The Face of God a Sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 and Mark 9:2-9.
In the name of Jesus; amen.
For it is God who said, “Let light shine out of the darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus looked like? Ever imagined the face of Christ? While we are used to pictures of a blonde haired, blue eyed Jesus most of us get the idea that Jesus probably had a much darker complexion.
What he looked like didn’t seem important enough to be mentioned by those who knew him and so we can only guess. It’s left lots of room for artists. Jesus has been portrayed as every different ethnic group and even as a woman by artists. Jesus has been tall and short, thin and muscular, clean shaven and with facial hair.
His actual physical appearance didn’t make it into scripture.
Was he ordinary looking? Was he beautiful? Was he attractive? People seemed to know him when they saw him; they were drawn to him and could pick him out in a crowd.
This morning is the last Sunday in Epiphany which we celebrate as Transfiguration Sunday. We just read the story of Jesus going up onto the mountain with Peter and James and John. And up on the mountain Jesus’ appearance is changed and his clothes become dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And Elijah, the greatest prophet and Moses, the lawgiver appear with him.
It is an awesome and terrifying experience for the disciples. This person who they knew was suddenly different and surrounded by the two most important persons they knew from scripture.
They thought they saw God in his face. Everything about the experience told them that what they were seeing was extraordinarily sacred stuff. And Peter wanted to build sacred buildings in which to house the things that they were seeing. “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He wanted to make temples for them, places of worship to house their appearance.
But before Jesus responds God himself speaks from a cloud saying: “This is my Son, the Beloved listen to him!” And when they look around Jesus is Jesus again.
I’ve always found it interesting that the one thing that God tells the disciples is that they should listen to his beloved son and that the very next thing that Jesus says is not to tell anyone what they saw.
They had just seen the remarkable and Jesus wanted them to keep quiet about it.
The transfiguration is about revelations. Jesus is revealed in all of God’s glory up on the mountain so much so that some theologians believe that this story actually took place after the resurrection.
Jesus is revealed with the two most important characters from the history of the Hebrew Scriptures: Elijah and Moses so that we can see how he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved Son and as the one who God wishes for us to listen to. Jesus is revealed as God’s glory and the disciples are told to not tell anyone what they saw until after the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
I don’t really think it matters much what Jesus looked like, but the fact that Jesus’ face gives the light of knowledge of the glory of God is very important.
Jesus was meant to be God personified; it is why he was given the name Immanuel: God with us.
When God created us he made us in his image, not so that we would look like God, but so that we could be in relationship with God. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were sent out of the garden we lost a piece of God’s image: the piece which allowed us to be with God personified.
But then Jesus was sent to us and God gave us the gift of a new kind of relationship, a second chance, that allowed us to remain as we were (as sinners love by God) but still in relationship with God.
Jesus came so that we could be with God.
Jesus came as a human being with human characteristics and looks so that we could have a relationship with God.
Jesus became human so that we would not have to be like God in order to be with God and what the disciples saw that day up on the mountain was Jesus being revealed as the God who made it possible.
The disciples saw the God of mystery who is veiled to us because of our sin and if Jesus had allowed Peter and James and John to build those dwellings, those holy temples, God would have remained a veiled, unapproachable, untouchable, mystery.
It makes sense that this is the last reading we encounter before the season of Lent when we prepare for the experience of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In it we are shown the glory of God and reminded at the same time that it is in the death and resurrection of Christ that we actually see God’s true light revealed.
It doesn’t matter what Christ looked like, only that his human face was made to return us to relationship with God.
Jesus’ human face returned our hearts to God. Jesus’ human face turned the light of God back on in our dark world of sin. Jesus’ human face revealed to us the true nature of the glory of God: that he is grace and forgiveness and love.
Jesus’ human face reflects the love of God for us in the garden and in the wilderness. Jesus’ human face reflects the love of God for us in the valleys and up on the mountaintops. Jesus’ human face reflects the love of God for us in joys and in sorrows.
Jesus’ human face reflects the love of God for us up on the cross and in the empty tomb.
Jesus’ human face is God revealed to us so that we might be transfigured and made holy, so that we might reflect God’s light to others.
On this last Sunday of Epiphany, the season of light and revelation may you glow with the knowledge of the glory of God’s love.
Amen.
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