Lectionary: Transfiguration (C)
Texts: Psalm 99; Luke 9:28-43a
Becoming Awake
What Would Jesus Do?
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| Transfiguration - Anonymous |
If you were around in evangelical Christian circles in the
1990’s, this is a phrase you probably heard frequently. Youth groups promoted
this phrase and accompanying bracelets as a way of always think about Jesus
when faced with decisions.
It might seem cliché, overly simplistic, and a marketing fad
that has long passed, but perhaps it shouldn’t be dismissed completely. When
organizations and people that wear the label “Christian” don’t always seem to
follow Jesus’ way, it seems like maybe we ought to ask more frequently, “What
would Jesus do?”
A better question that precedes, “What would Jesus do?” that
is of more importance is, “What did Jesus teach?” Perhaps that is where we
witness the dichotomy of supposedly Christian groups and people behaving and
speaking in unchristian ways. Perhaps the teachings that they are hearing are
not what Jesus taught, but perhaps even without fully realizing it, they are
carrying out teachings that are more closely allied with the powers and
principalities of the world.
A Brief History of WWJD
According to the Wikipedia page[1]
on “What Would Jesus Do?” the phrase has an interesting history and one that
bears mentioning. The phrase comes from the Latin, imitatio Christi,
meaning imitation of Christ. Augustine of Hippo around 400 was the first
to use this phrase. The first known use of the English phrase was by Charles
Spurgeon in 1891.
In 1896 Charles Sheldon wrote a novel by the title In His
Steps based on sermons he delivered in Topeka, Kansas. The sermons spoke to
a theology of Christian socialism, which the phrase “What would Jesus do?”
embodied for Sheldon. Walter Rauschenbusch was inspired by the novel and formed
the beginnings of what was known as the Social Gospel. Sheldon identified his
own theology with the Social Gospel.
In the 1990’s appropriation of the phrase, however, the theology
around it turned more spiritual, individualistic, and divorced from meeting
peoples’ needs. The response to WWJD was FROG: Fully Rely on God.[2]
The history of “What would Jesus Do?’ had very noble and
serious origins. It was intended as a critique of Christianity swept up in
power and wealth. But by the 1990’s it had become a marketing slogan, stripped
of much of its original intent and power.
I think that trying to answer the question “What would Jesus
do?” might be a stretch in many cases since we have imperfect understanding and
vision. But if we could get better understandings of who Jesus is and what
Jesus taught, we might have a better idea of what Jesus might likely do in each
situation. We can become better imitators of Christ by getting to know Jesus
better. That is the message at the heart of the Transfiguration event.
Transfiguration Announces Liberation
Our gospel reading began with, “Now about eight days after
these sayings…” This should alert us that whatever it was Jesus said has
relevance to what is about to happen. So, what did Jesus say?
22 … “The Son of Man
must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and
scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
23 Then he said to them
all, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their
cross daily and follow me. 24 For those who want to save their life
will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25
For what does it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit
themselves? 26 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them
the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the
Father and of the holy angels. 27 Indeed, truly I tell you, there
are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of
God.” (Luke 9:22-27 NRSVue)
From this point onward, Jesus begins to speak more
frequently about his impending death and resurrection. This is the subject
which Jesus, Moses, and Elijah discuss during the transfiguration. The translation
we heard earlier read, “…the way in which he would soon fulfill God's purpose
by dying in Jerusalem.” A more literal reading is, “… and were speaking about
his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.” Jesus’ death and resurrection
are portrayed using the metaphor of the great liberation story of Israel from
Egyptian captivity. From the appearance of Moses, the mountaintop, the cloud,
and more, the entire narrative of the transfiguration contains numerous echoes
and allusions to the exodus story. Jesus is not just the greatest of prophets,
he is the great liberator of humankind.
Liberation from what? Jesus answered it at the very
beginning of his public ministry.
18 “The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
In these texts we see various forms of oppression including
economic, institutional and systemic, physical, and political. All of these are
included in Jesus’ liberating mission.
Asleep and Confused
Peter, John, and James, the three disciples accompanying
Jesus are asleep. They wake up just about when Moses and Elijah are ready to depart.
In utter confusion, Peter suggests building three tabernacles. Commentators
have many opinions about this. Some think that Peter was so confused it was
random nonsense. Others think it is a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Others think that Peter was trying to prolong the experience. And others
suggest that possibly Peter was trying to memorialize the occasion.
That last one bears expanding upon because it is something
that we also do. Memorializing significant experiences and events is not, of
itself, a negative thing. Recalling, reflecting, and remembering the past can
help ground us and give us identity and belonging.
But memorials can also cause us to get stuck and resistant
to change and to new ideas. Memorials can become institutions and edifices. They
can birth hierarchies and power struggles.
I’m speculating here, but maybe that’s why the cloud comes
down to quash any ideas about creating a memorial. Jesus didn’t come to set up
a rival to the Jewish temple. Or an earthly political movement. Jesus didn’t
come to change or take control of any existing structures and systems. Rather, Jesus
came to usher in something separate from the domains and dominions of this
world. He came to create a new society that would, at least for a time, exist
alongside current structures but whose citizens would take on the character and
behaviors of Christ.
From the cloud God’s voice speaks, “This is my Son, my
Chosen; listen to him!” Following Christ means first, listening to Jesus. It
means internalizing his mission as ours. It means prioritizing liberation as a
high, if not the highest, priority of our Christian mission. It means being
willing to set aside our self-interests and even our own life to bring people
out of captivity and slavery. It means understanding that Jesus’ glory, and
therefore God’s glory, is not in strength and might but in humble service,
sacrifice, and death.
Misunderstandings
The mountaintop scene returns to its normal, mundane sight. Jesus
and the three disciples head down the mountain where a crowd greets them. From
among them, a man rushes toward Jesus asking for his help in curing his son’s possession
by an evil spirit. For some inexplicable reason, the disciples that remained at
the base of the mountain were not able to cure the son. Even though they had
been granted power over demons sometime earlier as part of their mission to the
world.
In what could be read as a frustrated outburst and
accusation, Jesus says, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer
must I be with you and put up with you?” This too, puzzles commentators. Why
did Jesus say this, which seems be out of the blue with no reason or
explanation?
What I suggest explaining Jesus’ words is a guess and should
not be taken as definitive. But it does offer one way of looking at it and I
hope it makes sense to you also.
What if we read it as a lament? As Jesus looks around the
crowd and his disciples, he knows the clock is ticking; his time remaining is
short. There is so much he has already taught and done. From the beginning he
has been explaining the kingdom of God as based on principles completely
opposite to what passes as expected and normal in the world. The whole concept of
power and wealth are inverted in God’s kingdom. And now Jesus tells his
disciples explicitly that the way to experience God’s glory is through the
cross and death to self.
Even when they hear they do not understand, or they refuse
to accept what Jesus is saying. Perhaps that is what Jesus means when he
laments, “You faithless generation.” In modern minds, faith is often
assumed to mean belief, but a better definition is trust. Is Jesus
lamenting the people’s unwillingness to trust the way of weakness, humility and
death as the way into and the life of God’s kingdom?
When we hear the word perverse, to us it has the
sense of moral (especially sexual) deviancy. But it broadly means being against
what is right or good. The word used in the Greek text[3]
has the sense “to misinterpret” or “to oppose.” Immediately after the portion
of Luke we heard today, Jesus once more explains that he will suffer, but the
disciples could not understand it. And following that they begin to argue which
of them is the greatest. Taken together, when Jesus speaks of “perverse
generation” he could be lamenting their failure to perceive and understand the
nature of God’s kingdom, and their continued blindness and slumber to what it
means to follow him. Instead they are still focused on the kind of glory that
comes through physical, military, and political power and might. They still see
the coming kingdom as one that rules over others.
Confronting Demons
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| Jesus Casts Out the Unclean Spirit - Konrad von Friesach |
What do demons and demonic forces represent? It is likely
that because of the boy, the entire household was ostracized from community. In
a society where communal belonging was primary, this would have been
devastating. One thing demons represent can be anything that disrupts and
destroys community; anything that causes a member of a community to be isolated
and stigmatized. I’m sure each of us can think about many ways in which people
in our own community, around the nation, and the world can lose community or be
forced out of one with no fault of their own. Jennifer Garcia-Bashaw writes in Scapegoats,
[Jesus] healed their bodies and
minds, which made them whole, but he also restored their social standing,
halting the stigma that made them scapegoats.[4]
She explains a little later in the chapter,
It is not individual sins that
cause illness or impairment; it is the nature of a fallen world plagued by evil
and Sin. Once communities recognize that we are all part of the problem, we can
move together toward being a part of the solution…
In the Gospels, when Jesus speaks
of entering the kingdom, he is not referring to leaving the earth to enter a
heavenly place (although this is a common misinterpretation). He is referring
to participating in the divine activity and power of God’s reign—being a part
of healing creation, of loving God and neighbor in our everyday living.[5]
The work of Christ and God’s kingdom does not occur at the
mountaintop. It occurs in the plains, in the valleys, in the shadows, in the
pits of despair.
Our Mission
Paul Galbreath writes in a commentary,
Whether it is the oppressive demons
of poverty and addiction or the evil spirits of narcissism and self-reliance,
Christians are called to face the power of evil in a hostile and skeptical
world.[6]
Will we remain asleep while the world continues to head into
increasing turmoil and violence, with thousands and millions around the world
being subjected to the demonic forces of this world? Or will we awake from our
slumber, catch a glimpse of the glory of Christ, become transformed and take on
the work and mission of confronting and rescuing people from those demons?
In the name of God who subdued Chaos,
In the name of God who defeated Death,
And in the name of God who Breathes Life, Amen.
Works Cited
Garcia Bashaw, J. (2022). Scapegoats: The Gospel
through the Eyes of Victims. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Jarvis, C. A., & Johnson, E. E. (2014). Feasting
on the Gospels: Luke, Volume 1, Chapter 1-11. Louisville, KY: Westminster
John Knox Press.
Wikipedia. (2025, February 28). What Would Jesus
Do? Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_would_Jesus_do%3F
[1]
Remember when Wikipedia was maligned and when it was thought that no reputable
person would refer to it? Times have changed. It is now considered one of the
more reliable and reputable sources for general information.
[2]
[3]
διαστρέφω, g1294.
[4]
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