Second Sunday of Lent (B)

Readings:

1. Genesis 22.1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
   Psalm 116.10, 15, 16-17, 18-19 Resp:  “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”
2. Romans 8.31b-34
3. Mark 9.2-10

[Note:  Many parishes use the readings from Cycle A during Lent.  In that case, the gospel would be Matthew 17.1-9.]

Reflections on the Gospel Reading

For centuries the story of the Transfiguration has been read on the second Sunday of Lent.  Today we listen to Mark’s account.  The three disciples who will later witness Jesus’ agony in the garden are given a glimpse of Jesus’ glory.  God reveals Jesus’ true identity as the beloved Son of God and as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

This episode raises any number of questions in the minds of modern listeners.  What kind of event was it?  What is its meaning?  What implications does it have for our lives as Christians?

How should we understand the transfiguration event?

Modern listeners can’t resist the question:  What actually happened in the Transfiguration?  Modern preachers have a hard time answering the question.  In part, our difficulty is a cultural thing.  “Scientifically oriented Westerners seem fearful of anything over which they cannot exert complete control.” (Pilch 1996, 54)  We are fascinated by reports of visions, dreams, and altered states of consciousness.  At the same time, we are suspicious of them.  We tend to think that the only things that make sense are those that we can see and touch and subject to experiment.

This was not so for the people of Jesus’ time or for people of many cultures down to our own time.  Witness, for example, our Native American sisters and brothers.  In fact, anthropologists note that the experience of altered states of consciousness is a universal human phenomenon.  “Ninety percent of 488 societies from all parts of the world studied by scientists routinely had this kind of experience.” (Pilch 1996, 53)  Even modern scientific Westerners sometimes have life-transforming peak experiences, and millions throng to shrines where visions are reported to have occurred.

In Mark’s account of the Transfiguration something happens to Jesus, and something happens to his three closest disciples.  God makes the clothing of Jesus become gleaming white.  In the ancient world, as in many countries today, white clothing was a sign of high social status and an indication of authority. (See LaVerdiere 1999.2, 43.)

The three disciples witness “Elijah with Moses” conversing with Jesus, experience the cloud of God’s presence overshadowing them, and hear God’s voice addressed to them.  They are so overcome with reverential awe that their spokesperson, Peter, is reduced to incoherent babbling.  They want the experience to last forever, but it is over as suddenly as it began.

As a mystical experience the account rings true. (See Taylor 1959, 391-392.)  Matthew calls the transfiguration experience of the disciples a vision. (Matthew 17.9)   Whatever actually happened, Mark’s readers would have had little difficulty relating to the story.  It would have been well within the range of their experience and expectations.

The Context in Mark’s Gospel

The context of a passage helps us understand its meaning.  The verse immediately preceding our passage for this Sunday contains a cryptic saying of Jesus, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” (Mark 9:1 NRSV)

This saying presents many problems, especially if one thinks it goes back to the historical Jesus.  As John P. Meier points out (1994, 341-343), from other passages in Mark’s Gospel it is clear that Jesus’ proclamation of the imminent reign of God was the motivation for immediate action while there was still time.  This saying (Mark 9.1) seems to dilute the urgency of Jesus’ proclamation by implying that while some of his hearers would survive to see God’s reign come, others would have died by that time.  In other words, the coming of the reign of God would be some years off, not just around the corner.

However, if the saying in Mark 9.1 comes from a Christian prophet toward the end of the first Christian generation it makes more sense.  When most of those who had actually heard Jesus preach had already died, it would have been assuring to the survivors when a Christian prophet  (speaking in the name of Jesus, just as the Israelite prophets spoke in the name of the Lord) declared that at least some of the first-generation Christians would not die before the reign of God arrived, thus vindicating Jesus’ proclamation of the reign’s imminent arrival.

Mark had to deal with an even greater problem.  He was writing between 65 and 70 C.E., well into the second generation of Christians.  How could he square the prophetic saying he had in his tradition (now Mark 9.1) with the fact that few if any of those who had heard Jesus preach were still alive?  Many in Mark’s community probably thought that the saying implied that the reign of God would come in power before the last remaining one died, which would be very soon.

Mark thought otherwise.  The gospel had to be preached to all nations. (Mk 13.10) Only then would Jesus return in kingly glory (Mk 13.5-9, 24-26).” (LaVerdiere 1999.2, 41)  Moreover, Mark had access to another tradition, quite possibly an account of a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to three of his disciples.  (See Donahue & Harrington 2002, 273-274.) By placing the account of the Transfiguration at this place in his Gospel, Mark seems to be saying that in the transfigured Jesus the reign of God had already come in power.  Consequently, Jesus’ words were true.  Some of his disciples had seen it before they died.

The Wider Context 

For the wider context of today’s reading we need to look at the previous chapter in Mark’s gospel.  There, Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah, and Jesus replies by teaching about the necessity for the Son of Man to suffer and die before rising again. (Mark 8:29-31)  The disciples had a hard time with this teaching.  Peter even rebukes Jesus for it, drawing a stern rebuke from Jesus in reply.

Then Jesus goes on to teach them that not only will the Messiah suffer, but his followers will suffer too.  “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34 NRSV)  This was extremely hard to swallow, especially if you were expecting a glorious Messiah.

Eventually, Jesus goes on to say, “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38 NRSV)  Clearly, this teaching on the necessity of suffering is central to the meaning of being a disciple.

Seen in this context Mark’s account of the Transfiguration reinforces Jesus’ teaching on suffering as a consequence of discipleship.  Moses and Elijah “are both prophetic figures who suffered because of their fidelity to God.” (Donahue & Harrington 2002, 269)   God speaks from the cloud to affirm Jesus’ dignity as beloved Son and to endorse his teaching by telling Peter, James, and John:  “Listen to him!”

What should they listen to?  “In this context, Jesus’ teaching refers to his passion and resurrection, to taking up one’s cross and losing one’s life.  It also includes harsh words for those who are ashamed of him in this faithless and sinful generation and hopeful words about some seeing the kingdom of God come in power.  Jesus’ teaching contained no contradictions.  All of it was true, and the disciples were asked to accept it as coming from God’s beloved Son.” (LaVerdiere 1999.2, 43.)

This becomes clear in the way Mark inserts one of his favorite themes, the Messianic secret, into the conversation on the way down from the mountain.  Jesus charged the disciples “not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”  They, in turn, puzzled over “what rising from the dead meant.”  They heard what Jesus was saying, but they still had a hard time grasping the fact that the Messiah had to die before rising from the dead.  LaVerdiere notes that the communities for whom Mark was writing “needed to recall Jesus’ passion as they went through a passion of their own.” (LaVerdiere 1999.2, 46.)

The Meaning for Us Today

When read in its context, Mark’s story of the Transfiguration should shatter any illusions we might have about comfortable Christianity.  Following Jesus has radical consequences.  Discipleship means joining Jesus in his mission and taking up one’s cross. (See LaVerdiere 1999.2, 47)  This is a hard saying for us, just as it was for Peter, James, and John.

Jesus is not asking us to embrace suffering for its own sake.  He is saying, however, that suffering is an inevitable consequence of being one of his followers.

Franz Jaegerstaetter did not seek out suffering, but he could not reconcile his Christianity with the Nazi cause by serving in the German army.  For that he was beheaded. (See Ellsberg 1997, 341-343.)  Philip Berrigan didn’t enjoy spending time in jail, but he accepted it as a consequence of his Christian witness against the madness of war. (See Berrigan 2000, 12.)   Sister Teresa of Calcutta didn’t have a lot of time for expensive vacations. (See Ellsberg 1997, 392-394.)

These are heroic cases.  However, awareness of the needs of our sisters and brothers challenges all of us to examine how we use our time and resources.  In the face of world hunger at least some of our luxuries might have to go, and maybe some of our necessities as well.  We should be very suspicious if our following of Jesus involves no discomfort, no inconvenience, no ridicule, no rejection.

Lent is a good time to examine our lives and to ask ourselves:  Can the vision of the transfigured Jesus lead us to listen to his word and to accept the challenges of discipleship?

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In preparing these reflections, in addition to the biblical texts, I consulted the following works:

Berrigan 2000 – Philip Berrigan, “Depleted uranium – made in USA,” National Catholic Reporter, Vol. 36, No. 17, February 25, 2000, p. 12.

Donahue & Harrington 2002 – John R. Donahue, S.J. and Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., The Gospel of Mark (Collegeville [MN]: Liturgical Press, 2002), pp. 267-276.

Fuller & Westberg 2006 – Reginald H. Fuller and Daniel Westberg, Preaching the Lectionary:  The Word of God for the Church Today, Third Edition (Collegeville, MN:  The Liturgical Press, 2006), pp. 245-248.

Ellsberg 1997 – Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:  Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (New York:  The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), pp. 341-343, 392-394.

LaVerdiere  1999.2 – Eugene LaVerdier, S.S.S., The Beginning of the Gospel:  Introducing the Gospel According to Mark, Volume 2 (Collegeville [MN]:  Liturgical Press, 1999), pp. 38-47.

Malina & Rohrbaugh 2003 – Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Second Edition  (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), pp. 183-184.

Meier 1994 – John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew:  Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Volume Two:  Mentor, Message, and Miracles (New York:  Doubleday, 1994), pp.341-344 (plus notes on pp. 391-394).

Pilch 1996 – John J. Pilch, The Cultural World of Jesus, Sunday by Sunday, Cycle  B.  A Liturgical Press Book (Collegeville [MN]:  Liturgical Press, 1996), pp. 52-54.

Taylor 1959 – Vincent Taylor, The Gospel According to St. Mark:  The Greek Text with Introduction, Notes, and Indexes  (London:  Macmillan & Co. LTD, 1959), pp. 386-395.

Thurston 2008 – Bonnie B. Thurston, The Spiritual Landscape of Mark (Collegeville, MN:  The Liturgical Press, 2008), pp. 36-48.

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