Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 99, and Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. Scholars are also unsure whether it is Mount Tabor, 588 meters high, or Mount Hermon, 2,814 meters high. However, when we compare Luke 9, which parallels Matthew, we see that the emphasis is on prayer rather than the mountain’s location. Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. He planned to take his disciples with him and train them in prayer. In verse 2, the word “transfigured” is the biblical word “metamorphote”, meaning a change in both external appearance and internal nature. Based on this, we can understand that Jesus, the sinless Son of God at that time, transcended his human body, and his divine glory was revealed outwardly. In this regard, I would like to discuss the image of God’s glory that we Christians possess.
When God created humans, we know that they were created in the image of the Creator. However, as humankind lived, they sinned due to various desires and lost their responsibilities, roles, and status as children of God. But God has repeatedly forgiven them and given them constant opportunities to return. And as a final and complete solution, God offered reconciliation and forgiveness through Jesus for humanity’s sins. Through the love and forgiveness on the cross, we can be restored to a glorious life as children of God, not as sinners. Yet many Christians in this age live forgetting the glorious nature within us.
When modern people think of the church, what comes to mind first? Some may raise the issue of the church’s decline; others, the issue of trust. There are people who look at the church with negative and worried eyes. Some people also criticize the church for being authoritarian. As a pastor, I feel sorry and responsible for all these negative thoughts. I believe that the church is being criticized by the world because my life as a pastor has not been an example to the world. All of us, as the church itself, must reveal God’s glory to the world. We must show a different way of life as stewards who lead the world and preserve creation. I like to call it Transfigured Life.
Jesus showed his disciples this glorious appearance and revealed his divinity as a child of God. We, too, as children of God, must reveal our role and status in the world. Just as Jesus called us last week to be the salt and light of the world, we must respond by living a distinct and holy life.
We can identify another model for this holy life: the way of Moses. God gave Moses important instructions on how humanity should live: the Ten Commandments. For this purpose, God called him to Mount Sinai. Moses stayed there with God for forty days, dwelling in holiness and glory. The number 40 is very special in the Bible. The time that Noah’s flood lasted was 40 days, and the time it took for the flood to subside was also 40 days (Genesis 7:12, 8:6). It took the prophet Elijah 40 days and 40 nights to reach Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). The period of Jesus’ fast was also 40 days. In this way, the number 40 in the Bible represents a period of trials and hardships, a time for me to change as I wait for God’s will. Starting this week, on Ash Wednesday, we will spend Lent. These 40 days are a time for us to be transformed through piety. It is a time to meditate on God’s will and plan being realized in my life. So, it is time to prepare for a new life and a new history.
We, believers, have a unique worldview called resurrection and believe in the kingdom of God called heaven. This is what Jesus taught us. We are invited to a new life by Him. As we approach Lent, let us advance toward the cloud of God with bold faith and pious resolve. I hope that we, like Moses, Elijah, and the disciples of Jesus, will experience that holiness. May you, through that grace, invite others to a transfigured life. Amen.