Photo credit: Benjamin Voros, used with permission via Unsplash
If you’ve watched enough movies, at some point you’ve run across something called “a dream sequence.”[1] The plot of the movie is moving along, unfolding in a mostly linear way – and then all of the sudden, we’re pulled out of that narrative – into something like a dream. It’s often a different sensory world – where the visuals and the sounds on the screen signal that something very different is going on – it’s a world full of symbol, and image, and metaphor. And, as this dreamlike world opens up, in the middle of the story, something is revealed.
Used well, these dream sequences are an opportunity for storytelling. They let the screenwriter tell some bit of the narrative that may not be linear – maybe the backstory of what’s happened before, or a foreshadowing of things to come, or a truer vision of who the characters are to each other – maybe some insight into what’s going on in a character’s head.
The musical Oklahoma! has a dream sequence. It’s a wordless ballet that interrupts the happy story of star-crossed lovers – with a glimpse of the dark and violent underbelly of the world that threatens to keep them apart. On TV, The Sopranos used dream sequences to show the inner life and moral struggle of a mafia boss. The Wizard of Oz – is almost entirely a dream sequence. Dorothy’s technicolor Oz experience is a revelation and resolution of the struggles of her black-and-white life.
The Transfiguration scene in the Gospel of Luke (also in Mark and Matthew) has some of these dreamlike qualities – a numinous Jesus, the appearance of prophets from the past, a voice resounding from the heavens. And, this dreamlike scene reveals big truth.[2]
The narrative of the Gospel of Luke is moving along at a fairly good clip. Since the Sermon on the Plain we looked at last week, Jesus has kept on teaching, and he has kept on healing. His disciples follow, soaking it all in. And at the start of Chapter 9, Jesus sends them out on their own. He gives them authority and power to proclaim the Reign of God, to drive out demons, and to heal the sick. They go out; they do what they’ve been told and empowered to do; and they come back and report to Jesus “all the things they had done.” While they are reporting back, Jesus enlists them to help him feed 5,000 people. And then they have that world-turning conversation, where Jesus asks them, “Who do they say I am?” – “Who do you say I am?” and Peter says, “You... are the Messiah of God.”
Eight days after that, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray – up out of this narrative that has been plowing forward – into what feels like a different sensory world. Jesus’ face is changed and his clothes shine white like lightning. And then Moses and Elijah appear – “in glory” – and Jesus talks about “his departure” – and though the disciples are sleepy (like it is a dream) – they become fully awake and see the glory of Jesus. Peter offers to put up tents so they can linger, but then a voice from heaven says, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to him.”
Something is being revealed here:
· Moses and Elijah: Jesus stands in continuity and community with the law and the prophets.[3] All that has gone before – all that God has done before – is present right here in Jesus.
· Jesus speaks with them of his departure. Now that word in Greek is exodos – Jesus’ exodus – like the exodus of the people from Egypt. He could be talking about his death... he could be pointing to Resurrection.[4]
· And all the glowing, bright-like-lightning, all that glory on a mountaintop – that’s God stuff. “Glory” – in Greek, doxa – it’s the bright radiance of God and those who encounter God – it reveals God’s power and might. What they are seeing up on that mountain top is God’s glory. The text says they actually enter into God’s glory.
· And the voice from heaven says, “This is my son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him.” Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God.
· Jesus’ glory... well, it is the very glory of God.
The story that has been unfolding in the Gospel of Luke – good news for the poor, freedom for the oppressed – all the teaching – all the healing – all of that – in this moment we see – every bit of it is full of the glory of God – God is turning the world rightside up – every bit of it – in Jesus – in this experience that these disciples enter into and become a part of.
Peter, John, and James – are astounded at the glory of God.
Now what goes up... eventually has to come down. As one writer puts it, when Jesus and the three disciples come down from the mountain, “they land with a thud.” [5]They come down from the mountain right back into the mess of the world. The narrative, you see, has kept on moving.
They come down from the mountain, and they are met by a very large and clamoring crowd. A man shouts out from the crowd: “Teacher, I beg you. Come see my son, my only son. A demon has seized my son, and will not let him go.”
Down from the mountain, notice the violence of the world in what is going on to this poor child: The father says, “A demon keeps seizing him, taking hold of him, convulsing him. My son shrieks and foams at the mouth. This demon is crushing him; it scarcely ever leaves him alone.” Jesus says, “Come bring the boy to me,” and as the father does, the text says that the demon throws the boy to the ground and shreds him with convulsions – on last violent onslaught. We are not up on the mountain anymore.
Now we can get all modern as we unpack this and wonder what was really going on with the boy. We can try to translate this into our scientific world, “What they called “demons” – was that epilepsy or another condition that brings on seizures?” And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But let’s stay in their world. For them in their day, demons were malevolent powers on the loose in the world – power-over not only working through the big systems that oppress, but working their evil out in bodies – real suffering in real people.[6] This is what is so real to them in this moment.
Notice also Jesus’ exasperation. While we are experiencing in this story Jesus’ glory and divinity, we also get a flash of his humanity. “You untrusting and twisted, upside down generation. How much longer must I exist with you and bear with you?”
We can read that as exasperation. Like a parent who steps out into the front yard to talk to a good friend, and walks back into the house to find that the kids have thrown spaghetti all over the walls – “Can’t I leave you alone for just five minutes?” There’s a hint of that. But we can’t stop there.
That “untrusting” word – it’s a big one – it’s the faith word – the trust word – what Jesus is exasperated about is the disciples failure to trust in – to connect to and lean into – what Jesus is all about – their failure to trust in who Jesus is – and who they are. Remember – at this point in the narrative – Jesus has given the disciples – right at the start of this chapter – the power and authority to drive out demons and to heal the sick. Jesus has given them all that they need for such a time as this.[7]
And for a time, they went out, and they did it. They drove out demons – fought the malevolent powers – and healed the sick. Jesus’ healing power in their hands. But, now, a little over a week later, this father of this tormented child testifies: I asked your disciples to help, but they had no power. (But we know they did.)
But even in the midst of all this – a messy mob, in a violent and chaotic world, with disciples to whom he’s given power, but who don’t show up with it – in the midst of all that – look at what Jesus does. “Bring the boy to me.” Jesus takes the boy, rebukes the demon, blesses the boy, and gives the boy back to his father, healed and whole.[8] All that violence, all that swirling chaos, stilled in a holy healing silence. The child quiet, calm, and free.
Now, let’s pause there, and savor this: Look at this lovely thing Jesus does – he takes what the world gives him – this hurting suffering child. He holds him and blesses him. And gives him back to the world healed and whole. That is the way of Jesus. The power of Jesus. The glory of Jesus. The glory of God isn’t just up there on that mountain, it’s showing up – in Jesus – right here in the chaos of the world.
Now that’s one takeaway from this Scripture. Notice and claim the glory of God at work in the world. On Transfiguration Sunday, we often speak in terms of “awe.” Do you remember? A couple of years ago, we talked about Dachner Keltner’s work; he’s a scientist who has studied awe. Keltner describes awe as “the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries we don’t understand.”[9] Awe takes us beyond ourselves – beyond the troubles that beset us and shut us down – and opens us up to life beyond what we can comprehend. It connects us “to things outside our individual selves. To sacrifice and serve. To sense that the boundaries between our selves and others readily dissolve, that our true nature is collective.”[10]
Keltner reminds us that we experience awe, yes, in the big things –like a sunrise or set, the mountains gleaming in starlight, even a numinous cloud of grace – but also in everyday things, in music, and coming together for a common cause, and moments of epiphany and clarity. Did you know... science shows that the thing that most commonly causes folks... around the world... and across cultures... to experience awe is witnessing or experiencing “other people’s courage, kindness, strength, and overcoming.”[11]Jesus takes the hurt in this world, blesses this young child, and then gives him back to the world healed and whole. And “they were amazed at the greatness and glory of God.”
That’s one takeaway: In our chaotic world of trouble, don’t forget to find awe. It’s not just the silver lining – it’s the whole numinous, shining cloud, embracing us – empowering us – even now.
But there is something even more important going on here. This Scripture – a hinge point in the Gospel of Luke – is ultimately about who Jesus is. And who we are. On that mountain – chock full of the glory of God – we see that Jesus’ glory is God’s glory. But that’s not just a dream sequence that we see in isolation.
What happens up on that mountain is part of the story we are living right here in the ordinary places. We live in a violent, aggressively harmful world, where malevolent powers are loose in the world – where in so many ways they have come into power.
Jesus has said to his disciples – to those who follow him – all authority on heaven and earth is given to you to drive out the malevolent powers in this world and to heal the sick – to heal the world. The world-healing glory of God, alive in Jesus is alive in us – in ways that we may never fully comprehend. What is expected, though, what is expected is that we will take what is given to us – the stuff of this world – the trouble of this world – the harm of this world – that we will take it and bless it, and then give it back to the world healed and whole – in every way we can – as often as we can – big and small – everywhere, all the time – God’s power to transfigure the world alive in the world through nothing less than the Spirit of Christ working in us.
You see, there’s no separation between what happens up on the mountaintop, and down here in the struggle of the world. It’s all one whole story – THE story – the story of how God – from the beginning of time – has been loving this world – how God IS loving the world – and how God will never relent. The very glory of God – as the sun rises and sets – as folks live lives of courage, kindness, and strength – we may just see it – the very glory of God – everywhere we look.
© 2025 Scott Clark
[1] For interesting background on cinematic “dream sequences,” see https://glcoverage.com/2024/12/07/dream-sequences/ ; https://nevadafilm.com/production-notes-dream-sequence/#:~:text=They%20are%20typically%20denoted%20with,showing%20a%20character%20falling%20asleep. ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_sequence
[2] For general background on these Scriptures and the Gospel of Luke, see see R. Alan Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke,” New Interpreters’ Bible Commentary, vol. ix (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995), pp. 140-48; Justo L. González, Luke (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010); Sharon Ringe, Luke (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995); Diane G. Chen & Bradley E Schmelling, Commentaries in Connections, Year C, vol. 1 (Louisville, KY; Westminster John Knox Press, 2018).
[3] See González, pp.125.
[4] See Chen, id.; González, pp.125-27.
[5] Ringe, p.143.
[6] See Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1992), p.311.
[7] See González, p.111.
[8] See Culpepper’s lovely reflection, p.209, on how Jesus blesses the world giving back good that then multiplies.
[9] Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Change Your Life (New York, NY: Penguin Press 2023), p.xv
[10] Id. pp. 5-6.
[11] Id. pp.11-12.
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