Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Mark 9:2-9
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  February 14, 2021

There’s just something about mountains that inspires awe. I don’t know if it’s the height or the way they lift our eyes to the sky, but there’s something about mountains. I wonder if that’s why God uses them so often when he wants to show us something important. It was on a mountain, Mount Ararat, where Noah’s ark came to rest following the Great Flood that destroyed the rest of the world. It was on a mountain, Mount Sinai, where GOd first appeared to Moses in a burning bush to appoint him as his leader, his prophet, to bring the people out of Israel. It was on that same mountain where God made a covenant, a sacred and solemn agreement with his people and gave them his Word, his commandments. It was on a mountain, Mount Carmel, where God sent fire down from heaven and swallowed up the sacrifice of Elijah, proving once again that he is the only true God. It was on a mountain that Jesus taught the people about the Kingdom of God, about what it means to be blessed by God. And here we stand at another mountain today. Something that God is going to tell us today, show us today, must be important. 

So, what is it God wants to tell us today? What is it God wants us to see? Today is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany. In just three days we transition into the season of Lent. Lent is a solemn, forty-day journey that takes us to the pinnacle of God’s glory. At the end of Lent, we see Jesus climbing a mountain and revealing his glory like never before. In a display so much greater than turning water into wine and feeding the five thousand and calling Lazarus out of the grave, Jesus showed everyone there exactly what kind of God he is. In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, the only time a person ever calls Jesus “the Son of God,” is when he does this.

And I realize that we’re not even at the beginning of Lent yet, so why am I talking about the end? It’s because that glory is the reason for today. In Jesus’ crucifixion, we see the greatest demonstration of the glory of God ever witnessed by people. That’s not to say that stuff like parting the Red Sea and turning water into wine and raising the dead was small potatoes. But honestly, all of that stuff is easy for God. He says the Word and it’s done. He created the world with his Word; that it’s completely under his control shouldn’t surprise us. But it’s at his crucifixion–that’s where his glory really shines. Because there, we’re not talking about what God is able to do. There, on that cross, on that mountain we call Calvary; we see what God is willing to do. That the one who formed Adam out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life should be willing to let Adam’s descendants pound the life out of him–there is no greater demonstration of the kind of God that Jesus is. It shows us that he doesn’t just control the world, he loves it; that he doesn’t just punish people who sin against him, he climbs up a mountain and takes the punishment in their place. 

And that’s why we’re standing on this other mountain today. Today is not the pinnacle of his glory. No today is just a glimpse. Today is a glimpse that helps us to get ready for the journey ahead. Six days earlier, Jesus had begun his own version of Lent with his disciples. He started to tell them exactly what was going to happen to him when they got to Jerusalem. Understandably, the disciples were having a hard time coming to grips with it. Earlier in Mark, we read, “Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. He was speaking plainly to them.” How poorly did the disciples react to this reaching? Peter flat out told Jesus that he shouldn’t talk like that. The student rebuked the master for even thinking that way. But, thankfully, there would be be no stopping Jesus. And so, six days later, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to get them ready for the journey to the cross. 

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say because they were terrified. A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” 

Today we stand on a high mountain, just us with Peter, James, John, and Jesus. On this high mountain, we see Jesus like we’ve never seen him before. The veil covering his glory is removed, and for just a moment we see Jesus in all his glory. The brightness is so overpowering we can’t even look at him. And then, suddenly, it’s not just us and the disciples and Jesus, but two other men are standing there. And even though we’ve never met them, we can recognize them–Moses and Elijah. They’re talking with Jesus about what is about to take place, on that other mountain. And then just we think we can take no more, a cloud settles down all around us and we hear the voice of God himself: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” And just like that, it’s over. It’s just us and Jesus and the disciples. Jesus looks just like we’ve always seen him and down the mountain we go, on our way to the cross.

So what was the point  of all this? Why does God bring us to this mountain today? What does he want us to see? What does he want to tell us? Throughout this season of Epiphany, we’ve been seeing the Hidden Glory in the life of Christ and his interactions with God’s people. That glory is so important in reminding us of who Jesus is and what he came to do. And it’s important that we hang on to that glory as we journey into Lent. That’s what Jesus wanted his disciples to do. The appearance of Moses and Elijah, the voice from heaven, the clothes and the face that shone like the sun all displayed the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. 

Can you see why God would want to drive that message home so powerfully, engaging all of the senses? It’s so they would hang on to it. You see, the disciples were on the verge of seeing Jesus suffer many things, be rejected by the religious leaders, the people who claimed to talk for God, and finally be killed. And those things don’t exactly scream glory. Who is going to follow and trust in someone who gets treated this way? That’s why God gives them this glimpse of glory, so they can see who he really is, so they can understand what he’s about to do, so they’ll keep on following him. The only way any of what’s about to happen makes sense is if it’s on purpose, if it’s part of his plan. Jesus reveals his glory here, on this mountain, so that his disciples could see his glory on the cross. Where’s the glory on the cross? The fact that Jesus is God and he’s going through all of this for you! For some reason, he sets aside the glory of this mountain, the glory that belongs to him, and takes on what belongs to me, what belongs to you–our sin, our suffering, our death. And that’s why he’s there, that’s why he suffers, that’s why he dies. The reason is you, because he loves you.

And that’s why God has brought us here today. He shows us his glory so we can hang on to it, so we can remember it, so we continue to follow Jesus all the way to the cross. And that’s a hard thing to do! Look at how it turned out for Peter, James, and John. When the time came for Jesus to suffer many things, at one moment Peter is swinging his sword, trying to protect Jesus and the next moment he’s swearing up and down that he doesn’t know Jesus. When they see Jesus die, they run and hide and lock the door. Three days later when they get the word that he rose from the dead and they run to his empty tomb to see it for themselves, they have no idea what’s going on–as if Jesus had never told them–and they run and hide and lock the door again. If they had only hung on to the glory! Then they would have seen the glory–what kind of God his is–on the mountain, what he is able to do and on the cross what he is willing to do. 

If they had only hung on ! That pattern has repeated itself among Jesus’ disciples throughout the ages. When it seems like God has turned off his glory and left us hanging–when sickness lingers, when temptations resurface, when family strife appears, when life isn’t going according to the plan, then our doubts aren’t so much about what God is able to do, but what he’s willing to do. And we focus all our attention on what we think God’s not doing and we forget what kind of God he is. It’s not that God has turned off the glory, it’s that we’ve let go of it. 

That’s why God brings us here today. When Jesus says in his Word, “I forgive you. I love you . I will never leave you. I use everything to bless you,” those aren’t empty words. That’s God talking! The same God who created the universe, parted the Red Sea, and called Lazarus out of his grave. And he didn’t stop with the easy stuff. He’s the same God who set aside all that glory for an even greater glory, set aside what belonged to him to take on what belonged to you, punished by God, killed on a cross–all on purpose, all for you, because he loves you.

God has brought you here for a reason today! Look at what he’s able to do, look at what he’s willing to do and Hang on to the glory! Hang on to the glory that you see here and then you’ll be able to see the glory on that other mountain, the mount of Calvary. Hang on to the glory, for our journey to the cross begins! Amen.