Hint: The Gospel Lesson for this Sunday is Matthew 17:1-9:
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."This part of the Gospel narrative is known as "The Transfiguration." It comes just before the thrilling climax of the story. Up until this point Jesus had been wandering the countryside, teaching and preaching and healing as he went. And he certainly had ruffled a few feathers along the way. What comes next is his final journey to Jerusalem—and the cross. The Transfiguration is one last, big, in-your-face epiphany: Jesus is physically transformed in a way that leaves no question in the minds of Peter, James and John as to who, exactly Jesus is.
As I was considering this lesson and how the Transfiguration revealed something important about who Jesus is, the first thing that popped into my head was Bruce Banner and his alter ego, The Incredible Hulk. Banner/The Hulk were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first saw print in 1962. The basic concept is that, due to an accident involving radiation, when Banner—who is normally reserved and even withdrawn—he transforms into a huge, rage-driven, green humanoid with superhuman strength and that is largely invulnerable.
Banner is certainly not the Messiah, but his "startling metamorphosis" does reveal something about the man that is usually hidden behind the mask of social and emotional withdrawal: a psyche fractured by the abuse of himself and his mother at the hands of his father when Bruce was a child.
Bruce Banner was still on my mind when I woke up this morning, but a new synapse fired. There are a lot of geeky examples of transformations: The Hulk, Captain Marvel, even Sailor Moon! But none of them use the word "Transfiguration." So I asked my wife, who has an English degree, what the difference is between "Transformation" and "Transfiguration." She guessed that you transform something inanimate and that transfiguration must be for the living. I pointed out that nobody uses the word "Transfiguration" except in referencing the Gospel narrative. "That's not true!" she pointed out, "Harry Potter."
She's right. Hogwarts had an entire class—indeed, there's an entire school of magic in Rowling's world—called "Transfiguration." But for the purposes of this post, I'd like to lift up just one example—the Animagus. An Animagus is a witch or wizard who can morph themselves into the form of an animal at will. But here's the interesting part: the Animagus can only take on the form of one kind of animal, and they have no choice in what it is. The animal they can transfigure into seems to be determined by their personality and/or some other internal traits. So knowing that Professor McGonagall transfigures into a cat reveals something of who she is as a person.
A wise reader—whether they're reading a lowly comic book or a rightfully successful series of novels—when faced with a transfiguration, should ask themselves what it reveals about the character as a person. And a wise disciple should keep in mind what they've learned about who Jesus is as they begin that last leg of the journey to the cross. Be good to each other, Rev. Josh 022514 The scripture lessons for March 2nd—Transfiguration Sunday Year A—are:
Exodus 24:12-18—Psalm 2 or Psalm 99—2 Peter 1:16-21—Matthew 17:1-9
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