Listen to Jesus

Introduction

You know what I like best about vacations? They are different from the routine. This past summer we were in Washington, D.C. and there is something about seeing the sites and being off schedule that just tends to relax the nerves and take away the stress. The hardest part of vacations for me is coming back. Usually coming back means that I begin thinking about what needs to be done; getting back to routines; paying bills; all the things that we do on a day to day basis. There is a physical change that occurs. I begin to get tense, stressful feelings return; there is a feeling of being overwhelmed. I like vacations. But then if I had a vacation everyday, I wouldn’t appreciate the difference.

The same thing is true with spiritual experiences. Having been on retreats over the years they provide a time of respite; a time to get away; a time to reflect and think in ways that are well just different. But retreats can’t happen every day. They are special simply because they do not happen every day. If they did occur every day then we wouldn’t appreciate the difference. But the benefit of a retreat or some other spiritual excursion is that it allows us to refocus; to reconsider what is of priority and to seek new direction. The out of ordinary experience is valuable because it does allow us to see things from a different perspective. But it would not be out of the ordinary if it occurred regularly. Today we are going to look at an out of the ordinary experience and in the process we are going to see things from a different perspective. But then we will be reminded that out of the ordinary experiences are not supposed to be everyday experiences.

Meeting God on the Mountain

Just a few days after telling his disciples that he is going to suffer and die, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John on top of a mountain. He knows why he is going to the top of the mountain. But the disciples have no idea what is about to transpire. In an economy of words, Mark tells us that Jesus was transfigured in front of these three disciples. The only mention of emotion is in verse 6 in which after Peter’s rambling, Mark admits that the disciples are afraid. Surely this is an understatement. Fear would not do justice to the emotions of that experience. The disciples obviously know who is appearing with Jesus on the mountain. They obviously are amazed at the whiteness of Jesus’ clothing. They know the presence of God in hearing his voice. Frightened may be just one of many emotions they are experiencing. We know coming down the mountain they are confused and ignorant.

As is Mark’s custom, he isn’t going to spell things out for us as readers. He anticipates that his readers will know the scriptures. The Transfiguration parallels Moses’ experience with God. Jesus goes up the mountain with three; Moses in Exodus 24 goes up the mountain with three named persons plus 70 elders. Jesus is transfigured with his clothes being made radiantly white; Moses’ skin in Exodus 34 shines when he descends the mountain. God appears in a cloud on the mountain; God appears as a cloud in Exodus 24. A voice speaks from the cloud just as in Exodus 24. The people are astonished when they see Jesus after he descends from the mountain; the people are afraid to come near Moses after he descends from the mountain in Exodus 35.

God had appeared to Elijah on the same mountain as Moses had ascended. But now on another mountain, God in the flesh meets with two of the great prophets of old. And they talk. Peter wants to stay on the mountain. To build shelters will take a little time. It will be a mountain retreat for others. They will come to the shelters and read the granite carved signs explaining what happened on this spot. It would be a place of spiritual enlightenment. Perhaps Elijah and Moses would return. Perhaps it could become the fortress for later political agendas. Whatever Peter was thinking, we do know that he was just talking because it was an exciting time. And God appeared to make sure the moment wasn’t lost. And just as quickly as Elijah and Moses appeared they just as quickly disappeared. And Jesus leads them down the mountain.

The disciples are trying to piece things together. They are well versed in scripture. They know by heart Malachi 4:5-6: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” They knew the text and they knew the common interpretation—when Elijah is seen then the military of God is ready to come. Jesus agrees that Elijah has come, but then comes the question: “If Elijah has come, then why must I suffer and be rejected?” In other words, if Malachi had been fulfilled then hearts would have been changed. But they haven’t been changed. Elijah has come (John the Baptist) and with unchanged hearts the curse is coming. According to Mark 13 destruction is coming.

Listening to God

With all the events on that mountain, it is vital that we as readers not miss verse 7. Of course there was fear and excitement on that mountain. None of the disciples had experienced anything like that before. Of course they were confused on the way down—they didn’t understand “rising from the dead.” Of course they were trying to piece things together. Their understanding of the scriptures meant that a revolution was about to take place. Was it any wonder that Peter suggested staying on the mountain a little longer? Excitement. A spiritual experience never seen before. Jesus, Elijah, and Moses all in one place. Why not stay on the mountain? Why not build a shrine or two?

Now read verse 7: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Let’s build a shrine. Listen to him. Let’s stay here a little longer. Listen to him. Let’s get ready for the revolution. Listen to him. Okay, Jesus, what are you saying? The Son of Man must suffer many things, be killed and after three days rise again. “I wonder what he means by that.” Listen to him. What is God saying? He is saying that Jesus is supreme over Moses and Elijah, but more than that he is saying that the glory that they see is real even though death is immanent. God is breaking their preconceived notions of what the Messiah is supposed to do. Listen to him—he’s been telling you what is going to happen. He has been trying to prepare you for his death, but you aren’t listening.

So, too, we must listen to Jesus. We have our own way of viewing things. We have our own ideas of what it means to be in relationship with Jesus. We know what we want from following Jesus. We want peace, joy, and love and the scriptures tell us that such things are promised to those who follow Jesus. But those things are not given to us simply because we want them nor do they come to us in ways that we expect. What does he say to us? “Lose your life for my sake. Deny yourself. Sacrifice for others.” Like Peter we may want the glory, the happiness, the wealth, and fail to listen to Jesus. Let’s enjoy the spiritual experience, but we mustn’t miss the point—life is lived somewhere else. The ordinary life is one in which we are to listen to Jesus. Peter had one idea about what would be pleasing to God, but he wasn’t listening to Jesus. He was instead allowing his fear and excitement to dictate his thoughts. He came to believe about Jesus what fit into his comfort zone. What he forgot to do was listen to the one who knew what it meant to follow him.

What we are really talking about is perspective. We have our own as seen in Peter who wants the glory and we have God’s as seen in the glory of Jesus through the lens of suffering. And then comes the command, “Listen to him.” It is a constant struggle to see things from God’s perspective and while we will never see things perfectly, we must commit ourselves to listening to Jesus.

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