodus into the eschatological program of His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension.
Luke records that Peter “did not know what he was saying” regarding the erecting of tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, summarizing in picture language a false theology of glory.
Next, Luke records that the cloud overshadowed them while Peter was speaking, and as Moses and Elijah were departing, Jesus, juxtaposing God's speaking of the true theology of glory to Peter's incomprehension – exodus. The suffering must precede glory.
At the beginning, Luke uses "about eight days" instead of Matthew's "six," possibly as a literary device alluding to the eighth day of the new creation, the day of the resurrection.
There are two geographic possibilities for the mountain of Transfiguration: Mt. Tabor, the traditional location of the early church fathers such as Origen, St. Cyril, and Jerome, but is possibly too far South; and Mt. Hermon, which is near Caesarea Phillipi and possible too far North. Lenski1 calls such speculation "quite futile ."I see no harm in trying to locate such locations of sacred events, as long as they do not lead to the veneration of the place. Apologetics benefits much from the many discoveries made from archaeology and paleography (the study of ancient manuscripts) as we find more and more evidence to defend the faith.
Mt. Tabor seems to be way too far South of Caesarea Phillipi, where the previous events took place, even if it is held to by tradition of the early fathers and the site of the church of the Transfiguration.
Mt. Hermon, while having three very high peaks, is mentioned in Psalm 133:3 for its having heavy dew. Geographically, this seems more persuasive, and Jesus did often retreat to isolated places. The journey from Caesarea Phillipi does not seem excessive, even considering the climb. Eusebius mentions its "respect as a sanctuary," and Jerome states it is the same as Mt. Sinai, "the place where God dwells."
My opinion is that Mt. Hermon is the more likely location due to its proximity to Caesarea Phillipi and its regard as a notably holy place. Theologically, it does not matter. Only the obvious parallel to Mt. Sinai and the cloud is "geographically" significant as "the place where God dwells" - heaven coming to earth.
Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. He also prayed after He had been baptized (3:21) and before Peter's confession and the first passion prediction (9:18). Jesus is found praying before and during significant moments (the garden of Gethsemane, on the Cross); Luke's note of Jesus' prayer marks the Transfiguration and other events in Jesus' life as significant. The mountain setting of this prayer (the place where God comes to dwell) and the parallels to Mt. Sinai also tie the Transfiguration and its conversation about Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the impending passion to the exodus from Egypt.
“Two men" (9:29) clearly references Moses and Elijah. The expression "two men," along with "and behold," appears in the resurrection (24:4) account and the ascension (Acts 1:10). ἄνδρες δύο “men two": The Lukan "and behold" setting each narrative apart along with "two men," plus the parallels between chapters nine and twenty-four make a case for Moses' and Elijah's presence at the resurrection and ascension. Moses' and Elijah's discussion with Jesus at the time of the inauguration of His eschatological exodus would be theologically significant that they be present as witnesses to the fulfillment of that journey, witnesses to all three events. However, Moses and Elijah are called out by name only in the account of the Transfiguration. With his attention to detail and eyewitness testimony, Luke would surely have recorded such a detail as this. Also, the two men present at the ascension are not depicted "in glory ."Theologically, these could simply be angels delivering the message (Luke: "He is not here" Acts: "why are you looking up? He will return in the same manner") as messengers of God have frequently been used to deliver news. A further case for angels at the resurrection would be John's account, with the angels present at the foot and at the head of the grave, with the grave linens folded neatly in between, harking back to the mercy seat of the lid of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place, the place where God dwells. Theologically again – God does not dwell in this grave, and He will dwell now in us through table fellowship, again paralleling in chapter 24's narrative of the meal at Emmaus. Today He is present in Word and Sacrament: baptism and table fellowship.
Moses and Elijah are the referents who appear in glory with Jesus. The alternative is that only Jesus appeared in glory. Jesus' transfigured appearance only hints at His ultimate glory once He has ascended. Moses and Elijah appearing in glory allude to their glorification because of what Jesus will accomplish (and has accomplished for us). They appear in the glory of God, not their own.
This ἔξοδος, exodus, refers to Jesus' suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. The Old Testament overtone is one of departure, just as God revealed Himself on Mt. Sinai and the Israelites departed Egypt, crossing the Red Sea in "baptism" as God released His people from slavery. Jesus' exodus redeems all mankind from the slavery of sin. The Father's words at Jesus' baptism are echoed in His Transfiguration. We are to listen, and faith comes by hearing. In Acts, immediately after the ascension, in Peter's sermon, the message was proclaimed to those stricken by the law to repent and be baptized.
In Peter's second sermon (Acts 3:11-26), Peter again proclaims the exodus journey of Jesus' suffering and being raised again in glory. Likewise, we have parallel accounts of imprisonment and release: Peter and John (Acts 4), the apostles (Acts 5:17ff), and Stephen's martyrdom.
The Transfiguration occurs in the three-year lectionary in Year C, at the end of Epiphany, just before the beginning of Lent, and in the one-year lectionary at the end of the Epiphany season and the beginning of pre-Lent.
At the end of the Epiphany season, the Transfiguration closes the time of the church year where we learn how God revealed Jesus as the incarnate Christ. The Transfiguration itself witnesses Jesus' impending passion as He journeys toward Jerusalem during the season of Lent, climaxing in His suffering and death during Holy Week.
Luke's Gospel is structured similarly to the church year, beginning with Advent and the promise of Jesus' birth. Luke moves from the Time of Christmas, as it were, to the Epiphany season, as mentioned, with the climax of the revealing of Jesus as the incarnate Christ on the mount of Transfiguration. Luke records Jesus' journey toward Jerusalem, preaching and teaching the kingdom of God (the Season of Pentecost, where we learn how Christ builds His Church) before the Passion and Resurrection narratives of Holy Week and Easter.
Some have suggested that the Transfiguration is a picture of inaugurated eschatology and therefore describes the liturgy. Inaugurated eschatology means that the end times began with the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. It is an anticipatory vision of the glory of Jesus at his resurrection that we see in the Transfiguration. We see in the Transfiguration the eschaton in miniature – Jesus discusses His exodus with Moses and Elijah, and we see a glimpse of His glory – but full glory will be seen at His parousia.
We see Jesus reigning in glory on the mountain of Transfiguration, and in that, we have a promise to the glory that is yet to come. In the liturgy, we participate in the marriage feast of the Lamb in the now (as the church militant) as heaven comes down to us in the forgiveness of our sins as the very body and blood of our Lord are received by our mouths, trusting in His words to do as He has promised as we, too "listen to Him ."We also have the hope (promise) in the not yet – the never-ending wedding banquet in Heaven between the church triumphant (the bride) and the bridegroom, Jesus, the lamb who was slain and lives again forever. While we remain simul justus et peccator (“at once righteous and sinner,” or “simultaineously saint and sinner”) in this fallen, sinful world, the true end came on the cross, and we participate in that new creation now and look forward to the full realization of that restoration in the not yet. Jesus leads us to Him in heaven because He is already here, in us.
Luke's Prophet Christology consists of the prophet as teacher and miracle worker and as prophet suffering rejection. At the Transfiguration, we see the One who has come that is greater than Moses sitting and talking with Moses, who represents both the miracle worker and the Law which Jesus has kept perfectly. The One who must suffer rejection by His own people and die an unjust death is seen sitting with Elijah, the great prophet of old who was rejected and sent to proclaim outside those lands. In the transfiguration account, we see Jesus paralleled with Moses and Elijah as teacher and miracle worker and as the suffering rejected servant about to embark on His exodus to Jerusalem.
For the holy ministry today, just as it was for the servants of the Word in Acts and the early church, the servants of God proclaim His Gospel but will suffer rejection in this fallen world that does not want to hear it but follow after their own "gospel," even as those servants serve as the vessels of performing the miracles of exorcism and ushering in the new creation in baptism, the miracle of delivering the body and blood of our Lord into them for the forgiveness of their sins and the strengthening of faith, all the while reading and proclaiming His Word.
1Lenski, R.C.H., The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel, Wartburg Press, 1946, p.527.