For those who ridicule the seeming hocus-pocus mentality of religious types, the Sunday of the Transfiguration offers a special challenge. But wait, there's more! Not only do we get the story of Jesus and the disciples on a mountain who experience the ultimate in Power Point presentations, but we also have the story of Elijah, Elisha and a cast of special effects guys who would make modern-day Hollywood types drool.
Comedian Bill Maher has gotten rich making fun of religion and religious types. Maher states that "either you believe in a talking snake, or you don't!" For him, there is no intellectual middle ground for people of faith. Either we are all idiots, or we are not. So, I would imagine that the pyrotechnics in the story of Elijah's translation to heaven and Jesus' transfiguration make people like Maher salivate at the good comedic gold to be mined.
Truthfully, I have a bit of trouble swallowing the Elijah story as well. A magic mantle that parts the waters, a fiery chariot and horses? Come on, it doesn't help our case to be taken seriously theologically when such events are recorded in scripture. But then, having read the story in II Kings, I have a frame of reference to assist me in contextualizing the story of the Transfiguration, a tale that Protestants don't know what to do with. Why should we care that Jesus' appearance changed and he was talking with Moses and Elijah? The Moses reference we get fairly easily since he was the original trailblazer, and was assisted by divinely initiated special effects all his own: cloud by day, pillar of fire by night, and then there was all of that manna. But what is Elijah doing on that mountain with him?
I thought about this and realized that, as much as the story of the translation of Elijah seems beyond belief, it grounds the story of the Transfiguration. For me, Elijah's appearance seems to mock me, as if to say, "so, you didn't think I really got here, did you?" Quite honestly, the Transfiguration strains my imagination as well. But, having read about Elijah's fiery chariot, I am able to detect a theme. The people of faith who composed the Bible as we know it had to find a way to communicate to us the indescribable majesty of the Almighty. Since we have to rely on the written word, we can only accept the description of events as they were passed down in a far-away culture long ago. Do I have to take it literally? No, I don't. But do I have to then write it off as fiction? No, I don't have to do that, either. If the story of our faith tells us anything, it is that we don't have all of the answers, and God's ways are not our ways. Perhaps that is the only response I can give to those who accuse me of believing in a talking snake; perhaps it is the only response necessary.
1 comment:
Bill Maher makes my blood boil but I liked this response. It's so easy for people to dismiss these illogical stories, but I like how you examine the context and history of the passage to understand why it's significant.
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