Mark 9:1-8 (MSG)
Jesus then drove home all he had been teaching by saying, “Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.
Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.
Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”
The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
Today is the 2nd Sunday in Lent for this year. Our reading is from Mark’s gospel (finally!) but the odd thing about it is that this is usually read for the last Sunday in Epiphany – just before we move into Lent. We missed its first pass this year because it was initially washed out by one of our recent “atmospheric river” Sundays when I could not get from here to there, but then it showed up again today as the alternative gospel so I grabbed it.
It's a good thing I did because the next three Sunday’s readings will all come from John’s gospel, not Mark.
Anyway – Today’s reading, as you just heard, begins, ”Six days later.....” Later than what? you may rightly ask, Well, six days later than a whole lot of stuff. Jesus and his followers have been traveling all over Galilee in the past few weeks. They been to Tyre, on the coast, for Jesus’ conversation with the Syro-Phoenician woman and her ailing daughter, then back again to the region of the Sea of Galilee, crossing it at least twice by boat, and miles on foot.
He has fed 4000 people, who came out to hear him; had a long, fairly hostile argument with a band of pharisees who had come out for just this purpose; healed a blind man and another who could not speak or hear – and heard himself declared to be the promised messiah by Simon Peter.
He has also told the people who massed around him that he was here to be killed and be raised up again.
It’s been a busy time, to put it mildly. Mark does not put much “down time” into his telling of Jesus’ story.
But somewhere at the end of all that, and more, we finally find ourselves on another mountain top. Jesus has taken Peter, James, and John up the mountain with him where he is enveloped in a blinding light shining out from himself. When the disciples regain their ability to see they realize that Moses and Elijah are also there, talking with Jesus.
This oversets the disciples’ wits entirely – an understandable response – and Peter begins babbling about building shelters and staying here forever. Then they hear the voice of God speaking out of the cloud and the three mortal men fall to the ground – too terrified to think, act, or speak.
When Jesus touches them and tells them not to be afraid, they look up and there is only Jesus – looking like Jesus again -- there with them.
Jesus has revealed his true self to these three chosen ones, but they’re forbidden by Jesus to speak of what they have seen and heard until after he has been killed and has risen again.
We are, most of us, familiar with this story. It’s told in all three synoptic gospels, Luke having most likely copied it from Matthew, who had previously copied it from Mark’s version. There is very little difference among the three as it was apparently copied straight with little editing or editorializing.
So what exactly does this all mean for us here today? There are two things that stand out for me in this story. The first is the image of Jesus, as the disciples saw him, shining with a light that came from within him – a light so bright they could barely keep their eyes open to see. To see Jesus as he is. Imagine being there and seeing that. It would surely change your life forever.
The second is Peter’s almost frantic need to just stay in that incredible moment forever. “Let me just build some shelters here and we’ll never leave.” That moment when, having seen what he has just seen, Peter can’t bear to even think about being without it ever again – ever.
But – we were not created to live in paradise. We were created and placed right here, with all the other ordinary people, in the midst of noise and messiness and injustice and ignorance and sometimes outright evil. This is where we are, and where we’re meant to be. We still get glimpses of that mountaintop from time to time, just enough to keep us going, but we don’t get to stay there – not yet.
We weren’t created to sit in one spot forever. Peter and the others really liked where they were. It was glorious and comfortable there (once they got over the initial shock). But there was work to do, down in the lowlands.
There’s always work to do. This story isn’t just a story – it’s the reality we are meant to strive toward -- until it becomes our everyday experience.
It can be. It will be.
It's a good thing I did because the next three Sunday’s readings will all come from John’s gospel, not Mark.
Anyway – Today’s reading, as you just heard, begins, ”Six days later.....” Later than what? you may rightly ask, Well, six days later than a whole lot of stuff. Jesus and his followers have been traveling all over Galilee in the past few weeks. They been to Tyre, on the coast, for Jesus’ conversation with the Syro-Phoenician woman and her ailing daughter, then back again to the region of the Sea of Galilee, crossing it at least twice by boat, and miles on foot.
He has fed 4000 people, who came out to hear him; had a long, fairly hostile argument with a band of pharisees who had come out for just this purpose; healed a blind man and another who could not speak or hear – and heard himself declared to be the promised messiah by Simon Peter.
He has also told the people who massed around him that he was here to be killed and be raised up again.
It’s been a busy time, to put it mildly. Mark does not put much “down time” into his telling of Jesus’ story.
But somewhere at the end of all that, and more, we finally find ourselves on another mountain top. Jesus has taken Peter, James, and John up the mountain with him where he is enveloped in a blinding light shining out from himself. When the disciples regain their ability to see they realize that Moses and Elijah are also there, talking with Jesus.
This oversets the disciples’ wits entirely – an understandable response – and Peter begins babbling about building shelters and staying here forever. Then they hear the voice of God speaking out of the cloud and the three mortal men fall to the ground – too terrified to think, act, or speak.
When Jesus touches them and tells them not to be afraid, they look up and there is only Jesus – looking like Jesus again -- there with them.
Jesus has revealed his true self to these three chosen ones, but they’re forbidden by Jesus to speak of what they have seen and heard until after he has been killed and has risen again.
We are, most of us, familiar with this story. It’s told in all three synoptic gospels, Luke having most likely copied it from Matthew, who had previously copied it from Mark’s version. There is very little difference among the three as it was apparently copied straight with little editing or editorializing.
So what exactly does this all mean for us here today? There are two things that stand out for me in this story. The first is the image of Jesus, as the disciples saw him, shining with a light that came from within him – a light so bright they could barely keep their eyes open to see. To see Jesus as he is. Imagine being there and seeing that. It would surely change your life forever.
The second is Peter’s almost frantic need to just stay in that incredible moment forever. “Let me just build some shelters here and we’ll never leave.” That moment when, having seen what he has just seen, Peter can’t bear to even think about being without it ever again – ever.
But – we were not created to live in paradise. We were created and placed right here, with all the other ordinary people, in the midst of noise and messiness and injustice and ignorance and sometimes outright evil. This is where we are, and where we’re meant to be. We still get glimpses of that mountaintop from time to time, just enough to keep us going, but we don’t get to stay there – not yet.
We weren’t created to sit in one spot forever. Peter and the others really liked where they were. It was glorious and comfortable there (once they got over the initial shock). But there was work to do, down in the lowlands.
There’s always work to do. This story isn’t just a story – it’s the reality we are meant to strive toward -- until it becomes our everyday experience.
It can be. It will be.
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