Get Behind Jesus

MARK 8:31-38

³¹Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

³⁴He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Remember that game follow the leader in childhood? If you were like me, you spent half your time as a follower planning what you might do as a leader. Usually there was an adult in the room who made sure everyone got a turn being the leader, so you could be sure that your time to lead would eventually come.

That doesn't happen in this story. In this game of follow the leader with the disciples, Jesus makes it pretty clear who gets to be in front. In no uncertain terms, he tells us who the leader is and who the followers are. He tells the disciples and all those listening that they are to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow him. His path ends up being very different than the ones the disciples imagined. 

The story opens with Peter trying to advise Jesus on how to do his ministry. You see, Jesus starts to teach that he must undergo great suffering and be killed. He openly and plainly says he will die and be resurrected three days later. Peter suspects this is not the way to win friends and influence people. Peter knows that such messages do not preach well. Promises of victory and glory are a better way of attracting people. Teaching about suffering and vulnerability makes all of us a little nervous. Peter wants to hear more about the GOOD news. And he lets Jesus know that.   

Peter had one idea about what it meant to be the messiah. But, Jesus had another. For Peter, confessing Jesus as Messiah meant they were on the road to victory over the Romans and glory meant being in power. But for Jesus, it meant he was on the road to the cross. Peter had his mind set on earthly things like who’s in charge and who’s got the money while Jesus has his mindset on divine things. Peter wanted to lead the charge to change the world and Jesus very clearly says No. He tells Peter, Get behind me Satan.

Talk about a rebuke.

Peter makes a mistake that many of us do. It’s easy to charge on ahead thinking we know exactly where Jesus is going. But Jesus' ways are NOT our ways. Jesus takes the way of the cross, not the path of glory and invites us to come along. 

If any want to become my followers, Jesus says, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. To be a disciple, we have to get behind Jesus. But what does this mean? What does is mean to follow Christ? Does following Jesus mean we are on a path of glory or a path of suffering?  

This teaching on discipleship calls us to do two things to follow Christ: Deny ourselves and take up our cross. This is a hard because it's often interpreted that we have to give up all that we have and all that we are. I'm not saying that's not true, but I do think we need to take a close look at Jesus' life and ministry to fully understand what that means. 

  

Reading the teachings of Jesus and witnessing his life, we can see that the denial of self isn’t about beating ourselves up or living life as a doormat. When we see Jesus at work, he’s taking away all of the things that hold people back—their illness, the social status, their addictions, their sin. For the downtrodden this is great. Take it all, they say, of course we'll follow you.

But for the well off, the message sounds different. When Jesus teaches that they give up the things that hold them back--their social status, their wealth, their addictions, even their piety--they balk. They don't want to give up those things that have made them feel safe, secure and successful.

But in the long run everyone who encounters Jesus and chooses to follow him ends up better off than they were before. I don't mean safer, richer or more powerful. I mean they end up in deeper relationships with God and each other. They discover a richer meaning to life, not an easy life.

I used to love the shows the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. After terrible accidents, they were given new life. They had new body parts added on that made them better, stronger, faster. And they used those skills to help people week after week.

Following Jesus does this for us in a spiritual sense. When we deny ourselves and take up our cross we discover that we have God-given gifts and skills that allow us to reach out to others week after week. 

There are a lot of ways to think about what it means to "deny yourself." But today, I'd like to focus on denying the things that we use to build a false self, a worldly self. The kind of self we see in Peter that is focused on worldly things. Perhaps Jesus is saying deny YOUR self so that your GOD self can shine through. 

All of us put stuff around ourselves like a protective shell—things we use to create a OUR self that is loved and respected by the world. We create OUR self by the car we choose to drive or the beer or wine or even water we pick to drink.  Go to a fancy restaurant and they’ll ask do you want sparkling, still or tap water? God forbid you drink lowly tap water.

We create OUR self by wearing logos or achieving job titles or identifying with political parties or sports teams or Facebook groups. Some parents create a self through their children’s education and accomplishments. Some children create an identity with their family heritage.

With all this stuff of self we wrap around us, it can be hard to remember that at our core we are, all of us, God’s beloved. We come into the world and go out of the world with this naked truth. We have a God-give self. But here in the middle of life we lose it. We cover it up with OUR self. But Jesus says, deny your self. 

Have you heard of the monkey trap?

It’s a container that that has a hole cut that is just the size of a monkey’s open hand. Inside the container is something that the monkey would like to eat—an orange, a banana or rice. The monkey reaches his or her outstretched hand into the trap to get the food, grabs it and makes a fist. But the fist is too wide to get back through the hole. The monkey has a choice, let go of what’s in the container and be free or continue to hold on and stay trapped.

So often this is how we are. We are holding on to those things that we think that we need in order to feel successful or secure--OUR self. We're trapped by them even when we know they’re not good for us. We divert our energy and resources trying to holding on and when the best thing that we can do is let go. Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, knows this about our nature and tells us let go. Deny whatever it is that is trapping you.

Deny the voice in your head that tells you that you aren’t good enough.

Deny the voice that tells you that you are too old, too poor, too rich, or too young.

Deny the voice that tells you can’t or you are too stained, that your sins are too deep to undo.
Deny the voice that says you have to join a political party or a gang or a sports fan club to belong.
Deny the voice that says protect yourself with labels and elevate yourself with cars or trucks or food.
Deny the voice that says cover and protect YOUR self at all costs.

Deny that negative voice, because it’s not God’s voice.

God's voice tells you that you are beloved.
God's voice reminds you that you are forgiven.
God's voice calls because you are wanted. 
God's voice beckons because you have been gifted with love and forgiveness to share.
Jesus says, Follow me.   

I'd like us all to take a moment to sit quietly. Think about what you use to create YOUR self.

What is it that you fear?

What is it that you crave?

What negative thoughts play like a broken record in your head?

What do you do to soothe yourself? Eat? Shop? Sleep? Watch TV?

How do you cover up your God-given self?

Silence.

Recognizing what traps us is one way we can begin to deny it's power and start to uncover our God-given selves. It's a way to open our hands and let go of what holds us back. It's only after we open our hands that we are able to pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

Notice that when Jesus says we should take up our cross, he doesn’t say take up MY cross. He doesn’t say take up THE cross. He says take up YOUR cross. God has placed a call upon each of our lives. We each have a cross. We each have a ministry.

I invite you forward to take one of these crosses. Each one is unique, cut from pieces of wood with slightly different grains. The stain is applied slightly differently on each one. We are like these crosses. Each of us is born with a unique constellation of gifts and failings. Come, take up your cross and reflect upon how Jesus is calling you to follow.

The congregation comes forward.

I pray that today you have started to open your hand to let go of whatever it is that traps you. That you have thought about how God might use you--the gifted, beloved God-given you. I hope that you have begun to think about what your cross--your ministry to others--might look like.

Use this little cross as a reminder that Jesus is calling on you to follow on a path of love, healing and forgiveness. It could be that the first person you have to learn to minister to is yourself. It could mean you have to learn how to deny YOUR self the power to create fear. It could me you have to forgive YOUR self so that you can embrace your God-given self and all of it's vulnerability.

Remembering that God’s love and forgiveness are already ours makes this easier. We don’t have to earn God's favor with heroic acts of spiritual fortitude. We didn't have to come forward or say a special prayer to receive God's love. Our salvation is through Christ’s work on his cross. We deny ourselves and take up our crosses in response to God's steadfast love. 

Jesus says, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Are we following on a path of suffering? Or a path of glory?

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ promises us both.

The only way to really understand it is to take up our crosses,  get behind Jesus and see where he leads us.

For the Love of Fish Fries and other Lenten Practices

MARK 1:9-15

⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. 

¹²And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 

When I was in middle school and high school, I played basketball. I wasn’t a very good player or even a dedicated player, but I was on the team and occasionally played with the starters. Unlike today's student athletes, I didn’t do anything much in the off seasons. Whenever the first few practices of the season rolled around, it was brutal. I can remember blisters the size of quarters on my feet, cramps in my side, burning in my chest and muscles that ached with each step.

I was reminded of those practices this week when my yoga instructor told us to stay in our warrior two position even if it hurt a little, even if we started to shake. In her soothing, otherworldly voice she reminded us that by practicing a little suffering we would get stronger. She's right, I thought, as my thighs started to burn. The muscles form because they tear during exercise and then the body rebuilds them even stronger. 

And really, that’s what sports practices are—a time to get stronger, practice skills and come together as a team.  And there’s no hiding the fact that you were lazy in the off-season. When you're terribly out of shape the coaches know it, your teammates know and you certainly know it.

As I flowed through my yoga poses that day, I was thinking that Lent is also a time of practice and even teamwork. In Lent, we practice our spiritual disciplines and we gather in community. Like all practices, we are preparing for something. In Lent, we are intentionally taking time to prepare for a season that hasn’t come to us yet.

Lent as Practice

Lent gives us an opportunity to try new ways of getting closer to God. We can push ourselves a bit and do things that don't come naturally.

Give something up. Most of us are familiar with the practice of giving something up for Lent. Some people give up chocolate, others sugar or alcohol or coffee. In a sign of the times, some of my friends are giving up Facebook or other social media. We give something up in order to understand something about Christ’s suffering. Lent is the season in which we recognize that our salvation came at a cost. The purpose of giving something up is to  experience and understand suffering on a small scale knowing all the while that Jesus did this on a big scale.The writer of 1 Peter reminds us that:

Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, 

in order to bring us to God. 

Add something on. Some of us practice Lent by adding on a spiritual discipline. Maybe it’s adding a morning prayer or trying to memorize some scripture. We can practice keeping a journal or try writing a prayer every day. Another practice might be to look at every person you meet and think about how they are made in God’s image. We take on a practice or two that changes how we see the world. The purpose of these practices of giving up or adding on is to draw closer to God.

Check out these ideas for things to try for Lent.

Community Building

See the interactive map here

In addition to being a time of practice, Lent is also a time of teamwork or community building. Here in Western PA we have fish fries and community lunch services during Lent.  Wondering how popular the the fish fries are? Google has a map of the fish fries in the area. 

Now if you are questioning why a fish fry or lunch gathering is Lenten practice, you are not alone. At first glance they seem pretty superficial. What is holy or righteous about a fish fry during a time of fasting? There hasn’t been much scholarly exploration of this over the centuries, so bear with me in my explanation.

First, let's put in in the context of the prophet Isaiah who tells us that we don’t have to be miserable and somber during a time of fasting. His message is that repentance is a much about what we do as what we feel or how we look. Isaiah calls us to be a team, to work together for God’s justice. He writes:

Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after:

    a day to show off humility?

To put on a pious long face

    and parade around solemnly in black?

Do you call that fasting,

    a fast day that I, God, would like?

6-9

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:

    to break the chains of injustice,

    get rid of exploitation in the workplace,

    free the oppressed,

    cancel debts.

What I’m interested in seeing you do is:

    sharing your food with the hungry,

    inviting the homeless poor into your homes,

    putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,

    being available to your own families.

Do this and the lights will turn on,

    and your lives will turn around at once.

--The Message 

When we gather at a fish fry or community luncheon, we see neighbors and friends who may have been hibernating during a long winter.  There is the buzz of a community coming together. We inquire about families and friends, we show that we care. This is one way we begin to show our love to our neighbors. 

We also meet new people since a fish fry attracts people from many different demographic groups, but we are all there out of some kind of hunger, whether it's literal, spiritual or emotional. We usually gather at a long covered table and make conversation with whomever is sitting next to us. Eating together creates a common bond and knits us together as a community despite our differences. 

These people, this community, can sustain us when we encounter difficult times in our lives. These are the very people that Isaiah tells us to care for in their times of hardship and they are the people who may care for us in our seasons of temptation and isolation. We are to work together.

Finally, I think we can argue that Jesus likes a fish dinner. He surrounded himself with fisherman. If you remember Jesus’ call to the disciples you may recall that he said, follow me I will make you fishers of men (or people for those of us with two x chromosomes).  The fishing was always good when Jesus around. He also shared a fish dinner with the disciples after the resurrection. 

A fish fry also attracts huge crowds, something Jesus was known for. When Jesus feeds the 5000 hungry people on the hillside, what does he give them? Fish and bread. What do you get at a fish fry? Fish on bread--and a choice of two sides with a home baked dessert.

Gathering people, loving people, feeding people. Sounds pretty Jesus-y to me.

Getting ready for the season

Lent helps us to understand the seasons of life.  So often in our faith walk we think of the power of Christ. We trade the upbeat snippets of scripture that tell that we can do all things in Christ or the God has plans to prosper us.  We think we should feel peace during Advent, joy over Christmas, and excitement at Epiphany. But the reality is nobody lives a life that is all peace, joy and excitement.

Lent shows us that life sometimes doesn’t meet our expectations--even for the best of us. Lent gives us permission to let our gray mood match our gray sky  Lent tells us that it’s OK to suffer. We don't always have to put on a sunny smile as we face the dark and the cold seasons.

In Lent, we are reminded that there are seasons in the church year and there are seasons in our lives. Some of those seasons are joyous and exciting—we get married, we have children or grandchildren, we retire or we move someplace warm. Jesus had those good seasons early in his ministry. He was successful and was making a difference in the world.

But even Jesus had "off" seasons. Even Jesus, the perfect son of God underwent suffering. Jesus felt the pain of having people turn on him. Jesus knew what it was like to have friends betray him. Jesus knew what it was like to look like a failure. Jesus understands your life.

Jesus’ life and our lives go up and down like a roller coaster. Today’s reading from Mark shows us that. Jesus is baptized and the Holy Spirit tells him he is God beloved. You, too, are God's beloved. That’s a top moment.

But, things plunge to the bottom as the Holy Spirit drives him into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted. You, too, will face temptation. You, too, will be in the wilderness.

It’s important to notice something about the descent though. When Jesus goes to the wilderness, when Jesus faces temptation, the Gospel writer Mark emphasizes that Jesus is not alone. The angels are there with him. When you walk through your dark valleys, you will not be alone. 

And this is the good news for us in the ups and downs of our lives. As we descend into darkness we can still find God. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadows God is there.

But sometimes in wilderness, we have to take God’s presence on faith. In the light of joy, in the excitement of new things, in the peace of prosperity, we can see God clearly. But in the dark, it’s different.

In the dark, we can’t see the hand in front of our face. We don't know where we are going. In the dark, we don’t know what is beside us or behind us of us. In the dark, we may not be able to see or feel God with us. In the dark, we cry out why have you forsaken me? In the dark, we need faith, because there is no proof in sight. We need to learn to trust that what we cannot see is still there. 

And this is why we practice. This is why we need Lent. We need the Lenten practices so that when our season comes, we are prepared. Well, as prepared as we can be.

We need to practice seeing God at work in the dark and in the suffering because it doesn’t come naturally. We need to practice so that when we have an off-season of job loss or divorce or illness or death, we can trust that God is there. We need to practice a little suffering or practice a little forced prayer so that we are as prepared as we can be when we end up in the dark or the wilderness. We need to practice finding God in the dark. 

We also need to forge community connections so that when we are in need, we have a team who can help us. We have to have trusting and loving relationships with people who will be our ministering angels and walk with us through the dark wilderness. Sometimes, if things get really bad, we need to rely on the faith of others to carry us when our own faith is stretched thin and the darkness threatens to overtake us.

We practice going through Lent, knowing the resurrection is at the end of it. We practice walking toward that hope year after year during Lent. We do this so that we remember that God is with is in the valley. We do this so that the seasons of dark and light become ingrained within us. We do this so that when all seems hopeless we can take it on faith that there is a way out of the valley. 

In our gospel today, we see that at one moment Jesus is basking in the waters of baptism as God’s beloved. In the next moment he’s forced into the desert to face temptation. He is God’s beloved AND he suffers. Just like you and just like me.  I pray that this Lent is a time of practice and teamwork so that we can learn how to minister to each other in the wilderness. I pray that each of us learns walk though our dark valleys rather than be swallowed up by them. I pray that our Lenten practices can allow us all to feel closer to Christ--in the light and in the darkness that are the seasons of our lives.  

At the Top

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.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

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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.

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[i] http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm

[ii] http://www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/sukkot