Bloomsbury
Central Baptist Church
Transfiguration
Sunday, 15 February 2015, 11.00am
You can listen to this sermon here:
Mark 9:2-10
Six 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, 3 and his clothes became dazzling
white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them
Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Then 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." 6 He did not
know what to say, for they were terrified.
7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there
came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around,
they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As 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. 10
So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the
dead could mean.
Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14; 10.4-7
9As I watched, thrones
were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne, his clothing was white
as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire. 10
A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence. A thousand thousands
served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. The court
sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
13 As I watched in the
night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. 14 To him was given dominion and
glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his
kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
4 On the twenty-fourth
day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that
is, the Tigris), 5 I looked
up and saw a man clothed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his
face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the
gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a
multitude. 7 I, Daniel, alone
saw the vision; the people who were with me did not see the vision, though a
great trembling fell upon them, and they fled and hid themselves.
Exodus 24.15-18; 34.29-30
15 Then Moses went up
on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled
on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he
called to Moses out of the cloud. 17
Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the
top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud, and
went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty
nights.
29 Moses came down from
Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the
covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone
because he had been talking with God. 30
When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining,
and they were afraid to come near him.
1 Kings 19.11-12
[The word of the Lord] said, "Go out and
stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and
breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a
fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer
silence.
Today is transfiguration Sunday,
and the tradition behind Mark’s gospel’s story
of
the transfiguration of Jesus,
goes
back a very long way...
Back before Daniel’s apocalyptic vision of the
Ancient One,
coming
with the clouds of heaven
to
the oppressed Jews of the second century BC;[1]
Back
before Elijah’s mountain-top experience
of
the presence of the Lord in the still small voice
heard
through earthquake, wind and fire;[2]
Back
before even Moses’ face shining with the reflected glory
of
the one he met on mount Sinai.[3]
In fact, the belief
that one can encounter the divine spirit
in
the ‘high and holy’ places
has
probably been part of the human experience of numinous awe
since the dawn of human consciousness.
The cosmology of the ancient world pictured typically
pictured the spiritual realm
as
being high up in the air, somewhere above the clouds.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped the
night-goddess Nut,
stretching
her star-spangled body across the darkness of the sky.
In fact, we still speak of the starry sky as
‘the heavens’
even
though I’m not aware of any religious person
who
actually believes we could jump in a space ship
and
travel to the realm where God lives.
But the ancients did have such a perspective,
and
they believed that going up to the high places
brought
a person closer to the divine presence…
The almost universal construction of worship
sites on hilltops and mountains
gives
testimony to the power which was believed to reside there.
But the encounters with God experienced by
Moses, Elijah and Daniel,
and
by Peter, James and John
are
something very different:
These are not simply mystical experiences
evoking
a sense of awe and wonder
Rather, they are powerful statements of the
holiness and majesty
of
the one enthroned on high.
Moses received the tablets of the covenant
and
came down from the mountain
with
a commission to challenge idolatry
and
so transform the way in which
the
people of Israel related to their God.
Elijah received a prophetic commission
and
came down from the mountain to challenge idolatry
and
transform the way in which
the
people of Israel worshipped their God.
While Daniel’s vision of the Ancient One on the
heavenly throne
presents
a direct challenge
to
all idolatrous claims to earthly power.
And so, when Peter, James and John
follow
Jesus up onto the mountain
and see him transfigured before them
in
the presence of Moses and Elijah
There is something far more significant going
on
than
simply a supernatural experience
of
the presence of the divine.
Ched Myers has described the transfiguration as
‘a
salvation history summit conference’
And what he means by this is that in the
transfiguration
we
have the coming together
of
the law, the prophets and the cross
as
Moses, Elijah and Jesus talk together
In the transfiguration, we see God’s plan for
the salvation of the world
moving
towards its ultimate and definitive concluding act
as
the old covenant, based upon the Law and the prophets,
gives
way to the new covenant,
one
which is to be inaugurated
by
the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
This is why we celebrate transfiguration Sunday
at this point in the year, of course,
because
we are about to enter the period of Lent,
the
season of preparation for the journey to the cross.
It’s not just pancakes on Tuesday and giving up
chocolate for a few weeks,
rather,
it’s about setting our faces to the cross,
it’s
about counting the cost of our discipleship,
and
it’s about learning to see the world through the lens of the crucifixion.
In Mark’s gospel, the glory of the
transfiguration vision of Jesus
marks
the turning point in the story,
as it becomes clear that the glory of Jesus can
only be understood
through
the lens of the cross.
And so the Law the Prophets give way to the
cross,
as
the old covenant gives way to the new.
However, at this point, we’re reminded of the
presence
of
the three disciples who had accompanied Jesus
up
onto the mountain:
True-to-form, Peter completely fails to
understand what’s happening
and
makes his stunningly stupid offer
of
building three little huts:
one
for Jesus, one for Moses, one for Elijah…
I mean, really! Has he no idea at all???
He seems to think that the mountain-top
experience
can
be made to last forever;
as
if the transfigured one might be persuaded
to
take up residence on the mountain
and
make himself available for regular visiting
like
some Greek oracle or hermit.
And as for James and John, well, they’re really
no better
stuck
dumb with fear and incapable of response!
But I wonder, would we actually fare any better…
Would we, like Peter, succumb to the temptation
of
trying to perpetuate the glorious moment?
Would
we want to put Jesus in a little hut,
always
available at our convenience?
Or perhaps, like James and John
we
would simply lose any capacity for appropriate response
through
fear of the unknown?
I suggest that we meet both these responses
amongst Christians…
maybe
we even meet them in ourselves…
Some of us seem to continually crave the
mountaintop experience,
the
moment of emotional high, of entering the presence of God,
of
meeting Jesus in the high and holy place…
And having met Jesus there once,
our
desire becomes to perpetuate that meeting,
and so we try to create little huts of our own
devising,
as
we seek to keep Jesus always available for us -
always
in the same place
always
encountered in the same way…
Whether it’s the exuberant joy of communal
worship,
or
the quiet mysticism of the contemplative moment,
we need to guard against trying to put Jesus
into
a little hut of our own making,
as
if we can pop up the mountain whenever we desire
and repeat the ecstatic moment at our
convenience.
But then, some of us go to the other extreme,
and
mirror James and John,
so
when the unexpected happens,
and
the Lord himself invites us
into
the supernatural moment,
when
he chooses to reveal himself to us
in
his awesomeness and majesty,
we fall inactive through fear, finding
ourselves incapable of response.
Both these responses – control and fear –
sap
the significance of the moment of transfiguration;
because they misunderstand the nature
of
Jesus’ revelation to his followers on the mountaintop.
The transfiguration is not about
making
the spiritual high available on-demand,
like
some prescription narcotic,
to
be dispensed by a sanctioned and sanctified practitioner.
And neither is it about creating a crippling
fear of an almighty God
who
keeps us cowed in terror
by
tactics of divine shock and awe.
Rather, the transfiguration, the experience of
Jesus on the mountaintop,
is
about commissioning for ministry…
We have already seen how Moses and Elijah
came
down from their own mountaintop experiences
of
the divine
charged
with commissions to change the world
Well, the same is true of Peter, James and
John.
This becomes clear when the divine voice from
heaven
speaks
to them, saying
‘This
is my Son, the Beloved;
listen
to him!’
In a direct echo of the divine words
spoken
at the commissioning of Jesus’ own ministry
at
his Baptism in the wilderness (Mk 1:11),
the divine voice now speaks on the mountaintop
and
commissions the three disciples
for
a life lived in obedience to the words of Jesus.
In Daniel’s vision, the Ancient One is seen
to
be giving dominion and glory and kingship
to the one like a son of man
who
appeared in the clouds of heaven, clothed in white linen.
In Peter, James and John’s experience on the
mountaintop
the
Son of Man is once again confirmed
as
the beloved son of God
and they, as his followers, are charged with
listening to his voice.
This mountaintop experience may turn out
to
have been a once-in-a-lifetime moment for them,
but the task of hearing the voice of the Lord
becomes
their everyday commission.
Elijah and Moses duly disappear at this point,
and
the disciples are once again left alone with Jesus.
The experience of transfiguration is over,
and
so they walk back down the mountain
in
the company of their friend.
But this is no return back to the world as it
was
before
they went up the mountain…
Now they have a new commission
–
received direct from the voice of God
in
the presence of Moses and Elijah
No longer are they to follow the words of the Law
or
the words of the prophets.
Rather, they have been charged
with
following the words of Jesus,
with
becoming his disciples.
Their view of the world has been radically transformed
by
their vision of the transfigured one,
and it has been revealed to them
that
Jesus Christ stands at the pinnacle of salvation,
supreme
over the Law, the prophets,
and
all other claims to human allegiance.
And what is the first thing Jesus says to them
once
the experience is over?
He tells them to tell no-one about what they
have seen
until
after the Son of Man has risen from the dead.
Now, I don’t know about you,
but
if I’d just been through what they’d been through
I’d probably be bursting to tell people!
I’d be wanting to shout it from the rooftops
that
God had spoken,
and
that Jesus has been revealed as the glorified one,
as
heir of the Law and the prophets!
But that is not the commission.
The words of Jesus, to which they have been
instructed to listen,
are
mysterious and confusing.
They are not a call to proclaim victory;
they
are not a call to eschatological triumphalism.
Rather, they are a call to try and understand
the message of the cross;
and
the problem is that the message of the cross
is
not a message that the disciples want to hear.
After such a powerful revelation of the divine
power of their Lord,
it
would only be natural for the disciples
to
want to proclaim the victory of Christ;
but they are asked to ponder defeat,
they
are asked to turn their faces to the cross,
they
are asked to go straight from Transfiguration to Lent.
They want to proclaim their Lord transfigured,
but
they are asked to keep silent.
And what they need to recognise,
what
we all need to recognise,
is that true victory is only found through the
defeat of the cross.
The message which the disciples will eventually
proclaim
is
not a message of triumphant victory,
it’s
not even a message of spiritual ecstasy
on the mountaintop.
Rather, it’s the message of the cross,
the
message of the Son of Man meeting his death
on
a small hill outside Jerusalem.
Because it is only through the defeat of the
cross
that
the true victory of resurrection from the dead can be achieved.
And there is a profound lesson for us to learn
here
as
we ponder the significance of the transfiguration.
The mountaintop experience of spiritual ecstasy
certainly
may form part of our calling,
but
it is not the message we are called to proclaim.
Too often the Christian church has reduced the
Christian gospel
to
the proclamation of triumphant victory or spiritual ecstasy.
But we do not call people to follow Christ
so
that they too can ascend the mountain
and
experience the vision of the transfigured Christ.
That invitation is the preserve of the mystery
religions
who
promise ecstatic experiences on demand
in
exchange for certain ritual practices.
And we do not call people to follow Christ
so
that they can claim for themselves some triumphant conquest
of
the principalities, powers and territories of this world.
No, the message we are called to proclaim
is
the message of apparent defeat – it is the message of the cross.
We are commissioned to be those who follow the
words of Jesus,
and
these are words that lead us to the cross, to death,
and
through death, to resurrection.
We are commissioned to follow the words of the
one
who
encourages us to take up our own cross,
to live lives of sacrifice,
to
tread the path of suffering and defeat.
And yet, all too often, we resist this path;
desiring
to return to the mountaintop again and again,
because
what we really want is another fix
of
the victorious vision of the transfigured Christ.
Turn with me if you will, to the book of
Revelation,
Revelation 7.9-17
After this I looked, and there was a great
multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in
white, with palm branches in their hands.
10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation
belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels stood around
the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell
on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, "Amen! Blessing
and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our
God forever and ever! Amen." 13
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in
white, and where have they come from?"
14 I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that
knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the
great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb. 15 For this reason
they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his
temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will hunger no more, and
thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb at the center of
the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the
water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Those who are clothed in shining white clothes
are
those who have come out of the great ordeal
they are those whose robes have been washed
bright white
by
the blood of the slain-yet-living Lamb.
If we want our own experience of
transfiguration,
if
we desire to be washed clean
of
all that mars the image of God in us,
if
we long to be those who stand blameless
before
the throne of God,
then the path we must tread is the path of the
cross,
it
is the path of sacrifice.
The commissioning of the transfiguration
is
to a life of subversive Christian living,
focused not on victory but on the defeat of the
cross
because
ultimately, it is only through the cross and resurrection
that
eternal victory is to be found.
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