17 March 2019
Second Sunday of Lent
Today is selection Sunday for the NCAA basketball tournament. On April 8, at the National Championship game in Minneapolis, only one team will finally win. The fact of the matter is not only during the March Madness but also in this world, only a few big winners are found and the rest are losers. But we don’t want to accept the reality that most of us are losers in much of what we do. We are good in one or two things but lousy and lousier in most of the other areas. Like in the Gospel reading today, we hear the story of Peter who wants to embrace the glory and victory of Christ, but he does not want to accept reality that Jesus will die as a failure on the cross.
In the Gospel reading today, Luke describes how the appearance of Jesus’ face was altered and his clothing became dazzlingly white. White garments are the symbol of joy and celebration and so Luke describes Jesus, at the moment of transfiguration, as the immediate fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction that the Son of Man would come in his glory. Then, Jesus begins to converse with Moses and Elijah. As Jews, Peter, John, and James observe the Law and the Prophets. And, at the moment of transfiguration, Peter sees Moses as the figure of the law giver as he delivered the Ten Commandments. There is also Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in Israel history.
Peter realizes how great Jesus is and he treats Jesus as equal to Moses and Elijah. But Peter is wrong with his conclusions. In the Gospel, Luke describes how God’s voice came from a cloud and corrects Peter’s misinterpretation of Jesus. Jesus is not equal to Moses and Elijah. He is the only Son of God and THE chosen one. In other words, Jesus is the Son of God who is greater than prophets like Moses and Elijah. Secondly, Peter is also wrong about the identity of Jesus as a glorious prophet. From Luke, we learn the subject of the conversation was about Jesus’ departure and what he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. Obviously, the conversation refers to the death of Jesus on the cross. So, Peter fails to understand the true identity of Jesus as the suffering Messiah.
As we continue to walk our Lenten journey, let us pray to see every aspect of our lives through Jesus on the cross as the suffering messiah.