Title: What Happens On the Mountain… Shouldn't Stay On the Mountain
Text: Matthew 17:1-9
Thesis: God uses mountain top experiences to prepare us for living in the valley.
Transfiguration Sunday is a day we reflect on perhaps the ultimate of mountain top experiences
in which we are privileged to experience a bit of what Peter, James and John experienced... and we too hear the voice of God speaking to them and making known to them the fact that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. It is also an occasion for us to examine the story to see what we may take from that experience that might be helpful us.
Introduction
The ad people who work tirelessly to promote tourism in Las Vegas have happened upon a powerful catch phrase in “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is boldly splashed across the header of the visit Las Vegas website suggesting that you can come to Vegas and be assured that no matter how debauched you get… no one will ever know.
The Urban Dictionary takes a stab at explaining the catch phrase, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” explaining that if it happened in Vegas it only happened once and only in Vegas. And if it happened in Vegas, hopefully it happened far enough away that it does not have a negative effect on here and now. The implication is that anyone who wasn’t there does not need to know what happened in Vegas and it’s just best to move on and forget about it.
However there are a couple of caveats to the hope that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
1. One is this, “If it happens in Vegas and I see it, I’m telling everyone!
2. Another thing about “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is the fact that it may happen in Vegas but it sticks with you for life!
3. And third, I read recently that human resource teams regularly frequent the social media uses of potential hires to see if they can find personal information about them. If it’s posted somewhere and if there are pictures posted somewhere… it doesn’t stay in Vegas.
In our story today Jesus took three of his disciples with him on a little jaunt to a mountain. It was a get-away of sorts but not with the intent of living it up and cutting a wide swath in a distant city. And even though, while on their way home from having been on the mountain, Jesus essentially told his disciples, “What happened on the mountain stays on the mountain,” it did not stay on the mountain.
Today we get to see something of a movie trailer or a synopsis of what happened on that night. And perhaps one way to unpack the text is to explore some lessons we can pick up from what happened on the mountain.
The first lesson from Jesus’ mountain experience is about how he prayed. The lesson from the mountain is about praying in an attempt to discern God’s will and guidance for his life and death.
I. Seeking Direction
About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James and John to a mountain to pray. Luke 9:28
There are things to be learned from Jesus trip up the mountain and the first is that if Jesus did anything at all, Jesus regularly spent time praying and seeking God’s direction in his life.
People who go to Vegas are not likely to be inclined to seeing God’s direction in their lives. The intent of some if not many who go to Vegas is to escape not only their own constraints but God’s as well. That’s why some refer to Las Vegas as “Sin City.” Sin cities are defined as places that cater to various vices… both legal and illegal. Jesus did not go up the mountain so he could act out on his inner vices. Jesus went up the mountain to pray.
Our text simply says that Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain. However in the parallel passage found in Luke 9 it states specifically that Jesus went to a mountain to pray. And as he was praying his followers observed that his appearance changes and his face and his clothing became dazzling white.
I have from time to time reflected on my own faith and on conversations I have had with others about their faith. I have found that people who are committed Christians are not immune from occasional doubts about their beliefs and faith. Some of us have wondered, “What if it isn’t true?” “What if what I believe is wrong?”
Interestingly enough, I used to think that it was only Christians who entertained doubts about what they believe. But I have come to see that avowed atheists are not immune to such doubts… only they wonder, “What if there is a God? What if the Bible is true? What if there is a heaven and a hell? What if there is an afterlife? What if what I believe is not true? What if I am wrong?”
The “what if” a questions are sobering. The old adage about there being no atheists in foxholes generally rings true. I have found that with few exceptions, people who are aware that they are going to die or are dying tend to get serious about talking to God. And Jesus knew he was going to die.
In our story today the setting for Jesus making his way up the mountain to pray is couched in the reality that he knew he was facing his death. In all of the transfiguration accounts, just prior to his trek up the mountain to pray, Jesus had told of his impending suffering, death and resurrection. In Mark he told how he would be betrayed, killed and buried but in three days he would rise from the dead. Mark 9:31 and in Luke he told his followers, “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and that he would be killed but three days later he would rise from the dead. Luke 9:21ff
I do not want to over-estimate nor do I wish to under-estimate what Jesus innately knew about himself and his destiny as a man. It is clear that his life was guided and sustained by his ongoing conversations with God.
• In John 15:10 Jesus stated, “I obey my Father and remain in his love.”
• When Jesus taught his disciples to pray an integral part of the Lord’s Prayer is expressed in the words, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
• In John 6:38 Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.”
• Just hours before his death Jesus again took his disciple with him when he went to pray and we know well that anguished prayer in which he prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.” Luke 22:42
Jesus prayed to hear the voice of God and to discern the will of God.
Bonnie and I enjoy the NBC entertainment show “The Voice.” The premise is that real music talent is heard and not seen. Four judges, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Sheldon all listen to the contestants with their backs turned so they can only hear the voices of the singers. If a judge is sufficiently impressed with a voice they hit a big red button which makes the judge’s chair rotate around so he or she can see the singer… and then the judges try to convince the singers they like to join their team of singers.
The experience can either be overwhelmingly affirming or if there is no response from the judges, it can be a very cold shoulder for a hopeful singer. Almost always, when a singer is not chosen, it is because of what the judges call “pitch issues.” Through their knowledge of music and having developed an ear for music the judges can discern if a singer is or is not on pitch or can stay on pitch.
When Jesus spent time praying he was developing an ear for discerning the voice of God. He was developing an ear for understanding the guidance and will of God for his life.
Since I have referred to Vegas on numerous occasions it seems only fitting that I would wager this (not really). I would guess that if I turned my back and every woman in this room were to take a turn saying “Monty” or “Dear” I could discern Bonnie’s voice from all the others. And that is because I have been listening to Bonnie call me Monty or Dear for 42 years and by the way she says “Monty” or “Dear” I know instantly if I am in trouble or not.
The first lesson we do not want to leave on the mountain is that the practice of praying helps us develop a discerning ear to understanding the guidance of God in our lives.
When we find ourselves floundering in uncertainty and unsure of what we should do, that is a pretty good indication that we need to be spending some time learning to discern the voice of God.
There is a second lesson to be gained from Jesus’ mountain top experience… that being it was on the mountain that God affirmed who he was.
II. Receiving Affirmation
Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him.” Matthew 17:5-6
On two occasions we hear God speak audibly affirming Jesus Christ as the Son of God. The first occasion was his baptism and the second, his transfiguration. In Mark 1:11, A voice came from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.” At his baptism God spoke to Jesus. In Mark 9:7, God spoke again saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” At his transfiguration God spoke to Jesus’ disciples and to us.
You have undoubtedly heard people say, “It isn’t so much what you know but who you know that is important.” Who you know and who knows you is critical when it comes to having someone vouch for you. It must have been pretty impressive to hear God affirm him as his Son and to speak of how proud and pleased he was of Jesus.
An endorsement is the action of publicly declaring one’s personal or a group’s support of a candidate for elected office. Endorsements are intended to be beneficial. In 2008 Oprah Winfrey’s early and enthusiastic support for Barack Obama catapulted him from relatively unknown to invaluable visibility. More recently Governor Chris Christie’s endorsement of Mitt Romney is likely thought to be a beneficial endorsement.
However not all endorsements are all that whippy. I wonder what New Gingrich thought when Gary Busey endorsed him in the first place… and then a short time later rescinded his endorsement. A Hollywood starlet with a history of erratic behavior offered her endorsement for the Obama Campaign and was told that her brand of tabloid infamy was not what they were looking for. Donald Trump speculated that his endorsement might be the single most important endorsement a candidate could get was surprised when he was only able to sign up Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum for his Trump Debate… prompted Ron Paul to sarcastically say, “I didn’t know he had the ability to lay hands on and anoint people.”
I know that endorsements are important to me. I want to know who is funding the Super Pacs, who is buy the TV ads and I want to know who is endorsing a candidate because that informs me of who they know and who knows them and who and what is influencing a candidate. Endorsements give me insight into the values and ideologies of the person being endorsed.
Despite the impending suffering Christ faced to know that his life was lived out with God the Father’s approval was huge. For the disciples to hear God affirm Jesus as His Son had to be huge in the minds of those men. They had to come down from that mountain with a renewed sense of their own convictions about Christ..
This morning I think we all might benefit from hearing anew the voice of God speaking into our hearts and minds reminding us that we are the Children of God. John wrote in his gospel, “All who believed and accepted [Jesus], he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion, but this rebirth comes from God.” John 1:12-13
This morning be affirmed by God’s endorsement coming to us from I John 3:1, “See how very much our Heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!”
The second lesson we do not want to leave on the mountain is the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and the truth that we are the Children of God.
One of the things Peter might wish had stayed in Vegas was his enthusiastic suggestion that he might build three shrines there on the mountain top.
III. Preserving Perfection
Peter blurted out, “Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I’ll make three shrines, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4
Without question, what Peter, James and John observed there on the mountain was pretty impressive. They saw what no other human beings saw. They saw Jesus radiating a dazzling whiteness. They saw two long-dead guys, Moses and Elijah chatting with Jesus. They did not know it but Moses represented the period of the law and Elijah represented the period of the prophets, both of which were to point us to Christ. They heard God affirming Christ and instructing them to listen to him. And when they opened their eyes they saw only Jesus remaining.
Peter had a bright idea and made a motion that he build three shrines on the spot to honor Moses, Elijah and Jesus. But the motion died for lack of a second when God vetoed the whole thing.
One of the things we will be doing this year is gathering as a congregation to ask and answer three questions:
1. What do we need to preserve?
2. What do we need to discard?
3. What do we need to create?
God was essentially asking Peter, “Is this something we need to preserve in perpetuity?” “Peter, do we really want to have three shrines here to honor Moses, Elijah and Jesus?” “Does Jesus need to be enshrined?” God was saying, “Forget the shrines and just listen to Jesus and do what Jesus says.”
I must confess there are experiences I might like to memorialize. There are many things that fall into the category of personal preferences for which, if I am honest, are neither right nor wrong. There are some practices I value over others but that does not invalidate the others.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’ve noticed that the trend among pastors these days, especially those who relate well in this culture, is more casual. You notice how I roll my sleeves under so they are nice and neat and don’t catch on things. You notice that I like my collar inside my sweater neck and tuck my shirt tail in. And you notice that I wear slacks. Now mind you… this is a far cry from the old black suit, white shirt, narrow black tie, white socks and black shoe days. So I have come a long way. But if I am going to be adaptive to this culture I need to decide what about me and what I think, believe and/or prefer really matters. What needs preserved? What needs discarded? What new thing needs to be created?
Really, though, what is it with dress codes? Is there anything wrong with rolling the sleeves up on the outside and is the style that lets the shirt tail hang out below a sweater sinful? Is the collar outside the neck permissible? Are Levi’s taboo attire for the clergy?
Part of my preparation for my work with Navigate was to do a little research on the transitions our church has gone through over the years and I was surprised and amazed that we are still here. What must it have been like when our forefathers and mothers decided that men and women could share pews? What must it have been like to move from coming forward to receive a wafer and share a common cup to having communion served in the pews? What must it have been like to watch your native language be replaced so services could be held in English? What must it have been like to see the choir all clad in robes for the first time? What must it have been like to leave the old neighborhood and rebuild in the suburbs? What must it have been like to wrestle through a congregational name change? What must it have been like to transition from using wine in communion to grape juice? What must it have been like to transition from the old church board system to a council system of governance?
When you get right down to it, what difference do most things make? So the word to Peter was, “Peter, don’t get all hung up on shrines and sacred cows. Just listen to Jesus.”
The third lesson we do not want to leave on the mountain is simply, “Forget the other stuff and just listen to Jesus.”
Conclusion
We do not want what happened on the mountain to stay on the mountain.
When Tony Snow, former press secretary of President George W. Bush, was asked about his battle with cancer and what spiritual lessons he had learned from the struggle, he replied, “We want lives of simple, predictable ease with smooth even trails as far as the eye can see – but God likes to go off-road.” (Tony Snow, “The Up Side,” Guideposts, January 2008, p. 20)
I’m sure we can all resonate with the thought that in many ways, life down here in the real world feels a lot like we are off-roading.
But we learned some things from being on the mountain and we want to bring those lessons with us into the valley of real life:
1. Prayer helps us discern the will of God.
2. We are beloved Children of God
3. Forget about sacred cows and listen to Jesus.
