See No, Hear No, Speak No
days. Six days after what? This section of Mark follows when Peter wisely answers Jesus’ question – ‘Who do you say I am?’ by declaring that Jesus is the messiah. Jesus shared what is to come - his rejection, suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. Peter not liking all of this, rebuked Jesus. Get behind me Satan Jesus replies. Jesus continues to teach what it is to be a disciple – to take up their cross and follow him on the journey. We are in the middle of the gospel of Mark at a turning point and the conclusion of the season of Epiphany moving into Lent.
Mark 9:2-9
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
See No, Hear No, Speak No
I invite you to close your eyes and listen again to God's word picturing the story. What images appear in your mind’s eyes as you hear the story? Peter, James and John hike up a high mountain where they were all alone. Amid towering trees, jagged rock cliffs, overlooking the valley below in towering majesty. Jesus is transformed, - what they see before them is amazing beyond description. His clothes are a dazzling white brighter than the whites from the whitest bleach known to man. Mark seems at a loss to fully describe it and doesnt’ really elaborate too much on the scenery. (Open your eyes) Was your imagination up to the task? How did you see the divine? Can we see it?
What would Peter, James and John have seen with Elijah and Moses being there? Elijah the prophet and Moses the great leader of the people out of Egypt. Both have heard God speaking to them, be it in flaming bushes or a quiet whisper of wind. Moses face was radiant coming off his mountaintop with the ten commandments and we heard about Elijah ascending in a chariot of flames. They are the mountaintop heroes of the Old Testament carrying the authority and promise of the faith and hopes of the Jewish people. Prophecy and law wrapped up with divine revelation represent the strong foundation of faith that Jesus comes up to and eclipses – shining, transformed.
Jesus, Elijah, and Moses were talking – Peter, good old Peter jumps in. I can hear him talking now – “Bear with me,” he says, “I’m talking it through here while I work it out. Guys, this could be good – let’s stay and grab this moment. Three huts would fit right over there on the pinnacle.” Not, teacher tell me what they are saying but – “Wow! It is so amazing to see you and – our biggest heroes, who we thought were lost long ago - right before us. Ummm, don’t’ go.” Some people can’t speak in fear – Peter can’t shut up.
Peter, James and John just thought they knew fear – a cloud descends. And God’s voice booms forth from the fog. “This is my son, I love Him; listen to Him.” Perhaps God realized that seeing Jesus transformed has knocked them for a loop. The fog shrinks their world, sharpens the focus to just the immediate. But it also intensifies the senses to that voice. The loving powerful voice – listen to my son – MY SON whom I love.
Immediately the fog lifts, they look around – nobody is there anymore, only Jesus. They come down off the mountain. Jesus orders them to tell no one until after he has risen from the dead.
You introverts are thinking – yup no problem. I need time to process this one, to get it right, to find the words. The extroverts listening have probably already paused the sermon or previously talked through what in the world all this hocus pocus means. Some of you fell asleep when I asked you to close your eyes at the beginning of the sermon. What words would you use?
How would we describe the transfiguration? There aren’t sufficient words. The extremism, the wonder, fear and miraculous of the Transformation of our Lord and Savior on a mountaintop accompanied by the prophet Elijah and bearer of the law Moses. That would be enough to try to wrap our head around. Then add in the voice of God in a fog and three disciples, those closest to Jesus in a tizzy or struck silent. A hefty package to describe, to unpack.
If you attend church regularly at this time of year, you are familiar with this transfiguration story. It varies a little between the gospels, but decisively concludes the season of epiphany. Epiphany – “a sudden manifestation or perception, understanding of the essential nature of something” Well, I can see how we proclaim the Christian Epiphany season is the manifestation of God among us – Jesus in our midst - but it would be arrogant and misleading to begin to claim that meaning of epiphany that it gives us the essential understanding of the nature of God. It may nudge us in the right direction but still leaves us a bit puzzled wrapping our human heads around the Holy.
Barbara K Lundblad says, “Transfiguration Sunday marks an in-between space — between Epiphany, which began with the journey of the magi, and Lent, which begins Jesus’ journey to the cross. Some call this in-between state a liminal space, from a word meaning “threshold.” A liminal state is characterized by ambiguity and openness. There’s often a sense of disorientation. Where am I?” Transfiguration Sunday reminds us that this is the closest we can get to the divine and even here we fall far short of grasping God, of weaving God into our lives. How do we make room for God now? Nevertheless in the future that we look toward in hope? God continues to make room for us!
Despite our mistakes God comes to us. Time after time we blunder like Peter, even with best of intentions. How are we deceived by our senses and mis-speak responding to what we see or hear? Think of the three wise monkeys in the maxim: Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil. Where did this well known phrase come from? There are differing tales, but it makes a showing in the works of Confucius in 2nd to 4th century BC and appears as long ago as 17th century in a Japanese Shrine engravings. Hindu, Bhuddist, Shinto? The monkey’s history is muddled – in fact, the original teaching had nothing to do with monkeys but came from a play on words!
Wikipedia (that most perfect of all resources - ha) says, “The saying in Japanese is mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru “see not, hear not, speak not”, where the -zaru is a negative conjugation on the three verbs.” The ‘not’ tags. Guess what the word for monkey is – saru. Voila – from 'not' to 'monkeys'. Monkeys who happened to have different religious roles in the faiths of the world as well - many revolving around keeping track of sins of humans. The meaning of the proverb varies widely, but the thread that runs through all is a sense of our responsibility for speaking – or for not speaking.
It reminds us how inextricably tied together our sense of observation are to one another. How we make sense of things and relate the Holy to us and back again.
Mark Davis, describes Peter blurting out a suggestion for tents as a human dilemma of how to respond. Davis says, “How can we say nothing in the face of such wonder? But, if we say anything, it is bound to be inadequate and to be amiss.” He concludes that maybe not every moment is interactive learning but some instead ask us to “shut our mouths in order to open our ears, eyes, and hearts to something beyond our categories and comments.”
We see what is beyond understanding, hear what is outside norm and try to share – to speak about the divine that is so past us. Rather than just being a people of all talk, and rather than sitting in a time of solitary reflection – we have had plenty of solitude - We need, the world needs, a different kind of Lent. Instead of being just terrified in a time of drastic change let’s remember Jesus’ journey with new practices this Lent.
I often sign off on emails using the word ‘shalom’. This small, simple Hebrew word is anything but simple. It can be used in many forms, noun, adjective, adverb, or verb. It can be used as hello – or it can also be used as goodbye. It embodies peace but not in a simple way such as quiet or only the absence of fighting but bigger – wholeness, well-being. It is one of the underlying principles of the Torah. The Talmud even says one name of God is peace. When you wish someone shalom you wish them wholeness. Cornelius Plantinga says, “In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”
Let us speak with intention this Lent.
The world needs a shalom.
We need to welcome one another in peace - Shalom
sustain one another in prayer,
enfold one another in compassion
and leave one another in peace - Shalom.
We don’t stay on the mountaintop – find God this Lent in our everyday. Our eyes miss the divine – When we don’t see, be reminded of God’s glory. Reflect on God in the everyday but embrace the miraculous and move the mundane into the holy. Inch our way into being rather than just passively hearing or a babbling stream of consciousness. The Nor’kirk has a Lent in a Bag for each household to step through during the weeks of Lent praying and listening in new ways to reflect how everyday objects can help us make sense of the miraculous story of Jesus’s journey.
These devotional bags will help guide our prayers. (Not a member of The Nor'kirk - Google it and create your own Lent objects devotional!) Watch for exciting ways to express these prayers – sustain one another in prayer through online sharing of pictures, poems, words and through a church ribbon wall shared in the prayer garden.
Enfold one another in compassion - Less talk TO or AT one another but acts of compassion together: send an intentional card just because, donate an item a day to Metrocrest or another food pantry, phone calls or texts to that friend you have lost touch with, or random smiles and acts of kindness daily. 40 items, 40 calls, 40 cards, 40 smiles or some intermixing of these gestures. Instead of giving something up this Lent - Add these compassion acts – this is our compassion challenge.
Is the divine outside our grasp? In transfiguration, we get a glimpse. The human side of Jesus that broke into our world in epiphany is transformed, dazzling, awesome, revealing the Shalom of how the world is supposed to be – a wholeness. Respond with your all. The monkeys don’t stand alone – hear no, see no, speak no but require us to roll it all together with all we have an all we are listening, watching and speaking for wholeness. Grabbing onto the divine not to hold it for ourselves alone but to spin it back out into the world in a blessed shalom. In a world entrenched in fog I invite you this Lent to journey with Christ to the cross in prayer and compassion for a wholeness within and without – twining you, me, and all the world in God’s Shalom through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Shalom!
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