Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

Lectionary: 340

Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.


On this ordinary Saturday we are given a special treat, Saint Mark's account of the Transfiguration. It is a passage rich with meaning, one of those we can -- and do -- spend a lifetime contemplating. 
I begin by calling attention to those who appeared with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, and then disappeared. Saint Mark clearly states that, "Elijah appeared to them along with Moses...." Peter attested to the vision when he proposed to "make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 
The tent refers to an ancient tradition. Whenever the Ark of the Covenant was not being carried through the Sinai desert it was placed in a tent which only Moses and Aaron could enter. Arriving in Canaan they settled tent and Ark at Shiloh, the ancient pagan shrine where Jacob, centuries before, had seen the Lord at the top of an angelic ladder. King David closed that shrine when he brought the Ark to Jerusalem; his son Solomon built the temple with outer and inner rooms and one "Holy of Holies" where the Ark stayed. 
Unfortunately, the Ark was lost when the temple was razed and the city leveled during the Babylonian captivity. Legends say that Jeremiah carefully hid it in the caves around Jerusalem and it was never seen again. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem they rebuilt the temple without the Ark, keeping a copy of the Torah in the innermost sanctuary. 
Seeing Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, Peter realized something huge was happening and he must respond. He supposed they should build a new shrine on this "high mountain," dedicated to the three greatest prophets: Jesus, Moses and Elijah. He was onto something but his insight was seriously premature. 

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;then from the cloud came a voice....”

The whole party of six -- visions and visionaries -- apparently disappeared in the cloud and they heard "a voice." Whatever was happening had little to do with the visual; it was about the audible -- what they heard. Nor would it be about the place, for they immediately left the mountain and returned to the plain. 

American Christian spirituality might be called "experiential." We want the experience of knowing Jesus. Many Americans can tell you the time and place when they "met the Lord." Their lives were changed in that moment. Others seek the experience of ecstasy, nirvana, awareness or enlightenment. Their search may take them from church and synagogue to meditation, exotic shrines, theme parks and chemistry. Their ultimate quest, the meaning of life, is to fill a bucket with adventures. 
Peter, James and John were commanded something else: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 
Your salvation is not about what or how you feel; it's about to whom you listen. It's not about the experience; it's about the message you heard and the mission you were given during the experience. Many people have had no such experience of bliss but they listen attentively to the Lord despite that. 
Always we must listen to Jesus. 

Finally, we notice the preference the Father gives to the Son as the Voice commands, "Listen to him." Moses and Elijah remain as major figures in our tradition. We cannot know the Lord without studying Saint Matthew's innumerable references to Moses. Elijah the fiery prophet prefigures the ministry of Jesus, who baptizes with fire and the Holy Spirit. But all of our traditions, Jewish and pagan, are reborn in Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew sums it up nicely, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." 

There are certainly those who question this "incarnational spirituality." They ask, why should I listen to or obey any man? That question cannot be answered with reasons; it can be satisfied with testimony.