Transfiguration of Our Lord

Luke 9:28- 43a

²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹ They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

  ³⁷ On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸ Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. ³⁹ Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴² While he was being brought forward, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ^43a And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

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The Veil

Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

What’s the veil? From when I started doing Bible studies in my home congregation a little over twenty years ago, all the way to seminary, I struggled with the meaning of this veil thing. For some reason, it did not compute inside my noodles. During those years and all the way to my current ministry, I realized I am not alone. What is this veil on the Moses story in Exodus today? It is what Paul is talking about in his letter to the Corinthians.

It was not until well into my seminary years, and thanks to a guest preacher during chapel service, that the veil became clearer to me. What is it that prevents us from seeing? Well, among other things, a veil. It is actually as simple as that. A veil interferes with our ability to see clearly. We will see some, but it is a foggy vision. Walking around with a veil over our eyes will cause us to stumble into things or literally collide with each other if we try to keep pace. It will become stressful after a while. Irritating, actually. We will not operate at our best.

I suspect we get used to that eventually. Those born with a veil would be even better adapted to their condition and could function fairly well. Nonetheless, ask a young person who was born with visual impairments that fogged their sight how exhilarating it is to have that problem corrected and to be able to see like the person could never do—all the little and magnificent things that now get to be revealed. 

See, it is that simple. The biblical image of the veil is anything that prevents us from seeing the divine presence among us, and what the Lord our God hopes for us; and I wonder if the veil already blurring our vision, is what prevents us from fully grasping such a simple and elegant image. The veil prevents us from seeing, and therefore, experiencing the fullness of God and the fullness of God’s presence in each other.  The veil clouds our judgment and makes going about our lives challenging and even despairing. When the veil is removed, we see each other and God with us. In our case, what we see is our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don’t know about you. But I need to see my Savior badly in all this going on, near and afar.

So did the disciples. We know that what preceded the mountaintop experience for Peter, James, and John was Jesus’ disclosure of his destiny at the cross. Remember these were the same Peter, James, and John who had left everything and everyone to follow Jesus. They place all their eggs in his basket. They were all in. I can only imagine what is going on in their minds. This guy has a death wish. We are following him for nothing. We are risking lifelines and reputation for nothing. Jesus, perhaps out of love and mercy, needs to remove the veil preventing them from seeing. 

I am sure it was not an easy trip. Those of us who like to hike up the mountains will tell us what it takes. They are tired, maybe overwhelmed, and need some rest and prayer. Then magic happens. Moses, Elijah, God’s more dedicated servants, are there and Jesus is shining like the Sun. The new covenant and the old, one and the same God. Together, they affirm that liberation that is to take place in Jerusalem. Jesus is the chosen one, the cross is the destination, but not the end of the journey. Jesus did not come to make things safe, but he was promised to save us. 

Everyone who gets to the top of a mountain tells the same story. It is an awe-inspiring experience. Some veils are lifted, and one sees things that could not have been seen before. Safety, comfort, and joy are invigorating. We need that renewal. We need that glimpse of the Kingdom of heaven, the momentary lifting of the fog, to assure us of the things promised and to encourage us forward. So did the Israelites alone in the desert, but not quite, and so did an early church facing the gigantic opposing forces of the world, alone, but not quite. There is good to be done down in the valley to keep evil at bay. There is only one who has the words of eternal life and promised to be with us. Jesus Christ. May we listen to him. Thanks be to God. Amen.