I feel like teaching you a little Greek tonight / today…
There is this word…that I have been playing around with. The word is doxa. It is a Greek word – originating in the 1300’s or the fourteen century.
Unfortunately, we cannot go back further than that – for its meaning earlier.
The word was used often in the translation of the King James Version of the Bible. As a matter of fact, it was used like 168 times.
Doxa (I like the word)
When I was in school, I was told doxa meant “glory” as if, that were the only definition for the word.
That, apparently is not true.
Doxa can mean a lot of different things.
Originally it seems to have meant the splendor and the brightness of the sun and the moon and the stars… “Doxa”
From there it went on to mean magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace and majesty…as in something – belonging or pertaining to God.
Doxa then, went on to take on meaning of “absolute perfection.”
From the artists of the time, doxa was seen as either “a bright light” surrounding someone “holy” – or perhaps – the use of a “halo”…placed over their heads. It was an exterior brightness. Doxa.
From there, the word Doxa meant a most “glorious condition” or a most “exalted state…”
Finally the word Doxa meant “the glorious condition of blessedness.”
It is quite easy to see how the word would become associated with God or with Jesus…as in the “Glory of the Lord!”
The word eventually was used for the people of God in their heavenly state…doxa. Someday, you will be in “glory”…
The word is used throughout the Bible as glory, glorious, honor, praise, dignity and worship. It can be found in 23 out of 27 books in the early Christian writings…
It is a most fitting word – to be used for the celebration of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
The Transfiguration occurred on a mountain top. That should be a red – flag! Which one – we are not sure. It was either Mount Hermon or Mount Tabor. The point is – it was a “thin place” – high above on the Mountain top – like Moses on Sinai.
“Jesus’ face shone like the sun,” Matthew says, “and his garments became white as light.”
Moses and Elijah were seen talking to him. There were three male witnesses, note the order of the names: Peter, James and John. Moses being the “great law giver” and Elijah being “the first great prophet of old”…thus representing “the law and the prophets.”
Jesus out shines them… He out shines them all…
The doxa of the Lord is around him.
And there was a “bright” cloud overshadowing him…red flag number 2.
A Cloud as you know always symbolizes the presence of God. As in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day… Recall if you will, the cloud at the Baptism of Our Lord. The cloud and the voice appear both at the beginning of the season of Epiphany and at its end. Kind of like bookends…
It is – as strange a scene as there is in the Gospels.
Even without the voice from the cloud to explain it, there was no doubt what the three disciples’ were witnessing.
It was Jesus all right, the man they’d tramped many a dusty mile with, whose mother and brothers they knew quite well –
It was the same guy they’d seen hungry and tired and footsore, as the rest of them…and maybe even “a little testy.”
They saw him, in his glory…it was the holiness of the man shining through his humanness, his face so afire with it – they were almost blinded.
Like Moses, his face had shown brightly as well…
But yep, this was Jesus transformed.
“Metamorphosis” is the actual word used…as in completely changed, transformed…
This was a special moment. A moment beyond words…
Every so often there are these kinds of moments when something so touching, so incandescent, so alive – happens that it transfigures the human face.
The birth of a child, seeing your bride enter the church, hearing the words – “cancer-free” – hearing your child’s laughter, seeing their smile, heading out on vacation…
And Jesus was transformed – altered, changed and it was an awesome moment frozen in time. He glistened and he glowed and he shined with the glory of God! It was a magical moment. Doxa!