March
5, 2000
Mark 9:2-10 (CEV)
Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They
went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in
front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. And his
clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make
them. Then Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good for us to be here!
Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one
for Elijah." But Peter and the others were terribly frightened,
and he did not know what he was talking about.
The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud
a voice said, "This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to
what he says!" At once the disciples looked around, but they
saw only Jesus.
As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told
them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son
of Man had been raised from death. But they wondered what he meant
by the words "raised from death."
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1.
Just prior to this event Jesus has been speaking about his death.
Shortly after they return from the mountain Jesus again speaks
of his death. When the voice comes to say, "Listen!"
we hear echoes of our death. When we listen to Jesus we cannot
escape the words "suffering" and "death."
2.
Even as we hear the difficult words we don't want to hear there
is yet a word beyond them - "raised." We not only are
dealing with suffering and death with are dealing with healing
and raising. Neither healing or raising are antidotes for suffering
and death. They do however set them within a helpful context.
3.
Not Jesus, not me, not you will escape suffering and death. So
what is a person to do? Listen more deeply. Suffering and death
tend to limit our hearing and lead us into fear, into trying to
avoid them. When we can listen further to healing and raising
we are able to proceed in the midst of suffering and death. It
is such proceeding that is a witness to our belief that nothing
can separate us from GOD's love and a sign of hope in the world.
Listen deeply and live.