Prayer: Lord may we see your glory, hear your voice and listen to you this morning and always. In Jesus name. Amen.
What were you expecting as you walked into Church this morning? Were you expecting to see the glory of God? It is displayed in his creation, right here in front of us – God’s light, the beautiful sun and water; but more than that as you come to worship, I pray that you expect to meet Jesus. I pray that you will be reminded of his glory this morning and be so in awe of him that you will want to sit at his feet and “listen to him”, and in doing so be transformed and display his likeness.
Has anyone got to the Cathedral yet to see the beauty in the flowers at the blooming festival? So many gorgeous blooms. I love Dhalia’s with their bright colours and intricate design…and yet they start off as an ugly stick looking bulb! Slowly they grow and transform into a thing of beauty. With deep roots, nurture, spiritual feeding and spending time with the ‘son’, we too can be transformed and reflect God’s glory.
Peter, James and John certainly saw Jesus clearly in all his glory as they witnessed him transfigured in front of them on a mountain top. His face shining like the sun, and his clothes white as the light. Luke says like flashes of lightening, Mark says whiter than bleach!
When I read descriptions like that, I ask questions like – did they have bleach to make their dusty robes ‘whiter than white’ again?? What did they use? And we go on to read that standing with Jesus was Moses and Elijah. How did the disciples know that’s who they were? Had they seen images (no photos in those days) passed down through the ages of what these men looked like? Were they there with Jesus in bodily form? How did it happen??
Sometimes we get caught up in our tiny brains trying to work out the supernatural occurrences in the bible. But as one commentator said, we are not supposed to try and figure it all out. Rather we should marvel at this event, like moths we should be drawn to the light emanating from Jesus. We should bask in the warm wonder of his glow. So may you be transported this morning in your imagination.
Try and imagine you were one of the disciples who were there when Jesus was transfigured. They had been journeying with Jesus – and yes, they had seen him do some amazing things –healings, miraculous feedings, walking on water; and Peter had even pronounced him to be the Messiah – but he had always looked like a regular bloke. Nothing special. This was something else.
I wonder if Peter had really understood when he declared Jesus to be the Messiah (in the previous chapter), that in fact, he was truly divine…not just a human Messianic figure. Well, this ‘transfiguration’ certainly showed them his divinity as Jesus was caught up with and bathed in the love, the power and the kingdom of God, so much so that it transformed his whole being with light.
This transfiguration revealed very clearly who Jesus was…in reality, nothing had changed…he was the same divine person before this moment and after…but these three, his close disciples, were given a glimpse of his glory. The scales were lifted from their eyes and for a brief moment they could see him clearly, they had 2020 vision. The disciples’ vision of Jesus was often a bit blurred and confused.
Aside from a few like his parents, some shepherds, wise men and a couple of prophets, most people would have seen Jesus as a little baby and then a growing boy into a man and thought he was just an ordinary human being. But he was always Jesus – the Son of God, the eternal word. There were occasional glimpses of his divinity in his displays of miracles but this day on the mountain there was a spectacular display of his divine glory.
In Mark and Matthew, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about the incident until after he had risen from the dead – when his resurrection certainly showed his divinity.
Directly prior to the transfiguration in Chapter 8 of Mark we read that Jesus had been telling the disciples of the suffering he must go through – of his death and resurrection. Peter of course had rebuked him…this just after he had declared Jesus to be the Messiah. For Peter did not have in mind a suffering, dying Messiah. They seem to miss the words he says of rising again after 3 days…their minds are on human, earthly things. They clearly didn’t understand.
And so, what does Jesus do? He takes these three and gives them a special mountain top experience where his divine glory is revealed right in front of them. That should give them hope that when Jesus talks about death and suffering, death is not the end. The struggles yet to come for Jesus should in no way diminish confidence in his promises or his predictions of resurrection. This mountain top experience should help sustain them through the journey ahead.
I wonder if you have had mountain top experiences where you have been in awe of God’s glory, bathed in his presence and been so sure of his Kingdom and his reign. I know have had moments of rapturous worship or prayer, sometimes watching the sunrise during my dawn swims, where I strongly sense the glow of God’s very being, or even just quiet moments of his peace. And I just want to stay in that moment. Hold on to it…like Peter did.
Poor Peter finds it hard to be silent… “Lord, (he says) it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” The text says he didn’t know what to say, but obviously he felt he had to blurt something out anyway! There are times when we just need to be quiet, bowing before the presence of God. Acknowledging his holiness. It was indeed good for them to be there.
God himself silences Peter as a cloud overshadows them and a loud voice declares, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Be quiet, stop thinking of earthly things…these 3 don’t need tents!! But here is my Son, say’s God, my beloved, my anointed one. The one who has come to complete the tasks of Moses and Elijah, the one who has come to usher in my Kingdom, the one I have sent to die for your salvation but also to rise again in glory. Listen to him!!
In Matthews gospel we read that in response to hearing God’s voice, the disciples fall face down to the ground, terrified. What would your response be? It is only fitting that we should fall prostrate in the presence of the Lord God Almighty. But then Jesus, who is also Lord, comes to them in compassion and touches them. “Get-up” he says, “Don’t be afraid”. They look up and see Jesus as he was before, no more dazzling light or Moses or Elijah. But the disciples had witnessed it all, though I’m sure there were times when it must have seemed like it was all a dream.
Jesus with his disciples had to descend the mountain to the ordinary and mundane, to the suffering of people (within minutes it seems Jesus is healing an epileptic boy) and they had to continue their journey towards the cross. Just prior to taking them up the mountain, Jesus had said to his disciples and the crowds that to follow him, meant they had to pick up their cross, to deny themselves.
Like Peter, James and John, we too are called to listen to Jesus, we too are called to follow him, to deny ourselves, to pick up our cross. We too may have mountain top experiences of glimpsing the full glory of God, but we too must journey in the valleys of everyday drudgery and at times pain and suffering. But we too can live in the hope of glory, knowing that because of Jesus death and his resurrection we too will rise again.
There are times when life here on earth seems so hard and we are deeply aware of suffering in our own lives and in the world. But Jesus says to us, remember me, I know pain and I will travel with you in yours; keep your eyes on me for I am the one who can give you hope to carry on. Listen to me…
So how do we listen to him? Reading his word, the bible, is a good place to start. Jesus speaks to us as we pray and listen, but above all he speaks to us through scripture. So, I continue to encourage you to read it, inwardly digest it and live it. Lent begins this week – if you don’t read the bible every day, perhaps this would be a time to commit to doing so. See if you can read through Mark before Easter.
As we spend time with God, reading his word, praying, basking in his glory, enjoying his creation, we too will be transformed. Maybe not in the same way Jesus was ‘transfigured’ that day…but our faces and our lives can shine his light. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians (3:18) … And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…
We cannot stay the same when we truly Jesus for who he is…the son of God. Take time to seek his face and gaze on his glory.
As we head into a season of lent, we may lament where we have perhaps not blossomed and borne fruit, we may lament the state of the world. And as we head toward Easter we journey again to the cross with Jesus. That is where he was heading as he and Peter, James and John descended the mountain that day.
They had been awe-struck with holy fear by Jesus on that mountain, they had been changed, but like us they still made mistakes as they followed Jesus – they even deserted him at the cross. But they were forgiven and redeemed.
Jesus had told them to be quiet about their mountain top experience until after his resurrection. And later they remembered all that he had shared with them, that’s why it is recorded here in God’s word. They learnt to listen, they learnt to follow him and with their lives they honoured him and shone his glory. May we too learn to listen to Jesus and follow him closer each day, shining his glory for all the world to see- at least our friends and family, our neighbours, that they too may be drawn to his light and be transformed.
Let us pray: Lord thank you for the beauty of your glory.
I pray that we may be lifted to great heights to see and feel the glorious presence of the Divine Jesus, even as we gaze on the beauty of his creation. I pray that as God commanded, we will listen to Jesus, read his word, and spend time in prayer. I pray that we will hold on to the hope of glory and resurrection.
Lord may we be transformed to be like Jesus and to shine his light that others may come to witness his glory and be drawn to know him.
This I pray in the name of the glorified Jesus. Amen.