Listen – Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36

Today the focus of the message is the Transfiguration event from the Gospel of Luke. But as with many events in the life of Jesus, this event has a historical connection.  Of course, the event that was recorded in Exodus is not to be equated with the event recorded in Luke but it is clear that there is a connection that the author wants the reader to make.  In Exodus, we have Moses who receives the Ten Commandments that establishes the covenant between God and the people of Israel that would guide them as they came to the Promised Land.  In Luke, we have Jesus who will establish a new covenant – one designed to bring people to the kingdom of God.

The event recorded in Exodus is the second time that Moses went to Mount Sinai to receive the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. The first visit of Moses lasted 40 days and nights – a significant figure mirroring the 40 years that the people would spend in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land. During that time Moses receives more than just the Ten Commandments but these ten basic commandments are the key element. When he returned, he discovered that the people had come to believe that God had abandoned them and had made for themselves an idol of gold.  In anger, Moses broke the tablets

Now he was back on the mountain to meet with God again to receive anew the tablets and once again he would spend 40 days and nights on the mountain. This time it was noted that he had nothing to eat or drink – a detail worth noting when we remember the time of Jesus in the desert during his time of temptation.

When Moses returns, it is recorded that his face shone.  The brightness of it was a sign that Moses had been in the presence of God -  his face glowed with the reflected glory of God.  How long this glow stayed with Moses is not clear but it lasted a considerable time as evidenced by the Scripture which records that Moses veiled his face when speaking to the people and removed the veil when he entered the tent to speak with God.

And while the glow on Moses’ face is not exactly the same as the Transfiguration of Jesus there are connections between the events.  Moses is the one chosen by God to lead the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land  - a very physical deliverance.  Jesus is the one chosen and sent by God to lead the people from their bondage to the law and lead them to the kingdom of God – not only a physical deliverance but a spiritual one as well.

It is not without significance that the three figures who appear transfigured on the mountain are Moses, Elijah and Jesus.  Moses and Elijah are leaders who answered the call of God and led the people through significant events in the life of the nation - Moses in the great exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land and Elijah standing up to the false gods of Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, king of Israel and so saving the people and renewing their commitment to God.  Both also have no known place where they are buried. Moses disappears into the hills and Elijah is swept up into the heavens.  Two pillars of the people whose leadership meant salvation for the people of Israel.

The event recorded as the transfiguration is a pivotal point in the ministry and mission of Jesus.  In the transfiguration the disciples not only see the glory of God shining on the face of Jesus, they also see with him two pivotal leaders of the faith. Their presence was significant because they represented turning points in the history of the people. For Jesus to be transfigured with them was a sign to the disciples not only that they were standing in the presence of God but that this person whom they knew as teacher and might even dare to call Lord was someone beyond any who had ever come before.

Peter’s reaction to the appearance of Moses and Elijah was to erect memorials to the event.  He was so dumbfounded by what he was witnessing that he couldn’t begin to imagine what else to do.  In the midst of Peter’s stumbling words though a cloud overshadows them   and from the cloud comes the voice that echoes the words that John heard when Jesus was baptised. In Luke 3:22, God speaks to Jesus and says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. Here God speaks to Peter, James and John with the words, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.” (Luke 9:36)

The words that echo from this event are simple: God has revealed to the disciples that they are living with the Son of God – the Chosen, the Messiah.  The presence of Moses and Elijah confirm that the God who spoke from the cloud on the mountain is the same God who spoke in the still small voice to Elijah and the one who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and in the Tent.    And while the disciples only have a glimpse of what is to come, they have seen that there is a connection and a continuity between the covenant established with God in the time of Moses, reaffirmed in the time of Elijah and the new covenant with God now being established in the time of Jesus.

And all that was asked of them was to listen – listen to Jesus.  Jesus knew the path that he would be required to take and he knew the sacrifice that he would be required to make. That was Jesus’ mission. The mission of the disciples was to listen and follow. Listen to the words of Jesus and follow them by putting them into action. Trust in the words that he would speak and trust in the promises he would give.

Let us open our ears to listen, open our minds to understand, open our hearts to receive the message and open our spirits to receive the gift faith in the One sent by God – the Son, the Chosen!

AMEN