A Glimpse of Eternity.

And as the disciples looked on a change came over Jesus. [Mk 9:2]

Today we obtain a glimpse into eternity. We see Jesus as he will be after his resurrection. We perceive the presence of Christ in unexpected moments flashes of insight glimpses of eternity. The veil between the NOW and the NOT YET is lifted for a moment and we see who Christ is & what his presence means for us. Sometimes it is difficult to see Jesus as the Christ or the Messiah, since Mark's Jesus is a believable human being with believable human emotions. Jesus becomes sad angry hungry & weary. Some people prefer John's description of Jesus, since he portrays him more as the exalted Christ, of majesty & glory. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent, when we begin the 40 day walk with Jesus to the cross. The transfiguration story follows immediately after Jesus made his first passion prediction to his disciples. [Mk 8:31] In two weeks time we will read this story when Peter fiercely rebukes Jesus for saying that the path of the Messiah would lead to his death.

The transfiguration follows that rebuke as if it were a reassurance for Peter. Today we are given a glimpse of who Jesus is & where his path is leading. We are given a glimpse of the eternal of Christ in glory Here the light shines  in a revealing way to a group of confused & disappointed disciples. They shared the view that the kingdom of God would break in worldly might & power. That Jesus would be master & king and that they would have a place of honour at his right hand. There are moments in life, fleeting moments, when the curtain between the present & the future is drawn back and we glimpse, just for a moment, what tomorrow holds for us. Example: Often for a moment, when by a glance across the room, or smell the aroma of a favourite dish, the past flashes by, & the future is made present. We couldn't stand much more than a moment of such realness, and we don't need much more than a moment to change us.

Jesus transfigured. The transfiguration of Jesus, which we ponder this day, is also a glimpse into the future. Peter, James & John go with Jesus to a high mountain. Jesus is caught up in a dazzling light. And Jesus speaks with the two great figures of Judaism, Moses & Elijah. Then the voice from heaven says: "This is my beloved son, listen to him!" Here, Jesus standing before them, is proclaimed as the long awaited Messiah of God. But then Jesus shocks them by telling his disciples that "he must suffer many things, & be rejected & be killed. [Mk 8:31] And Jesus tells those who would be his disciples "If any one would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me!" [Mk 8:34]  Jesus must suffer to be obedient to God; the disciples must suffer to be obedient to Jesus. We who follow Jesus must also accept suffering along with the good. Here on the mountain Jesus reveals that his suffering is the will of God. Peter wanted to fix that experience in concrete for all time, by suggesting erecting a memorial. But this was denied by Jesus. Glimpses come & go, but do not last. A glimpse is a fleeting & intense experience of revelation. Whether on the mountain top in the church pew, or in private devotion at home we cannot capture it for long. It is when our heart is strangely warmed in some moment of ecstasy. If we have had some of these moments, we must cherish our glimpses of glory. These are moments when the curtain between the present & future is pulled back, and we know the future as if it were now! The transfiguration only lasted for a moment. They had to go back to the valley. There they have to minister & work. There awaited for them suffering & death.  There was no way to freeze the glistening "mountain top experience." Example – camp A family attended a week long retreat at a church camp in the Gatineau mountains. At the end of the week not a single member of the family wanted to leave. They wanted to stay at the camp where they had experienced so much joy, happiness & relaxation. They expressed their feeling to one of the camp counsellors, who said to them the following: We all need in our lives mountain top experiences. But there comes a time in everyone's life, when they must come down off the mountain top and live among God's people. We must thank God for the mountain top experiences as they help us with everyday living. Jesus took Peter, James, & John up on a mountain.  There they had a mountain top experience.

Jesus was transfigured before their eyes.  But they could not remain on the mountain forever with Jesus, Moses Elijah. They had to come down off the mountain and live among God's people.  Hopefully this experience would be something that they would always remember, and it would help to shape their lives & to give them strength for daily living & witnessing. Example: Mother Proust remembers, as a child, calling his mother to his bed. He liked to keep his mother in his room in the sad hours of darkness. She comforted him, held him in her arms until he was at peace. He enjoyed those precious moments. Now he is aware that those best moments never last. Time sweeps it all away. He knows that those times with mother could not be repeated. The boy was to become a man, and men do not often go to mothers to be comforted. But not a day passes when he does not have moments of precious glimpses [even after mother had died] when he was comforted by her.

Conclusion: The transfiguration points to the divine endorsement of the Messiahship of Jesus. The radiant Jesus is attested as the son of God, to whom we must listen. The disciples were told, not to tell anyone of the experience until "after" the resurrection. This was the wish of Jesus. This was to avoid the situation he would be universally recognized & exalted as God's son. This perhaps would then not lead to his crucifixion. And so not accomplish God's plan, for the salvation of the world. For Jesus, the perfect & innocent lamb was to make the "all sufficient sacrifice." The apostles caught a vision of the glorified Christ, which changed them. This vision of Christ empowered their lives. We must also leave this church with this vision in our hearts. It is not really what we see that is important, but what we do about with what we have seen that will make the difference. May you take heed to our "Good News" today. Let us praise God for the glimpse he gave the disciples & us. And Listen to the words of God's beloved Son,

JESUS CHRIST, the transcended & glorified LORD. Amen