Mark 9:2-9 (The Transfiguration.)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.  

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Many years ago I had a Mountain Top experience – literally. I stood on a mountain peak 14,000 feet high. The view was breath-taking. And that it what we mean when we talk about having a Mountain Top experience – something that takes our breath away leaving us dazzled and privileged. Our Bible Reading this week is the original Mountain Top experience. The disciples, Peter, James and John, accompany Jesus up a mountain where his appearance is transfigured. An additional detail is that they saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. What is more, a cloud descended on them and they heard the voice of God speaking very supportively of Jesus. Now that’s an experience! 

I want to quickly explain the relevance of all these details before we make it all more personal. First of all, Moses and Elijah were the giants of the Faith, representing the whole religious experience. Their presence tells me that something quite momentous was about to happen in the historic course of religion. Secondly, the supportive message from God the Father was similar to what was heard at Jesus’ baptism. In other words, what was being discussed with Moses and Elijah was in line with the original plan. Nothing that Jesus was about to do and experience was ‘Plan B’. With these thoughts in mind we head into Lent and the Cross. Well, that’s a quick review of the details, but let’s stand back and make it more personal.

There were twelve disciples in Jesus’ inner circle. Imagine the reaction of the other nine to Peter, James and John’s story. Envy? And what about ourselves? Do we ever wish that we had a profound spiritual experience to boost our faith? History is littered with people claiming mystical encounters with God, and the scenes of the incidents become places of pilgrimage. And the pilgrims hope to catch a little bit of the afterglow. The reality is that these famous miraculous encounters inspire faith in some and scepticism in others. Maybe even one of two the disciples questioned the account of the Transfiguration. Judas? Thomas? But the thought of having a Mountain Top experience is still tantalizing, so here is the best advice I have ever received: ‘If you want to encounter God at the top of the mountain, then you have to walk with God step by step up the mountain.’ It’s all about putting the hard work in of getting to know Jesus, learning from him, putting his teaching into practice, giving our relationship with him both time and space, praying, meditating, studying, worshipping, following, doing his work…and then one day we might stop, look up, see the world around us and exclaim, ‘Wow, what a view’!