"On the Mountain and In the Valley"
Matthew 17:1-9
A friend writes:
When my daughter-in-law noticed that her two-year-old daughter was ignoring her food, she said, "Keri, why aren't you eating?"
Keri replied, "I can't eat; God told me not to."
Her mother chided: "God wouldn't tell you not to eat your supper."
Keri looked up at the ceiling, then conceded, "Well, maybe it was Moses."
This morning's Gospel Lesson has an intersecting of the Old Testament and the New Testament...
...of the Law and the Prophets--Moses and Elijah...
...and the Son of God Himself--Jesus the Christ.
They meet on a mountain, with Peter, James and John tagging along and witnessing this awe-inspiring and mysterious event.
What does it mean?
We really aren't told.
It is mentioned in 2 Peter chapter 1 where it says, "We didn't repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes.
He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, 'This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.'
We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain."
So, Peter, James and John...
...on the Mount of Transfiguration "witnessed [Jesus'] majesty with their own eyes."
Now the transfiguration took place six days after Peter made the great confession of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
It happened six days after Jesus confided in His disciples that "he had to go to Jerusalem...to be killed and raised on the third day."
It happened six days after Peter "took hold of Jesus and" scolded Jesus saying, "This won't happen to you."
This happened six days after Jesus "turned to Peter and said, 'Get behind me Satan. You are a stone that could make me stumble, for you are not thinking God's thoughts but human thoughts."
This happened six days after Jesus turned to all the disciples to tell them that if they wanted to follow Him, they had to deny themselves and take up their cross.
He told them that in trying to save their lives they would lose their lives, but in losing their lives for Christ they would find life itself.
Then Jesus says, "I assure you that some standing here won't die before they see the Human One coming in his kingdom," which...
...in many ways, occurs only six days later.
For up on that mountain Jesus appears before the eyes of three of them with Moses, who spoke directly with God, and shined with a glory from having been with God...
...and Jesus appears before their eyes speaking with Elijah, who was visited by God's still, small voice and who saw fire on his offering.
And as I mentioned, Moses and Elijah are also symbolic of both the Law and the Prophets, whom Jesus fulfills--and God's voice says of Jesus: "Listen to him."
Some scholars have noted that Moses died, while Elijah didn't die...
...and so they may represent "the living and the dead" who are all under the care of God.
But it is Jesus, not Moses nor Elijah Who takes center stage!!!
Jesus is the One Who is "transformed..."
...and "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as snow."
And Jesus is the One Whom God tells the disciples to listen to...
...and Jesus touches the disciples, tells them to "Get up" and "Don't be afraid."
And "when they looked up they saw no one except Jesus."
And isn't Jesus all we are to see as well?
No matter where we look we are to see no one but Jesus.
No matter where we are we are to see on one but Jesus.
No matter who we look at we are to see no one but Jesus!!!
That is what transforms us and our world--no one but Jesus!!!
In the Book of Daniel, it says that those who are wise will "shine like the stars."
But Jesus outranks all the wise; Jesus shines like the sun!!!
And the sun is where everything else gets its light, or reflects its light.
And Jesus' Light is so strong that it not only affects His face, but His clothing and His disciples as well!!!
They will, after all, eventually become like their Master, as Jesus Himself promised in Matthew 13:43: "the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
And Jesus calls us--you and me, even..."the light of the world!!!"
How are we living into our calling?
God says, "This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am pleased with him. Listen to him."
Wow!!!
Talk about a mountaintop experience!!!
And amazingly, I would guess that many of us who have experienced mountaintop experiences can, at least in some small way, relate to what the disciples experience on the Mount of Transfiguration.
This is where they were given the assurance of their faith.
This is where they saw Jesus for Who He really is.
This is where they received their Divine calling.
And this is where they wanted to stay!!!
Who can blame Peter for saying, "Lord, it's good that we're here. If you want I'll make three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
"We can hang out here forever.
This must be heaven!!!
Nothing can touch us now.
Nothing can bring us down from this place."
Have you ever felt that way?
Some people have this kind of experience on an Emmaus walk, or some other Christian retreat.
Other's have it when they experience the presence and power of God carrying them through a difficult time.
Many have it when they finally decide to give their full lives to Christ...
...to take up that cross and follow Him.
It's amazing how God allows us to experience His Presence in these Mountaintop experiences.
Roberto Gomez shares the following experience:
He writes, "I heard about the Transfiguration story as a child, and over the years I wondered about the disciples' experience.
What was it like and what did it mean for them?
Then, some years ago, I unexpectedly got an answer.
One night I woke up with a sharp pain in my back and felt nauseated.
The pain worsened, and I went to the emergency room.
I felt lonely and weak with pain."
He continues, "I remember lying in the bed in the emergency room.
Suddenly there was an extremely bright light, a vertical light about seven feet tall.
Although the light was intensely bright, I could look at it.
There was a lovely, warm glow to it.
It was an awesome sight, but I was not afraid.
I felt safe.
To my amazement, I heard the intense bright light speaking to me: 'Roberto, Roberto. You are going to be alright.
You will get well.
I have much work for you to do.'
Roberto writes, "Deep in my heart, I knew it was Jesus Christ speaking to me! Then it was over."
Teresa of Avila had a similar experience as have others.
But not all of us experience the same things.
After all, Jesus only took three of the disciples up the Mountain with Him.
The rest of them didn't have this experience.
But they had other experiences which confirmed for them that Jesus Christ died for them to break the power of sin and death in their lives.
And that Jesus Christ now lives forever.
And that they can know, through Jesus Christ, that God loves them and has great plans for their lives!!!
What experiences have you had with Jesus Christ...
...at church, in school, at work, in helping the needy?
Yes, the Mountaintop is an amazing place to be.
And we want to stay there.
Peter wanted to stay there.
But if we are going to follow Jesus, we must follow Jesus down the mountain and into the valley.
C.S. Lewis writes a final word through Aslan in his book: The Silver Chair, "Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly.
I will not often do so down in Narnia.
Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken.
Take great care that it does not confuse your mind."
God prepares us in our mountaintop experiences to endure the valley below.
These encounters can happen with a blinding light, but for most of us they happen in the ordinary moments of our lives.
For God is always with us.
Some have said that "the mountain was the way for God to prepare a human band of companions for the sacred journey, to offer something to hold onto when they descend into the crushing reality of the world below."
In any case, as soon as Jesus and the three disciples come down from this amazing experience they come across a crowd, and this crowd is gathered around a man and a son.
And the man kneels before Jesus, begging Him to heal his son who suffers from epilepsy...
A few verses later Jesus tells His disciples again that He "is about to be delivered over into human hands. They will kill him.
But he will be raised on the third day."
And then we are told that the disciples "were heartbroken."
On the Mountaintop, Jesus "shone like the sun."
He spoke with Moses and Elijah.
But the valley is where Jesus continued His ministry.
The valley is where Jesus was mocked, arrested and crucified.
But it was also in the valley where Jesus was raised to life!!!
For not even the evil and misery of the valley can keep the Son of God from rising from the dead!!!
And not even the evil and misery of the valley can keep those of us who follow Jesus Christ from rising from the dead, living in the Kingdom every day, and ministering to the hurting, the broken, the lost.
Not even the valley can stop us from having Mountaintop experiences with Jesus every day.
What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?
The light of Jesus shined on His disciples and God told them and us "Listen to Him."
When we do this, living in the light, we can and will shine like stars, like the Son even--as we bring light and hope to a darkened world.
Praise God.
Amen.
