And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem

 

 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  

 

But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"  -- not knowing what he said.  

 

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.  

 

- Luke 9:28–36 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

  Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Today's reading covers the event of the Transfiguration of Jesus, called "Metamorphosis" in Greek.  This word translated here as decease is literally "exodus" ( ἔξοδος) in Greek, meaning "departure."  He was discussing with Moses and Elijah His death.  The Orthodox Study Bible says that Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, for Christ is glorified through His death (John 12:23).  In the Orthodox liturgical cycle, the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) comes forty days before the feast of the Holy Cross (September 14), which shows the connection between Christ's glory and His Cross.  The term "exodus" reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover; the Cross is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation, the Study Bible notes.  This extraordinary revelation of divine power and glory, additionally, is a confirmation that Christ's upcoming death was voluntary; it was not imposed upon Him by outside forces, but was an offering of love, for no arresting soldier could withstand such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53).  An Orthodox festal hymn of the Transfiguration declares, "Your disciples beheld Your glory as far as they could bear it, so that when they saw You crucified, they would understand that Your suffering was voluntary."  Note that Christ's glory (the white and glistening radiance) is over all the mountain; Moses and Elijah appeared in glory.  

 

 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"  -- not knowing what he said.  St. Peter's confusion and suggestion come from his understanding that the Feast of Tabernacles was also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom.  The experience of seeing and recognizing Moses and Elijah tells us of the taste of the heavenly kingdom, with the presence of the communion of saints:  for all are recognized.  Moreover, time itself does not apply to this experience.  The Study Bible also suggests that Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and, as he did not experience death, all who are alive in Christ.  Thus, the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament. 

 

 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.   We understand the Transfiguration to be a theophany; that is, a manifestation of God.  This is not only because of the divinity of Christ shown in His radiant glory (a display of uncreated, divine energy), but also through the bright cloud overshadowing the mountain and the voice of the Father declaring Him to be "My beloved Son."  Thus the Trinity is manifest: the Holy Spirit is present in the dazzling light over all the mountain, and the cloud which recalls the temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites, a visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  

 

 The Orthodox Study Bible gives us the perspective of the Gospels, and indeed, of Christian theology from its inception.  The "decease" of Jesus on the Cross is inseparable from His glory.  He Himself called His voluntary act of sacrifice out of love His "hour," His time (see John 2:4, "My hour has not yet come").  Jesus referred to that time as the time of His glorification:  "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified," and, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately" (John 12:23; 13:31-32).  In a consumerist-oriented world, we might find this concept incredibly hard to grasp.  But for our ancient ancestors, the first Christians, the time of Christ's glorification meant something transcendent.  Indeed, it was in paradox that Christian theology was born, and where God was found.  For it is in Christ that all things, even those things which seem to be opposite when viewed from our perspective, are united (Revelation 22:13).  His "hour" was an act of love on behalf of all, for by experiencing death as One both human and divine, Christ defeated death for all of us.  He made possible our own liberation from this ultimate, final enemy through faith and union with Him (1 Corinthians 15:26).  Like a leader saving a community and hailed for his heroism, Christ voluntarily undertook this particular "exodus" through His Passion and death so that the completeness of God's cosmic plan for salvation could be realized; and because we are talking about the things of God, this is ongoing.  It also happens through each of us, through our faith.  Thus He has made it also possible for us to share in His glory.  When we adopt the possibility that sacrifice can mean much more than simply loss, then we must come to terms with what gives meaning, and what is our highest good.  Do we live simply to have "more?"  Are we fed with something besides the arithmetic total of things we accumulate?  Suppose it were possible through a gift, through the giving up of something, for us to return great value somehow to others, and to God?  Would this not be worthwhile?  Is there not a glory that comes of higher considerations than just the material?  Jesus reveals to the disciples the glory of His divinity, and the shared glory of all the communion of saints in the process.  Moses and Elijah also give us a taste of what glory is also possible for the rest of us human beings, made possible through the gracious act of our Lord coming into the world, and dying, meeting the evils of life, as one of us.  Let us be grateful that we can even take up our own crosses -- as did Moses and Elijah who prefigured Him in their times of suffering for the love of God -- and give thanks for that possibility given to us all through Christ.

 

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."   Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

In the Gospel, the setting is now the beginning of Holy Week.   It is the day we now commemorate as Palm Sunday.  Many people are looking to see Jesus at the Passover festival in Jerusalem.  A great many knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey,  sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion;  behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."   His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  My study bible explains that these Greeks are Gentiles who are attracted to Judaism, "either God-fearing or full proselytes, who came to participate in the Passover festivities."  Philip is from Bethsaida, as the text points out, a fishing town close to Capernaum in Galilee, whose common working language for commerce among those from various nations and native mixed population was Greek.

 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study bible says that the hour that has come is "the great hour of salvation through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, leading to the salvation of the human race."

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  A note here says, "the image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ will die in order to give life, a principle of self-sacrifice which applies to all those who follow the way of Christ."

Somehow the Greeks coming from other nations, other people, who are attracted to Judaism, perhaps as proselytes, triggers Jesus' acknowledgement that His hour has come.  These Greek speakers have come for the Passover festival at the temple, but their request to see Jesus is a sign of "all the world coming to Him," as the Pharisees exclaimed in yesterday's reading.  It's no coincidence, then, that these texts were written in Greek, the world language of the time, the common language of trade, international relations, and government.  For many centuries, the language of the Old Testament was also Greek (Septuagint), as studied by rabbis and Jewish scholars.  But the presence of these outsiders seeking Jesus signals that the Gospel will go out to all the world, in the common language of the time.  Like Moses, who did not live to enter the promised land, Jesus knows that His death is at hand.  But it is a death for a purpose, a planting of a seed, something that will grow to nurture all the world, to "produce much grain."  By His words, Jesus signals to us how we must think of what is to come, His Passion and death at Jerusalem.  His sacrifice is an investment, if we wish to think of it that way.  It is the thing that will nurture the world, and the cross, an instrument of death, transformed into a symbol of Resurrection and hope of renewal, salvation for the world.  Let us remember not only His extraordinary act for all of us, but the astonishing "revolutionary" nature of what He is about to do.  His sacrifice is to create something new, a Church which gathers those of all the world ("neither Jew nor Greek"), giving a new identity to each of us, and a salvation that promises in us new life.  Let us remember when we're called to sacrifice something in life, to give up something we may love, that following Him asks of us always to go on to this new life, a life of abundance.  We can't predict what that will be and how it will look, even so much as Jesus' disciples at this moment in the Gospel could not possibly foresee what the Church would be and where they are headed.  But we know we are called, and we know that this gift of new life, of the transcendence of salvation, depends upon our understanding of this act, and how He calls us all to see our own lives in the world.  At every change and every loss in life, let us remember how we are called, the abundance into which we are continually born again, and His point of view He calls each of us to share.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

- John 12:20-26

Jesus is now at His final Passover festival. It is the week of His Passion. Yesterday's reading taught us about the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, when people gathered to welcome Him in triumph, as He rode upon a young donkey. This is the event we celebrate as Palm Sunday. But not all are welcoming: Jesus is also a wanted man. The temple leadership, the chief priests, we are told, wish to put Him to death - and they also seek the same for His friend Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. See Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." My study bible notes: "These Greeks are Gentiles attracted to Judaism, either God-fearing or full proselytes, who came to participate in the Passover festivities." As Greek was the lingua-franca of the times, the international language, if you will, foreigners most likely will be from among the Greek-speaking world. At this time, for example, Hellenism (Ελλην - pronouced "EL-leen" - is the Greek word for a Greek national) was considered something one could adopt, by practice and conviction - similar to Judaism. So there were Hellenes who became Jews, and Jews also became Hellenes.

Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified." My study bible notes here: "The hour has come: the great hour of salvation through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, leading to the salvation of the human race." Jesus' time is here. In all this time through the Gospel, as He went from festival to festival and the authorities sought to arrest Him, they were unable to do so. In one reading, Jesus tells His brothers, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready." Then, He went to the festival secretly. After His Triumphal Entry, His time is here. It is important for us to note also that "His time" of glory is also the time of crucifixion and death. One is inseparable from the other, and His glorification is how He characterizes what will ensue.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." A note reads: "The image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ will die in order to give life, a principle of self-sacrifice which applies to all those who follow the way of Christ." Indeed, I believe that we are to understand that this is the way that the redemption of our world happens. Repentance (as, of course, is baptism) is another form of dying in order to be reborn and to produce something better. In repentance, we shed off the things we have learned from the world, and accept to live instead the things we learn of God. This is similar, then, to Jesus' sacrifice. The length and breadth and depth of sacrifice may change and grow throughout the challenges in our lives of discipleship, and they may vary with each individual, but the principle remains the same. In this way, as His followers, we too participate in the salvation and redemption of the world. We are born into a world full of evil and all its forms of injustice and selfishness through no fault of our own. Like Him, we agree to help with His mission of redemption by doing our best to transform the burden we have been given through our repentance and our life in Him. We make a choice in this sense: do we pass it on, or do we do our best to transcend and transform it?

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." These powerful words teach us what it means to follow Him as His disciple. "Sacrifice" is a very difficult word and concept - especially to our modern ears. But personal sacrifice is about change. And change is the substance of repentance. The Greek word metanoia -- that word that we translate as "repentance" -- means "change of mind." In order to change, we sacrifice. We sacrifice all kinds of things when called upon by faith to do so: our old ways of thinking are not easy to give up. We cling to them mercilessly - as anyone knows who has tried to change a bad habit, to get out of harmful relationships, to think more positively. And as we go forward in our faith, it permeates us more deeply and the challenges can become even greater. We may be asked to give up relationships that are not good for us. We may be challenged to show great courage, and deep personal sacrifice. The apostles we read about left everything behind for Christ. He calls on us, in each of our own ways, to do this same. This is a long journey, and asks of us our discipline, and time, and patience - and in return He gives us life, abundantly.