On the Back Porch
The Transfiguration of the Lord
What We Celebrate
This year the Feast of the Transfiguration, fixed on August 6th, falls on a Sunday.
What are we to make of the Transfiguration? It is a familiar pericope of all three synoptic gospels that is perhaps too familiar and thus we are tempted to accept it and not stop and consider the significance of it. A limited number of modern scholars describe the narrative as a misplaced story of Jesus’ resurrection, his second coming, his heavenly enthronement, and/or his ascension. In other words, Matthew inserted/retrojected a story here for his own narrative purposes. Under such a provision lies some misgivings about miraculous and extraordinary events. But should we really have been surprised by the events of the Transfiguration?
The transfiguration of Jesus is an amazing event but not totally unexpected for Matthew’s readers. After all, Jesus had a miraculous birth, and his ministry began with the divine endorsement of his heavenly Father (3:17). Jesus had done extraordinary works of compassion and had taught the Law with an authority not inherited by any earthly authority. He had demonstrated supernatural control of natural processes by calming storms and feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread. Thus, Jesus’ transfiguration seems consistent with all that has been revealed so far in the gospel. Among the many things Matthew has narrated, we know this: Jesus is the Son of God, the fulfillment of Old Testament patterns and predictions, and he has promised a future Kingdom.
But there is still a lot more going on in this Gospel!
The Story of Creation
Folks are familiar with the story of Creation told in the first chapters of Genesis. But there is a larger narrative than “7 days of creation.” It is a story of God’s ideal vision for the cosmos, establishing His divine rule and our role in partnering to bring His purpose. In this series of video we’ll consider how various Biblical authors repeat and amplify that narrative, all leading to the story of Jesus whose mission is to bring all things to God’s good purpose and end. Watch video #3 of 5.
Psalm 148
In this video, we explore Psalm 148 and its call on the whole cosmos, above and below, to praise God. All of God’s creatures should join in the chorus, for God created and sustains them all. The author of the psalm understood the story of Genesis and it forms the framework for his writing.
Psalm 148 is a call for the whole cosmos to praise God. In the climactic conclusion of Psalm 148, we read that Israel should praise God because he has raised a horn for them. But what’s the deal with this horn? And why is God lifting it up? In this video, we explore how Psalm 148 fits into the overall story of the book of Psalms—the story of God’s promise to raise up a king who will bring victory to Israel and rescue the world.
Previous Videos in the Series: