Second Sunday of Lent [B]

 


SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [B]


Imagine yourself working at the Vatican museum. You find yourself surrounded by thousands of masterpieces—over 700,000 spread across 54 galleries! Today, you’re setting up a new exhibit, an exhibit that will feature a bust of the mythological Roman god, Janus. Normally, when a bust is being displayed, you want it to face in a forward direction. However, in this instance, you’re not sure about how to proceed. Two faces have been sculpted onto this particular bust. Janus is traditionally depicted as gazing simultaneously forward and backwards. He is the god of portals, the god of doorways, of gateways, and of transitions. The Janus myth anticipates a principle that will be outlined later on in history by the philosopher Soren Keirkegaard (1813-1855): you understand your life by looking backwards, and you live your life by looking forward. 


Why spend time on this Roman god when we’re supposed to be focusing upon the God of the Bible? It has to do with the fact that some Bible readings point us in a forward direction, and some Bible readings point us in a backward direction. When you read about Abraham’s beloved son being offered as a potential sacrifice, this foreshadows what will happen when we make our way into the New Testament period (Gen. 22:1-19). Paul uses terminology that would have been previously applied to the child of promise, Isaac (Rom. 8:32). Therefore, the Genesis reading points us forward, to the eventual sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. Meanwhile, the Romans passage refers us back to the time of the Patriarchs. 


As for the Gospel, it’s being brought to you through a phenomenon called “Janus-vision.”  The New Testament Messiah Jesus calls forth two of his Old Testament predecessors: Moses and Elijah (see Mark 9:2-8). Why do they appear with the Lord on Mt. Tabor? They appear because they have significance. They matter. Christ’s mission is best understood by looking backwards. Jesus is building upon the foundation of the law and the prophets (see Matt. 5:17). Essentially, the miracle on Mt. Tabor previews what will eventually be delineated by the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard: you understand by looking back; you live by looking ahead. 


Note that Elijah and Moses become present, but only for a segment of time. They remain long enough to establish a theme. And then they recede into the background. Jesus is the one who will carry the plan of salvation in a forward direction. But it’s a mission that derives from the legacy of individuals like Moses and Elijah. Moses matters. Elijah matters. Isaac matters. We could even say that Janus matters. Through the adoption of “Janus-vision” we come to appreciate Jesus and his mission more extensively, more completely. It’s a mission that needs to be understood through the process of looking backwards, toward the Old Testament period. We understand his mission by looking back, and then we PARTICIPATE in his mission by looking forward, by looking to what lies ahead. 

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