Teachers in Primary school have a special compliment for their class when they are quiet and attentive. ‘Good listening’, I suppose this passage, although it tells us of the transfiguration of Jesus, is actually about listening.

We will never have the experience of the three disciples who Jesus took to the top of this mountain, by tradition, said to be Mount Tabor, but we are told by Mark that this experience was not about what they saw but about what they heard and by implication he is telling us that we, as disciples, can experience the same ‘Revelation’ by listening.

We are in the final week before Lent and the readings from Christmas up until now have all been about the revelation of who Jesus truly is. The Magi, Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist, and last week, John the apostle speaks to us about the true identity of Jesus as revealed through the stars, and the order of the cosmos, (Logos), through signs of bread and wine, through the prophetic voice of John the Baptist and even a tormented man in need of release from a demonic power.

The reading today brings these revelations to a climax as the disciples are privileged to see Jesus in all his glory, a glimpse into the future, and yet, as I said, it’s not really about what they saw but what they heard that is significant for us.

Seeing is not believing

When we say: “Oh, I see”, we usually mean, “I understand”. To understand is to see below the surface to what is not obvious, to make sense of something that is opaque. May I illustrate with a painting hidden below two centuries of varnish.

The art historian and conservationist Philip Mould has uncovered the hidden face of ‘the ‘Woman in red’ painted in 1618, in doing so he has made sense of a fine portrait that could have been mistaken for junk. Indeed some of the most celebrated lost paintings have been discovered in auction room sales, or attic lofts where they have been mistaken for junk until uncovered by someone who recognised the real thing.

The conservationist has to believe before he sees, only then can the true nature of the painting be revealed. I suppose you could also say that the true believer doesn’t need to see at all because the true nature is is always hidden in humble dress, as in George Herbert’s poem, ‘Teach me my God and King in all things thee to see’

Such is the nature of the Transfiguration, it is the revealing of the real nature of Jesus, the humble carpenter who is Christ the King.

Hidden glory

Jesus could not have been clearer about the direction his ministry would take him. Shortly before this mountain top experience of his glory he tells his disciples that:

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected” Mark 8: 31.

His message is clear but we know that the disciples were not listening!

As we reverently approach this holy moment when Jesus reveals what is to come we must not forget that his path to glory passed through Calvary. Today we are not only given a glimpse of glory but a solemn word from God:

“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him” Mark 9: 7.

A Place apart: ‘A high mountain where they were all alone’ Mark 9:2.

How then can we enter into the experience of the disciples, how can we become good listeners?

Before the disciples could hear him they had to be quiet. The noise of the crowds, the demands of a busy life, even the excitement of their ministry all made the disciples deaf to the words of Jesus. Only when they were alone with Jesus and in silence could they hear him clearly.

Whether it is in the quiet of a church building or in a quiet moment during our day we too can enter into the experience of the disciples. Our lives are not to be dictated by business but transformed by his presence with us. Leaving behind the business of life to be alone is one of the hardest disciplines of the Christian life but essential to hearing the voice of the Master.

Moses and Elijah: Alongside Jesus appeared Moses and Elijah, the greatest teacher of God’s Law and the greatest of the prophets. Luke tells us they spoke about his ‘Exodus’, meaning both his journey to freedom but also his suffering and death. That great event in Israel’s story had defined the disciples’ life and shaped their culture but now someone greater than Moses and Elijah is here and they are to ‘see’ the Exodus with new eyes.

To listen to him, then, means to read the Bible backwards. Now the ‘Exodus’ is to be interpreted in the light of Jesus' journey through the desolation of Good Friday, and the triumph of Easter Sunday. As we read the Old Testament Scriptures then, we ‘see’ a foreshadowing of the Easter story, we understand them in the light of Jesus teaching about his death and resurrection – His Exodus.

Jesus alone: The experience of the Transfiguration ended as it had begun, alone with Jesus. The vision faded, the voice was heard no more, and they faced another crisis of faith as they descended the mountain back into the crowds, but Jesus remained.

Jesus remained with them because they now know how to listen. The scriptures now spoke to them and his resurrected presence taught them how to live their own ‘New life’ . They too would pass through trial and temptation but they would always have the voice of Jesus to guide them.

The transformation they had witnessed was a foretaste of what was to come, a promise of his presence with them always, not as they knew him now but dwelling within them by his Spirit and guiding them through the scriptures to ‘all truth’ John 16:13

As we leave the quiet of the church, as we rise from our prayers and enter into the business of life, we carry with us the Spirit of Jesus. It is tempting to think that such a wonderful experience would free us from failure and faithlessness forever, clearly this was not the experience of the disciples. They remained the same fallible human being they were before. We can take comfort from the fact that they were not in any way special. What can be said of them can be said of us too:

‘They had been with Jesus’ Acts 4:13.

Please continue to pray for Clare Caper and her full return to health.

A prayer for peace in the Holy land

O God of all justice and peace
we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma
of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering;
we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace,
we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.
Rev. Simon Brignall

I am contactable from Thursday to Sunday.