To Transfigure And Prefigure

     On the second Sunday of the Lenten season, we read of the episode called the Transfiguration:

     And it came to pass about eight days after these words, that he took Peter, and James, and John, and went up into a mountain to pray. And whilst he prayed, the shape of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and glittering. And behold two men were talking with him. And they were Moses and Elias, appearing in majesty. And they spoke of his decease that he should accomplish in Jerusalem.
     But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep. And waking, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, that as they were departing from him, Peter saith to Jesus: Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; not knowing what he said.
     And as he spoke these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them; and they were afraid, when they entered into the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son; hear him. And whilst the voice was uttered, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of these things which they had seen.

     [Luke 9:28-36]

     The Transfiguration as related by Luke foretells the Passion: Jesus’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot, his arrest by the soldiers of the Sanhedrin, his presentation to Herod and then to Pilate, and his Crucifixion and death. Lent, of course, is the season during which Christians are bade to prepare for that mighty happening, and for the Resurrection to follow.

     There’s a great deal to be wrung out of that passage, but what strikes me this morning is how it underscores the importance of patience. Jesus knew what was to come. He didn’t seek to hide from it, nor to hurry it along. The three apostles with him were struck by two opposed emotions: exaltation, that their Master had been revealed plainly to be the Son of God; and terror, that he who had called them would be taken from them. But upon hearing the voice of God the Father they were stilled, and meekly followed Jesus down the mountain to his ultimate sacrifice.

     Much that’s related in the Gospels speaks, directly or otherwise, of the virtue of patience. But patience alone is less valuable than readiness: being prepared to cope with what’s coming. That’s emphatically so for one who knows what’s coming.

     Lent and Advent, the two seasons of preparation in the Christian liturgical calendar, are reminders that we know what’s coming… just as we know him who has come, and gone, and will come again.

     Life under the veil of Time is a compound of many things, including tests of several kinds. A test is a chance to establish that one is “good enough” by some measure. Tests of our abilities often come with metrics designed to tell us not only whether we’ve achieved a particular level of accomplishment but also whether we’re improving on our previous performances.

     But some of the most valuable “accomplishments” in life don’t have metrics. Friendship; love; happiness; serenity: these are not things to be graded on a scale. They’re yes / no conditions; either you have them or you don’t. So it is also with patience and the love of God.

     He who is patient with himself will also be patient with God. He won’t demand immediate answers to his prayers. He won’t try to schedule his accession to grace. He will think about his faith. He’ll study the Gospels and the preachments of Christ. None of the things Jesus said are one-dimensional. They reward patient reflection.

     Here’s one from the Gospel According to John:

     A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. [John 13:34-35]

     “Love” is a heavily overloaded word. Its meaning is only made plain from the context of application. Certainly love as used above isn’t of the romantic sort. Jesus and the apostles worked together, traveled together, and suffered together until the time of his Passion arrived. To follow him, the apostles not only had to believe in him, but to be patient about their journeys, labors, and trials, confident that fulfillment was coming. Lesser men might have endured one or two years of ministry, said to themselves “That’s enough; I’m not going to wait forever,” and returned to their previous homes and pursuits. Even after his Resurrection and Ascension, they would require patience, for they all had labors and trials yet to endure as they set out on their various parts of the Great Commission. He told them so:

     Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.
     And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles:
     But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
     The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death. And you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.

     [Matthew 10:16-22]

     Patience of that sort – patience “under the yoke,” trusting that all would be well if they could only remain faithful to their Master’s teachings – is inseparable from theological love. Each makes the other possible.

     Few things are known to us absolutely. The surest and most tragic of them is this: We shall all die. That knowledge is a great part of what propels us: to work, to advance, to excel, perhaps to leave a legacy by which some may remember us and others might know us. Yet though we know it, we don’t dwell on it. We certainly don’t try to hurry it along. It merely sits at some unknown future time, awaiting us.

     But we have been told:

     Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. [John 14:1-3]

     As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. [John 15:10-14]

     And just as it was with Peter, James, and John, we have the Transfiguration to reassure us: our patience will be rewarded.

     May God bless and keep you all!