Sunday's Message - Transitions

Here's the message I offered during the celebration services in the Presbyterian Church of Hopedale, Ohio on Sunday, February 14, 2020.

Mark 9:2-9

Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. And his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them. Then Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But Peter and the others were terribly frightened, and he did not know what he was talking about.

The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to what he says!” At once the disciples looked around, but they saw only Jesus.

As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son of Man had been raised from death.

Transitions

Now, as everyone here this morning knows, last week Kansas City played Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. Of course, it really wasn’t much of a game. Although I kind of thought the Bucs would win, I had no idea it would be so loop-sided. And as I mentioned last week, this was my 55th Super Bowl. As a matter of fact, when I saw the Packers play the Chiefs in 1967, it wasn’t even called the “Super Bowl.” It had a much catchier title: The AFL-NFL World Championship Game. Just sort of rolls off the tongue. It was played in The Coliseum in Los Angeles, and it was broadcast on both CBS and NBC. And by-the-way, the Chiefs lost that one too.

But I’ll tell you, for me, as a ten-year-old boy, it was more than just a game. It actually marked a transition between seasons. You see, before Sunday, January 15, it was socially acceptable to mess around with the football on the big easement between Elk and Eagle Avenues. But on Monday, January 16, the footballs had to be put away, because now we were in basketball season, at least that’s what we believed in South Bayview in 1967. You see, for us, the last football game marked the unofficial movement from one season to the next.

Of course, that’s just one example of a transition. I’m sure we could all come up with a whole lot more. And some of them are big, like high school graduation or getting your driver’s license or moving into your first dorm room, while others are so small and personal that they’re meaningful to only us. And sometimes there are transitions within transitions. For example, at every wedding service I officiate, right before the bride and groom make their vows to one another, I always have them to do the exact same thing. I ask them to look into one another’s eyes as deeply as they can and to remember this moment in time. Because after they say their vows, everything changes. No longer will they look at the future in terms of me and mine, you and yours. From that point on, it’ll be us and ours. Now that’s what I mean by a transition. 

And I’ll tell you, I mention all this, because, during this service, we’ll be talking about another transition. You see, this morning we’re looking at passage that really marks a transition in the Gospel of Mark. Let me explain. Unlike Matthew, Luke and John, Mark told us right up front the structure of his gospel. Before he said anything else, he wrote, “This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” [Mark 1:1, CEV] And from that point on, this was what Mark tried to do by, first, explaining how Jesus was the “Christ” and then second, how he was also “the Son of God.” And you know, I believed he finished up part one in chapter eight: 

Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?” “You are the [Christ]!” Peter replied. [Mark 8:29, CEV]

Now that what Mark wrote, establishing pretty clearly that Jesus was the Christ.

And I’ll tell you, as he moved into explaining how Jesus was also the Son of God, Mark began with this story that’s been called the Transfiguration, one that sort of connects the first part of the gospel with the second. In other words, in my opinion, this passage serves as a transition between who Jesus was as the Christ, the Messiah, and who he was as the Son of God. And because of that, it can not only remind us of two extremely important aspects of his ministry, but it can also help us better understand the lives we’ve been called to live as Christians. And that’s going to be our focus this morning.

For example, since I believe this story serves as a transition within the Gospel of Mark, the Transfiguration can remind us of Jesus’s power, in other words, those characteristics that the Evangelist associated with the title “Christ” and the theme of the first half of his gospel. And I’ll tell you, if you’re not able to see what I’m talking about in the passage we just read, well, I’m sorry; I don’t think you’re really looking. I mean, just listen to what Mark wrote:

Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. And his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them. Then Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But Peter and the others were terribly frightened, and he did not know what he was talking about. [Mark 9:2-6, CEV]

Now I don’t know about y’all, but this is pretty spectacular, at least it is in my book.

But I’ll tell you, for as impressive as it is, it’s really not all that different from some of the stuff Mark has already written about Jesus. Now, we’ve been talking about some of this over the last few weeks, and so I don’t think I need to go over it in great detail. Let’s just say that, as Mark was establishing Jesus as the Christ, he told us all kinds of stories about Jesus’s authority over both the physical and the spiritual worlds. My gosh, we’re talking about a guy who healed the sick and stilled a storm, who walked on the water and fed a total of 9,000 men in two separate miracles with just a few rolls and fish. And when he wasn’t doing that, he was forcing out demons and even forgiving sins. Man, even his words had power. And so whether he was dealing with what can be seen or what is unseen, Jesus had power, something that Mark reinforced when he described how Jesus was transformed on that mountain top. 

And you know, I think that’s something we need to remember as we go about our daily living, that we follow after and trust in the one who demonstrated great power and authority. I mean, as we’ve talked about before, from time-to-time, we all face problems and pain. And it doesn’t matter whether they’re the result of something we’ve done or something that was done to us, those issues can cause us to be frustrated and angry as well as disappointed and sad. Let’s just say that “stuff happens.” And when it does, I think it’s important that we remember the one who was up there on the mountain, wearing clothes that were bleached white, talking with Moses and Elijah and hearing the voice of God. You see, we need to remember the one who had and has power over everything that’s physical as well as everything that’s spiritual, and this is the reason. When we need a little shot of confidence and hope, we need to remember Jesus, the Christ, the one we find in the first section of the Transfiguration. 

But since I believe this passage moves us from part one of the gospel to part two, that’s not the only one we find here. You see, since this story serves as a transition, the Transfiguration can also remind us of Jesus’s willingness to sacrifice himself to the point of death, something that Mark associated with the title “Son of God,” the focus of the rest of his gospel. And like I said, I think the Evangelist moved us in that direction by what he said right here. He wrote:

The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to what he says!” At once the disciples looked around, but they saw only Jesus.

As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son of Man had been raised from death. [Mark 9:7-9, CEV]

Now that’s what Mark wrote, and just think about what it meant. After the transformation and the meeting and the cloud, what happened? I mean, when the cloud lifted, whom did the disciples see? “They saw only Jesus.” Not the one in the white suit talking with two of the greatest figures in Jewish history, but only Jesus all by himself. And then, when they were going down the mountain, do you remember what Jesus said? Man, it was the same thing he’d been saying to the demons. He told Peter, James and John not to say a word about what they’d seen until he’d done what he knew he had to do, namely to die on a cross. In other words, they shouldn’t talk about the power until after he’d accomplished what he had to do as the Son of God and that was to sacrifice himself. And you know, given all the miraculous stuff those three guys had seen to this point, I think even God knew this new message was going to be hard to take, and that’s why, after identifying Jesus as his beloved Son, God told them to “listen to what he says.” 

And I’ll tell you, from this point on, what Jesus said and did, frankly, it’s going to make some of the folks who just loved the free Fillet-o-fish sandwiches uncomfortable. For example, later in this same chapter, this is going to happen:

Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it, because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life. The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask. [Mark 9:30-32, CEV]

And when they start arguing about which one is the greatest, “...after Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, ‘If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!’” [Mark 9:35, CEV] And a little later, 

...Jesus called the disciples together and said:

You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. And if you want to be first, you must be everyone’s slave. The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people. [Mark 10:42-45, CEV]

And of course, given all this, it’s really not surprising that the second part of Mark’s gospel will end with this:

About noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until around three o’clock. Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”

Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He is calling for Elijah.” One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, “Let’s wait and see if Elijah will come and take him down!” Jesus shouted and then died.

At once the curtain in the temple tore in two from top to bottom.

A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!” [Mark 15:33-39, CEV]

You see, the story of the Transfiguration moves us from Jesus, the Christ, the one who exercised great power, to Jesus, the Son of God, the one who both taught and demonstrated genuine sacrifice.

And I’ll tell you, that’s something we need to remember too, and this is why. I think it offers us a lot of clarity as we go about living our Christian lives. I mean, even though I don’t believe there’s a person here who wouldn’t like Jesus to heal all our sicknesses and to provide all our food and to pay all our bills, this just isn’t what Jesus said his disciples should expect. As a matter of fact, instead of being first, Jesus taught that we should choose to be last. And instead of fighting to win, we should be willing to serve. And instead of wanting everything for ourselves, we should be willing to give all that we have for others. Now, I don’t want to suggest that if we don’t do this, we’re damned. Still, I think we need to be clear about what following Jesus means. You see, it’s about a willingness to sacrifice. As a matter of fact, following the Son of God may very well lead to a cross. And that, my friends, is not something that’s easy for any of us to hear much less to do. But here’s some good news, on the other side of the cross is an empty tomb, something that’s in our future because it was in his. You see, when we need some clarity as we do the best we can with want we’ve got, we need to remember that Jesus is the Son of God, the one we find in the second part of the Transfiguration. 

Now, I recognize that life is full of transitions. And that’s probably a good thing. I mean, I think it’s a lot easier, you know, less abrupt, to have something to move us from one phase to another. And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s exactly what the Transfiguration did in the Gospel of Mark; it moves us from the power shown by Jesus, the Christ, to the sacrifice made by Jesus, the Son of God. And I’ll tell you, if we remember both, it just might offer us some confidence and some clarity as we live as followers of Jesus. And who knows, as it relates to faith and focus, just knowing that might also serve as a transition for us.