Listen And Reflect

February 11, 2024

Rev. Mary Erickson

Hope Lutheran Church

Mark 9:2-9

Listen and Reflect

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It’s the final Sunday in the season of Epiphany. The reading for this last Sunday in Epiphany shares a striking resemblance with the reading from the first Sunday of Epiphany.

On that first Sunday, we heard the story of Jesus’ baptism. He met John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River. John baptized Jesus there. And as Jesus was coming out of the waters, a heavenly voice was heard. It said, “You are my son! I am so pleased in you!”

And now, on this final Sunday of Epiphany, we hear another heavenly voice. And its message is very similar to the one at Jesus’ baptism. But this time, the message is meant for the disciples. “This is my son,” it declares, “My Beloved! Listen to him!”

What an amazing moment the disciples witnessed! A voice speaks from heaven. And moreover, Jesus’ appearance changes before their eyes. He shines brilliantly, his clothes become dazzling white. Their friend, their teacher, he becomes something much greater than human. He is revealed as divine.

And then Jesus carries on a conversation with two blessed saints of the past, Moses and Elijah. Peter, James and John are simply gob smacked.

Within this brief reading, the disciples receive two commands. The first one is from the heavenly voice: “Listen to him!” The second command comes from Jesus: “Don’t tell anyone about this until after I’ve risen from the dead.”

Jesus tells them to keep what they’ve seen under wraps until later. For now, they’re supposed to sit on it. Why? There’s something about what’s happened that won’t fully make sense until later. Based on what they’d seen, Jesus appears simply glorious. He’s divine and most high.

But Jesus doesn’t want to be framed by these markers. In order for the disciples to get the full picture, they need to interpret this moment through the lens of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He needs to die, he needs to go to the cross. So simply, Jesus wants Peter, James and John to understand what they’ve seen through the cross. Without that, all they see is glory. And Jesus isn’t about glory; he’s about the cross.

So for now, Jesus wants them to keep what they’ve seen under wraps. They don’t have the proper understanding yet. They need time to get the full picture. In a nutshell, they need time to reflect.

So there’s two commands: listen and reflect. Both of these two directives are still relevant for us today. So let’s consider each of them.

First of all, to listen. The voice from the cloud directs the disciples to listen to Jesus. I once read that what we listen to is like tuning into a radio station. If you’re not tuned in accurately, you’ll get a lot of static. It’s even possible to cross over between two radio stations at once. Prime listening requires us to set our attentions.

There were two cousins. One lived in the country on a farm, and the other lived in a big city. One day, the country cousin went to visit his city cousin. The city cousin wanted to show off city living to his rural cousin. So they went downtown, surrounded by the skyscrapers and the lights and the hustle and bustle.

As they were walking along the street, taking in all the city sights, the country cousin said, “There! Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” asked the city cousin.

“I just heard a cricket chirp.”

The city cousin was amazed. “You mean, amid all this traffic noise and activity, you’re telling me you actually heard a cricket?”

“Well,” said the country cousin, “I guess it depends on what you’re listening for.”

The voice from the cloud directs us to listen to Jesus. There are many things demanding our attention. The news of the world, pressures from work or school, responsibilities, fears and anxieties. When these become the things we listen to primarily, they threaten to swallow us up. As Jesus said to his friend Martha, “Martha, you are distracted by many things.”

What the voice from the cloud is telling us is to listen first and foremost is Jesus. And when we focus on him, that will give us a better understanding of all these other things. It tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God, and then all these other things shall be added to us, as well. Listening to Jesus keeps us tuned into what is most important. It will guide everything else.

The first command was to listen. The second command is to reflect. Jesus is letting his disciples know that they need to perceive what they’ve just witnessed through the events of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus’ divine glory needs to be interpreted through a theology of the cross and not simply as a theology of glory. He doesn’t want them to see him as merely a power unto himself. His power, his divine authority moves towards a purpose of salvation and healing. That’s why it can only be understood through the cross.