MARK 9:2-9

2  Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,

3  and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.

4  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5  Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

6  He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

7  Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

8  Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

9  As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

It’s been said that there are three kinds of people in the world.  There are those who make things happen.   There are those who watch things happen and those who wonder what the heck happened.  If you’re like most people you want to make things happen. Sometimes, however, no matter how hard you try you’re going to end up wondering what the heck happened.

When that happens you may feel the same way an elderly husband felt one day.  It happened when he and his wife invited another couple over for dinner.  After dinner the wives went into the kitchen. The husbands went into the living room and while they were talking the first husband said, “Did I tell you that my wife and I went to an amazing new restaurant last night. The food was excellent.  The service was great and the prices were very reasonable.”   “Really,” the second husband said.  “What was the name of the restaurant?”  The first husband shook his head and said,  “I knew you were going to ask me that.”  He thought about it for a moment and then said, “Let me see. You know that flower that husbands give their wives on Valentines Day?  You know.  It’s the one that’s red and has thorns.” “Oh,” the second husband said.  “You mean a rose?”  “Yeah.  That’s it,” the first husband said. He then turned to the kitchen and hollered, “Hey Rose, what’s the name of the restaurant that we went to last night?”

It doesn’t matter who you are.  Sometimes you’re going to wonder what the heck happened.  That’s because life, at times, can be complicated and confusing.  It happens when you get laid off or someone you trust takes advantage of you or your doctor says, “I’m sorry but I’ve got some bad news for you.” Suddenly your life gets all jumbled up and your brain begins to spin around and around with all kinds of questions.   Is this really happening?   What am I going to do now?  Should I let people know what’s going on or should I keep it to myself?  Sometimes your brain spins around and around with all kinds of questions because you feel like you’re drifting and your life is meaningless. You feel the same way a little boy felt when his grandfather asked him an important question. “Johnny,” the grandfather said. “Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?”   A frown appeared on the little boy’s face and he said, “No, grandpa.  I don’t even know yet what I want to be for Halloween.”

The next time you feel a little dazed and confused all I can say is welcome to Peter’s world.  You see Peter was feeling dazed and confused while he was standing on that mountain with Jesus.  Peter didn’t know what was going on.  He didn’t know what to think.  He didn’t know what to say.  He didn’t know what to do.   After all it isn’t every day that you see someone glowing like a human light bulb.

Mark says that Jesus brought Peter to the top of a high mountain. James and John went with them. While they were there Jesus “was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.”  Now here’s a question for you. If you saw someone glowing like that it would leave you feeling a little dazed and confused, right?

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Peter didn’t understand what was going on. What happened on that mountain is called the Transfiguration.  It was a grace filled moment that left Peter feeling dazed and confused but here’s the thing that’s really ironic.  It was also a grace filled moment though that put Peter on a path to becoming un-confused. In her poem “The Transfiguration” Madeleine L’Engle captures the essence of what happened on that mountain.   This is what she wrote,

Suddenly they saw him the way he was,

The way he really was all the time,

Although they had never seen it before,

The glory which blinds the everyday eye

And so becomes invisible.

This is how he was, radiant. Brilliant, carrying joy

Like a flaming sun in his hands.

This is the way he was – is – from the beginning,

And we cannot bear it.

So he manned himself,

Came manifest to us;

And there on the mountain

They saw him, really saw him,

Saw his light.

We all know that if we really see him we die.

But isn’t that what is required of us?

Then, perhaps, we will see each other, too.

On that mountain, for the first time, Peter saw Jesus as he really was. Peter began to realize that Jesus wasn’t just a nice guy who healed people.  Jesus wasn’t just a really smart guy who knew how to put the Pharisees in their place. Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, God’s only begotten Son. That’s what the voice from the cloud said.  “This is my Son, the beloved; listen to him!”  In fact, it wasn’t long after that grace filled moment on the mountain that Peter finally put it all together and said, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.”

The next time you’re feeling a little dazed and confused go back to the Transfiguration.  Go back to the mountain where Jesus revealed for the first time that he was the Savior who came that you might have life and have it abundantly.   By the way, that’s an important piece of the puzzle.  Jesus isn’t just the Savior who came to open the gates of everlasting life to all who believe. He’s also the Savior who came to change your life right now. He’s the Savior who can help you sort things out when you’re feeling a little dazed and confused.   He’s the Savior who can help you sort things out when you get laid off or someone you trust takes advantage of you or your doctor says, “I’m sorry but I’ve got some bad news for you.”   He’s the Savior who can help you figure things out when you feel like you’re drifting and your life is meaningless.

He can do all of that and all you have to do is one thing. What was it that the voice from the cloud said?  That’s right.  The voice said, “This is my Son, the beloved; listen to him!”  Now some people only listen to him when it’s convenient.  Some people only listen to him occasionally and some people don’t listen to him at all.  Instead of listening to him they listen to people who think they know what’s best. They listen to voices that plant seeds of fear and resentment in their heads.  Or they listen to voices that tell them that the situation is hopeless.  My friends there is only one voice that can really help you when you’re feeling dazed and confused.

When I was in Antarctica two weeks ago I learned something fascinating about icebergs.  It’s a little bit of wisdom that also applies to people.  Some icebergs are tiny while others tower high above the sea. Now one of the fascinating things about icebergs is that they don’t always move in the same direction. Sometimes the tiny ones move one way while the ones that tower high above the sea move the other way.  Why is that?  It’s because the tiny icebergs are pushed along by the winds that are blowing over the surface of the water.  The icebergs that tower high above the sea though have tons and tons of ice below the surface of the water and are pushed along by the deep ocean currents.  Now when you’re feeling dazed and confused which would you prefer?  Would you prefer to be blown along by the winds on the surface of the water?  Remember now.  Those winds come and go.  Sometimes those winds blow east and sometimes they blow west.  Sometimes they blow north and sometimes they blow south.  Sometimes they’re gentle and sometimes they’re ferocious and fierce.   Is that what you want?  Or would you rather be moved by the deep ocean currents; the strong and steady deep ocean currents?

When you’re feeling dazed and confused what you want is a current that is strong and steady and Peter will tell you that you’ll find it on that mountain. “This is my Son, the beloved; listen to him!”    Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

February 19, 2012