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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Eighth Sunday after Trinity |
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St. Luke 9:28-36 The
Transfiguration of Our Lord When God called Israel to be the first of his people
in the Old Testament, He gave them many outstanding leaders. Among them was a man named Isaiah. Isaiah was one of the most
gifted prophets. His work
revealed so much of the heart of God it is often called, the Gospel of
Isaiah. Deborah was another great leader of Israel.
She was a visionary woman who lived in a time when both the civil
authorities and religious leaders were in decline.
The king was dead, and the religious leaders lacked focus and
purpose, so Israel was rapidly sinking back into paganism and her enemies
were growing increasingly menacing. Deborah
took the new king, a young boy, under her wing and taught him to love God
and to run the country. She
held the nation together until the king was able to take the throne. Elijah was the influential prophet from the very
early days of Israel’s history. After
the Hebrews settled the land of Canaan, the tribes scattered and began to
adopt the pagan religions of their Canaanite neighbors.
Elijah was the voice of the movement to remain faithful to the
Covenant God made with Abraham. He
was a major force in holding the nation together during that time. But of all the great leaders of the Old Testament,
Moses will always stand head and shoulders above the rest. It was Moses who led the Hebrew slaves to freedom from Egypt.
It was Moses who led them through the desert to the Promised Land.
Moses organized them into a nation, gave them their laws, and
returned them to the worship of God.
He, more than any other person, gave Israel the form and culture it
has had for more than three thousand years.
Furthermore, Moses, far more than the philosophers of Greece, or
the politicians of Rome, or even the kings and queens that ruled and
influenced Europe, Moses laid the foundation and built the framework that
became European culture. Yet, not even Moses was as gifted or as pivotal or as
influential in Israel and the world as Jesus of Nazareth.
The disciples realized that Jesus was unique among men.
They had seen His miracles. They
had seen the sick made well, the blind given sight, the lame made whole,
even the dead returned to life. So
they realized there was something very special about this man, Jesus.
But they weren’t sure what it was, or who He was.
They knew He was the long awaited Messiah. By the time of Christ, the Jews had been persecuted and
killed for 2,000 years. They
were currently under the oppressive yoke of the Roman Empire, and they
longed to be a free and independent nation again.
They knew the promises of the Old Testament, how God had promised
to send a deliverer to them, a Messiah, and they believed Jesus was that
man. They were correct about that, but they were incorrect in
their understanding of the Messiah’s mission on earth. They thought He had come to organize Israel into a great army
and to arm them with supernatural power to destroy their enemies.
Then, they believed, He would lead them in a world-wide war that
would crush the Gentiles, plunder their lands, and turn them into slaves
for the Jews. The Jews would
inherit the earth and live in peace and prosperity, and live happily ever
after. That was Israel’s
view of the Messiah. That was
the disciples’ view of the Messiah, and that was the understanding they
took with them to the Mount of Transfiguration.
To them He was a great man, but just a man His greatness was confirmed to them on the Mountain.
There He was seen in the company of two of the greatest leaders in
the history of Israel. Moses
and Elijah were seen there, alive, glorified, “glistering” in white
apparel, with countenances like the sun.” And Jesus was with them and Jesus was glorified just as Moses
and Elijah were, and it must have been terrifying and thrilling all at the
same time for the disciples. This vision of the Transfigured Christ had a great
effect on the disciples. For
one thing, it confirmed to them beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus was
the Messiah. Imagine the joy,
the thrill, the excitement that coursed through them at this revelation.
Second, it showed them that Jesus was the equal of Moses and
Elijah. Now if Moses could
bring Israel out of Egypt and form them into a nation, and Elijah could
hold Israel together in the faith of the Living God, then Jesus, as their
equal must be just the perfect man for the job of conquering the world for
Israel. That would have been
their thoughts The disciples were ecstatic about this.
They wanted to build monuments to these three great leaders.
They must have thought they were doing Jesus a great honor by
making Him equal with Moses and Elijah.
In their minds they were doing Him a great act of respect. But
then something happened that must have struck fear into their hearts, and
caused them to wonder about this man they followed so ignorantly.
A voice thundered out of Heaven, “This is My beloved Son.
Hear Him.” The meaning of this is clear. Great as Moses and Elijah were, Jesus is greater.
Jesus is greater than Moses as Rembrandt is greater than the
beautiful pictures he painted. Jesus is greater than Elijah as Johan Sebastian Bach is
greater than all his masterpieces of music.
Jesus is greater than Elijah and Moses as God is greater than the
universe He created. Moses
and Elijah are the creatures, but Jesus of Nazareth is the Creator. For Jesus is the only-begotten, the only, the unique Son of
God. And so the message of the Transfiguration comes to us today as it came to the disciples two thousand years ago. This is the Son of God. This is the revelation of the nature and will of God. This is the way of life and peace and truth. Hear Him. God grant that it may be so.
The Anglican Orthodox Church P.O. Box 128 Statesville, NC 28687 The Most Rev. Jerry Ogles, Bishop Metropolitan The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
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