The First Sunday in Lent is about temptation. (Matthew 4: 1-11)
It is a real temptation for us to reduce Lent to something manageable, something trivial that would not do too much harm -- such as giving up something that really does not bother us that much -- whether it is chocolate, sugar, caffeine, or certain hobbies.
Or, we can follow a list of what to give up such as this:
Give up complaining - focus on gratitude.
Give up pessimism - become an optimist.
Give up sin - turn to virtue.
Give up worry - trust Divine Providence.
Give up discouragement - be full of hope.
Give up bitterness - turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred - return good for evil.
Give up negativism - be positive.
Give up anger - be more patient.
Give up pettiness - become mature.
Give up gloom - enjoy the beauty that is all around you.
Give up jealousy - pray for trust.
Give up gossiping - control your tongue.
Give up harsh judgments - think kindly thoughts.
Yes, we can actively do more generous works of love and charity and be more fervent in prayer, instead of giving up something negatively. However, these can become small, morality games that trivialize the real temptation.
All temptations have to do with lies. In the Garden of Eden, the first temptation has to do with the lie that said, “You will not die!” The serpent tempted Adam and Eve by challenging them on the consequence of their action. “It is not as bad as you think it is going to be!” The lie has to do with “Maybe you can get away with it!” “Try it; it won’t do you any harm!” We all have heard those tempting words before, in one form or another.
As it turns out, surprise, surprise, the lie is not true. Ironically, they did have to die as a result of eating the forbidden fruit. We learn the hard ways that we do have to suffer the consequences, when we cannot get away with it.
At issue here is not whether they have done something bad, but it is one of disobedience. In knowing the difference between good and evil, the first humans have become like God, independent of God, and rebelled against God.
For us, temptation comes in different ways and entices us to be like God! As individuals and as a faith community, there is a real temptation for us to take the place of God. We say to ourselves that we can take control of our own destiny! We will try this, we will do this, and we will make it happen! We really don’t need God in all of this, especially when we are young and strong! We want the power and the control! However, when all else fail, we can always turn to God and ask for help. Unfortunately, God has been relegated to be a Plan B, a back up plan for us. When things are not going well, we can always pray to God!
However, temptation is a testimony to strength. The greater the strength, the greater the temptation will be. All three temptations attack Jesus’ strength, rather than his weaknesses. In the first one, the test was, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Secondly, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the Temple.” In both cases, the temptation attacks the identity and the assumption of Jesus as the Son of God. What kind of a son of God is he really? Is he the one who can use his divine power not only for his own advantage, but also use it to alleviate human hunger and need, thereby harnessing enormous political power?
Jesus’ responses rejected the temptation to become a “superman” type of messiah. He chose to remain human, yet obedient to the word of God. “Not by bread alone shall the human live...” In our faith journey and prayer life, we too want Jesus to be a superman who can come solve all our problems and take away all our troubles and pains. We get upset, when we find such a human messiah. We want a messiah who is totally divine. Our kind of messiah would come down from the cross and save others. He would not need to do a far-fetched thing like rising from the dead, for he would be smarter not to die in the first place.
The second temptation employs the word of God, since Jesus chose to follow the word of God. To perform a super stunt in front of the faithful crowd from the top of the temple in Jerusalem would have confirmed such an expectation of the messiah. Such a sign will undoubtedly coerce faith and confirm the popular messianic hope. But Jesus chose not to test God by twisting God’s words and manipulating God into doing something spectacular for him. We can also turn the promises of God around to try and manipulate God for our own gain. We do so by questioning God’s faithfulness to us. Just like in a marriage, as soon as one partner starts wondering or asking, “If you really love me, you will do this...” then one is no longer living by the marriage promises and trust, but trying to manipulate the other. When we start looking for miracles and signs to prove God’s presence, we are not living by God’s word and we have already stopped trusting God.
The third temptation takes place on a high mountain, the same description used for the Transfiguration last week. It is significant, because there Jesus’ true identity would be revealed and confirmed. There, the Son of God in his glory would be talking with Moses and Elijah. It leaves us no doubt as to who Jesus really is. He belongs to God, and he is committed to what God has called him to do.
Jesus is now tempted to turn away from God, in order to obtain the power and authority over the kingdoms of the world. Some would interpret that the world is under demonic control, and the devil has the power to give that control to Jesus. However, we who claim that we believe only in one God should not fall into the trap of making room for one good God and one bad god in our theology. After all, we were told that Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. God is involved in this testing. At issue here is one of sovereignty. To whom does the world belong? To God or to someone else? Who do we acknowledge to be the one who is in charge of the world, our church, and our personal and daily lives? In reality, who truly has the power and the authority in our life?
Do we worship only God, or do we actually worship something or someone else other than God? It could be customs, tradition, our own rules and liking. As a Church, are we willing to sell our souls in order to remain comfortable? to become attractive and successful? Or, how can we stay faithful to our calling? What does it mean for us to serve only the Lord our God and not anything else? We should stop and ask ourselves what is truly the business we are in and what are our priorities here at St John the Divine? We’ll do that later in our Annual Vestry meeting.
On the other hand, there is also a real temptation for some to leave everything to God. In reality, we don’t want to do anything; we just give up in despair. We can hide behind pietistic talk and prayers, but we will not put in our own effort. When things are not working right, we can always blame the devil. “The devil made me do it!” we may say. We do so by escaping and abdicating our personal responsibility.
We need to find a balance between surrendering our will to God and not surrendering our responsibility to act. We need to resist the temptation to become like God and take over things. On the other hand, we also need to act on answering God’s call for us to do his work of ministry. Is this talk of being “co-creators” with God too close to falling into the trap of the first temptation? Or can we co-operate with God realistically in such a partnership?
Perhaps the answer is found somewhere in the Lord’s Prayer. As long as we acknowledge and understand that God is indeed our Father, as Jesus taught us -- that is the nature of our true relationship with God. When we pray today, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” what do we say after that? That should give us a clue as to who is in charge of this world and the world to come...
“For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory… for ever and ever.” Amen.
Fr Victor +
(http://www.stjd.ca/)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Sunday,February 3, 2008 - The Glory of the Transfiguration
The Transfiguration (Matthew 17: 1-9)
The Season of Epiphany begins at Jesus’ Baptism and ends with Jesus’ Transfiguration with the same heavenly voice making Jesus known to the world.
The story begins with the mention of "six days later". What does it refer to? It is six days after Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi and Jesus’ first passion prediction… Why 6 days? Perhaps there is a connection with Moses and the mountain from Exodus 24:15-16: “Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.” Matthew will make other stronger connections to Moses later. It also means that this event takes place on the seventh day! -- The climatic day of a new creation?
The Chosen Three = an inner circle among the Apostles? Jesus also takes the same three with him to the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). The three who behold his heavenly glory also see his earthly agony [Hare, Matthew, p. 201]. In both cases, they, especially Peter, respond poorly. On the mountain Peter wants to build booths, and God has to interrupt him as we will see later. In the Garden, Jesus tells them to stay awake and pray, but they fall asleep three times. If these are the best and the top 3 disciples, perhaps there is hope for us who may fall asleep during sermons and prayer time, or react poorly to other situations in the church or in our daily life…
Matthew has placed special emphasis on “mountains”, where special, significant events take place: Jesus does his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (5:1); he went there to be alone to pray (14:23); it is where great crowds came to Jesus to be healed (15:29); where the risen Jesus meets the eleven disciples (28:16)
The only other place where a “high mountain” was mentioned in Matthew is when the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and offered them to Jesus (4:8-9). Could similar temptations have been part of this mountaintop experience? Is it possible that Jesus has been tempted to stay on this mountain with all his glory and splendor rather than coming down to the “faithless and perverse generation” down below (17:17)? Could the force behind Peter’s desire to build three booths be a temptation to capture this glorious moment and avoid the painful cross?
What about our own mountain top experiences?
When and where have we encountered the glorified Christ - during times of teaching, learning, praying, healing and being healed? For us, the “mountains” may involve big crowds, bright lights, joyful singing, laughter, enthusiasm and energy, or it may be a quiet time of solitude and silence. Peter, James and John were certainly in for a great surprise. None of them would have expected what happened to them on this mountain -- neither Jesus’ transfiguration nor what happened afterwards. God is certainly a God of surprises! How each of us may be surprised when we encounter God?
Transfigured or transformed?
The Greek word metamorphoomai is translated to be “transfigured”. Paul also uses this word to talk about a transformation that is to take place within us:
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2Corinthians 3:18: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Matthew tells us that Jesus’ face shone like the sun. This part of the transfiguration is not recorded in Mark. Moses had a shining face after his encounter with God (Exodus 34:29-35). Matthew emphasizes the “Moses-connection” as he puts Moses before Elijah. Mark has it the other way around. The presence of these two figures confirms the witness of the Law and the Prophets to Jesus. However, they are now superseded by Jesus, who remained alone at the end of this story.
Peter’s response on one hand is a response of faith and affirmation, calling Jesus “Lord” and said, “It is good that we are here.” On the other hand, he tries to capture that event with booths -- as in the Feast of Booths during which ancient Israelites remembered the special times of being led by God in the wilderness by means of the cloud and the fire (Lev. 23). He wants to lock up the experience of glory with Jesus in a box, and preserve it for ever.
The word for booth can mean a tent or temporary shelter. It can mean tabernacle as a place of worship (the dwelling place of God in the OT). It can also mean a house -- a permanent dwelling place. Why would these three need houses? These booths hearken back to the exodus and Peter’s attempt to enshrine or preserve or, at least, prolong this moment on the mountain. How often have we tried to enshrine certain religious experience and not wanting to move beyond them? How reluctant have we been to face the threats of change before us? Are we willing to come down from the spiritual highs of special moments of retreats and conferences? Do we want to keep all that to ourselves and not share it with others? -- Especially those who have not seen the light and shared our experience?
What is unique to Matthew is that while Peter was still talking, God interrupts him and pronounces to them the true identity of Jesus. This is the same voice and the same message given at Jesus’ Baptism: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased!” But “Listen to him” is the command given at the end. Peter wants to build dwelling places for these glorious figures, but God simply wants him to listen… to what message? Could it be the passion prediction and the suffering that is to follow for Jesus? After all, Peter refused to listen to that six days earlier, and he rebuked Jesus for speaking such nonsense. The divine Sonship does not simply bring glory; it also invites a discipleship that leads to death on a cross.
“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.” --these two verses are also unique only to Matthew. The story is as much about the transfiguration of the three disciples as that of Jesus. Being in direct contact with God does not produce a response of faith; the voice from the cloud creates overwhelming fear instead! “They fell on their faces” in fear and trembling. The only other time Matthew uses this same phrase “fall upon the face”, it is what Jesus does in the garden of Gethsemane (again) as he prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want” (Matt 26:39). Perhaps Jesus could have also been afraid of what he was about to face… Again, glory is not detached from suffering and agony! The cup of anguish brings us the cup of blessing in the end! This connection between the Transfiguration and the Garden of Gethsemane again reminds us that the glory of the resurrection is not possible without the suffering and the death on the cross. Easter is not possible without the cost of Good Friday. We are invited to begin our Lenten journey next week, heading toward the holy climax of the Christ Event.
In this case, what did Jesus do? He came to the cowering disciples and touched them. The same word will be used to describe how the risen Christ came to his disciples after the resurrection. The touch is a healing touch as in many cases throughout the Gospel. These terrified disciples were now raised by Jesus to a new life. They were transformed here just as they would be again after they had seen the resurrected Christ. They will be transformed from fearful and anxious cowards to brave, confident and spirited champions of the faith!
Ironically, it is not the “glowing”, glorified Jesus who did the “raising up”, but the down-to-earth, human Jesus who came, and touched, and spoke to the disciples. We all need such a healing touch. But we are also called to offer it to the world. We need to reach out and offer a healing and life-giving touch to the frightened, worried, anxious people with whom we come into contact, and assure them with words and actions that say, “Peace! The Lord is here with you. Do not be afraid!”
Transformation takes place when we encounter God in our lives, whether we like it or not. Mountaintop experiences change us as much as those down in the depressing valleys. Faced with the transfigured Christ Jesus, we too catch a glimpse of the glory, whether we are able to reflect this glory or not. We may not be able to shine like Jesus, yet we keep hearing consistent rumors that we can be “changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place”. In the mean time, our transformation and enlightenment also call us to be human channels of God’s healing grace, to bring new life and peace to all those who need it.
Glory and praise be to the Lord! Amen.
Fr Victor + (www.stjd.ca)
The Season of Epiphany begins at Jesus’ Baptism and ends with Jesus’ Transfiguration with the same heavenly voice making Jesus known to the world.
The story begins with the mention of "six days later". What does it refer to? It is six days after Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi and Jesus’ first passion prediction… Why 6 days? Perhaps there is a connection with Moses and the mountain from Exodus 24:15-16: “Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.” Matthew will make other stronger connections to Moses later. It also means that this event takes place on the seventh day! -- The climatic day of a new creation?
The Chosen Three = an inner circle among the Apostles? Jesus also takes the same three with him to the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). The three who behold his heavenly glory also see his earthly agony [Hare, Matthew, p. 201]. In both cases, they, especially Peter, respond poorly. On the mountain Peter wants to build booths, and God has to interrupt him as we will see later. In the Garden, Jesus tells them to stay awake and pray, but they fall asleep three times. If these are the best and the top 3 disciples, perhaps there is hope for us who may fall asleep during sermons and prayer time, or react poorly to other situations in the church or in our daily life…
Matthew has placed special emphasis on “mountains”, where special, significant events take place: Jesus does his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (5:1); he went there to be alone to pray (14:23); it is where great crowds came to Jesus to be healed (15:29); where the risen Jesus meets the eleven disciples (28:16)
The only other place where a “high mountain” was mentioned in Matthew is when the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and offered them to Jesus (4:8-9). Could similar temptations have been part of this mountaintop experience? Is it possible that Jesus has been tempted to stay on this mountain with all his glory and splendor rather than coming down to the “faithless and perverse generation” down below (17:17)? Could the force behind Peter’s desire to build three booths be a temptation to capture this glorious moment and avoid the painful cross?
What about our own mountain top experiences?
When and where have we encountered the glorified Christ - during times of teaching, learning, praying, healing and being healed? For us, the “mountains” may involve big crowds, bright lights, joyful singing, laughter, enthusiasm and energy, or it may be a quiet time of solitude and silence. Peter, James and John were certainly in for a great surprise. None of them would have expected what happened to them on this mountain -- neither Jesus’ transfiguration nor what happened afterwards. God is certainly a God of surprises! How each of us may be surprised when we encounter God?
Transfigured or transformed?
The Greek word metamorphoomai is translated to be “transfigured”. Paul also uses this word to talk about a transformation that is to take place within us:
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2Corinthians 3:18: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Matthew tells us that Jesus’ face shone like the sun. This part of the transfiguration is not recorded in Mark. Moses had a shining face after his encounter with God (Exodus 34:29-35). Matthew emphasizes the “Moses-connection” as he puts Moses before Elijah. Mark has it the other way around. The presence of these two figures confirms the witness of the Law and the Prophets to Jesus. However, they are now superseded by Jesus, who remained alone at the end of this story.
Peter’s response on one hand is a response of faith and affirmation, calling Jesus “Lord” and said, “It is good that we are here.” On the other hand, he tries to capture that event with booths -- as in the Feast of Booths during which ancient Israelites remembered the special times of being led by God in the wilderness by means of the cloud and the fire (Lev. 23). He wants to lock up the experience of glory with Jesus in a box, and preserve it for ever.
The word for booth can mean a tent or temporary shelter. It can mean tabernacle as a place of worship (the dwelling place of God in the OT). It can also mean a house -- a permanent dwelling place. Why would these three need houses? These booths hearken back to the exodus and Peter’s attempt to enshrine or preserve or, at least, prolong this moment on the mountain. How often have we tried to enshrine certain religious experience and not wanting to move beyond them? How reluctant have we been to face the threats of change before us? Are we willing to come down from the spiritual highs of special moments of retreats and conferences? Do we want to keep all that to ourselves and not share it with others? -- Especially those who have not seen the light and shared our experience?
What is unique to Matthew is that while Peter was still talking, God interrupts him and pronounces to them the true identity of Jesus. This is the same voice and the same message given at Jesus’ Baptism: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased!” But “Listen to him” is the command given at the end. Peter wants to build dwelling places for these glorious figures, but God simply wants him to listen… to what message? Could it be the passion prediction and the suffering that is to follow for Jesus? After all, Peter refused to listen to that six days earlier, and he rebuked Jesus for speaking such nonsense. The divine Sonship does not simply bring glory; it also invites a discipleship that leads to death on a cross.
“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.” --these two verses are also unique only to Matthew. The story is as much about the transfiguration of the three disciples as that of Jesus. Being in direct contact with God does not produce a response of faith; the voice from the cloud creates overwhelming fear instead! “They fell on their faces” in fear and trembling. The only other time Matthew uses this same phrase “fall upon the face”, it is what Jesus does in the garden of Gethsemane (again) as he prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want” (Matt 26:39). Perhaps Jesus could have also been afraid of what he was about to face… Again, glory is not detached from suffering and agony! The cup of anguish brings us the cup of blessing in the end! This connection between the Transfiguration and the Garden of Gethsemane again reminds us that the glory of the resurrection is not possible without the suffering and the death on the cross. Easter is not possible without the cost of Good Friday. We are invited to begin our Lenten journey next week, heading toward the holy climax of the Christ Event.
In this case, what did Jesus do? He came to the cowering disciples and touched them. The same word will be used to describe how the risen Christ came to his disciples after the resurrection. The touch is a healing touch as in many cases throughout the Gospel. These terrified disciples were now raised by Jesus to a new life. They were transformed here just as they would be again after they had seen the resurrected Christ. They will be transformed from fearful and anxious cowards to brave, confident and spirited champions of the faith!
Ironically, it is not the “glowing”, glorified Jesus who did the “raising up”, but the down-to-earth, human Jesus who came, and touched, and spoke to the disciples. We all need such a healing touch. But we are also called to offer it to the world. We need to reach out and offer a healing and life-giving touch to the frightened, worried, anxious people with whom we come into contact, and assure them with words and actions that say, “Peace! The Lord is here with you. Do not be afraid!”
Transformation takes place when we encounter God in our lives, whether we like it or not. Mountaintop experiences change us as much as those down in the depressing valleys. Faced with the transfigured Christ Jesus, we too catch a glimpse of the glory, whether we are able to reflect this glory or not. We may not be able to shine like Jesus, yet we keep hearing consistent rumors that we can be “changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place”. In the mean time, our transformation and enlightenment also call us to be human channels of God’s healing grace, to bring new life and peace to all those who need it.
Glory and praise be to the Lord! Amen.
Fr Victor + (www.stjd.ca)
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