OLD TESTAMENT
2 Kings 2:1–12
2 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Exodus 34:29–35
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
GOSPEL
Mark 9:2–9
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Goal: The Son of Man
is raised in the ultimate mountaintop experience, and we can proclaim what God
has done.
Malady: We seek out
the mountaintop experiences with God, but we do not know how to live our faith
after those moments.
Means: God speaks
the truth for our benefit, so that we know what HE has done.
The Ultimate Mountain Top Experience
Grace, Mercy and Peace…
Our text comes from the Gospel of Mark
A popular phrase especially in Youth Ministry over the last few years has been “having a mountain top experience.” Youth ministry isn’t the only place to use the phrase, I’ve seen blogs and other places talk about having “mountain top experiences”, but it only been in Youth Ministries and Camps where I’ve seen people attempt to create those special experiences. Of course in many instances this never involves a real mountaintop, but the emphasis is trying to create a memorable moment that changes our perspective and lives, if only for a little while. The idea behind creating these mountaintop experiences is to strengthen your faith in new and creative ways. And its wonderful if this is the goal of having a mountain top experience; it is a wonderful thing to have. BUT, there is a danger, if a person’s faith is based only on the mountaintops, they will not know what to do when the hard times come.
What churches and camps are attempting to create, are the experiences that God has given his prophets and apostles throughout the Bible. Indeed today’s text is an example of a mountaintop experience. Here we see Moses and Elijah, both of whom had their own mountain top experiences come down from heaven and speak with Jesus. For the disciples following Jesus they were left speechless. They wanted to remain only in this moment. Even though we seek to be in God’s presence, we are left unsure of what to say when we enter into his presence. But, God speaks the truth for our benefit, so that we may know who he is and what he has done. This mountain top was just a foretaste of the ultimate mountaintop experience where the son of man was raised so that we can proclaim what God has done.
Moses is known for the mountaintop of the law. Because of this He is known as the Great Law Giver.
Moses’ mountaintop experiences would shape the face of the world forever. Moses was unique because the LORD would speak to him face to face as a man speaks to his friend.. And when he spoke, he spoke with authority given to him by God. God first made contact with Moses through the burning bush which burned but was not consumed by the fire. The “I AM who I AM.” Called out to moses, Deliver my people from the bondage of slavery, bring them to my holy mountain to worship me.
For the Jewish people, Moses is synonymous with the Law of God, for when the Israelites had been release, just as God had foretold, Moses’ next mountaintop experience was the resulted in the reception of the 10 commandments and other specific laws and ways that He wanted the children of Israel to abide by. The God who had delivered his people gave them a way to live, serving Him alone.
After entering into the presence of God, the Glory of God shone around him and the people were afraid. When it shone they knew the weight of their sin and so Moses stood veiled among them to hide the fading of God reflected glory.
Even his death became the moment of a mountaintop. Even though he would not have the joy of entering into the Promised Land, God gave him a glimpse of it before he died. And at 120 years, still in health and vigor he died and the LORD himself buried his faithful servant, so that no man knows where he was laid. The story of his life is the mountain tops experience of receiving God’s Law.
As great as his mountaintop experiences were though, He had to come down off the mountain to deliver God’s people, to deliver the Law, to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Had he stayed on the mountain he could have become the greatest of mountaintop gurus on what the meaning to life, the universe, and everything, and how should we live life. But instead he had to come down and face the Pharaoh and an unbelieving Israel. He had to deal with the struggles of 40 yrs in the desert because they had not trusted in God. He had his mountaintop experiences with God, but he still had to live in the valley with the rest of humanity.
Elijah is known for the mountaintop acts of God. He is the great Prophet.
He like Moses would stand before God and Men proclaiming the Word of the LORD. Elijah stood before kings and queens and spoke the Word of God to them, even though he knew that it would endanger his life. Unlike Moses, His mountain top experiences are not about the Law of God, but in the Actions and Revelation of God. In the midst of prophetic persecution and Baal worship, he stood upon the Mount Caramel challenging the Baalists to call upon their God too light an altar. And when no response came he called upon God who showed his real presence and power by lighting the unlightable altar. And after persecution Elijah would stand upon Mount Horeb and hear God speak to him not it the Wind, not in the quaking of the earth, nor in the burning of the fire, but spoke to him in the gentleness of a whisper. Through him God worked miracles and signs. Even the end of Elijah’s earthly life was a mountaintop experience. He didn’t die, instead he was taken up by the chariots of the Lord.
But while he was in the presence of the Lord upon the mountain, he couldn’t stay upon the mountain forever either. Just as Moses descended to do the Lord’s command, so did Elijah. And it wasn’t easy for him either. Being pursued by Kings and killers, being the last of the prophets of the Lord are not exactly mountaintop material. But if the prophesy of God was to be proclaimed, Elijah was going to have to go down into the valley of despair.
But while he was in the presence of the Lord upon the mountain, he couldn’t stay upon the mountain forever either. Just as Moses descended to do the Lord’s command, so did Elijah. And it wasn’t easy for him either. Being pursued by Kings and killers, being the last of the prophets of the Lord are not exactly mountaintop material. But if the prophesy of God was to be proclaimed, Elijah was going to have to go down into the valley of despair.
Jesus is the Fulfillment
It was in the shadow of these two men that Jesus came. The last prophet had spoken 400 years before and his final words for the Day of the Lord were: ““Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”” (Malachi 4:4–6, ESV) It was in the light of their mountaintop experiences that Jesus would come and fulfill all things for all people.
Moses and the Law may have been synonymous, but only Jesus could fulfill the Law. 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. He knew not only the words of the law, but the underlying meaning to them. So that when he was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And ha second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” And like Elijah, Jesus came preaching and teaching in the One True God, calling them to repentance, working signs and miracles for all who believed. And even Jesus would go up on the mountain to speak to his father who was in heaven. And when Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. He was radiant, not because of the reflected Glory of God, but because he was God, and his divinity was showing. And Moses and Elijah came speaking to him about the end, where Jesus was going to face the worst of mountaintop experiences, death upon the cross at Calvary. Because when Jesus was fulfilling the Law and the prophets, he did it to the glory of God. He had to come down to this earth to live in the pit of despair so that he could bring the pit up with him into the presence of God, so that all could know the glory of God.
What does this mean for us? Are we to seek the mountaintops, or does the lead us somewhere else?
There is a danger for Christians to want to focus solely upon the “mountaintop experiences” of faith, because things are fresh and exciting. We easily become like the disciples wanting to praise god for his abundant glory, but forget that there was a rest to the story. Jesus stood at the precipice of his ministry, looking down into the decent into the pits of hell through his death on the cross. If we try to stop here, then all we have is a Jesus who feeds the earthly body and gives us well illustrated morality lessons. That’s what a church that stops there in the middle of a mountaintop experience but forgets that Jesus came and walked through the pit of despair is representing: The morality giver who taught us to care for those in need.
But as Christians we know that the story did not end with the mountain, the story continues. Life is rarely lived upon the mountain top, instead it is a journey from mountain to mountain, with hard struggles each and every day. We are standing looking out at the season of Lent, in which the struggle with the world, death and the devil comes to the forefront of our minds. We live in a world that continues to work against the Kingdome of God that no longer values the lives of all people, that places our own happiness before others. Even this very week a conversation on the religious liberties in the country was made a mockery in the media because they viewed personal opinion over the rights of the faithful.
But we do not go out alone and we do not need to be afraid. We do have our mountaintop experience as well, right here in church. We come before this altar knowing the God is with us, that he has washed us in the waters of baptism to make us his children. And that he strengthens us with his own body and blood in the sacrament of Holy communion. And he comforts us through his spirit and through the word that we can truly that know that Lo I am with you always even to the end of the age. Even though we may not remain upon the mountain, he continues to be with us when we go into the plains of life.
Through the Christ who strengthens us, We can pray with hope and vigor the hymn
It was in the shadow of these two men that Jesus came. The last prophet had spoken 400 years before and his final words for the Day of the Lord were: ““Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”” (Malachi 4:4–6, ESV) It was in the light of their mountaintop experiences that Jesus would come and fulfill all things for all people.
Moses and the Law may have been synonymous, but only Jesus could fulfill the Law. 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. He knew not only the words of the law, but the underlying meaning to them. So that when he was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And ha second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” And like Elijah, Jesus came preaching and teaching in the One True God, calling them to repentance, working signs and miracles for all who believed. And even Jesus would go up on the mountain to speak to his father who was in heaven. And when Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. He was radiant, not because of the reflected Glory of God, but because he was God, and his divinity was showing. And Moses and Elijah came speaking to him about the end, where Jesus was going to face the worst of mountaintop experiences, death upon the cross at Calvary. Because when Jesus was fulfilling the Law and the prophets, he did it to the glory of God. He had to come down to this earth to live in the pit of despair so that he could bring the pit up with him into the presence of God, so that all could know the glory of God.
What does this mean for us? Are we to seek the mountaintops, or does the lead us somewhere else?
There is a danger for Christians to want to focus solely upon the “mountaintop experiences” of faith, because things are fresh and exciting. We easily become like the disciples wanting to praise god for his abundant glory, but forget that there was a rest to the story. Jesus stood at the precipice of his ministry, looking down into the decent into the pits of hell through his death on the cross. If we try to stop here, then all we have is a Jesus who feeds the earthly body and gives us well illustrated morality lessons. That’s what a church that stops there in the middle of a mountaintop experience but forgets that Jesus came and walked through the pit of despair is representing: The morality giver who taught us to care for those in need.
But as Christians we know that the story did not end with the mountain, the story continues. Life is rarely lived upon the mountain top, instead it is a journey from mountain to mountain, with hard struggles each and every day. We are standing looking out at the season of Lent, in which the struggle with the world, death and the devil comes to the forefront of our minds. We live in a world that continues to work against the Kingdome of God that no longer values the lives of all people, that places our own happiness before others. Even this very week a conversation on the religious liberties in the country was made a mockery in the media because they viewed personal opinion over the rights of the faithful.
But we do not go out alone and we do not need to be afraid. We do have our mountaintop experience as well, right here in church. We come before this altar knowing the God is with us, that he has washed us in the waters of baptism to make us his children. And that he strengthens us with his own body and blood in the sacrament of Holy communion. And he comforts us through his spirit and through the word that we can truly that know that Lo I am with you always even to the end of the age. Even though we may not remain upon the mountain, he continues to be with us when we go into the plains of life.
Through the Christ who strengthens us, We can pray with hope and vigor the hymn
Lord, transfigure our perceptionJust like those that have come before us, Moses, Elijah, and all the saints in heaven and on earth, we can know the joy of the mountaintop experiences, that God is with us, even when we walk through the valleys we have no need for dispair.
With the purest light that shines,
And recast our life’s intentions
To the shape of Your designs,
Till we seek no other glory
Than what lies past Calv’ry’s hill
And our living and our dying
And our rising by Your will.
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