“Hiking with Jesus”
Matthew 17:1-9
In the chapter before this morning’s Lesson Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They came up with a number of answers.
Then Jesus asked “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”
“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Well, Peter was right…
…but Peter still did not understand what that meant…
…for…
…a couple of verses later when Jesus predicts His death…
“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!’”
To which Jesus replied: “Get behind me Satan…you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
And so six days later, Jesus takes Peter, James and John on a hike where His face shines like the sun, and His clothes become as white as the light.
Then He is joined by none other than Moses and Elijah—who represent the Law and the Prophets—and of course, Jesus is the fulfillment of both.
What happens on the mountain that day confirms that Jesus is God’s Divine Son, and gives the disciples a preview of what life will look like in the Kingdom of Heaven.
And Peter, who six days earlier was told that Jesus is going to be killed at the bottom of the mountain quickly gets a fantastic idea: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Made sense to Peter.
Makes sense to me.
But while Peter was still talking, “a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’”
In other words, Peter, James, John and WE have to be reminded that it’s Jesus’ Way we must follow—not ours.
“Listen to him!”
“Listen to him!”
Sounds easy right?
But it’s not as easy as it would seem.
One reason why it’s not as easy as it would seem is that listening to Jesus means following Jesus.
And following Jesus means becoming like Jesus and doing the types of things Jesus does.
It means being transfigured—like Jesus.
And transfigured means to be changed.
Jesus has just told these disciples: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Take up my cross?
Deny myself?
Lose my life?
No wonder that when the disciples heard the voice from the cloud say: “Listen to him!” they “fell facedown to the ground, terrified.”
Author and priest Rick Morley has this to say about the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration:
“The transfiguration isn’t a small thing.
It’s not a fresh coat of paint.
It’s not even an upgraded operating system.
It’s metamorphosis.
It’s wholesale change.
From the bottom up.
From the inside out.
And, to be honest…it’s not always something that I want.
I like how I am.
I like my sinful indulgences.
I’m used to my petty discriminations.
The way I am, as broken and flawed as it is, is at least comfortable.
I know it like the back of my hand.
It’s easy.
I don’t even have to think about it.
Other times though, I want to change.
I want to do a new thing.
But, summoning the energy to begin that change, or sustaining the energy past a few days or so, seems nearly impossible.
So, when the disciples are overcome with fear on the mountaintop, I get it.
I think I’d be too.
I’m not so sure that they’re overwhelmed by the pyrotechnics.
They’ve seen a good deal of what Jesus can do.
But, the mountaintop is a place of transformation, of metamorphosis.
Jesus went to the mountaintop not just to be transfigured himself, but to offer Peter, James, and John the space to be transfigured with him.
He was offering them wholesale change.
He was offering them the opportunity to shine like the sun too.
And that scared the you-know-what out of them.
Because sometimes staying right where you are, in the shadows, is far more tempting.”
Peter had wanted to build shrines on the mountain and stay there forever.
God had other things in mind.
When the voice from the cloud said: “Listen to him!” I think the disciples had a pretty good idea what that meant.
It meant that they would soon be headed back down the mountain where they would encounter more of what they had seen for the past three years.
They would come upon the sick and the insane whom Jesus would touch and make well.
They would be taught radical things, that go so against their human nature, but of which they would be fully convicted was the right way to do things—that they couldn’t help but be changed, moved by them—like someone hit a “reset button” on their entire way of looking at the world.
Change is scary.
Going against the grain of the world is scary.
Different thinking is scary.
When I gave my life to Jesus Christ and began listening to Him, my life was never the same again.
It was as if a light had been turned on within me…a light that no one or nothing could put out.
Sure, I could hide the light from others.
I could act as if something hadn’t changed.
But if I did that, which I have tried to do many times—I would not be being true to myself nor true to God.
When we open ourselves to new life through Christ—we are never the same again.
I wonder if more people would do it if it weren’t for their fear of change?
So here are the disciples.
They have just heard God’s Voice saying to them: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” and they are facedown in the mud trembling in fear—terrified, even.
And what are we told happens next?
In verse 7 it says this: “Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said.
‘Don’t be afraid.’”
I think these three words are among the most important words, not just in this passage, but in the whole of Scripture.
Think about it.
These words -- “don’t be afraid” -- are used again and again in the Gospels.
They are the words, for instance, with which the angel Gabriel greets Mary in the quiet of her home in order to bring her the message that she will soon become pregnant and give birth to Jesus—the Son of the Most High.
They are the same three words that the heavenly host say to the shepherds as they keep watch over their sheep by night.
They are the same three words Jesus says to His fearful disciples when they see Him walking on the water.
And in Matthew Chapter 28 it is what the Resurrected Christ says to the two Mary’s as they come upon Him while hurrying from the empty tomb on Easter morning.
“Don’t be afraid.”
These are powerful words.
And they are even more powerful when you think about the fact that they follow Jesus’ instructions to the disciples to “get up.”
Except it’s not just “get up,” it’s “be raised.”
It’s the same word used to describe Jesus’ Resurrection.
As in: He has “been raised” He is no longer here.
So hear the latter part of the story again: God’s voice from heaven affirms Jesus’ identity as His beloved Son and commands Peter, James and John to listen to Him -- that is, hear His words, follow His commands, do what He says, follow Him—become like Him.
In response, they fall to the ground in terror.
And then Jesus reaches out, touches them and commands them, literally, to be raised and no longer fear.
And isn’t this what God is saying to every single one of us this morning?
To you who are dealing with illness, depression, brokenness, and heartache—Jesus is reaching out, touching you and saying: “Be raised and no longer fear!”
To you who are living in terror as to what this world is coming to as you watch the news day in and day out—Jesus is reaching out, touching you and saying: “Be raised and no longer fear!”
To you who want to get involved in the ministries of this church, but you are afraid of the drain on your time—or that you might become too attached to those you help—or that being in such up close ministry might be too transforming—Jesus is reaching out, touching you and saying: “Be raised, no longer fear!”
To you who are thinking about following Jesus but are afraid of what that might entail Jesus is reaching out, touching you and saying: “Be raised and no longer fear!”
The same Resurrection power which brought Jesus’ broken, crucified body back to life…
…the same Resurrection power that caused a small band of once frightened women and men to stand up to the very powers who killed Jesus and proclaim Him Lord and Christ…
…the very same Resurrection power that caused a small group of people with no political clout to start the most powerful and life changing movement the world has ever seen…
…that same power is here and available to you—to every one of us this morning.
All we have to do is listen, to allow Him to touch us and listen to Him when He says: “Be raised and no longer fear.”
Won’t you do that now?
Amen.
