"A voice came from the cloud saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him'" Luke 9:35

This passage is part of the narrative we call The Transfiguration of Jesus. We heard these words in worship on Sunday, March 2nd. I suspect that most of us go through years without using the word, transfiguration, unless it is in church on this particular Sunday. In many ways, this is helpful because it sets apart a very important moment in the scriptures and in the history of God’s creation and salvation of the world.

There are many aspects to the story. I could spend hours writing or speaking about all of them only to find that other people see and understand more. That is one of the amazing parts about the Bible, which we are told in Hebrews 4:12 "…the word of God is alive and active…" A few of the transfiguration concepts are: Jesus is on a mountain, where God appears to God’s leaders in the Old Testament; Jesus is joined by Moses and Elijah who are two of those Old Testament leaders, the first and second givers of the law, who never experienced death; the cloud appears and once inside the voice of God speaks; the confusion of the disciples and the fact that they do not tell others until later. The list goes on and on.

For today, I would like to focus on just these three words from God, "listen to him (Jesus)." I am sure we all think we listen to Jesus. I am sure we all try to listen to Jesus. Sometimes, we may find ourselves asking this question, "What do I hear when I listen to Jesus?" or "Why do other people seem to hear different things than I do when listening to Jesus?" Let's take a look at something surrounding the transfiguration narrative in the Bible. Just prior to moving Peter, James, and John up the mountain, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Then, right after the transfiguration Jesus heals a boy and Luke records, "An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus ends his answer to the disciples with these words, 'For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.'" Listening to Jesus we are drawn to the humility of God's Son, who submits to a human form, takes on all sin from all people for all time, and endures humiliation in life and in a painful, crushing death. Jesus who is above all creation, submits out of humility, to the path of the cross. Listening to Jesus means that we are following that path, which still includes humbling ourselves to others, enduring pain, but also knowing that Jesus overcame the cross and has given us glory in heaven!

Listening to Jesus should end all fighting about who is the greatest and about the best way to move forward. It should allow us to see that ALL people are part of God’s creation. Listening to Jesus looks like this – on the cross there were two men guilty of insurrection. (They are called thieves, but scholars note that thieves were not crucified and insurrection was the crime that brought crucifixion.) One insults Jesus – but Jesus does not fight back. Jesus does not confront him with his sin – it is evident to all. The other begs for mercy and Jesus forgives and assures him. "Today, you will be with me in paradise."

I used to wonder why the transfiguration narrative was placed before Lent, when Holy Week seemed like a better spot to me. Putting the narrative before Lent we have the opportunity of 40 days to humbly consider our life, our words, and our path of the cross. I guess I need to be as humble as anyone else – my ideas are not always the best.

So when sisters and brothers in Christ have different ideas about how and where God is leading, we should all, humbly listen, and discuss rather than arguing about who is greatest or right. God calls us to be humble, to be "the least" and we will be raised up by the One who has all glory and honor – Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace,

Pastor Jon