"Shut Up and Listen!"
Sermon Presented February 6, 2005
Transfiguration Sunday
Matthew 17:1-9
How does God get your attention? Sometimes it isn't easy because of all of the preconceived ideas we have about reality and about how God works. Sometimes we don't take the time to listen in silence. Sometimes God has to knock us over the head to get our attention. Sometimes God literally needs to tell us to "Shut up and listen!" This is what happened when three disciples accompanied Jesus up Mt. Tabor. There they saw a vision and heard God speak. Hear the story found in Matthew 17:1-9.
About 15 years ago, Kaye's daughter, Meg was attending Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Meg has a Ph.D. from Cambridge and currently works for the Danish government. One night while in Jerusalem she awakened suddenly at 3:00 AM to see her bedroom door open and a figure of the Grim Reaper - complete with a brown hooded cape and scythe - enter her room and sit on the end of her bed. She was petrified, but sat up in bed and ordered it to leave. It left by another door.
The next day a friend came by the room and Meg told him of the experience. She stated: "Last night a hooded man entered my room, sat on my bed and then left on my order." Meg's roommate jumped into the conversation: "It wasn't a man but a woman and she sat on my bed and not yours." The next night at exactly the same time, the bedroom door opened and closed, the light flicked on and then the other door opened and closed. Both girls were too scared to get up and turn out the light. The next day Meg moved to the room of a friend and her roommate went back to Brazil.
During this time rumbles of war were shuddering through Israel and the United Nations ordered all foreigners to leave the country immediately. Meg tried to leave but there was no space on outgoing flights. She sat in the airport for days before finally leaving the country. The night she left, a bomb was dropped near her dormitory. It was then that she began to understand the meaning of the symbol of death that came into her room that night.
Meg had a vision. She was awake and saw what I just described. Her roommate had the same vision, even though there were differences. Both sensed danger and both were extremely frightened. Neither understood the meaning of what they saw when it occurred.
When I read the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, I can't help but think of Meg. In each instance there was a vision and a sense of being present to something unexplainable and fearful. With each vision, there was no comprehension of its meaning.
What was the purpose of this vision for the disciples? Let's look at the story again. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up the mountain with him. These men are his closest disciples. High up on the mountain, the disciples see a vision that is incomprehensible. First, Jesus is changed before their eyes. His face shines brightly and his everyday clothing becomes dazzling white. Then suddenly, he isn't alone but is accompanied by Moses and Elijah. Talk about being scared, the disciples are too frightened to move.
But dear Peter, scared as he is, still manages to talk. Have you ever been in a situation when you didn't know what to say so you just said something to fill the silence and then instantly realized what you said was totally inappropriate? Well, that's what Peter does. He blurts out that if it's okay with Jesus, he will build a dwelling or tent for each of the three - probably a shrine to remind them of this special time when God is present to them.
But while Peter is speaking, God interrupts. "Shut up and listen! You are in the presence of my beloved son and I want you to listen to what he tells you." Talk about fear, I'll bet they wished Depends had been invented! They fall to the ground and cover their heads.
Jesus, reacting with tenderness, comes over and touches them reassuringly and tells them to get up and not be afraid. And when they look up, they see only Jesus standing there. After they stop shaking, they go back down the mountain with a warning not to share this experience until after Jesus is raised from the dead.
I imagine Jesus told them to refrain from publicizing the event because they didn't understand what took place as evidenced by Peter's outburst. The disciples only began to understand who Jesus was after the resurrection, and if they didn't understand, no one else could be expected to understand either. At the time of the vision, its meaning is beyond their comprehension, but important for their future.
That's similar to Meg's reaction to her experience. She asked her mom to see what I thought about it, but she was afraid of what people would think. Probably Meg and her roommate questioned their sanity until they knew the other saw the same thing. That may be why three disciples made the trip up the mountain with Jesus instead of one.
A person relating a supernatural experience can be subject to ridicule, especially when its significance is oblique. It wasn't until after the bombing that Meg began to understand the meaning of her vision. It wasn't until after Jesus' death and resurrection that the disciples understood what they had seen. When they understood, they had permission to talk about it.
The disciples hear the words previously spoken only to Jesus at the time of his baptism, with one additional instruction. They are to listen to Jesus. God validates Jesus' authority to his followers.
Why did God allow the disciples to see the vision? What did it mean to them? Why did Matthew, Mark and Luke repeat the story for their audiences?
First, the disciples needed a sign. They needed to know they weren't fools to follow Jesus. Six days earlier, when Jesus told them he must die, nothing was as they envisioned it when they chose to follow him. They needed assurance that Jesus was the Messiah, the Beloved Son of God. But there was this warning: "Don't tell anyone about this because you aren't ready to tell it and others aren't ready to hear it. At the right time, the vision can be shared."
The vision served to encourage the disciples at a time when things appeared most bleak and hopeless. Because all three of the disciples saw the same thing, they knew they weren't alone and that Jesus was who he said he was. Later when others needed reassurance, these three could provide the assurance they needed. They could affirm the authority of Jesus as God's beloved son. When Jesus appeared weak and unable to establish an earthly kingdom, God gave the disciples the word of who Jesus was.
What the disciples saw was a vision of life in another world. But they couldn't stay in that other world. Jesus called them back to the present where they would follow him to his death and bring hope for a better life in the future. Jesus didn't call people to sit around contemplating another existence. He called people to follow him in the here and now - to live in the Kingdom where God reigns - both here and in the future.
Wise people live in the awareness of both time and eternity. We are dual citizens of both the Kingdom of God and the state of Wisconsin - USA, and we need to live our lives in touch with both. We aren't to be so heavenly that we are of no earthly good, but God's kingdom needs to take priority in our lives. The disciples couldn't stay on the mountain building shrines but had to go down the mountain to heal the sick, feed the poor, bind the wounds, and listen to the lonely. There is a time and a place for everything and we are to follow Jesus in this lifetime.
I have asked you to spend time each day asking God for a vision of what God wants for us here at Roundy. And as with the disciples - we can't hear until we become quiet and listen. I doubt if any of us will be blinded by light or receive an unmistakable vision. But I do believe that when we seek to understand what God has in mind for us, we will be illuminated.
On this Transfiguration Sunday, I invite you to sit quietly in the presence of our transforming Lord. And as you listen see what God has to say about the future of Roundy Church and your place in that future. I firmly believe that when we sit silently in God's presence seeking God's will for our church, God will speak and we will see the light. Then we can get to work - with a purpose!
