Year B, Last Sunday after the Epiphany
February 11, 2024
2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50:1-6, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9
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Listening on the Mountaintop: A Reflection on Transfiguration and Transformation
The Very Rev. Kathleen Murray, Rector
Historic Beckford Parish, Mt. Jackson & Woodstock
Year B, Last Sunday after the Epiphany
February 11, 2024
“And after six days Jesus takes Peter and James and John and privately leads them up alone to a high mountain.”[1]
That’s the first verse of today’s Gospel in A Translation: The New Testament by David Bentley Hart. It sounds much like what we heard in the lectionary gospel, but there are some subtle differences. Our lectionary texts habitually try to make things smooth and formal. In doing that, sometimes things can have substantially different meanings, so we must always be careful about “what the Bible says.” What does the Bible say exactly?
Just an example or two. Hart translates the word “apart” we heard in our reading as “privately.”[2] There are differences between those two words. Apart means separated by a distance in time or space. On the other hand, private implies belonging to or for the use of one particular person or group of people only.
So, did Jesus lead the disciples up a high mountain apart, or did he privately lead them up alone?
It’s a truly both and moment here in the text and for the disciples.
I always find the story of the Transfiguration challenging to get a handle on. It doesn’t have the moral, theological, or historical content that most of the passages that come up for sermons contain. We have this glowing Jesus, two historic prophets, and God’s voice booming from a cloud. What sense does it make?
There’s a transition phrase, “And after six days,” that our lectionary omits, which provides a clue. The Gospel of Mark almost always marks transitions with the word that means “immediately,” so this is unusual. The historical context here: six days was the amount of time Moses and Joshua spent under the cloud on the top of Mount Sinai, waiting for the tablets of the law.
But why this pause? What does it mark? If you turn back the Gospel of Mark by one page, the event immediately before this is the most severe conflict between Jesus and his disciples in the Gospels. When Jesus asked the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”[3] Peter answered that he was the Messiah. But then Jesus began to explain what that meant: suffering, rejection, being killed, and rising in three days. Peter got very upset, took him aside, and rebuked Jesus. Remember Jesus’ response: “Get behind me, Satan!”[4] This was not exactly the response that Peter had been hoping for.
Now Peter, James, and John have been invited to the mountaintop. The Transfiguration of Jesus is perhaps the definitive mountaintop experience. Peter, James, and John are left with no doubts as to Jesus’ credentials. In this account from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is filled with the radiance of the presence of God, with his “clothes becoming dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.”[5]
Then we hear of the presence of Elijah and Moses, further confirmation that Jesus is indeed the long-awaited Messiah. Finally, there is the voice of God booming through the clouds, declaring, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!”[6]
These disciples were given nothing less than a glimpse into the future on that mountain. They saw past the suffering and death of Jesus, which Jesus had predicted a few days before. God had cracked the door to the end of time for one brief shining moment, and they had seen how history would be worked out.[7]
Who could argue with the voice of God coming through a cloud?
Well, I’m sure Peter could, or he would at least try. In response to Jesus’ Transfiguration, Peter, dear Peter, wanted to preserve this moment for eternity. Isn’t that true of us – think of how much effort we spend trying to preserve our experiences. We used to have Brownie cameras, then Instamatics; now we have the ubiquitous selfies that can preserve our doings forever. And yes, many are learning exactly how hard it is to delete the digital footprint left by our current technology.
But Peter wanted to capture this event by building three houses: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Just as Mary Magdalene wanted to hold onto Jesus after his resurrection and never let him go, Peter wanted to keep this moment and preserve it forever.
But this is not how God wanted the disciples to respond. Peter, James, and John were not just invited into the mystery of the person of Jesus. They were also called to listen. The voice of God from the clouds declared, “This is my Son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased, LISTEN TO HIM!”[8]
God asked the disciples to “listen” to Jesus, not to preserve him like a digital archive. “Listen to him.” The phrase “listen to him,” in this case, carries the Old Testament connotation of “obey” as well as pay close attention to and listen. Through our own Baptismal Covenant, we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and say that we will “listen to him.” We say that we will seek and serve Christ in all persons and strive for justice and peace among all people.
We are all called to seek out the transfigured Christ in the world, and as we do so, we are called not just to wonder and delight in that presence. We are called to listen when our brothers and sisters are suffering, in need, disenfranchised, and subject to injustices.
We are called to listen not only as individuals but also as a community, as part of the body of Christ. As a community, we are called to be in relationship with and to listen alongside our sisters and brothers.
Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is a penitential time, but it is not a time to feel bad or guilty. The penitential season of Lent is about facing the truth. We are often tempted to hide from the truth because we are fearful—but Jesus shows us the truth: his Transfiguration into the Glory of God, his Resurrection, and his defeat of death.
Jesus took his disciples up that mountain so they could see—not to avoid their difficulties, but knowing that abundant life is here, that freedom is in joining him in faithfully accepting and living in the truth.
Are we ready for an invitation to the mountaintop? To be ready, we must first make ourselves available. Peter, James, and John were invited up the slope because they were already in the company of Jesus.
Listen to him. Listen to Jesus Christ in worship. Listen to him as we study scripture. Listen.
As we enter into Lent this year, let us keep this vision of the Transfiguration with us. Let us remember “to listen”. We will hear the voice of God in the voice of spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Sometimes, we will hear the voice of God in people we don’t want to hear it from. But when we make ourselves available to hear that voice, we will be ready to witness our own Transfiguration experiences. May it be so.
Before concluding, I’d like to remind everyone about the Annual Meeting immediately after today’s service. This meeting is significant for our church community as we reflect on the past year and look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead. It’s a time for all of us to come together and share our thoughts as we shape our community’s future. Your presence and input are invaluable as we discuss our collective journey, our progress, and our vision for the coming year. Let us approach this meeting with the same spirit of listening and openness that we are called to embody in our spiritual lives, ready to see how we can further transform and be transformed in the service of God and one another. Amen.
[1] David Bentley Hart, A Translation: The New Testament, Yale University Press; Translation edition (October 24, 2017), Location 1820, Kindle
[2] Ibid.
[3] Mark 8:29, New Revised Standard Version (“NRSV”)
[4] Mark 8:33, NRSV
[5] Mark 9:3, NRSV
[6] Mark 9:7, NRSV
[7] Ellen Madison, Weldona, CO, via PresbyNet, “The View from the Mountain,” 1994
[8] Cf. Mark 9:7, EMPHASIS ADDED