Then a cloud overshadowed them... -- Mark 9:7

The crowds were gone. Jesus was alone with his disciples. They sat around the campfire enjoying its warmth as the evening lengthened. They were gazing at the fire in silence, occasionally poking a stick at the logs in order to turn them over, causing the flames to shoot up. Jesus broke the silence: "What are people saying about me?" The disciples looked at one another, waiting for someone to answer. Peter spoke up, "What do you mean?" "Who do the people say that I am?" replied Jesus. They answered, "John the Baptist," "Elijah," "One of the prophets from the dead." After a brief silence Jesus asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are Christ, the Messiah of God." They all stared again at the fire. Finally, Jesus broke the silence again, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." No one said a word. The disciples looked at one another with puzzlement and wonder. They were not sure what it all meant.

How strange this sounded to them. It was like having a political candidate tell his followers that in order to win he would have to be defeated in the upcoming election. It did not make sense to them. They were confused. Peter took Jesus aside and said to him, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you" (Matthew 16:22). He was saying, "Lord, tell us that this is not true." This is not what Peter had in mind when he called Jesus the "Messiah."

The Need To Withdraw

A week later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and they went up a high mountain to be alone. Jesus felt the need to withdraw. We need that opportunity to withdraw from the clutter and ambiguity of day to day existence. We know that special moment when we can get in touch with the deeper realities of who we are and who God is. We need that mountaintop experience where there is the parting of the veil which hides the infinite from our normal vision. It is that special moment when we can reconfigure the past, envision the future, and empower the present. There are several biblical examples for this. Moses had that mystical experience in the wilderness before the burning bush. It was here that he heard the voice of God. It was only a temporary sojourn. God ordered him back to Egypt to confront an unrelenting dictator to free the slaves. But the wilderness made the Exodus possible. Moses had first to confront God in the wilderness before he could confront Pharaoh in Egypt. In the withdrawal to the wilderness, Moses had his life validated, his task was made clear, and he could then set his face toward Egypt with confidence. What was true for Moses in his wilderness experience was also true for Jesus and Paul. For each of them it was merely an interlude; it lasted for a moment; it was never an end in itself.

But Peter responded as most of us would. He wanted to stay and build three condominiums and settle in rather than go back down to a scary world. But Jesus would have none of it. On the mountaintop the air is thin and the trees are small, short and stubby. There is a beauty, but it is a stark beauty, especially above the timberline where it is mainly rock, dirt and very dry. For growth one has to go to the valley where there is an abundance of rain which produces lush greenery and the richness of color. We visit mountains but we live in the valleys.

This trip to the mountain was not a picnic in the country, but a time to thrash out among themselves an understanding of God's will and purpose. Some great things were about to happen. While Jesus was praying, his appearance changed and his countenance became dazzling white. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and they were talking to him about his departure and the destiny he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. But the disciples had fallen asleep. They missed the whole affair.

Prayer Brings Assurance And Direction

This story is wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Jesus' appearance becomes radiant. Moses the law giver and Elijah the prophet appeared to be talking with Jesus. In this single moment the mighty acts of God that brought Israel out of slavery, the gift of the Law, and the ethical charisma of the prophets were all collected and transformed in the person and mission of Jesus the Messiah. How appropriate that it should be the gospel lesson for today. We have come to the end of Epiphany and we are on the threshold of Lent with the observance of Ash Wednesday this week, which leads us into the passion of Jesus.

Luke tells us that this experience occurred while Jesus was praying. "And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white." This is a pattern that Luke discovered early in his writings about Jesus' life -- the most significant things happened while Jesus prayed. How necessary it is for us to pray. There is an assurance and direction that only prayer can bring to our lives. Jesus was not only assured through prayer that he had chosen the right way, but, more importantly, he now saw the place that Jerusalem and the cross played in his life. Prayer helps us to gain an understanding about the meaning of things that may appear to be random and meaningless.

What are some of those things that we wrestle with? They could be the loss of a job, the decision to get married or not, moral and financial factors, or the course of action to follow. If these factors are important enough to worry about, surely they are important enough to pray about. Jesus gained perspective for his life, especially in regard to suffering and the cross in prayer. Prayer can do that for you. For many, prayer is the last resort, when it ought to be the first. If we could only learn to speak to God in prayer, before we speak to others, how different and more meaningful life would be.

Keeping Alert

In Luke's account, Jesus prayed but the disciples slept. They had fallen asleep. With their heads in the clouds, they drifted off into an unconscious state. Remember the story of Rip Van Winkle? He fell asleep one day in a quiet spot on the banks of the Hudson River and he didn't wake up for twenty years. When he went to sleep, the sign above his favorite tavern read: "King George III, King of England." He was a subject of the British crown. When he woke up, King George was replaced by George Washington and he was an American citizen. The tragic part was that he slept through a revolution. While he snored, oblivious to his surroundings, fantastic, earth-shaking events had taken place. This is what happened to the disciples. They were oblivious to all that was taking place. Don't be too critical of the disciples at this point. Many times we have our heads in the clouds, enclosed in our own little world and losing sight of the larger world, and sleep through great events. How many times are we preoccupied with our own self-importance? We become the prisoners of our own little world of trivialities.

We have little concern in caring for the environment because we have lost touch with nature. We find that our lives, for the most part, have little contact with nature, the soil, trees, and animals. We are not really aware of the larger world around us. How long has it been since you felt the soil in your hands, planted a seed, or cared for a plant? I came across these specal words of Matthew Fox:

From the first day I planted things in my front and backyard, I feel a kind of "hugging presence" when I go to bed at night, a mystery of embracing and of beauty and of "being loved" by a different species. I feel the same when I water them, a kind of reciprocal relationship.

We are so far removed from the world of nature that people don't know the names of trees, plants, and birds anymore. They are nameless. When something loses its name, it loses its meaning for us. It could also lose our respect for its place in God's world of creation. We miss the wonder and glory of nature because we are not fully awake to it. If we were awake and aware, would we not more often lift our thanks to God in prayers of adoration and thanksgiving? Would we not have greater respect for the created order, if we would remember the gracious love of God that has provided all of this for us?

Our World Is Changing

Today our heads are in the clouds and our minds are in a dream world. We are dreaming the American dream that prosperity will solve most of our problems. I grew up in the late '40s and early '50s and we were constantly treated to the marvels of the time. At school we were vaccinated against polio, ending the fear of what was a dreaded disease. I remember the day the first television set was delivered to our home. I remember when the corner store was replaced by the supermarket overflowing with variety and abundance. I remember seeing for the first time the vapor trail of the new jet plane and staring at it until it disappeared. There was an endless array of gadgets and machines. No problems in those days seemed beyond solution. Good times and American technology seemed to go hand in hand. We were convinced that prosperity was invincible and the Great Society was inevitable. On these two pillars of faith we rested our national identity and our hopes for the future. In those days of the '50s optimism reigned, our churches were full, and we equated middle class values with the Christian life.

Robert J. Samuelson, in a recent article in Newsweek, pointed out that every age has its illusions. Ours has been this fervent belief in the power of prosperity. But he reminds us that our pillars of faith are crashing around us. We are painfully discovering that prosperity will not solve all of our personal and social problems. Samuelson states that our good society has been disfigured by poverty, homelessness, racial tensions, the breakdown of the family, uncontrollable crime, staggering budget deficits, and joblessness. The result is a deep crisis of spirit causing self-doubts, cynicism, and confusion as the American dream unravels. He is convinced that we are learning the hard way that prosperity does not automatically provide personal happiness or bring social peace. I would agree that such a dream has become a nightmare.

"And when the disciples awoke they saw his glory" (Luke 9:32). They came back to the world of reality. They were awake and conscious. They came up the mountain with heavy hearts burdened down with Jesus' words about death and a cross. They had questions that were unanswered. Jesus had been talking to them about suffering, rejection, and death. They were not sure what direction their lives were taking, let alone Jesus. Then they woke to the "glory of God." What does the glory of God mean? It means that they were now aware of God's splendor, grandeur, and magnificence. Things were now in a different light. When we awaken to the glory of God, then our homes, our relationships, and our lives become transfigured and radiant. They would leave the mountaintop with many of their questions unanswered. The most difficult moments of their lives were still ahead of them. This, for the most part, is our story. The disciples did not know where all of this was going to lead them. Peter confessed to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here." This is our confession. "Lord, it is good for us to be here." It is here in this time of worship that we have sensed the "glory of God." The disciples did not know where they were going, but they knew who was going with them. That makes a difference!