Cloudy Experiences!
Transfiguration of Our Lord
February 14, 2021
Mark 9:2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Have you ever heard the old adage, red sky in the morning sailors take warning; red skies at night sailor’s delight? It’s an old saying that never really made sense to me. And yet, Shakespeare said something similar in his play, Venus and Adonis.
“Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,
Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field,
Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds,
Gusts and foul flaws to herdsmen and to herds.”
Furthermore, in the 16th chapter of Matthew it says, the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. Jesus answers them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Even Jesus used this proverb!
I always wondered about this saying? Why does a red sky in the morning mean that sailors need take warning? Is it because the light of the sun causes clouds to appear red? When I looked into this phenomenon I found out that a red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving in. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content—in other words—clouds in the atmosphere. So, maybe there is something to this old proverb!
Clouds in the sky tell us what kind of weather is on the way. Though we use the word clouded to mean “hidden” or “confused, clouds actually give clarity if we know how to read them. Sailors who journey on the seas look to the clouds to discern what awaits them as they leave port—smooth sailing or a stormy passage.
Furthermore, our experiences with things that are cloudy can mean many things. When we have cloudy vision we don’t see well. When our thinking is cloudy we call it brain fog because our memory becomes fuzzy or we have the inability to focus.When water is cloudy it may indicate something is there that isn’t good to drink. But what does all this have to do with today’s gospel lesson? Here’s the connection!
The disciples have some cloudy thinking about Jesus. They really don’t know who he is or what he is about. At Jesus’ baptism Mark tells us that the Spirit descends upon Jesus and Jesus hears a voice from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.” Yet Mark does not tell us that this pronouncement is heard by anyone else, but Jesus. In Mark, no one seems to know who Jesus is, except the demons.
Six days prior to Jesus’ transfiguration? Jesus and his disciples travel to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Their reply is “People say John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets.” Then he asks them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Messiah.” But does Peter really understand what that means?
Today our lesson centers on Jesus’ trans-figuration and the disciples will begin to get some sense of who Jesus is. Jesus leads Peter, James, and John—Jesus' inner circle—up a high mountain. At first it seems they are all out for a hike, but suddenly, when they reach the top, they see Jesus in a very different light. He is dazzlingly bright. It is as though a cloud is lifted from their eyes and rather than seeing Jesus’ humanness they get a glimpse of his divinity. His appearance has changed. They are not sure of what to make of this experience. It is frightening, wondrous, and powerful. Furthermore, they witness a connection between the past and present for there standing with Jesus are Moses and Elijah. Peter, not knowing what to say, exclaims, “Lord, it is good to be here. Does he really mean this? They are terrified! How can this be good? He suggests that they make three dwellings—one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Does he really think they are going to camp out up there on the mountaintop? Truth be known, it appears Peter’s thinking is a bit cloudy! And here is where the story takes a turn.
Mountaintop experiences are usually ones of inspiration and exhilaration. But there is more to this experience than meets the eye. From a cloud hovering over them comes a voice. Rather than addressing Jesus as it did at his baptism, the voice addresses Peter, James and John. We often think of clouds as veiling or hiding something, but this is one of revelation, a cloud of radical knowing revealing who Jesus is.
God speaks, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly Elijah and Moses are gone. Left standing there are Peter, James, John, and Jesus. They now know that Jesus isn’t Moses, Jesus isn’t Elijah, Jesus isn’t one of the prophets. Jesus is divine! Jesus is God’s beloved Son! As they descend from the mountain, Jesus makes a cryptic statement. He orders them not to tell anyone what they have witnessed until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.
So, what does this lesson have to say to us? Quite a lot! Melinda Quivik, my homiletics professor suggests, “Every time we gather for worship …, we are the disciples on the mountain seeing the rabbi—the carpenter from Nazareth who became our teacher—bathed in light. She points out that, “In worship, week after week, through the Word of God, our vision is restored. We are enabled by God to see Jesus as savior (something more than a teacher of morality and ethics) because the dazzling clothes constitute an epiphany.” When we encounter worship on a Sunday morning—either virtually or in-house, hopefully it changes us in some way. Maybe our cloudy thoughts or vision or perspectives are changed or restored in some way. Perhaps we hear insights that enlighten or empower us to serve in some way.
This week we enter the Lenten Season, beginning with Ash Wednesday. It is a time when we are humbled by the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” As Dr. Quivik puts it, “The power of the Transfiguration is that it plants in our hearts and minds the brilliance of eternity on the mountain with the greatest prophets, emboldening us for the journey together as the body of Christ.” She goes on to say, “The Transfiguration thus prepares us to come to terms with our humility, our soil nature, our utter dependence on God.”
I don’t know whether you noticed it or not, but the transfiguration account ends with the word “dead.” Jesus embraces his identity as one who will die and be raised. He signals the journey ahead for disciples, as they leave the mountain. It is one thing to have had “a mountaintop” experience up in the clouds where everything is brilliant, but it is another to do the hard, crucial work they will be asked to do in the world. They will accompany Jesus to the cross. He will tell them to take up their crosses and follow him, die in order to live, be last in order to be first, and to refuse the invitation to turn away from God’s laws.
As the church, we too, have a responsibility to listen to God’s Son, to listen to the voice of God’s Word in our midst, and follow in a way that leads to the cross. Dr. Quivik puts it this way, “We are not called to have power over others but to rise up as dust that has been formed by the breath of God and give life to others.”
So, perhaps when we see red in the morning signaling to sailors to take warning, we can take it as God’s signal that where we need to be is helping others through life’s storms. For it’s from the voice in the cloud of revelation that we hear God calling us to listen, to follow, to do God’s will, to be His disciples. And as we listen, Jesus is there guiding us through life’s stormy weather.
As we enter the forty days of Lent, may we consider using some of the disciplines of discipleship to enrich our spiritual lives. Jesus will hear our prayers, enlighten our devotions, embolden our giving and serving, accompany us through the stormy times of our lives, and give us the strength to help others through theirs.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Image: From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SB125183.