On the Mountain

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Introduction

Four verses I want to draw your attention to this morning from our text:

English Standard Version Chapter 9

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

English Standard Version Chapter 9

7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

Mountains…mountains are important in Scripture - Mt. Ararat, Mt. Sinai, Mt. Hermon, Mt. Tabor, Mt. Calvary, Mount of Olives. Important mountains. Each of these Mountains you would say mountain top experiences happen. The Ark Landed on Ararat, the burning bush encounter and the reception of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Mt. Tabor is traditionally known as where today’s event happens. And then there's Calvary and the Mt.of Olives…which are familiar to us. Mountain tops give people encounters with God…but yet in between these encounters there are valleys…

Before we talk about valleys…let’s for a moment stay with Peter, James, John and Jesus on the mountain.

Think about this event with me for a moment…exciting things are happening. This inner group of apostles are seeing and hearing many things...

English Standard Version Chapter 9

and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

Elijah and Moses appeared and were conversing with Jesus. A cloud overshadowed them and they heard the voice of God the Father. Peter, James and John witnessed and heard many things…but they did one thing to them…and I’m sure they would do the same to us…they were terrified.

Why were these disciples brought up to the Mountain? Was it put to the fear of God into them? Absolutely not. Our text tells us exactly why these men were on the mountain. The Lights, the sound, the cloud…they did create fear, but that’s not the purpose…the purpose was only to focus the disciples attention…to focus their attention on Jesus only. So yes their purpose for being up here to is to focus their on Jesus.

Peter needs to be focused, for Mark tells us that six days before the Transfiguration, Peter rebuked Jesus about going to the cross.

Perhaps this a reason that Peter is there, and so are we. Yet, Jesus deliberately isolates himself with the disciples to focus their attention on Him and on Him only.

A Mountaintop Experience that points to Jesus

In my 34 plus years of life, I can see that I’ve been on the mountain with Jesus before..not as glamorous as the disciples…but yet, I can think of events that point me to Jesus only and I can see with Peter, “It is good that we are here.” If you think of lights, voice, and clouds…I can think to the three Youth Gatherings I’ve been too…these sights and sounds, are there for one thing…to point you to Jesus. Other lights, voices, and clouds on top of a mountain…four summers of working with youth in Outdoor Ministry. Servant Events as a youth myself…Mexico and Missouri. These things, yes indeed were mountaintop experiences, were there to point me to Jesus.

Yet these times on mountains don’t last forever…the lights go off, the summers end with tears and hugs…even with singing, “I just wanna be a sheep.” The planes take off and land. The same thing happens with the disciples…the lights go off, Jesus looks like He always did to them. Moses and Elijah who are momentarily there are gone, leaving only Jesus there with them. God the Father’s voice told them:

English Standard Version Chapter 9

“This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

And then his voice falls silent:

English Standard Version Chapter 9

8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

Yet when your on the mountain, you must come down - with your eyes still on Jesus only.

Importance of the Mountaintop

The Mount of Transfiguration is important for you to hear and to reflect. It’s there for you, because you are not immune to the valleys of life. You are not immune to life itself. This mountaintop experience can give you hope as it points you to Jesus only.

Yet, in the valleys…many things are around you to distract you. Health problems. Financial problems. Problems with your kids. Maybe it’s the trouble of not knowing your future. It’s not just these things that take your eyes away from Jesus only. It’s also your sins that take your eyes off of Jesus. Sins of the mind, sins of the body, sins of the tongue. Not to mention those secret sins that you may think you are the only that knows about them.

Each of these things pulls you away from Jesus only. You find yourself sinking in fear. You find yourself fearing not in God alone, but rather being afraid. And then your fears take over your life, which transforms itself into worry…and perhaps even stress. The fear of the disciples of the mountain was real. And yes, your fears are real. And with your fear, you try to find some hope, maybe you are even listening to the evangelical world or reading books about how to deal with this fear, and you hear and read that yes you need Jesus, but you can help yourself and thus you hearing that it is not Jesus only.

Your eyes of fear are shielding you from the importance of what was on the mountain…Jesus only.

The disciples were comfortable on the mountain, when their fears were relived…they had Jesus only, but there world was about to become increasingly dark and filled with fear as Jesus is going to the cross. He will be betrayed and handed over to sinful men. And yes, even hear on the mountain, fear grasped them, until the comfort came in Jesus only.

Through the valley to another mountain

And yes, this Gospel lesson teaches you to look to Jesus only…but yet it also gives you Jesus. The glorified Jesus, the transfigured Jesus is for you. It’s a glimpse of what is to come. As our hymn said, “Tis good, Lord, to be here! Yet we may not remain: but since though bidst us leave the mount, Come with us to the plain.” (LSB 414). That’s our prayer, that Jesus comes with us to plain. That Jesus comes with us to our valleys of life.

As Jesus is with his disciples in the valley of life, Jesus comes down this mountain, this Mt. of Transfiguration and is headed to climb another mountain. Another Mountain where we will encounter God acting for you.

This mountain is just a stop, for we are going into the valley of Lent, and on the other side of Lent, we will see Jesus on top of Mt. Calvary…taking care of your fears, your sins, your worries, your stresses. This Jesus on top of Mt. Calvary is for you. And yes, this Jesus is the same one that is Transfigured. This Jesus is the same one who not only endures the cross and dies for you, but breaks forth from death’s dread prison and in the breaking free, He gives you life and joy, hope and comfort, relief from fear.

This Jesus who seemed to travel from Mountain to Mountain, is with you there. He also there with you in the valleys. On the mountain, it seems as if the extraordinary happens…transfiguration, crucifixion…and another mountain that wasn’t mentioned…Ascension…where he promises that he’s coming back. In the valley’s, it seems as if this is where the mundane things of life happen, it seems as if this just ordinary. And yes it is, but even in these valleys, God comes to you in the ordinary…the humble everyday Words of life. It comes to you through ordinary water, common bread and wine, just as on the mountaintop as they were heading down when the lights went out and everything went quiet.

Yet these ordinary things, bring you back to the mountain, they give you the glimpse of the heavenly Mt. Zion, where there will be no fear, no sin, no worry, no stress. These ordinary things do the extraordinary, they give you Jesus. They point you to Jesus only. They forgive your sins. They give you life and salvation.

Yes, dear people of God, even in the valleys between mountaintops, Jesus is still with you, He is with you in ordinary things, doing the extraordinary. Jesus is there in your valleys, forgiving your sins, and giving your life. For yes, even here in the valley, it is still all about Jesus only.

Now

For in Jesus you are rescued, and delivered, and your eyes are fixed on Jesus.

My prayer for you is that your eyes stay focused on Jesus only…even in the mundane of life.

In Jesus Name. Amen.