For L.....

Gospel for Last Epiphany Luke 9:28-36 [37-43]

The Transfiguration 

28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Beloved; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

[37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.]

The second paragraph of our gospel lesson for the upcoming Sunday is optional and not obviously related to the first part, Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain that is always our gospel event for "Last Epiphany," the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The Epiphany Season always begins and ends with a grand epiphany in which a voice from above acclaims Jesus as Beloved Son. I don’t know, and am not going to try and work out, why the lectionary framers added the extra story, pericope, to the reading for the day. As it’s optional, I suspect that many churches will omit it.

As with Matthew (17:14f), Luke’s source for this story is Mark 9:14f. Mark’s different in that the demon seems to recognize Jesus, a characteristic of Mark’s agenda, throws the boy into the fire right before the crowd, and the people think he is dead. As with Mark, Luke and Matthew place this story right after Jesus, Peter, John and James come down from the mountain. Luke says the Transfiguration was eight days later when Mark (and Matthew following) says six days later, but I’ll not worry that. I’m interested in the second story, a healing event that each evangelist tells differently, but in all three, Jesus scolds the disciples for lack of faith, heals the boy of his — well, scholars seem to think it was epilepsy — and hands him back to his father healed. 

This morning I am extremely sad, grieving with a much loved parish family whose daughter has been in our prayers for several years. Last Sunday afternoon she made her own decision to enter hospice instead of continuing the treatment that had become increasingly horrendous on her, for her, to her; and excruciating for her loved ones. 

We love our children more than life itself, and it is inconceivable that life could bring grief and a burden greater than the loss of a child at any age. When it comes to this, a Christian cannot help but wonder and ask why, if Jesus could heal, cure, their sons and daughters then, it cannot happen for us now. I don’t have an answer that doesn’t rationalize God, defend God, and let God off the hook, other than to notice that the gospels tell us Jesus came to preach and teach the kingdom of God and turn us from our sinful ways back to the godly image in which we were created. He did not come to cure and heal, and he did not heal and cure everyone who was ill in that generation; he only did as lovingkindness, compassionately when he happened to be there in the flesh, as he is no longer. Acknowledging this does not ease our sadness in the least, but I like to believe, know, that God is grieving with us, and even more painfully if that be possible. Maybe that's the hint of pink hope in the gray of today's sunrise over St. Andrews Bay.

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

Thos+