Listen To Him – Sermon 15 February, 2015

Listen to Him!
Mark 9:2-9:9

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Transfiguration” as “a change in form or appearance” or “an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change.” This is not something we see happen in our everyday lives. But that happened one day 2000 years ago. Though something glorious happened that day, but it’s not so much about what those three disciples saw, but what they heard, that day on the mountaintop.
Peter, James, and John, Jesus’ “inner circle” of disciples, headed up a mountain with Jesus. As far as why they’re going up, we don’t know. Jesus, and these three disciples are up on this mountain alone, and Jesus is transfigured, “his clothes became dazzling white, whither than anyone in the world could bleach them.” This is impressive and out of nowhere, Elijah and Moses appear. 650 years ago Elijah was taken up into heaven. Moses died before the Israelites ever entered the Promised Land, and that had been over 1000 years earlier. And now, Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets. This should have been confusing for the disciples, especially for Peter in light of what had happened six days earlier.
When Jesus asked the question: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter had answered “You are the Christ”. And Jesus began to teach that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priest, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. Peter didn’t want to hear any of this talk, so he pulled Jesus aside and started to rebuke Him, and Jesus replied “Get behind me, Satan, You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
On this occasion again Peter is the spokesperson who said: “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Mark adds in the comment that Peter didn’t know what to say, they were so frightened. Of course they had to be frightened. They’re getting a small glimpse of the glory of God himself, right there on that mountain. Whatever went on up there on that mountaintop that day, it’s something that Peter wanted to have last as long as possible. Maybe he thought that by his work of setting up shelters, he can persuade Moses and Elijah to stay with Jesus for a while so that he could keep this glorious activity going. Maybe Peter thought that he’d better do something to make sure this experience doesn’t end. Maybe Peter thought that this is his chance to keep Jesus from suffering and dying.
Then, a cloud appeared and enveloped the scene. The same kind of cloud that covered Mt. Sinai when Moses went up to receive the 10 commandments, the law. The same kind of cloud that led the Israelites out of Egypt. That same kind of cloud, that represented the presence of God himself, was there on that mountain. So it’s the voice of God himself who told them, “This is my Son, whom I love, Listen to him.” The voice directed them to the words Jesus had been speaking to them all along. Not the miracles, not the glory of the transfiguration, but Jesus’ word.
“Listen to him.” Strange words considering.
What are they to be listening to?
What’s Jesus talking about with Moses and Elijah up there on that mountain?
Are they talking about ways that Peter, James, and John can live their best lives now in this world?
Are they talking about how if Peter, James, and John serve Jesus well enough, then they will be blessed with material wealth, power, and prestige?
Are they talking about Jesus setting up a kingdom of worldly power and glory?
Luke’s Gospel gives us the answer when he says “They spoke about (Jesus) departure, which he was about to bring to fulfilment at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31b)
We are right back to what Jesus had been talking about with His disciples six days earlier. He talk about his upcoming departure, his suffering and death, which has to happen. The real glory isn’t in the things of the world or listening to the voice within ourselves, it’s in listening to Jesus, and His Word. Listen to Him!
Then Moses and Elijah disappeared and Jesus’ appearance was back to what it was before. No more light. No more cloud. No more voice from heaven. Just Jesus, Peter, James, and John, making their way down the mountain, and eventually to Jerusalem, where Jesus would suffer, and die, just as He had talked about on that mountain.
So, now the question is, what’s the big deal about this event?
What are we to focus on?
What did God the Father tell Peter, James, and John? “Listen to Him”. Peter didn’t get it at the time, but later on he reflected back on the Transfiguration in 2 Peter 1, where it is clear that he had understood that glorious things in this world only last a short time, but the Word, listening to Jesus’ Word, would last forever.
Just turn on any of the news channels on TV, or pick up a newspaper, and what do you see? Continuing violence in the Middle East. Missing or murdered children. Pressing economic situations, financial needs, etc. which could mean that God is distant, and doesn’t care about the world. We usually focus our attention so much on the things of this world, the things the world considers to be glorious, that we forget to listen to God the Father’s instructions on that mountaintop “Listen to Him.”
But Christ, through His Word, tells us what this event is all about. Today, we are reminded that He is the one who gives us true glory, which is forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven. He does it by doing exactly what He talked about with Moses and Elijah up on that mountain, by going to Jerusalem, suffering many things, being rejected, and despised. As Jesus is hanging up on that cross, he’s not going to look very glorious in the eyes of the world. If Peter, James, and John listened to Jesus that day, they would have realized that the sight of Jesus on the cross is the most glorious sight there would be. They would know that sight is the sight of Jesus defeating the power of sin, death, and the devil for all the world for all of time. And so, we today, continue to see the true glory of Jesus not in the things of this world, not in our own experiences, or emotions, which change so rapidly, but it is revealed to us through His Word, and as we listen to Him, we hear Jesus tell us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He is with us always, even to the end of the ages. We may not always feel it, we may not always see it with our eyes, but we know He is with us, and that He loves us, because He has told us so in His Word.
So let us remember the transfiguration, not in terms of worldly glory, but with the reminder of the voice “Listen to Him”, listen to Jesus this day tell us that we are forgiven of all of our sins. Listen to Jesus call us His own.
Jesus is the Christ, the divine Son of the living God. It means that the voice from heaven that Peter, James and John heard is also for us.
“Listen to Him!”
In these three days before the start of Lent, what is Jesus saying to us?
He does still speak. He speaks through His Scriptures and through His Spirit that is alive in every Christian. He will speak into the experiences of our lives.
“Listen to Him.”
What is Jesus saying to us?
There’s no telling what experiences of God we will receive if we listen and obey.
God is speaking. Listen to Him.

Krikor Youmshajekian