I
wondered about the disciples that day or any day, really. Did they wonder every day they were with
Jesus what they would see that day? Did
they wake up with excitement about who they would see heal, what he would teach
them, where they would go? Or did they
wake up with confusion, indifference, ambivalence, or even dread? In the Gospel of Mark, just prior to this,
Peter is starting to feel some dread.
Jesus is predicting his death, several times over, and Peter has had
enough of it. He doesn’t want to think
that his beloved savior will die. This
ministry they’re on must continue, it’s just getting started really. There is so much to see and do, so much fun to
have, so many people to help, so much to learn.
How can Jesus talk of dying?
That’s not what saviors do! They
save people. So Peter tells Jesus this
can’t be and Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan.” So I think when Peter wakes up on this
particular morning of the Transfiguration, I don’t think he is feeling
particularly good about his relationship with Jesus or what he will see and
hear. Maybe he’s pouting. Maybe his feelings are hurt. Yet somehow, he gets up and tries again,
faithfully following, he doesn’t know where.
Elisha
wakes up that morning. He’s been coming
to a realization that his mentor Elijah won’t be with him much longer. I know, isn’t it frustrating that they almost
have the same name! It’s further proof
of how connected they are. Elisha is
concerned that his mentor will soon be leaving him. So when Elijah says he’s going off somewhere
else, Elisha refuses to leave his side.
It’s like a new kid getting dropped off at daycare. He knows something’s up. He’s not letting his parents out of his
sight. For Elisha, even though he knows
it will be hard to be there at the last with his mentor, still he decides to do
what is hard, and remain in the presence of what terrifies him. When Elisha wakes up that morning, it is with
tears in his eyes. What will his eyes
see that day? Will Elijah suffer and
die? Will he try to sneak off? What will their parting words be? Will it be that day or the next or the next
after that? Elisha is heartbroken. What will he see in the coming days? Will he be alone? How will he go on? How will his ministry be different without
his friend? It’s a tough day. But Elisha is determined to stay with
it. These last moments are going to be
etched in his memory. How many days did
he take for granted? How many days did
he forget to pay attention to God’s work going on? How many days did he fail to appreciate? Now he’s at the last and he wants to stretch
out this time and make it last. He
follows his mentor into towns where prophets tell him what he already knows,
this is the last day. Elijah tries to
send him off again, and Elisha refuses.
Elijah hits the water with his cloak and the two pass through on dry
land, like the Israelites. They are
headed into uncharted territory, like the Israelites when they left Egypt. Now, Elijah asks what he can give Elisha to
comfort him--a parting gift. Elisha
said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He doesn’t want a cloak or a staff or a
book. There isn’t anything material that
will help him. He wants not just his
spirit, but a double share of it. It is
going to take a lot of spirit to get him through, to help him go on, to carry
on this ministry.
What does it mean to have a double
share of someone’s spirit? Spirit and
breath are often the same word in Hebrew.
To breathe with the breath of someone else—its very poetic. I want to breathe what you breathe, I want
what gives you life to give me life. The
spirit is also creative—if you remember the breath/spirit of God moved over the
waters and gave life to all things, brought order out of chaos. I’m sure Elisha wants to have Elijah’s
creativity and hope, to find creative solutions, to have visions of this world
that are God’s visions—where there is healing, good food, neighbors and foreigners
included, clean water, a path through the troubled waters. He’d love to have double the clarity, double
the gumption, double the Spirit of Elijah.
As far as wishes go, this is a pretty good one. Elisha’s been thinking about this for some
time.
Elisha is then certainly surprised
by what he sees. Elijah says if he sees
him ascend, then he’s got his desire—that double share of his spirit. Elisha could never have guessed the sights he
would see that day: A whirlwind, a
chariot, horses made of fire. It is a
vision that takes his breath away. Yet
it is a vision that will breathe life into his ministry going forward. He has the example of his mentor. He has a double share of his spirit. And I’m guessing that every day since then,
when he woke up, he saw that vision anew, because that kind of thing stays with
you. And I bet he didn’t take a lot of
days after that for granted. I bet he
wondered what his eyes would see that day, when he rose each morning. This vision stretched his expectations. It opened his eyes to realities that are just
beyond his vision, what is really going on beneath the surface, above the
clouds, in God’s imagination, in the secret lives of those he meets.
So at this point in my sermon
writing I went running. I got about a mile
and a half from the house and something fell out of the sky. I looked up to see if I was under some trees
or what. No. Then I looked down at my hoodie to see a
snowflake melting. I looked around. At first I didn’t see anything. Then 2 little snowflakes whirled and fell
slowly to the pavement, then a few more, then even more. It wasn’t a lot, but it was fun and
beautiful. I was so excited I gave out a
“Whoop!”
Then right in front of me, I saw 2 shopping carts full of
people’s belongings. Someone could die
tonight of exposure. I couldn’t really
pray for snow until/unless I got to work making sure that everyone has a safe,
warm place to be.
This was pretty much what happened to Peter. He saw Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the
mountaintop and Jesus glowing and he let out a “Whoop!” He was so excited! He was ready to set up tents, make everyone
comfortable, go sledding, have some cocoa.
And the voice came out of the cloud, “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.”
If you remember in Advent, John the Baptist said, “Prepare
the way of the Lord.” Every valley shall
be lifted up and every mountain made low.
Peter had a mountaintop experience, but as long as they stayed up there,
no one else was able to see Jesus glory or experience his healing. Furthermore, Jesus had a mission. Transfiguration day is the turning point in
the Gospels. This is the beginning of
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and the cross.
Transfiguration is one of glory, joy, and hope. This vision will sustain them, go with them
on their mission to heal and liberate and bring the mountains down so that
everyone can see God’s glory shining.
Who can see God’s glory if it is obstructed by hunger or
need or the inability to climb a mountain to get a glimpse? Jesus and the Disciples must go down the
mountainside and face the needs of the community. The disciples will struggle to heal and cast
our demons. They will argue among
themselves. They will fall asleep while
he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
They will deny him when he’s arrested, abandon him. They will see him beaten, bloody,
weeping. How will they reconcile this
vision with what they see at the cross?
Will this sustain them? Will they
just be confused? Will it finally all
make sense when he appears to them cowering in the upper room? Will it make sense after Jesus ascends like
Elijah, when they take on the ministry themselves? When they receive the Holy Spirit?
We, too, see this glimpse of Jesus in his glory and we get a glimpse of the resurrection glory of God. And we see profound human suffering in our midst. We hold these two visions next to each other and we know we need to follow Jesus to the cross and remain in the presence of everything that terrifies us. We need to listen to him. His voice is there in the imprisoned, the hungry, the homeless, the foreigner, the thirsty, the shivering. He said whenever we did it to the least of these, we did it to him. When we listen to the least of these, we listen to him. It isn’t an easy story—it’s really scary and we feel helpless and we run into barriers and its frustrating. But Jesus is there with us transfiguring this whole world until we can all celebrate in God’s Kingdom the feast that has no end.
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