"Petrified or Peterfied"

Rev. S. D. Spencer

Mark 9:2-9

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, "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." 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

 

Our Text starts with these words: "After six days." It's amazing how often we skip over those three little words when reading this pericope, "After six days!" We want to get straight to the Transfiguration; after all today is Transfiguration Sunday. But something important happened 6 days before our reading, something so important that it impacts the understanding of our reading. What is the important thing that the writer of the Gospel wanted us to recall?

It's not hard to find. For it is written just verses before our text today. Hear the Words of St. Mark's Gospel chapter 8 verses 27-30

"Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. In St. Matthews account Jesus says: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."

It is God who revealed this confession of faith to St. Peter just like He does to you and to me. And upon this confession he builds His church.

Thou art the Christ. Jesus is the Messiah! This was the One for whom all of Israel had been waiting. In the hearts and minds of the disciples they must have been secretly hoping for such, dreaming that He was the One, but now it is fully known. No more guessing. No more secretly talking about it, it is He!  Most Israelites at Jesus times were Zealots. I'm not talking about fanatics that wanted to create war, but rather the belief that the Messiah would come as a conquering King. That's must have been why they were walking toward Jerusalem. So Jesus could take up the power, the throne. For the disciples the news of Jesus as the Christ meant that soon Israel would be a free nation. They would be the dominating power of the world. Paradise would be restored, Jesus would sit on the throne of David ruling the world and Israel would be the ruling nation. The land of milk and honey, the Garden of Eden restored, that's what having the Messiah meant to them. No more bondage.  But this is only part of what happened those 6 days before.

Jesus began to explain to His disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be killed so that on the third day he could rise. Do you remember how Peter responded? He said, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." Jesus retorted with great severity, “Get behind me, Satan!" "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus had just taken all the dreams these men had, all the man made understandings of what the Messiah was to be, and threw them away. I imagine the disciples couldn’t believe what Jesus was saying. It appeared like the Lord had just given up rather than fighting His fate. To the disciples it must have felt like they just had the wind knocked out of them. It was like their best friend had told them that He was dying of an inoperable cancer and only had six months to live. And when they had tried to convince Him otherwise he pushed them away. This is the way we humans think; we want to remain in control of everything.

The account of the Transfiguration begins with that phrase, "Six days later or after 6 days." the disciples had 6 days to reflect on the exchange about the necessity for Jesus to die. For six days it soaked into their souls. For six days they secretly grieved for the inconceivable death of their Savior. What would they do without Jesus? For six days they walked in a daze between denial and acceptance of the most unacceptable news they had ever heard. But did they accept the news? Did they accept the reality of Jesus dying? Were they willing to let Him go to Jerusalem to His death? Or did they still want it their way?

After the sixth day, Jesus took Peter, James and John, a representative group, up the mountain. And suddenly the glory of God was revealed to them in Christ. Christ clothes and his face shined like the sun. Heavenly light shown from Him, and that wasn't all. Moses and Elijah appeared. The two greatest Prophets of God right there with Jesus.

In verse 5 Peter said to Jesus, "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." If you somehow knew you were going to die in Seattle, Washington, you might begin trying to avoid Seattle, Washington. If Jesus said He was going to die in Jerusalem, doesn't it make sense that by keeping Him from going to Jerusalem, you keep Him from dying?  Peter wants to build a place to stay. High up on that mountain, Peter wants to stay in that place. There, Jesus would always be with them, it would be as it always was. Fear of the future, fear of uncertainty, fear or confusion causes us to become petrified. It causes to stop and dig in and to not take action. It causes us to become petrified, hardened to what needs to happen for the Gospel to be spread. Peter choose to stop and to remain high and safe on that mountain.  But for whose benefit? Original sin is like that. It causes us to quit looking out and to only look in. St. Augustine and Martin Luther called original sin, incurvatus in se, to be curved in on one's self.

Isn't that the way we face things too? Uncertain or confused minds always say no.  When there is uncertainty and challenges, when things aren't going the way we expect, we become frightened of the future, we stop and start to dig in, we become petrified or maybe, if we're lucky, Peterfied.  You see the Lord wasn't going to let Peter stop and dig in; He has a lot more in store for him. He doesn't want us to stop and dig in and become petrified either.

Evidently Peter wasn't the only one having trouble listening to Jesus and moving forward. So God speaks directly to them and to you and to me.  Verse 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them and a voice came from heaven and said, "This is my Beloved Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased; listen to him."

Isn't it interesting that the God the Father chose a mountain for His first sermon to man. On Mt. Sinai God preached the law, the 10 Commandments. God gives the Law, which no man can obey. The Law calls our sin into judgment and shows us our shortcomings. But on this mountain, God the Father chooses to preach the Gospel. He preaches His love for His Son.  The sermon is short and simple. Listen to Him! 

Jesus had been trying to get the disciples to listen, to understand that He must go to Jerusalem, must suffer many things, must be killed, so that He could rise from the dead on the third day. By the way, that word listen in the Greek literally means to understand, to recover one's hearing or to hear as in a court trial. It's the Greek word used to denote catechesis, it's listening in a way that changes lives. Not just passively hearing but hearing words that cause change. Not digging in, not becoming petrified. But being stirred and moved like Peter becoming Peterfied.

Sometimes we choose to sit and stew in our disappointment, we choose to become petrified.  We can grieve over a loss that we can't seem to accept. We can keep poking the sore spot to see if it is any better. And we can doubt. For six long days, or months, or years, or decades, we can sit petrified in the darkness of a cloud that overshadows us. Our spiritual vision may never go beyond our hurts and doubts. But God has called us His very own. Jesus paid the price on another mountain, Golgotha, where He hung on a cross-made for us and for our sin.

Life is full of challenges but in the cross we find our comfort and our hope. In the cross we find our deliverance from all that would take us captive and petrify us. In the cross we find peace and forgiveness.

On this Transfiguration Sunday we remember Jesus stands transfigured, glowing with a heavenly radiance, right before our eyes. And the voice of God speaks out of the cloud, saying; "this is my beloved Son; in Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him."

Rejoice in the glory that you have seen and the promise of the glory that you will yet see. Celebrate his presence often at the Lord’s Table when communion is served. Balance it with the truth that you too have been transformed in your baptism. For you are freed from sin, washed and cleansed and robed in garments of God, transfigured in Christ. And let it prepare you for the desert places and trials ahead. Knowing that you have been granted grace, and it will enable you to face the memories of the past the trials of the present and the troubles of the future just like Peter. For we have no need to be petrified, for Christ is with us always, even unto the end of the age. In Jesus name, Amen!

 

Today marks the end of the Epiphany Season, and what an incredible end to have, the transfiguration of our Lord.  There standing transfigured was Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Also there as witnesses Peter, James and John and of course God himself. We have a full council of witnesses, the Law, the Prophets, the Apostles and God Himself.  All bearing witness to the fact that this man Jesus was indeed God’s beloved son, in whom He is well pleased. Great comfort is this news for us. For God is pleased with the one who would become the sacrifice for our sins. He that was without sin bore our sins. Because of His selflessness we have full assurance and the peace that surpasses all human understanding, and the assurance of the life yet to come. Wednesday we start our journey to cross with the Ash Wednesday Service. As we prepare our hearts for the Lenten season may we remember that Jesus is God’s beloved Son in whom he is well pleased.  May that knowledge keep your Hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting. – Amen