A Crossroad Moment – Matthew 17:1-9

Every year the lectionary directs us to one of the Gospel accounts of what has come to be known as the Transfiguration. It is an event in the life and ministry of Jesus that not only puzzled the disciples who witnessed it but has puzzled people of faith throughout the centuries.

At first glance it is one of the strangest events linking three great figures in the history of the people of Israel.   In Matthew’s account, it is recorded that Moses and Elijah were seen talking with Jesus. What they were discussing is never recorded and perhaps the disciples could not hear what was being discussed.  But Jesus’ face shone like the sun and his garments became white as light.

This event on the mountain is a crossroad moment for the disciples with Jesus. This is the moment when the ultimate purpose and goal of Jesus’ ministry among the people begins to be revealed in earnest. It is the beginning of the journey to the cross, the grave and the resurrection and so it is fitting that it is our lesson before the start of the Lenten season.

All three persons - Moses, Elijah, and Jesus - represent significant turning points in the journey of the people of Israel. We need to remember that the historical journey of the people of Israel with God began with the calling of Abram who left his ancestral home to follow God.  Through the blessings that God bestowed on him, Abram became Abraham – the father of a great nation.  From him were born generations that received the continued blessing of God.  As a result of Jacob’s struggle with God, he was given a new name – Israel, which means one who struggled with God, and this changed both the name of the people and shaped their destiny.

Through the jealousy of the sons of Jacob, the youngest – Joseph - was sold into slavery in Egypt. But he would become the salvation of his family. Through Joseph, the family grew in number and prosperity.   But fear on the part of the Egyptians led to their enslavement.  In time God decided to deliver them from the hand of Pharoah and settle them in what would be called the Promised Land.  With the help of God, Moses freed the people from the grip of the Egyptians and led them through the Sinai desert on a 40-year journey designed to ensure the people would come to totally rely on God.  At the end of the journey, Moses left them before they entered the Promised Land and his burial place was never found but they never forgot their deliverance from the hand of the Pharaoh and would ever commemorate that event with the annual celebration we know as Passover.

This was a significant turning point in the history of the people. Through the events leading to the Passover and the subsequent journey through the wilderness, the people became a united nation drawn into a covenant relationship with God.

Elijah appeared at another turning point in the history of the people. For centuries the people had lived in the land that had been promised to them by God but over time they had lost that strong connection   and had come more and more to make choices in their lives that were moving them away from God. Things came to a head with the marriage of the King of Israel to Jezebel. Jezebel worshipped gods that were foreign to the people and her influence over the king was such that she had managed to destroy most of the temples to God and imprison or kill most of the priests.

The prophet Elijah had refused to give in to Jezebel and knew that the God of their ancestors was for them the only true God to whom they owed their lives.  His disobedience to Jezebel led to a price being put on his head.  He fled in fear, but God found him and showed him that he was not alone. He came back to confront the priests of Jezebel’s gods. The miracle that took place when the sacrifice to God was consumed and the sacrifice to Jezebel’s gods was not consumed was a turning point for the people of Israel. It renewed the resolve of the people to once again confess their faith in the God of their ancestors and to follow God’s law and commandments.  They found the strength to continue to seek for God and they found that he was with them no matter where they went.

Another tie to the story of Moses and the Passover is in the tradition of the people – that is, to leave a place at the table for Elijah.  Like Moses, there is no record of where Elijah was buried as the account tells us that he was swept up into the sky leaving only his cloak which then became the possession of the prophet Elisha who had been his disciple. The expectation of the people was that Elijah would return to save the people. Even the Scribes and Pharisees were looking for that return.  This is why Jesus was so often asked if he was Elijah.  But Jesus says that Elijah had already returned. While not stating it in so many words, it is believed that he was referring to John the Baptist.

The coming of God in the person of Jesus is the third turning point in the history of the people of Israel.  They had been called as a nation and led to a promised land; they had been called back to be that nation with their God; now they were being called once again to live  as the people of God with renewed hope and promise with the full assurance of God’s love, mercy and forgiveness.

Through the Sermon on the Mount and through the subsequent times of teaching and healing God was giving the people signs to encourage them to once again have faith in God and to live the life they had been commanded that they might truly know what it meant to be the people that God. And as Jesus taught them and as he healed them, he began to reveal that he was to be the one whose sacrifice would mark an eternal Passover that would bring them life with God not just for a lifetime on earth but for all eternity.  For he was the Lamb of God.

This history with God is one that we have inherited because we have come to know their God as our God. And those of us in this generation who have confessed our faith in this God can look back on those turning points and be thankful that God has never stopped caring for those with whom he seeks to be in relationship.

Let us be thankful for God’s faithfulness and love and so do our best in our time to honour God with our living both in this community and in our lives beyond these walls.

AMEN