LAST EPIPHANY February 22, 2009

Vision - the ability to see things - takes more than just a reasonably healthy and intact set of eyes. Our eyes are like the lens of a camera. They gather in light and focus it, but, on their own, they are unable to change that light into images that can interpret to us what we are seeing.

The light that enters our eyes is focused on the retina - a wonderful aggregation of nerve cells at the back of the eyeball that respond to the light and send electrical impulses to the brain via the optic nerve. The vision centers in the brain are then able to process these electrical impulses and organize them in such a way that we can see the images of the objests which reflected the light to our eyes to start the whole process of "seeing".

But the job isn’t done yet. Other parts of our brain must then take over and interpret for us the images that we are seeing. What do they mean to us? How should we respond to them? Vision - the ability to see and interpret things around us - is a truly wonderful and miraculous gift of God. As Psalm 139 puts it: "I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well." (Ps 139:13) Our lessons for today are all about the gift of vision - writ large!

I believe those four short verses from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians hold the key to understanding the quality of vision we’re looking at in Mark and 2 Kings today. In a sense, Paul is telling us we see what we want to see, and we are unable to see what we don’t want to see. If our focus is strictly on the material things of life, then we allow those things - Paul calls them "the (little g) gods of this world" - to blind us to the larger realities of love and hope and faith. These larger realities are what Paul calls "...the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," This is the light that Peter, James, and John saw in the transfigured Jesus on the holy mountain. This is the chariot and horses of fire Elisha saw as his master and teacher Elijah was taken from him "in a whirlwind into heaven".

Spiritual realities aren’t always easy or comfortable for us to see. Elisha knew in his spirit that his master Elijah would be taken from him that day, yet he still tore his clothes in mourning when it happened. But notice - he didn’t allow himself to get stuck there. Instead, he picked up Elijah’s mantle, walked back to the Jordan, used it to part the water just as Elijah had done, and picked up on the prophetic ministry right where Elijah had left it. He had truly received the "double portion of (Elijah’s) spirit" he had asked for; and he faithfully put his inheritance to work.

Peter, James, and John weren’t at all sure what their vision of Moses and Elijah speaking to the transfigured Jesus meant until after the resurrection. This is why, according to Mark, that "(Jesus) ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead." (Mk 9:9) In contrast, Luke tells us, "The disciples kept quiet about all this and told no one at that time anything they had seen." (Lk 9:36)

Given 20-20 hindsight, it’s fairly easy for us to see what the appearance and disappearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration means. The Law and the Prophets - Moses and Elijah - are, from this experience forward, to be understood and interpreted in the light of Jesus’ life and teaching. This explains for us why Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, repeatedly says to us, "You have heard that it was said of old... ... But now I tell you..." (Mt 5:21ff)

Once again, I would remind you that spiritual realities aren’t always easy or comfortable for us to see. They call us to live our lives on a different, more demanding basis than just coasting along with the obvious. We are called to serve others as well as ourselves. We are called to be like Jesus. This is why we pray in our Collect for today: "Grant to us that we, beholding by (the eyes of) faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from (the glory we naturally share as God’s human creatures, to the glory God intends for us in the Person of Jesus Christ our Lord), who lives and reigns with (the Father) and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen" (BCP, p 217)