MARK 9:2-9
2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
CLICK HERE FOR THE AUDIO VERSION
 |
Ten years ago I took a
trip to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is in South America, and it's similar to the
Untied States in that there are coasts on both side of the country and a ridge
of mountains down the middle. But, unlike Pennsylvania, Costa Rica is warm.
Tropical warm. Shirts and short sleeves warm.
The mountains are
gorgeous. There are trees dripping with moss. More than 500 orchids grow in the
mountainous rain forest. A mist seemed to hang over everything. It was like
walking into a fairy tale setting.
On the trip, we had an
all-day hike in the mountains. It would be awesome because someone was driving
us up the mountain. All we had to do was walk down it. No problem, I thought. A
day of walking downhill in a fairy-tale forest. But, it was nothing like I
expected.
In this story,
Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain where they see the
glory and power of God shining through Christ at the Transfiguration. But it
turns out that being a disciple of Christ was nothing like they expected. All
the power and the glory they were experiencing was coming to an end.
This mountaintop
experience with Jesus is in the middle of the book of Mark. It is between two
very important events—Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion. Jesus moves up the mountain in ministry,
preaching and healing and gathering crowds. But, Jesus’ ministry will look very
different as he and the disciples head down the mountain toward Jerusalem.
Their trip up probably
seems easy. Jesus is in the drivers seat and his ministry is taking off like
wildfire. The crowds keep growing and growing.
Thousands gather to hear him preach. Wherever Jesus goes, it seems that
there is a crowd waiting for him, a crowd calling for him, a crowd longing to
experience him in person. Jesus’ ministry is a huge success. It’s all very
exciting.
But then Jesus’ message
changes. He tells the disciples and the crowd that “the Son of Man must suffer
many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers
of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
Jesus tells the disciples
that the journey they are on together isn’t about fame and power, it’s about
suffering. Jesus says whoever wants to be his disciples must deny themselves,
take up their cross and follow him. Suddenly, other powers are determine the
agenda--elders, teachers and priests control what happens in Jesus' ministry.
When Peter hears this
teaching he is incredulous. He thought Jesus the Messiah had come to restore
Israel to power. The suffering was supposed to end with Jesus, not continue.
Peter takes Jesus aside to
rebuke him for that teaching. Maybe Peter had some advice about being more
upbeat. After all, suffering, killing and death are real downers. People come
to hear Jesus preach good news. They come to be inspired, not depressed. But
Jesus pulls no punches with his response.
He tells Peter, “Get
behind me Satan!” In other words, you’re
wrong. Jesus tells Peter he’s focusing on human concerns. But Peter doesn’t get
it.
This is where our story
starts today--after Jesus introduces the idea of his suffering and death. Six
days after Jesus starts preaching about suffering he takes Peter, James and
John up the mountain.
They’ve reached the top
literally and figuratively. They are
high up, close to God and doing well with ministry. Peter and the disciples see
Moses and Elijah are there, even though they’ve been dead for many years. It’s
like a religious trifecta—Moses who gave humanity God’s laws, Elijah the
prophet who heard God in a still, small voice and Jesus the Son of God.
 |
| Transfiguration by Lodovico Carracci |
And Jesus is different. He
is transfigured before their eyes. The very holiness of God shines through
Jesus as his clothes become dazzling white. Peter, James and John experience
the overwhelming glory of God in Christ. They see Jesus full of power and
radiant with promise. They have a heart-stopping encounter with the divine that
leaves them terrified, confused and unsure of themselves. It was an awesome and awe-full experience.
Peter starts babbling in
his confusion and fear. Fear and insecurity can do this to us. You go to a job
interview or are meeting with a doctor or a person you respect immensely and
suddenly you say something that makes no sense because you are nervous. Then you spend hours wondering how you could
say something so odd.
Has this ever happened to
you? I thought so.
It seemed to be happening
to Peter, too. The Bible says, Peter “did not know what to say, for they were
terrified.” Feeling like he should say something, Peter blurts out:
"Rabbi, it is good
for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and
one for Elijah."
Peter witnesses the glory
of God in Christ and says, Let's build some tents. Hmmm...
This statement has puzzled
scholars. What does Peter mean?
- It could be a way of showing honor to Moses, Elijah and Jesus.
- The gospel writer Mark could be showing us that Jesus is as important as the law and the prophets.
- It could also mean that Peter wants to prolong the experience. Maybe he wants to stay on that glorious mountain forever—a camping holiday that never ends.
- Making three dwellings could also be a reference to the Jewish celebration of Sukkot—the Festival of Booths.
- Sukkot is a fall festival with both agricultural and historical significance. It’s occurs in the fall as a harvest festival and it also commemorates the wandering in the desert.
If you’ve ever driven
through Squirrel Hill during the Festival of Booths, you see small, tent-like
dwellings in the backyards of some of
the houses. Part of the celebration of Sukkot involves the building of a
shelter in which to eat, pray and even sleep. It is a reminder of the time the
Israelites wandered the desert.
Sukkot, is also known as a
season of rejoicing. [i] In the Jewish tradition, Sukkot is only festival
associated with an explicit commandment to rejoice.[ii]
Peter and the other
disciples are overwhelmed by the transfiguration. But in his terror, I think he
speaks the truth of his heart and it reflects almost all of those scholarly
insights. Peter knows in his heart that Jesus is a man of God. Peter has heard
him teach of the law and quote the prophets.
Peter has also heard the
change in Jesus teachings. Peter now knows that Jesus will suffer, be killed
and raised from the dead. He has heard Jesus say that the people who follow him
will have to take up their own cross. Peter now knows that he will have to deny
himself and possibly lose his life.
Is it any wonder Peter
wanted to stay on the mountaintop? Do you blame him for saying let’s build some
tents and make this like Sukkot, a time of rejoicing in the presence of the
Almighty? The power and the glory of God are there and present. While all that
transfiguring may be frightening, it would still be tempting to stay there at
the top where things are good and holy.
We, too, are in the same
place in our church year. We’ve come through the joy of Christmas, the
inspiration of Epiphany, we’ve heard about Jesus’ ministry. We are standing
here at the top, basking in the glory of Jesus’ success. And then, come Ash
Wednesday, our worship will take a different tone as we enter Lent.
The music will be moody
and reflective. We’ll hear less about healing and more about suffering. We will
head down the mountain with Jesus and the disciples.
As I headed down the
mountain on my Costa Rica trip, I was able to enjoy the beauty of the
forest—for the first hour or so. But then, the blisters started forming on my
feet and my toes started smashing against the front of my boots. A while later,
I noticed that my steps were less sure. I couldn’t look around, I could only
look at where I was placing my feet. My legs started shaking and I had to stop
every few minutes and rest. Pretty soon it was all I could do not to cry in
pain, anger and frustration. This was not what I expected or wanted. But what
could I do? I had to walk down the mountain. In all honesty, I still resent
that I couldn't appreciate or enjoy the hike down the mountain. But, I did it.
While the disciples faced
a much more difficult journey, my experience walking down the mountain helps me
to understand Peter a little bit. Peter says, Rabbi, it is good for us to be
here. Yes, indeed, it’s good to be on the mountaintop.
But, for Peter the
mountaintop moment comes to an end. A thick cloud appears and God’s voice tells
the disciples, This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him. When the cloud
clears, Peter and James and John look around they see Jesus.
Only Jesus.
When they look they see
the fulfillment of the law—in Jesus. When they look they see what the prophets
had promised—in Jesus. When they look at their leader, they see more than an
ordinary man. They see the Son of God, ready to lead them into a different kind
of ministry. Authority has been give to Jesus and God says listen to him. Who
can ignore the voice of God?
On the mountaintop, the
disciples encounter the divine. And as mysteriously as it started, it ends.
It’s time to go down the mountain and back into the world. It’s time to try and
make sense of that experience. It’s time to start the journey toward Jerusalem,
toward a new kind of ministry, toward a new kind of glory.
Do you suppose the
disciples look back up the mountain as they walk down? Did they look over their
shoulders at what they were leaving behind? I’m guessing that they did. But
they now know they have to listen and follow Jesus down the mountain.
They continue walking with
Jesus, putting one foot in front of the other.
Maybe they are shaking. Maybe they are angry and frustrated that their
ministry is taking a different turn. Maybe they did not want to hear anymore about
the suffering.
But they did it. They went
down the mountain with Jesus.
Peter and the disciples
walk beside Jesus both on the way up the mountain and on the way down. Their
trip alongside Jesus wasn’t perfect.
They made mistakes. They cut and run when things got really scary at the
crucifixion. But, ultimately they did listen to Jesus and follow his path.
On that mountaintop,
witnessing Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter and James and John were transformed as
well. God showed them something that was
bigger than their fear and more powerful than suffering. God showed them Jesus
in a new light--the light of eternity. That is a reason to rejoice.
No comments:
Post a Comment