Bible Study: Last Sunday after Epiphany (C) – March 2, 2025

RCL: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a]

Exodus 34:29-35

We may remember that this is the second time Moses has come to the people with stone tablets containing the covenant of God. The first time is told in chapter 32, and it was kind of a disaster. In the first reception, Moses returns to find that Aaron has allowed the people to erect a golden calf. He breaks the stones, dismantles their idolatry, and leads them to atone for their sins in chapter 33. It is after this atonement and reconciliation that we now see Moses being invited by God to receive the covenant again on behalf of the people. Following this devastating failure of the people and her leaders, we see Moses’ face aglow with the glory of God. Moses’ face, once burning hot with rage, is transformed into the glowing glory of a God who will not give up on the people and is determined to enter the covenant of the Ten Commandments and bring about righteous relationships in their community.

• What in your life are you praying God will transform from rage to the glowing glory of righteous relationships?
• What in our world are you praying will be transformed from idolatry to atonement by the glorious presence of a God who doesn’t give up on us?

Psalm 99

The Lord is king. The magnitude of God’s reign and holiness in this psalm is an encouragement to Christians in America today.  We live in a culture that encourages us to believe that we alone are the rulers of our destinies, the captains of our own ships. And in our hotly contested national life, we are encouraged to believe that celebrities, politicians, and billionaires are kings by virtue of their wealth and prestige. The psalmist reminds us that it is the Lord alone who is great and worthy of our worship. The psalmist also reminds us what sort of ruler we find in our heavenly king. The Lord, who is sovereign over the earth and heaven, is not like the rulers of this earth. The Lord loves and executes justice and establishes equity.

• How might God be inviting you to respond to the idea that the Lord is a king who loves and executes justice and establishes equity?

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

The veil is a fraught modern-day symbol. For some, the image conjures the terrifying world of Margaret Atwood’s book, The Handmaid’s Tale. For others, it is an image of the holy virtues of humility and modesty. And for too many around the globe, veils, or hijab, are politically weaponized against our Muslim siblings. In today’s reading, Paul re-interprets Moses’ veil story in a surprising way. In reading the Exodus text, it seems that Moses veils his face so that the glory of God doesn’t frighten the Israelites and with the intention that they are not hindered from hearing the word of God. Paul uses this image to suggest that the opposite of that intention happened.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul is reconciling with the church in Corinth after a prior, grief-causing visit (2:1), and he is defending his authority over and against the teaching of people he calls “the super-apostles” (11:5, 13; 12:11). It is against this backdrop that he is speaking of the unveiled truth of Jesus. This disagreement and conflict in Corinth calls to mind questions that we ask in contemporary society all the time—whose mind is veiled? Who really knows the truth; who gets to decide on our collective truth? It is in moments of deep disagreement over central religious and theological truths that Christians are called to embody the freedom and transformation that we know in Christ. The unveiling of Christ to us is not meant to be a weapon for us to lord over others; it is a gift that Paul says has given us a “ministry of reconciliation” (5:18).

• In our diverse and multi-faith world, what does it mean to hold on to the truth of Christ in the spirit of reconciliation that Paul is recommending in 2 Corinthians?
• How might we pray for and embody the transforming glory of the Holy Spirit amid deep disagreement?

Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a]

The transfiguration of Christ is monumental in the gospel story. Up to this point, Luke has given ample evidence that Jesus is the Messiah coming from the long prophetic tradition of ancient Israel. From the stories of Mary and Elizabeth, who mirror the stories of Hannah and Sarah, to the encounter with Simeon and Anna in the temple and the genealogy of Jesus, the transfiguration is a dramatic moment to further emphasize the point. Jesus is the Chosen One of God who must go to the cross in Jerusalem. But we see here that the disciples, terrified by the holy cloud on the mountain, kept silent – so silent that when they descended from this mountaintop experience, they were unable to cast out a demon who was terrorizing a child. This story turns from terrified and ineffective disciples to an astounded crowd marveling at the greatness of God. As disciples of Jesus today, we can understand this journey of discipleship. Going to the mountaintop with Christ can be holy, amazing, surprising, and terrifying. Following Jesus can challenge our assumptions about the world and teach us uncomfortable truths. Sometimes we miss the mark, and the gospel story is found outside of us or maybe even despite us. Even though the story points us toward the failure of the disciples, we remember that the story begins and is held by the glory of God being revealed. Jesus, dazzling in the holiness of God’s presence, heals a young boy.

• How might we stay close to Jesus’ glory, even and especially when we miss the mark as disciples?
• What are you learning about Jesus that is unsettling you, challenging you, or amazing you these days? How might you be invited to deeper discipleship through this?

Jordan Wesley is a seminarian at General Theological Seminary.

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