The Mystery of Discipleship: God Transforms & Redeems. February 15, Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9

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1 Build disciples. Grow in faith. Share Christ with all. February 15, Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9 The Mystery of Discipleship: God Transforms & Redeems Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!1

2 He was transformed in front of them, and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white. Mark 9:2-3 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are on the road to destruction. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don t have faith so they couldn t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ s glory. Christ is the image of God. 5 We don t preach about ourselves. Instead, we preach about Jesus Christ as Lord, and we describe ourselves as your slaves for Jesus sake. 6 God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Mark 9:2-9 Jesus transformed 2 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain where they were alone. He was transformed in front of them, 3 and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white. 4 Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, Rabbi, it s good that we re here. Let s make three shrines one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. 6 He said this because he didn t know how to respond, for the three of them were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him! 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Human One [a] had risen from the dead. Footnotes: [a] Mark 9:9 Or Son of Man 2011 Common English Bible Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!2

3 Text Notes & Comments Essay on the Transfiguration by Karoline Lewis post=3527 The last week of January, Luther Seminary hosted its annual Midwinter Convocation -- a popular event for many, but especially alums. For the first time this year there was an opportunity to have breakfast with the faculty. At my table, one attendee had not missed a Convo in 48 years! This year s topic was Religious but not spiritual. Why am I telling you all of this? Because in reflecting on how to preach the meaning of the Transfiguration, I was struck by the fact that at the heart of the whole conversation around religious but not spiritual, spiritual but not religious, is the desire to experience transfiguration here and now, regardless of the terminology we choose to use. In the end, we want a sense of the transcendent, the numinous, the holy, something outside of ourselves that is the cause for awe and wonder. Whether spiritual or religious, either way, there is a need to know transfiguration in our lives. That s what Peter wants, right? I am not so sure that he wants to keep Jesus and his friends in tents forever. Peter wants to encapsulate the experience. He wants to capture the feeling. Transfiguration matters, it seems. It s not just a convenient event to mark the Sunday that bridges Epiphany and Lent. It s not just a bizarre story that might cause some Christian embarrassment. We need transfiguration. What if we take Jesus out of the picture? Then we realize that this story is not just Jesus revelation of his glory but the fact that what we wish for is our own sense of glory. Not in a narcissistic, look at me, kind of way. But a recognition of the deep human need for transformation, change, conversion, makeover, alteration, metamorphosis. We need transfiguration as much as Jesus needed to be transfigured. Liturgically, biblically, christologically, the transfiguration is a turning point, a transition from one way of seeing Jesus to another. It s not just about securing the Jesus of the future or holding on to the Jesus of the past but points to the real human struggle with change, with transformation. Transformation is hard. Change is hard. Traversing from one place to another, from one way of being to another? It s easier to stay the same. Stay the course. Convince yourself that No tent in the world is going to give you the security you think you want or need. Because when we shore up the shelters that protect us from harm we also run the risk of keeping out that which is so very, very good. Karoline Lewis Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!3

4 what you ve always known is satisfactory and sufficient even when you have glimpsed what could be. So we just sit. We wait. For what? The right time? The right place? All of our questions answered? Everything figured out? All of our proverbial ducks in a row? This is why the transfiguration rocks. It just shows up. There is no right time. It just happens. Now what? No amount of planning can predict the right kind of change. No amount of preparation can prepare you for an altered reality or an altered perspective. No amount of strategizing can make you ready for a transfiguration to be truly a transfiguration. I think that Peter s issue is not so much about holding Jesus to his expectations. Nor is it capturing the moment. I think Peter s issue is the realization that if Jesus changes, then Peter will be changed as well. I cannot be the same. I will also be transfigured, transformed. And maybe I don t want that. So, let s pitch some tents, keep things the way they are, hunker down, and ride it out. Maybe the whole thing will just pass by. I can come out of my tent and all will still be the same. Jesus will be the same. I will still be the same. So that s why the Transfiguration. Jesus gets this. What will it be that gets you to move, to come out of your tent, or maybe even not to want pitch one in the first place? Rather than blame Peter for his myopia, maybe we admit our own. I am guessing that not much about human nature has changed in the two thousand years since Jesus earthly ministry. Transfiguration means exposure. I mean, look at Jesus. You can t miss him. Vulnerability is less than comfortable but it seems absolutely essential for life and thus for a life of faith. At least Jesus seems to think so. When we exchange vulnerability for certainty all we do is live the lie that authenticity does not matter. That the truth of who we are can be absconded by our denominational structures, doctrinal commitments, and dogmatic insistences, that is, our tents that we secure, pounding stake by stake into the ground. Tents are not just about shelter. They repel the forces of nature. They keep out that which might harm. They keep as much in as they keep out. And Transfiguration will rip our tents into shreds. Transfiguration means change. We think we welcome change, but when it actually happens, we adopt stances of resistance and rejection. Or convince ourselves that the change can wait. That it really isn t necessary. That the time is not right. That the problems that will ensue are not worth the result of living into who we really are. Transfiguration means a new way of seeing the world. And replacing the lenses of our lives is a lot more complicated than picking out new fashionable frames. Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!4

5 Because at the heart of the matter is that transfiguration not only signals change, but alters life s direction. It certainly did for Jesus. And when that happens, well, no tent in the world is going to give you the security you think you want or need. Because when we shore up the shelters that protect us from harm we also run the risk of keeping out that which is so very, very good. Commentary on the 2 Corinthians & Mark passages by Beth Quick 2 Corinthians 4:3-6: "veiled" - I'm not sure why verses 1 and 2 are left out of this passage - reading them helps Paul's argument make sense. Paul is talking about the truth and openness of the gospel and of his ministry in sharing the gospel. If the gospel appears still veiled, Paul argues, it is not because of the gospel itself, but because of unbelief or "the god of this world" "god of this world" What do you think Paul means by this? What are the gods of our world that we try to substitute in place of the Real Thing? "we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ" So simple. And yet, a real problem. So often, we let ourselves get in the way of the message of the gospel. We forget our place as messengers and think we are the message. Mark 9:2-9: Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain where the three disciples witness Jesus' 'transfiguration' - Moses and Elijah appear and Jesus is changed, dazzling and dressed in white. Transfiguration Sunday is generally under celebrated and underappreciated, I think, but there are lots of ways we can relate to this story. "tell no one" Why do you think Jesus wanted to keep the transfiguration hush-hush for all but these three? Perhaps he knew it wouldn't make as much sense to them until later? What do you think? What would cause you to keep a really awesome experience of God quiet? When and why would you tell or would you not tell what you saw? Maybe Jesus wanted people to believe in him/follow him not because of fantastical events like this, but because of a desire for a deeper relationship with God based on a real, personal experience. But look for this "messianic secret" as a repeating theme in Mark. "he did not know what to say, for they were terrified" The disciples' response to what they see is fear, causing Peter to say anything. Has an experience of God and who God is ever caused a response of fear in you? We often fear what our relationship with God might require of us. Seeing God and God's glory face to face in such an undeniable way would leave us with an undeniable responsibility to act, wouldn't it? Commentary on the Mark passage by Kathryn Matthews (Huey) worship_samuel_february_15_2015 Mountaintop experiences are part of the life of faith. There are times when we feel lifted up, taken up to a place a little closer to God and God's glory. There are times when we feel we are hearing God speaking to us, telling us things, giving us direction, comfort, joy. Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!5

6 These times, alas, do not come often, no matter how much we long for them. We live our lives mostly down here on the ground, unaware of the wondrous, transformative power of God at work in the world, especially in the life of the church. In approaching this text, Stephen L. Cook draws on Annie Dillard's wonderful reflection in Teaching a Stone to Talk, the familiar passage about "wearing crash helmets" to church instead of ladylike hats, but he also quotes her description of us as "cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute" (New Proclamation Year B 2009). There's a disconcerting thought for beginning our reflection! Perhaps it's reassuring, then, to read that, for Peter, James, and John, the Transfiguration is a moment of drama and clarity that, despite its stunning power, eludes them. "He did not know what to say," the text says about Peter. Peter, who has seen demons expelled, the paralyzed walking, the blind restored to sight! He may not know what to say, but at least he wants to do something in response to what he's just experienced. Beverly Gaventa thinks that Peter's suggestion, "however well intentioned, reduces the event to a photo opportunity" (Texts for Preaching Year B). However, Craig Evans suggests that Peter sees in this experience the beginning of "the last day," and believes that the same things that had happened during the exodus were about to happen again. "To commemorate the exodus Jews celebrated the Feast of Booths by living in small booths or huts for seven days," Evans writes (The Lectionary Commentary: The Gospels). Stephen Cook follows this line of thought, too: Elijah's appearance, he writes, must have meant that "God's ultimate, open restoration of all things must be at hand." Now, Peter assumes, "God's reign is a done deal; God's glory has broken through for good. The glory would now pitch its tent on earth." But this is a "political breakthrough" that will require organization, leadership, and, conveniently, Peter himself in a position of power (New Proclamation Year B 2009). There's work to be done, and Peter's mind is on glory, not on suffering and loss. So Jesus tells Peter, James, and John to keep quiet about what's happened, until they get the whole story, the big picture that includes suffering, death, and resurrection. Just as we understand that the religious authorities have a basis for their sense of duty about protecting the Law and the religious customs of their people, so we also understand that Peter and the others have high expectations for the Messiah, and suffering and death aren't on the list. Mountaintop experiences may be on the list, but not the kind on a cross on a hill. They want to see booths raised, not a cross. Things aren't fitting together for them: the expectations, the glimpses they're getting of the reign of God, and this talk of Jesus about suffering and death and, most perplexingly, his resurrection. They can't get their minds wrapped around it all. While this text comes right in the middle of Mark's Gospel, it reminds us of the passage back at the beginning, in Chapter 1, when Jesus was baptized. In Mark's Gospel, these disciples weren't around for Jesus' baptism, when God spoke not to the crowd but to Jesus, privately, about his identity. These stories bracket the season of Epiphany: we read that baptismal story at the beginning of the Epiphany season; today, at the end of that season, we read this, Mark's second revealing story about Jesus' unique identity. While this time the disciples are around for the revelation, by sight and sound, Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!6

7 they still can't put it all together. They do not know what to say. They long for glory, they think it's within their grasp, and yet Jesus tells them to be quiet. The word "glory" is often used in sports and military settings. The movie, Glory Road, tells us that championships lie at the end of a long sports journey, bringing "glory" that lasts just a little while, until a new season begins. (For some of us, the sports journey toward a championship is so long that we may not find this comparison helpful.) Some years ago, an excellent movie called, simply, Glory, told the story of African American soldiers during the Civil War. In both sports and war, glory is hardwon, after suffering and self-sacrifice and extraordinary effort. It is earned. And it is elusive. However, in the life of faith, glory belongs to God, and it is something that, paradoxically, we "give" to God (as so many people did, in the Gospels, when they were healed). It's easy to understand why the disciples, faithful Jews, chafed at the suffering of their people under Rome (only the latest empire in a long list of them) and yearned to taste glory again. But this week's text is a command both to see and to hear, to listen to Jesus and to accept the path to the cross. Beverly Gaventa suggests that the disciples are just like us when they want to have the glory that they can see without the message that they must hear ; however, this is a theme in Mark s Gospel as he lifts up both aspects of Jesus' identity, relentlessly recalling that the suffering will yield to triumph, but that the triumph cannot be had without the price of the cross" (Texts for Preaching Year B). No matter how often the disciples, including these three in the inner circle, failed to grasp what Jesus was saying, he never gave up on them. That's good news for us as well, Deborah Krause writes, and for the church, in spite of its hard-heartedness and faithlessness, because God calls us to ministry so that we can be with Jesus in his glory (New Proclamation Year B 2006). Engaged in seeking the healing of the world rather than our own glory, we'll come to understand, at least a little better, who Jesus is. Rodney Hunter puts it this way: "Jesus' mission We seek out those in bondage to demons, and make it our life s work to help cast them out. Jesus showed us that stopping and paying attention to their needs doesn t dilute the message of the gospel. It is the message of the gospel. Melissa Bane Sevier was not to make a big deal of himself or to elevate his followers to positions of power, authority, and prestige through identification with him. It was rather to point through and beyond himself to God and to God's coming reign on earth, and to invite his followers to find their voice in bearing witness to this transforming, redemptive God" (Feasting on the Word Year B, Vol. 1). Those are lovely words, but how do they translate for the life of faith in a 21st-century, post-modern (or whatever comes after post-modern) world? If those outside the church read this mission statement, how faithful to it do you think they would find us? This text, which manifests Jesus' identity so dramatically, brings the season of Epiphany to a fitting close before we begin the journey of Lent. During this Epiphany season, how has your congregation come to deeper understanding of who Jesus is, and then, a deeper understanding of who you are, as a people of faith? What are moments of insight, when you both saw God's glory and heard God still speaking to you, calling you to the path of discipleship? What are glimpses you have had of a light too bright for any of us to see, that drew a response from you, a desire to do something, as Peter had, to mark this event? Is that something our churches do, like Peter mark the event, look backward, instead of forward, see only partial truths instead of the big picture? Is it possible that our building projects may distract us from more important things? Do we walk right by the brightest lights and sweetest sounds and miss the most important moments of our journey in faith, because we Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!7

8 were paying attention to something else? If God spoke to Jesus directly at his baptism and to the disciples at the Transfiguration, proclaiming him the Son of God, in what ways are we more like the Roman centurion who saw Jesus on the cross and exclaimed, "Surely this man was the Son of God"? What do we need to see, and what do we need to hear, in order to understand, and to follow? Commentary on the 2 Corinthians passage by Carla Works commentary_id=2349 The transfiguration of Christ entails seeing Jesus as nothing short of God s glory. For Paul, to see Christ in this manner is to see God s good news for the whole world. Seeing is believing. Unfortunately, not all are able to see this good news. The veiling of God s good news Our reading this week begins with a stinging acknowledgement that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. The dichotomy between those who are being saved and those who are perishing echoes Paul s previous correspondence to the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, the apostle writes, For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. There, the dichotomy served to remind the church that those who are being saved are called to act not by the world s wisdom, but according to the cross. The argument in 2 Corinthians recalls this earlier letter. According to 2 Corinthians 2:15, the apostle bears witness to Christ both among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Plus, there is a reminder of the transparency and sincerity of his intentions to preach God s good news (2 Corinthians 1:12; 4:1-2; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul claims that he is not the one veiling God s message, but the god of this age has blinded unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6). It is certainly not uncommon for Paul to refer to this age (e.g., 1 Corinthians 2:6; Galatians 1:4) or to other powers (see e.g. 1 Corinthians 8:5; 10:20-21). In Romans 8:31-39, Paul expresses the good news that nothing -- neither anti-god powers nor the sufferings of this world -- will ultimately separate us from God s love. This good news, however, is veiled to those who are perishing. The concepts of death and veiling build on the previous argument in 2 Corinthians 3. Paul has referred to the giving of the law as a ministry of death (2 Corinthians 3:7) and a ministry of condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9). Paul s view of the law in 2 Corinthians 3 fits nicely with what the apostle has argued elsewhere. According to Galatians 3:21, the problem with the law is that it cannot provide life. The law serves to point out sin, not to vanquish it (Galatians 3:19; Romans 7:7-12). The law demonstrates the pervasive power of sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The holy and just law serves as a tutor (Galatians 3:24), but it was never intended to provide victory over death. Thus, Paul can say in 2 Corinthians 3:6 that the letter kills. Although the ministry of death or condemnation stands in contrast to a ministry that brings life (2 Corinthians 3:6), both the law and Christ are linked to God s glory. Paul does not denigrate the law, but acknowledges its limitations. Those limitations continue to exist even in the reading of the law, since a veil covers the mind of the hearer (3:14). Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!8

9 In Christ, the veil is set aside (2 Corinthians 3:14). Christ embodies God s glory. In Christ, Paul has seen the abundant life that God wants for all creation. Paul likens the glory of Christ to the very image of God (4:3). This revelation has changed how Paul has viewed even the holy and just and good law (see Romans 7:12). For Paul s argument to make sense, one must imagine the argument backwards. With Christ, Paul sees God s glory as he has never seen it before. It is as though the law turned on a flashlight in the darkness, but Christ has shone daylight. After seeing the world with the light of the sun, the limitations of the flashlight, though a wonderful tool, are obvious. The law -- though a gift of God -- could only provide fleeting light of glory. If the law, with all its limitations, brought glory that was fleeting, how much more glory will abound by seeing Christ (2 Corinthians 3:9-11)! While the law produced glory that fades, seeing Christ results in glory that grows as the witnesses are being transformed into Christ s likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). Servants for Christ s sake For Paul, the revelation of God s image through Jesus has changed everything. The revelation of God s glory in Christ is the basis of Paul s confession of Jesus Lordship (2 Corinthians 4:5). That revelation also is the driving force behind Paul s entire ministry. In Jesus, Paul sees that God is indeed making all creation new. Jesus embodies God s desire of life abundant for all. God has not abandoned God s creation to the god of this age. This is good news indeed. Paul s life has been transformed by this news. In 2 Corinthians 4:5, Paul declares that he and his co-workers are servants for Jesus sake. As a servant, Paul will endure hardships -- flogging, imprisonment, mobbed, overworked, sleepless, and starving (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). Paul s willingness to suffer for the sake of spreading the gospel stems from his conviction that Christ s love is for all (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Let the light shine If Christ is the transformative light of the world, then why isn t the whole world transformed by God s glory? The bad news is that the god of this age has not given up. Rather, this false god is actively hindering the Lord s light from shining in a dark world. Paul himself has faced many obstacles in trying to share this light. Indeed, Paul s exhortation to the church demonstrates that sometimes those who are being saved also fail to bear witness to that light. Questions & Thoughts In what ways do we veil the face of Christ in us? After everything they had already seen, why should this event as Mark describes it leave Peter and the others speechless? What does the revealing of God in Christ mean for the world? What does it mean for you? How is your understanding conveyed in your living? What does Jesus being in your life reveal about your life? When we removed a bride s veil what is that supposed to reveal? What would people find if our veils were removed? What do you think really happened on that mountain? What do you think the disciples saw? How would you describe it? Morning & Evening Brood: February 15, 2015!9