February 15, 2015
Transfiguration
Mark 9:2-9
The Rev. CECIL CHARLES PRESCOD, OCC
In the name of the Triune God. Amen.
Mark’s
Gospel is the earliest and shortest gospel about Jesus in the New
Testament. Short, even abrupt,
sentences characteriz Mark’s narrative. It is as if Mark is in a hurry, with no time
for frills or fillers. We are introduced
to Jesus not with any beautiful birth narratives: The archangel Gabriel does
not appear to Mary to announce that she would become the mother of the long
awaited messiah;, no angels come to Joseph to comfort and assure him that
Mary’s child will be the Saviour of the world; there is no angelic choir in the
heavens; no shepherds are led to the holy family, there are no magis with presents
for the baby Jesus; There
is….well…nothing but the ordinary. Or so
it appears.
Instead we
are introduced to Jesus as he rises from the cold waters of the river Jordan
and the skies appears to be ripping apart.
The Spirit appears as a dove to descend upon him, and he, and he alone, hears
a thunderous voice proclaiming that he is God’s beloved. Then “at once” he disappears into the
desert. 47 times Mark will use the
phrase “at once” (that can be translated “without delay”, “immediately”,
“quickly”).
He emerges
out of the desert following the arrest of his cousin John and picks up and
expands John’s critique of the oppressive political and economic system. In an almost frenetic pace, he travels
throughout the land, calling followers, healing the sick, releasing the
demonic, and proclaiming God’s new realm.
Perhaps
because they were first mesmerized by the signs that Jesus performed, crowds
began to follow him. The authorities
kept an eye on him. Jesus was just one of many street preachers in the
land. Throughout the villages people
were talking about this young man, the miracles he performed, the words he
preached, and speculated who he was and what he intended to do in the future.
In small groups people gossiped about his origins and his intentions.
Speculations
abound- and indeed a growing consensus begins to emerge that perhaps indeed,
this man from a small country town was more than a simple country preacher;
perhaps the aged old hope of a liberator would be revealed in the person of this
man Jesus. Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah. For Mark’s listeners this term
was not a casual addendum at the end of vain prayers, or what Jesus’ followers
would assert to affirm that they had a special personal relationship with the
divine, but a bold political statement which directly challenged the ruling
powers’ authority and legitimacy. It was
a revolutionary and incendiary term that if uttered was viewed as terrorist
speech by the ruling powers. Ched Myers reminds us that “The Messiah was
understood by many Jews in first-century Palestine to be a royal figure who
would someday restore the political fortunes of Israel” (“Say to This Mountain”: Mark’s Story of Discipleship).
Peter’s
revolutionary declaration appeared to be affirmed by what he and two of his
friends experienced when they were invited by Jesus to ascend the
mountain. There, as they reach the top
of the mountain, the place where the heavens touch the earth, they experienced
what was perhaps inexplicable.
The writer
declares that Jesus’ clothes “became dazzling white, such as no one on earth
could bleach them.” (v.3). It is a faint hearted attempt to capture something
which cannot be captured. It is described in rabbinic writings, but not in the
Old Testament, as the Shekinah of
Yahweh. Shekinah expressed divine imminence or universal presence. The word
literally means “that which dwells” and clearly designated Yahweh’s dwelling on
earth as in heaven.
The writer
continues that in the midst of this luminosity Jesus appears with the greatest
of all leaders, Moses, who represents God’s covenant or testimony, to be with
the people as their guide and protector; and Elijah, the prophet who represents
denunciation of idolatry and corruption of God’s ideal.
Well, Peter
is often ridiculed or disparaged as being too quick to speak to try to
explain. And as he has done before and will do again, Peter speaks when he
should have been quiet. But who can fault Peter? Have you ever experienced something that
surprised, or overwhelmed you? And instead
of standing in silent awe you felt the need to speak, to try to explain, to try
to control? Perhaps not. But I have.
After
Peter’s poor attempt to take control of the situation, the listeners once again
hears a voice that was heard at the beginning of Mark. “This is my Son, my
beloved, listen to him”. Peter, James, and John look up and the only person
remaining is Jesus. Moses is gone. Elijah is gone. At this point, all are
silent: including the loquacious Peter and even Jesus.
I cannot
explain what happened that day. What I can say is that for those who were with
Jesus that day, it served as a confirmation of what could and would be. That even though the situation of the people is
seemingly hopeless, the vision and determination to live out that vision,
empowered them as they descended the mountain and began their final journey
into Jerusalem to confront the power which held a death like grip on the people’s
aspiration to freedom.
Jesus is about to enter the city of
Jerusalem. This city viewed as the
spiritual center of the world, as holiest place on earth was occupied by a
hostile military force. The people’s
dream of freedom, wholeness, had been thwarted time and time again over the
centuries by one hostile occupying force after another. One potential leader
after another had risen and fallen.
Nothing really changed except the name of the occupying army.
Within a few
weeks of that event on the mountain Jesus and his rag tag group of followers
will gather additional followers as they wandered into Jerusalem. Hope would mix with fear. Courage will be followed by cowardice. Unity
would break down into dissent and fracturing of the movement. And within days
of what appeared to be a triumphant entrance into the holy city, Jesus
would be lynched and hung on a tree, Peter and the others would go into hiding,
and the Romans would be congratulating themselves on crushing another weak
coup attempt by delusional fanatics. And
things would return to what was normal.
Or so it appeared.
Mark ends
his narrative by recalling that the few women who remained loyal to Jesus to
the end, went to his grave to anoint the body only to find his body missing and
told that Jesus had been raised. In the
direct and abrupt style that characterized his narrative, Mark ends his story
with these words: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and
amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were
afraid” (16.8).
But we know
that they did say something, and that they were not overcome by fear. They
recognized that the world is in fact a disfigured world, and can and will
be transfigured.
They
remembered and were empowered by the vision of the Transfiguration. That God has not and will not abandon God’s
people. That the way of the world can be
transfigured.
Racism is a
reality in our world today. However we
affirm that it is not the ultimate reality for our world. Racism is a disfigurement of the human
condition. We must continue to be guided
and inspired by the vision of the Transfiguration, of what the human condition
is called to be.
Where are
the signs of transfiguration in regards to racial justice? They are in our communities everywhere: They are:
·
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi: young
queer black women who started the #blacklivesmatter campaign and are examples
of the mobilization of a new generation of black activists
·
The
immigration rights movement that are led by
young people, known as “dreamers” who have come out of the shadows of
fear and unashamedly proclaim their immigration status and thus risk being
deported to countries they never knew.
These young people who walk the corridors of powers in Washington and
confront legislators, engage in civil disobedience such as sit in in government
offices, are fueling the movement for a
just immigration policy in our country.
·
#IdleNoMore
campaign of First Nations people on this continent is only the latest
incarnation of the sustained Indigenous Resistance to the rape, pillage and
exploitation of this continent and its women that has existed since 1492.
The signs of
Transfiguration occur in the midst of movements that remind and inspire us of
our goals and destiny. They are often momentary,
gone to soon, but are nevertheless empowering.
Like Jesus and the three we must come down from the mountain of
inspiration and confront the valley of opposition.
Mark places
the Transfiguration story in the middle of his gospel, as the story shifts and
moves forward toward its climax in Jerusalem. It serves as a reminder and
inspiration as we continue the struggle. We are not there yet, we will be
confronted by setbacks, pushbacks, disappointments, pain and death. The disciples desired to remain on the
mountain and to bask in the radiance of the Shekinah. We too may want to remain at places and
moments of inspiration and hope. Yet we
know that the work continues, that God continues to beckon us to follow the way
and will of Jesus, which is the way of the cross, the way of choosing to stand with
those who are struggling for justice.
Fifty years
ago our nation was in the midst of an era of advocacy and movement for racial
justice. Those who were active in the movement testify that our nation was
experiencing profound changes in attitudes and behavior. Lest we romanticize
that era, we must remember the countless numbers of people who sacrificed
careers, families, health, and those who were martyrs of the freedom struggle.
“On October 8, 1963, [the singer Sam] Cooke called ahead to the Holiday Inn North in Shreveport, LA to make
reservations for his wife, Barbara and himself, but when he and his group
arrived, the desk clerk glanced nervously and explained there were no
vacancies. While his brother Charles protested,
Sam was fuming, yelling to see the manager and refusing to leave until he
received an answer. His wife nudged him, attempting to calm him down, telling
him, "They'll kill you," to which he responded, "They ain't
gonna kill me, because I'm Sam Cooke." When they eventually persuaded Cooke
to leave, the group drove away calling out insults and blaring their horns.
When they arrived at the Castle Motel on Sprague Street downtown, the police
were waiting for them, arresting them for disturbing the peace. The
New York Times
ran an AP report the following day headlined
"Negro Band Leader Held in Shreveport,”( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Change_Is_Gonna_Come).
African- Americans were outraged.
That incident inspired Sam Cooke to
write the song “A Change Is Gonna Come”, that would become an anthem of the
American Civil Rights Movement. In the midst of difficult times, we need to
recall and be empowered by our experiences of Transfiguration. Although fleeting these experiences are real
and are empowering. They will strengthen
us in difficult times and remind us things will not remain as they appear. We will be able to affirm and sing:
“There been times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will”
But now I think I'm able to carry on It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will”
