Sunday, February 15, 2015 | Transfiguration Sunday: Mark 9:2-9
Let’s build shrines, Peter says. He doesn’t know how to respond to a mystical mountaintop experience, and he’s afraid.
Mountaintop experiences happen throughout the Bible. These are stories of times when mere mortals encounter the living God in a life-altering and perspective-changing way. When Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, his face becomes radiant from being in God’s presence. Elijah’s mountaintop experiences include the time he hears God’s voice as the still, small voice—or, as the NRSV translates it, as “sheer silence.” God seems to hang out on mountains.
In this week’s Gospel story, Moses and Elijah show up to share a mountain moment with Jesus. The scene comes right after Jesus gives several teachings about life and death. First he tells the disciples about his upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection. Peter tries to correct him, and Jesus calls Peter Satan. Then Jesus calls the crowd to join the disciples, and he teaches that his followers must “say no to themselves” and be willing to “lose their lives” on account of Jesus and because of the good news he brings. And finally, he says that some of the people standing there will not die before they see the kingdom of God “arrive in power” (Mark 8:31–9:1, CEB). Is Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain equivalent with this arrival?
To find out what the transformative and good news is that Jesus brings, we have to go back to chapter one: “After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee announcing God’s good news, saying, ‘Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!’” (Mark 1:14–15, CEB). In chapter 8, Jesus explains that this good news could cause you to lose your life—but if you lose it for this reason, you will save it.
