MORE POWER! MORE GLORY!! MORE SPIRIT!!!
SURVEYING THE SITE—Mark 9:2-10
Have you ever fallen asleep in the middle of a movie, then waked
without knowing what the heck is going on? Well, this week’s text is somewhat like
that. Last week we were reading Mark 1 rather closely, and this week we have
jumped seven chapters in order to read the text for Transfiguration Sunday. In
those intervening chapters, Jesus has gathered the people: the sick, the
possessed, the leper, the lame, the old and the young, women and men; he has
fed the hungry (the 5,000 and the 4,000) and healed both Jews and gentiles.
Jesus has taught in ways that when people have listened even the deaf can hear
and in ways that the blind can see in order to proclaim the good news.
If you are old, as I am, you may remember that Transfiguration Day used to be August 6. In developing the Revised Common Lectionary, published in 1973, ecumenical conversations following Vatican II moved the date of Transfiguration Sunday for much of the Church. It was positioned as the last Sunday in Epiphany in the Lutheran Book of Worship released in 1978.
I appreciate this newer location because this day is now a line of demarcation between Epiphany and Lent. Recognizing that this day on the mountain mirrors the hill of Golgotha on Good Friday, we ponder what rising from the dead means in our lives today. The fruit of this pondering is a lens through which we can see and internalize the importance of the crucifixion story to come.
In addition, in its older position, many people were on vacation including pastors, and this new place gives pastors a time to talk about the importance of having conversation partners as we go forward in ministry together.
READING THE BLUEPRINT
Verse 1 of this chapter, “There are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”,
is something of an orphan verse. It really doesn’t belong to the chapter
before, but it seems difficult to understand with this story.
If we read this passage as a pre-resurrection utterance, it gets claimed by those who advocate for the Messianic secret theory which says there are secret learnings that only the disciples knew about and that there are secret learnings for the faithful elite. I believe that any Messianic secret is not secret in Mark; it is fully revealed at the very beginning of the book of Mark: Jesus is risen.
The power of the kingdom of God is revealed in the verses for this week. Jesus bears/carries/leads Peter, James, and John, up a high mountain, apart, by themselves. Jesus is transformed before them, and his clothes became glistening/dazzling white such as no one on earth could bleach them. They are compared to what fuller’s soap does. The clothes are literally purer white than what can be achieved on earth. And there appeared with Jesus, Elijah and Moses, who were talking with him.
Peter did not know what to say, nor did he know how to respond to what he was seeing. He just knew that he was terrified. In response, Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us pitch three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Peter was seeing the power of God’s kingdom, but he couldn’t get his head around it. If that weren’t enough, a cloud put everything in a shadowy mist preventing anybody from continuing to see anything. From the cloud came a voice saying, “This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him.” The cloud vaporized, and, when they could see again, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until after the son of man had risen from the dead. So, they kept this vision of the kingdom of God to themselves, questioning, “What is this rising from the dead?”
ROUGHING IN THE HOUSE
In answer to that question, as a narrative feature and as
one of the bookends of Lent, the Mount of Transfiguration offers some
interesting possibilities. First, we recognize the divinity of Jesus in this
story. As the magi recognized Jesus as the Messiah on the Day of Epiphany, so now
the disciples see Jesus’ divinity as he speaks with Elijah and Moses on this
Sunday, the line of demarcation between Epiphany and Lent.
Second, in chapter 15, we will see Jesus as truly human on Golgotha, again with a person on either side of him. There are three crosses; Jesus is in the middle with a bandit on either side.
Third, at that time, the curtain of the Holy of Holies is torn in two which breaks the barrier that separates us from God’s presence. We also witness, in chapter 1, the heavens being torn apart breaking down the barrier between heaven and earth. This week the results of that barrier breaking are even more fully revealed as we see both the giver of the law, Moses, and Elijah, the prophet that did not die but was assumed into heaven, with Jesus.
Fourth on this day, we are reminded of the baptismal event of chapter 1 by the voice from heaven saying, “Yes, this is my son, the beloved.”. Then we are affirmed in our faith and encouraged not to be distracted through the addition of “Listen to him!”
PUTTING UP THE WALLS
In the 1st century world of power-politics, Jesus
commands his disciples not to make the ministry about power. Jesus’ ministry is
not about his divine, extra-worldly connections. Jesus’ ministry is concerned
with the needs and relationships of the world—of our relationship with God and one
another. No wonder then, that the disciples kept this matter to themselves
wondering, “What is this rising from the dead?”
Faith is not something we can do by ourselves. We must do faith in relationship with one another. Faith is a precious gift from God that is meant to be talked about, tested, and proclaimed. Paul Tillich, a 20th century theologian, tells us, “Revelation is meaningless if it is not able to be recognized by the community.” He tells us that even the most important learning about God and God’s work in the world has no value unless it is able to be shared and understood by the community that surrounds us—the community that God has given us.
Faith, and the revelations we have of God’s work, requires conversation partners. This week we are shown some of the conversation partners Jesus has in his ministry. We may think that these conversation partners are only available to Jesus. After all, we are not lifted up before others with Moses and Elijah at our sides.
But, in Scripture, we do have them at our sides. In the writings of Moses and the accounts of Elijah, we have their testimony of God’s presence in the world. There we witness their willingness to stand against oppressive power with God at their side. We have been given these major figures and more as our conversation partners in faith.
Yet, these are not enough. From the cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12 which overshadows us in all that we do, comes the voice, “The one whom you follow, the one who dies on the cross and rises from the dead, the one who lifts people up from the places of alienating death into new life and community, listen to him!” To know Christ’s leading, to hear Christ’s words, to be able to follow and understand, is to also be willing to consider, “What does this rising from the dead mean to us and the world we live in today?”
HANGING THE TRIM
Valentine’s Day is all about inviting others to be intimate
conversation partners in God’s love for the world because our love for one
another is only a pale reflection of God’s love for us. So, in the presence of
Moses and Elijah, witnessed by Peter, James and John, hear Christ’s word of loving
invitation. “Will you be my Valentine? Will you be my conversation partner
sharing the good news for all people?”
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