The Fullness of Time

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:1-17 (NRSV)

My long-time fascination with the idea of time travel recently lead me to a television series on Hulu called Timeless. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen this show before. Three people from different walks of life are recruited to be part of a team who travel in a time machine to stop the bad guys from altering events in history in order to allow them to rise to power and basically run the world. In the course of doing this, a couple of the characters decide they want to try to use the time machine to alter the past in order to save family members who had historically died in one way or another. They thought if they could go back in time and change the outcome of certain events that lead to the deaths of their loved ones, then when they returned to the present time, they would find their lost family members alive and well since the events that lead to their deaths were stopped from ever happening.

Much to their frustration, these time travelers discovered that no matter what they did to try to change past events, they were not successful in preventing the death of their family members. One of them finally succeeds, but not because of trying to do so. You will have to watch the series yourself to see what happens.

The point I find relevant in all of this is that we often wish we could go back and change things. I’ve heard people say, “If only I had a time machine, I could go back and do that differently.” We all have things we would like to change about ourselves, our past and present behavior, things we have said and done, our relationships with others, etc. Unfortunately, time machines do not exist, so we can’t go back in time to change things. Even if we could, there is no guarantee that it would change the present situation by doing so.

The only sure thing we can turn to is the power of God to transform us, to renew us through rebirth in Jesus Christ. In the fullness of time God came into the world and became one of us in order to set us free from sin and death (Galatians 4). We can allow God’s grace to take away the guilt of our past and present sin, born of the Spirit, as we repent and commit to living for God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We can’t save the world, nor will our technology ever be powerful enough to invent a machine that can, but God can and has, and God invites us to be part of the new thing God is doing in the world.

Transfiguration

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 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.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17:1-9 (NRSV)

Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him.
Peter broke in, “Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?”
While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.”
When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. “Don’t be afraid.” When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus.
Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. “Don’t breathe a word of what you’ve seen. After the Son of Man is raised from the dead, you are free to talk.”
Matthew 17:1-9 (The Message)

This Sunday, February 19, is Transfiguration Sunday. In the church, we traditionally celebrate and observe the moment when Jesus was “transfigured” on the mountaintop in front of the disciples Peter, James and John while having a conversation with the prophets Moses and Elijah. We often reflect on such themes as the glory of Christ, what it is to be on the mountaintop and why we cannot stay there all the time, and other things.

I have included two versions of the Matthean account of the transfiguration in this week’s post. The first is from the New Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible. The second is from a version prepared by Eugene Peterson, commonly referred to as a paraphrase, known as The Message. The reason I include The Message version is because I think it clarifies for us the effect that transfiguration has on us. James and John couldn’t speak at all. Peter wanted to say something but was so awestruck that all he could say was something ridiculous. They couldn’t just stay up there on that mountain forever. Eventually, they had to go back down.

The Transfiguration is the revelation of the eternal glory of the second person of the Trinity. During Christ’s ministry on earth, his eternal glory was mostly hidden. Now, on the mountain, Christ the Redeemer is fully on display. No masks, no smoke and mirrors. This, this, is Christ the King.

The revelation of the eternal glory of the Christ is a transformative experience. As Peterson paraphrases in verse 2, Jesus’ “appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes.” The NRSV goes into more detail about that change. The point is, there was transformation involved.

We are transformed by the glory of the Christ. We are transformed from the inside out. It is not a surface-level change. It is not simply a mask or so much smoke and mirrors. We are not putting on a costume and pretending to be someone we are not. We come to worship on the mountaintop, to be reminded of and replenished by the glorious grace of our Lord, and then we are sent back down into the valley to live as truly and fully transformed people of God, to show forth the eternal glory of the Savior of the World to all of the people, that they may also be transformed.

As I write this, we are only six days away from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. May we contemplate during these days our own transformation as disciples of Christ and how we will keep a holy Lent so that the glory of Christ can be fully witnessed by others and that they, too, may be transformed by the grace of God from the inside out.

Follow Me

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
Matthew 4:12-23

If you’ve ever tried fishing, you know how relaxing it can be. If you’ve ever tried fishing, you also know how frustrating it can be. I will save the story I’m thinking of for this Sunday’s sermon, but I’m sure you can recall your own stories about fishing. Maybe you went fishing with your family as a child. Maybe you took your own children fishing a time or two.

I’m guessing most people try to keep fishing simple: a pole, a reel, a line, a hook, and bait. Cast out into the water. Sit there and wait to see what happens. That’s how we always did it when I was a kid. Today, I sometimes see people using expensive boats, rods and reels, tackle boxes, etc. While Angie and I were on vacation in Louisiana, we took a swamp boat tour. The boat our guide took us out in was a long flat-bottom shrimp boat. We noticed another man putting out in the water from the same ramp we used, but in a very expensive “bass boat”. He had all kinds of trouble just getting out into the open water. His engine kept giving him trouble. He had trouble turning the boat around. He had to stop several times to work on it. In the meantime, people in small, cheap, beat-up boats with basic outboard motors were getting out with no problems.

Thank God that Jesus does not require us to have any kind of expensive, fancy equipment to be able to follow him. We don’t need any fancy tools to be, as Jesus calls us, “fishers of people.” We don’t need to be bogged down in complexity to follow Christ and bring others along with us. We need only follow Jesus with repentant hearts, willing spirits, loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves. All we need is to proclaim the good news of the kingdom in ways that are welcoming and healing, reminding people that we aren’t trying to hook and reel them into something. Rather, we are inviting them to join us in the sometimes rough waters of life with Jesus who teaches us a new way to live.

The Galilean fishermen in Matthew 4 did not hesitate to follow Jesus. Matthew tells us that, “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” May we follow suit while inviting others to do the same.

Renovation

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted luxuriously every day. ²⁰ At his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. ²¹ Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs would come and lick his sores.
²² “The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, whereas Lazarus received terrible things. Now Lazarus is being comforted and you are in great pain. ²⁶ Moreover, a great crevasse has been fixed between us and you. Those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot. Neither can anyone cross from there to us.’
²⁷ “The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. ²⁸ I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ ²⁹ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’ ³⁰ The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’ ³¹ Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31 (CEB)

Let’s face it: Nobody wants to be Lazarus. His situation in this story is absolutely miserable. Who could imagine living their life that way every single day, day in and day out? After reading only the first part of this parable and then having to choose which of these two men a person would rather be, almost everyone would most likely choose the rich man. Perhaps it’s because we tend to focus on the reality of what is right in front of us at the time.

As I write this, I’m sitting with Angie at our house in Greenbrier watching a show about home renovation. The show follows people who buy old, dilapidated houses and renovates them while still maintaining the historical value of the homes. I’m not a home-renovation person myself. I wouldn’t even know where to start, but from watching shows like this one I understand that renovation is necessary not only to make a place livable but also to safeguard the history of the home and how it got to be there in the first place.

To cultivate a mindset in the here-and-now that allows us to see the value of being Lazarus over and above the immediate benefits of being the rich man requires a certain amount of renovation of ourselves. What is right in front of us may look very appetizing, satisfying, etc., we allow the Spirit of God to renovate our hearts and minds to see that what is now will not always be. At the same time, however, we remember where we were, where we came from in the first place. We retain the memory of who we were when we were the rich man, and we embrace the newness of life that comes with seeing the eternal value of being Lazarus.

But how does one actually choose to be Lazarus? Remember, we are speaking in allegories here. No one in their right mind would choose Lazarus’s position in this story, and that is completely understandable. Among other possibilities, I think this story invites us to consider what walls need to be torn down or revamped in the renovation of ourselves, and what changes we need to make in how we see the world and the other people in it as we allow God’s sanctifying grace to work in our hearts until that day when Christ comes in final victory and we all — rich and poor and everyone in between — feast at his heavenly banquet. Until then, we live in this liminal space where one day we feel more like the rich man and the next day we feel more like Lazarus, all the while being reminded that we are all one in Christ Jesus.