14 February 2010
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Ecclus. 48:1-11; 2 Cor. 3:7-18; Luke 9:18-27

In today’s Eucharistic lessons we look at the Transfiguration of Jesus and there we see Moses and Elijah with Him until the voice from heaven proclaims Jesus to be the Son to whom the disciples should listen and then the other two are gone, Jesus stands alone. The readings from the daily lectionary relate to those Eucharistic lessons.

This first passage in praise of Elijah tells us that there was no prophet like him in Israel and recounts many of the events of his life. The belief was also (and is today in Judaism) that Elijah would return prior to the coming of Messiah and at Passover meals a chair is left empty at the table for Elijah should he choose to come. The prophetic words here that he will turn the hearts of parents to the children is an echo of Malachi 4, the end of the Old Testament canon. Elijah’s end, you will recall, is shrouded in mystery. We aren’t told that Elijah died, only that he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind and the belief is that, as he has not died, he is able to come again in bodily form.

Peter gets the question right. Others, the world, has always had opinions about Jesus and it was the same in His time, believing that He was one of those prophets, either Elijah or John the Baptist, come back to life. It is hard to understand the confusion with John since their ministries overlapped in time, but not so difficult to understand why they thought of Elijah or the prophet like Moses who some seemed to believe Him to be. The Messiah of God is Peter’s answer here and Jesus affirms the truth of his confession yet warns them not to tell anyone. He is Messiah but they are not going to see the fulfillment of their understanding of Messiah restoring the earthly kingdom to Jerusalem just yet, that will be fulfilled in the end of days and that time is not yet. In the interim, disciples must take up crosses and follow Him, there will be no thrones to share in the short term.

The glory of Moses was more like a sunburn and the glory of Jesus shone from within. When Moses met with God in the tent of meeting He caught some of that glory but it didn’t remain but faded. In Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and yet we often veil that outward manifestation for other reasons. We are called to be different from the world, Jesus promised the world would hate us just as it hated Him, but we don’t like to be different and we definitely don’t like to be hated, so often we hide the glory. We are called to live into our calling and grow from one degree of glory to another but that glory isn’t to be hidden under a bushel basket, it is to be shown to the world in need of the savior.

Praise the LORD!Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!