“To Stay or Go – That is the Question!”

Scripture: Luke 9:28-36

Jesus’ ministry had begun. In the gospel of Luke, we read that he had reintroduced himself to the people of the Galilee; he had healed a number of people –Jews and Gentiles alike; he had been preaching the good news of his coming; he had proclaimed his own suffering and death; he had begun to gather more and more followers wherever he went; and he had shown the disciples what they could do when they are sent out in ministry in his name.
His ministry and mission to the world had been set in motion, but there would still be so much more to do and so many things yet to prepare for.

Read Luke 9:28-31

Joyce Meyer writes:
Can you imagine Jesus traveling around the country with his disciples talking about how hard everything was? Can you picture him discussing how difficult going to the cross was going to be...of how he dreaded the things ahead...or how frustrating it was to live under the conditions of their daily lives: roaming the countryside with no place to call home, no roof over their heads, no bed to sleep in at night?
-- Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind, 196.

Jesus had already been doing the things that Joyce writes about, but it wasn’t the constant traveling around the countryside or the lack of a home to call his own that worried him. Even we could adjust to that. The thing that he needed additional preparation for was his Journey to the Cross.
With all due respect to Ms. Meyer, very few Christians can honestly claim that they are prepared for persecution and crucifixion. Can we prepare for ministry and mission that will take us to the far corners of the earth? Yes. For the giving up of “creature comforts” and rewarding activities that hold us back from ministry? Yes. For exchanging a life of prestige and authority and personal comfort for one of humility and faith and struggle? Yes, even that. But preparation for suffering beyond all imagination? For the betrayal and abandonment of those who are closest to us? For the lies and humiliation by those who oppose us without offering a single word in our own defense? For torture? For death? And with our last breath, to forgive the very ones who brought all of this to bear?
Very few.

And so Jesus invites his 3 closest friends to join him on a trek up the side of the mountain, where he would meet with 2 others in a glorious gathering. And while Matthew and Mark both write about the Transfiguration, only Luke writes of the purpose. Jesus and Moses and Elijah would talk about Jesus’ upcoming departure from earth. We can only surmise as to the details and depth of the conversation, but let’s consider the possibilities for just a moment.
Moses represented the Law and Elijah the prophets. The Law had always been seen as the way to salvation. The prophets had, for the most part, proclaimed that the people needed to leave their evil ways and return to the ways of God. But Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection would create a way to salvation that moved away from the law and into faith, and he would become the means for everyone’s return to Godly ways. His departure from the earth, his return to heaven, would signal the fact that all had been put in place for the salvation of those who would simply believe in him as Lord and Savior.
The Law that Moses brought to the people would, in part, be overturned, but the message of the prophets would become even more poignant and more timely for the world. God would no longer be seen as requiring sacrifice as an important part of faith – He would become the only sacrifice, once and for ever, that anyone would ever need. And when his sacrifice was complete, the “Sacrificial Lamb” would no longer need to live in flesh on earth. He could return to his Holy Home in heaven.

Read Luke 9:32-33

The 3 disciples, though, nearly miss it all! Why? Because they were sleeping! Now, with all due respect, I expect that climbing a mountain requires considerable effort, and I’m sure that they were tired! I’ve climbed hills, but never a mountain, and quite honestly, I have no overwhelming desire to ever do so! But how could the three say no – even though they didn’t have a clue as to why they needed to take this hike.
But they do wake up in time to see Jesus in his “shekinah glory” – the Presence of God - and they see his two companions, and even though they had never met them, they knew who they were immediately, without hesitation or question. Can you imagine the shock and amazement that must have settled on the disciples? The very Presence of God had come upon Jesus, and the two most revered historical figures in Jewish faith were standing before them! Do you think they might have had trouble even taking a breath, let alone thinking or speaking?
But when Peter finally finds his tongue again, he suggests that they set up 3 booths, presumably a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast was one of the three mandatory holidays for Israel, commemorating the ramshackle homes that they left behind in Egypt, and which served as a reminder of Deuteronomy 31:8-9 – “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” Not in exile, not in sin, not in destitution, not in life, and never in death.
But Jesus doesn’t need the reminder, and he won’t let the disciples fall into the old ways, either. He would be their reminder of God’s presence, and they didn’t need anything else to sustain them.

Read Luke 9:34-36

The Voice of heaven gives the men three orders – first, “This is my Son.”; second, “I have chosen”; and third, “Listen to him”. Why these words?
As God’s Son – his only Son - Jesus would be heir to all that God has and is, and as such, has the right to speak and act on behalf of the Father.
As God’s Chosen – his only Chosen – Jesus, through his great sacrifice, has been chosen to be the only way to glory for the people of earth.
And because he is the Son, and because he is the Chosen, the people of earth had better listen to him!

The glory of God had been made evident in many ways throughout history. It was in the cloud and fire that lead the people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (Exodus 13:20-22). It was in the cloud that enveloped Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:1-9). It was reflected in the face of Moses when he came back down the mountain (Exodus 34:29-35). And this glory, the same glory that descended on Jesus, is given to us, too. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18) Moses’ face would have to be veiled, but our faces must remain unveiled, so that others can see the glory of God that is reflected from us.
With unveiled faces, we not only reflect the glory of God, but we are also being transformed into his likeness. Now you may be thinking that we were already made in God’s likeness at the creation – why should we have to be remade? The point here is, I believe, that in our sinful condition, we have separated ourselves from God and his image. It has left us, and because we are still sinful, there is nothing that we can do to get it back. It is only in Christ Jesus that the image of God can return to us, and it is no longer an image, a reflection, a radiance that must be kept hidden. It is one that transforms us and renews us, and it is meant to be seen by all who we meet.

Peter wanted to build three shelters on the mountain. The tradition of the festival of Booths was that the people would eat and sleep in them for a week. He didn’t want to go back down to the world – at least, not yet. He wanted to bask in the glory of the day for just a little while longer. But Jesus wasn’t about to let him do that. Ministry wasn’t finished, and there was still much to do before his departure could occur. Neither he nor Peter, nor any of the other followers, had the luxury of spending any significant time away from the world. Jesus was on a journey that would take him to Jerusalem and his rendezvous with a Roman cross.
And as the “transformed of Christ”, we, too have a mission to carry out, and there is no room for our taking time to ponder the glory that has come to us. On Wednesday, we begin a journey called Lent. And just as Peter and the others had to do, we will have a decision to make – will we be content to stay on the mountain top that is covered with glory, or will we decide to head back down to the valley, without hesitation, to begin ministry in the name of Jesus Christ? Peter wanted to stay in the booths that reminded him of a bygone day, but Jesus was leading him into a new day, a new way, a new life. And all too often, we want to stay in the rickety life that we used to live, but Jesus is telling us to leave the old behind and rejoice in the newness that comes in a life in him. Peter nearly slept through the glory time, and if we aren’t careful, we just might miss it all, too.

The story of Jesus’ transfiguration isn’t only a story of the glory that came to him – it is a call to all who would take his name for their own. If we would truly be his, then we must walk his path, speak his gospel, meet his people (all of them, not just a select few!), touch the lepers of today, love the unlovable of today, reach out to the lost of today to teach them of his glory and grace. We have been given the opportunity to lead others into the hope of a tomorrow that will be filled with an unending glory!

Are you being “transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory”? If not, Lent is a great time to begin! But if it has already begun in you, what are you doing about it? Are you keeping it to yourself, or are you sharing it with all who will listen? Are you going to stay with the old, or go in the new?