Transfiguration
This past Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday. Jesus is
literally metamorphosed before his disciples (Mark 9:2-
9). And he's not alone! Elijah and Moses appear with
him. The very Jesus that the church leaders claim has
been against Moses now has Moses at his side. The very
Jesus whom the scribes said could not be the Messiah
because Elijah must come first, now has Elijah at his
other side. The disciples are in the midst
of "confirmation". Not confirmation as we know it, but
confirmation that by seeing Christ in his glorified state,
as well as seeing Christ with Moses and Elijah, truly
meant that He was the fulfillment of the law (Moses) and
the prophets (Elijah).
What is truly amazing is that Jesus returns from this
glorified state to humility; he puts on ordinary skin and
clothes. He's not huge like Goliath. He'ss not handsome
like Samson. He's not the captain of the football team.
Nor is he dating a cheerleader. He'ss just plain and
ordinary and unnoticeable. And yet, this is the path he
chooses. Rather than taking his right arm and in one
swoop casting out his power and fixing our world of
sin, he allows us to nail his arms to a cross. On our
behalf, he gives up his glory and takes on the lowest form
of a human being. He takes up the role of a servant and
dies the death of the hardest of criminals. All of
this He does so that we might have life eternal with him.
Here we find the meaning of his birth and baptism: he was
born to die, so that in our death, we might be born to
eternal life. We should stop using the word death or died-
--we should say "did you hear Bill was born to eternal
life?"
William Hiskey
DCE, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Bowling Green, KY
Updated: 3/4/2003
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