Presented February 14, 2021 by Jim Guida
Based on 2 Kings 2 and Mark 9:2-9
To give context to our New Testament reading in Mark 9, I want to share an abridged version of the Old Testament’s 2 Kings 2:
The prophet and miracle worker Elijah was walking with Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant. The Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven and three times—at three different cities—Elijah told Elisha to “stay here.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” Finally, after they crossed the Jordan River together, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”
Elijah is a Jewish synonym for Messiah. Whereas Elijah is not the Messiah for which the Jews are looking, his return to earth will be the harbinger of the Messiah and the promised times.
As Christians, we believe differently—that our Messiah has already come, in the personage of Jesus Christ. In fact, the word “Christ” comes from the Greek word “Christos,” meaning Messiah. (Now how many of you thought that was just Jesus’s last name?)
With that in mind, let me read from Mark 9:2-9:
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. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
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.”
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
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.
If you want to hear how that turned out, be sure to join us for our Easter service.
But for now, let’s examine today’s text. We read that Jesus’s “clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.”
Great theological minds have examined this Bible passage, which can also be found in Matthew, Luke and 2 Peter, and while they may have found interpretations, your first response has validity.
No doubt that response is, “Man, that’s weird!”
And you can study the Bible backwards and forwards and find no explanation for this phenomenon.
Fortunately, for you, I’m here.
And I’ll tell you—“Man, that’s weird!
Why the ‘whiter than white’ that puts us in mind of Clorox bleach commercials?” It’s an odd sentence and I don’t want it to detract from the rest of our reading. So I won’t.
On the mountain with Jesus was Moses, with whom I believe all of you are familiar, and Elijah, whose significance I mentioned before.
This event occurred after Jesus had fed the 5,000, healed a blind man at Bethsaida, and Peter had declared Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah. So clearly, his disciples knew that there was something special with this man.
But this triumvirate of religious leaders had to be beyond any understanding.
It’s as if Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Derek Jeter were gathered on the same ball field.
It’s Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dolly Parton singing in the same concert hall.
You know what I mean. It’s beyond extraordinary.
And naturally, you would want to build a shrine to the place all three of them were gathered.
But if that wasn’t enough, the Big Guy chimes in. There is no question who is speaking and of whom he is speaking. “This is my Son, the Beloved; Listen to him!”
And then let’s continue with Matthew’s version—“When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”
Isn’t that a wonderful phrase? We hear it so often in the Bible stories. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
That’s wild, man!
And as they descended, Jesus instructed his disciples to “tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
Which he has.
And which they did.
Which allows us to gather as a church family 2,000 years later.
But if we just had Jesus and his friends hanging out with some heavy hitters from the past, we would have no reason to celebrate the Son of God as the Prince of Peace. Because although Jesus is inextricably tied to what we call the Old Testament, it is his message to Love One Another that keeps him alive in our hearts.
One lesson to take from this Scripture is that no matter how exhilarating an experience may be, eventually we have to return to reality—to “descend from the mountain”—and live a life made better but what has transpired.
We live in the Central Valley of California—the Sacramento Valley, to be specific. And if you descend from one mountain, eventually you will have to climb another hill. With your permission, this old white man will read part of a poem, written by a young Black woman—a poem that sounds more like a sermon to me. On January 20, Amanda Gorman shared with the nation and the world, “The Hill We Climb.”
And so we lift our gazes, not to what stands between us but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know, (in order) to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside..
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
future first we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree—And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
Matthew 5 tells us let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
Grow your faith in the light of Jesus’ love.
Because that is the word of God.
Amen.
