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JESUS MAFA Transfiguration
JESUS MAFA is a response to the New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings. (JESUS MAFA. Transfiguration, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48307 [retrieved February 18, 2025]. Original source: http://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr (contact page: https://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr/contact).)
Read in English after original Spanish
2 de marzo de 2025 Domingo de la Transfiguración
Ex 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36
Aconteció como ocho días después de estas palabras, que tomó a Pedro, a Juan y a Jacobo, y subió al monte a orar. (v. 28) Antes de este suceso; Pedro declara que él es el Hijo de Dios en los versículos anteriores y Jesús declara que debe sufrir y morir. Es interesante ver cómo Jesús que había estado con grupo de discípulos más grande solo lleva a tres Pedro, Juan y Jacobo con él nos da una señal de que este es un evento importante.
Ellos “subieron al monte á orar” (v. 28). Los montes eran lugares de oración, y fue en las montañas que ocurrieron importantes encuentros con Dios. Apartarse de las multitudes para tener un encuentro especial, con personas especiales dando a conocer la gloria de Dios. En este momento pasa algo maravilloso Jesús da a conocer quién es él, le confirma a Pedro que realmente él es el mesías. “Y entre tanto que oraba, la apariencia de su rostro se hizo otra, y su vestido blanco y resplandeciente” (v. 29). Esto recuerda la historia de Moisés, que en el monte Sinaí se encontró con Dios “la piel de su rostro resplandecía, después que hubo hablado con Dios” Éxodo 34:29. Y cuyo rostro brillaba intensamente “después que hubo con El hablado” en el monte Sinaí. Moisés tuvo que usar un velo para cubrir la brillantez de su rostro cuando estaba en la presencia de los israelitas (Ex. 34:29-35)
“Y he aquí dos varones que hablaban con él, los cuales eran Moisés y Elías” (v. 30). El pueblo judío era el pueblo de la Ley y los Profetas. Moisés era el gran dador de la ley, y Elías el gran profeta. Moisés y Elías “aparecieron en majestad…” (v. 31). La gloria de Moisés y Elías no es para competir con la gloria de Jesús, que se describe con términos más grandiosos, sino solamente para confirmar el estatus de Moisés y Elías como seres celestiales. La voz de las nubes solamente se dirigirá a Jesús, no a Moisés y Elías. Moisés y Elías “hablaban de su salida, la cual había de cumplir en Jerusalén” (v. 31).. La partida sobre la que estaban hablando era la muerte de Jesús. Tanto el Éxodo de Moisés como la muerte de Jesús son eventos de salvación, Ambos eventos se referian a sacar al pueblo de la esclavitud (esclavitud en Egipto por un lado, y esclavitud al pecado por el otro), y llevarla a la Tierra Prometida (la tierra de Israel por un lado, y el reino de Dios por el otro). “Y Pedro y los que estaban con él, estaban cargados de sueño: y como despertaron, vieron su majestad, y á aquellos dos varones que estaban con él” (v. 32). “Y aconteció, que apartándose ellos de él, Pedro dice á Jesús: Maestro, bien es que nos quedemos aquí: y hagamos tres enramadas, una para ti, y uno para Moisés, y uno para Elías; no sabiendo lo que se decía” (v. 33).
Pedro era un hombre de acción y de carácter fuerte! Esa era su fortaleza y su debilidad. En un tiempo cuando cualquier otra persona se hubiera sentado asombrada y en silencio, Ninguno de los evangelios nos dice por qué quería construir tres enramadas. Él sabía que eran personas escogidas de Dios y personas especiales, o simplemente quería honrarlos, y seguir deleitándose viendo la majestad divina de Dios. Pero la idea de Pedro no llegó a ningún lado. Lucas dice que Pedro “no sabía lo que decía” (v. 33), y con esto nos deja claro que Lucas consideró mala la propuesta de Pedro. Era necesario bajar de la montaña y seguir trabajando para el Reino de Dios.
Para concluir, Dios escoge a personas que él desea mostrar su Gloria, nos lleva otros niveles espirituales donde confirma su majestad, nos invita a tener una comunión con él en la montaña, a solas, lejos del bullicio o de las multitudes, Dios nos hace brillar cuando estamos en su presencia y en continua comunión con él, y lo mas importante te hace brillar para que otros vean su Gloria a través de ti, y puedas transformar el mundo, 35 Y vino una voz desde la nube, que decía: Este es mi Hijo amado; a él oíd. El mandado es muy específico, si eres un discípulo o discípula de Jesús, hay que escucharlo y obedecerlo, y seguir trabajando aun en medio de las adversidades que se presenten en la vida, para seguir glorificando al Dios vivo, y dando testimonio de Él en el nombre de Jesús Amén.
Rosa Maria Rodriguez
Iowa Conference Photo
Pastora Rosa María Rodríguez es pastora de El Pueblo De Dios Iglesia Methodista Unida, Osceola, Iowa.
March 2, 2025 – Transfiguration Sunday
Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36
]English Translation by Paul I. Burrow
“Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.” (v. 28) Before this event, Peter declares that He is the Son of God in the previous verses and Jesus declares that he must suffer and die. It is interesting to see how Jesus who had been with the larger group of disciples only takes three, Peter, John, and James, with him. It gives us a signal that this is an important event.
They “went up the mountain to pray” (v. 28). The mountain were places for prayer, and it was in the mountains that important encounters with God occurred. He separated himself from the crowds to have a special encounter with special people making evident the glory of God. In this moment something marvelous occurs that lets the disciples know who Jesus is and he confirms to Peter that Jesus really is the Messiah. “And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white” (v. 29). This brings to mind the story of Moses, who on Mount Sinai had an encounter with God “the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God” (Exodus 34:29). Because his face shone brightly “because he had been talking with God” on Mount Sinai, Moses had to cover the brilliance of his face when he was in the presence of the Israelites (Ex. 34:29-35).
“Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him” (v. 30). The Jewish people were a people of the Law and the Prophets. Moses was the great giver of the Law, and Elijah the great prophet. Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory . . .” (v. 31). The glory of Moses and Elijah is not to compete with the glory of Jesus, who is described with the most grandiose terms, but only to confirm the status of Moses and Elijah as heavenly beings. The voice from the clouds was directed only to Jesus, not to Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah “were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (v. 31). The departure about which they were speaking was the death of Jesus.
The Exodus of Moses just as much as the death of Jesus are salvation events. Both events refer to saving the people from slavery – slavery in Egypt by taking them to the Promised Land on the one hand, and slavery to sin through the Kingdom of God on the other. “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” (v. 32). “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” (v. 33).
Peter was a man of action and of strong character! That was both his strength and his weakness. It was a time when any other person would have sat down stunned. None of the Gospels tells us why he wanted to build three dwellings. He knew that they were people chosen by God and special people, or he simply wanted to honor them, and to continue enjoying seeing the glory of God. But Peter’s idea had no impact. Luke says that Peter didn’t know “what he said” (v. 33), and with this it becomes clear that Luke considered the idea that Peter proposed to be a bad one. It was necessary to come down from the mountain and continue working for the Kingdom of God.
In conclusion, God chose people to whom God wanted to show God’s glory. Likewise, God takes us to other spiritual levels where He confirms his majesty, He invites us to have communion with Him at the mountain, alone, far from the noise and the crowd. God makes us shine when we are in God’s presence and in continual communion with Him. And, most importantly, God makes you shine so that others can see God’s glory through you – and so that you can transform the world. “Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” The command is very specific. If you a disciple of Jesus, you must listen to him and obey him and continue working even in the midst of the adversities that present themselves in life, in order to continue glorifying the living God, and giving witness to Him in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Rosa María Rodríguez is pastor of El Pueblo De Dios United Methodist Church, Osceola, Iowa.