Transfiguration Sunday (NL2) John B. Valentine
Mark 8:27 – 9:8 February 11, 2024

“ON THE MEDAL STAND”

Have you seen any ads for them yet?

After all ... they’ll be here in just a few short months.

NO .... I’m NOT talking about the ads for the presidential election that is headed our way this fall ....

I’m talking about the ads for the Olympics that are headed our way this summer!

You know ...

• Paris ....
• 2024 ....
• July 26th through August 11th ....

Wherein more than ten thousand athletes will compete for medals in some thirty-two different sports.

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Now ... you may not have noticed it ... among all the other bits of news that clamored for our attention ...

But they unveiled the medals which will be given to this year’s Olympic athletes this week.

Apparently ...

• They’re designed by a famous French jeweler ... and

• They’ve got the characteristic image of Nike ... the goddess of victory ... on the one side ... and

• On the other side ... they each have a small piece of metal from the original Eiffel Tower ...

So that successful athletes would have “veritable pieces of the history of Paris” to take home with them.

And those medals are going to be given out where?

• On the medal stand ...

• At the Olympics ...

• Where they play the winner’s national anthem ... and

• Where ... for just a moment ... everyone acknowledges the efforts that got those athletes to that point.

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Now I need for you to hold that image of an Olympic medal ceremony in mind as we look at the text of this morning’s gospel lesson.

For ... from what I can tell ... an Olympic medal stand is as close a current reality we have to those tents that Peter was yammering on about at the end of that reading.

And it actually helps us to understand the point that Mark the gospel-writer is trying to get across in his telling of that tale.

You see ...

The lesson began with Jesus asking is disciples a question: "Who do people say that I am?"

• And they told him that some folks thought he was another John the Baptist ...

• And some folks thought he was another Elijah ...

• And still others thought that maybe he was one of the old-time prophets.

But then he asked them “But who do you say that I am?"

And Peter blurts out: "You are the Messiah."

To which Jesus responds ...... by ordering them not to tell anyone about him!

Memo to those of you who were paying attention last week ... this is another example of that whole “messianic secret” thing ... how it is that some folks know who Jesus really is ... and some folks don’t.

Anyhow ... six days later ... Jesus takes with him Peter and James and John ... three of his longest-tenured disciples ... and he leads them up to a high mountain ... alone ... by themselves.

Now ... in and of itself ... the setting of this event should give us pause ... “Up on a high mountain.”

After all ... “up on a high mountain” is where a LOT of the most important moments in Israelite history took place.

• It was “up on a high mountain” where Noah’s ark settled after the great flood.

• It was “up on a high mountain” where Moses had his encounters with God ... first with the burning bush ... and then later on when he received the Ten Commandments.

• It was “up on a high mountain” where Elijah played showdown against 400 priestly opponents and one particularly witchy queen ... and where he experienced first-hand the shockingly awesome power of God.

So this weird thing happens:

Jesus is transfigured ... whatever that actually means ...

And Moses and Elijah ... yeah ... that same mountain-top Moses and that same mountain-top Elijah ... show up and start talking to Jesus.

At which point Peter ... impetuous Peter ... shocked at the appearance of two of God’s greatest champions in the presence of their friend and teacher...

Blusteringly suggests that they ought to build something like a podium ... a medal stand ... for these three all-stars ... these three champions ... of God.

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Now ... what you’ve got to remember is that ... at this point in the story ... Peter ... and James and John for that matter ... have been having a hard time figuring out for themselves who Jesus REALLY is.

Sure ... they’ve witnessed ...

• the feeding of five thousand people ...
• the miraculous healings ...
• the challenging teachings ...
• Jesus walking on the water ...
• stuff like that.

But they really don’t know what it means at this point when Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man ...

Nor do they know what it means when others refer to him as the Son of God ...

And they certainly don’t know what God has got up his sleeve on a Friday called “Good” and a Sunday called “Easter” some time down the road.

At this point ... all they really know is that Jesus has done and said some pretty amazing things ... and that ... even to mention his name in the same breath as Moses and Elijah ... is an absurdly high form of praise.

So imagine the shock when it comes to the actual medal ceremony!

Peter is running off at the mouth about how maybe they ought to build this podium ...

When suddenly a bright cloud overshadows all of them ... and a voice speaks from the cloud.

No national anthem ... no trumpet fanfare ... just a voice ....

A voice that pretty well answers settles the matter and answers the question ... “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

As voice that says ... in no uncertain terms ... that ... “As great as Moses was ... as great as Elijah was ... this Jesus is the one who is destined to be the G.O.A.T. ... the Greatest of All Time.”

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Any of you perchance remember the game “Thirty Second Mysteries”? Wherein:

• One person ... the reader ... draws a card from the box ... and begins to read the situation and the question and the clues contained thereon ...

• And everybody else listens to the description of the situation and those clues ... and tries to be the first to come up with the right answer to the question that was posed ...

• And the reader then reveals the secret answer at the bottom of the card. ... using the handy-dandy red magnifying glass that comes with the game.

“Thirty Second Mysteries” had stumpers like this one ... entitled “Escaping the Enemy”:

“The Case”: Seth crouches under a table at his house, fearing for his life. His two brothers have been attacked, and he knows he is next. Moments later, he hears his enemy calling to him, but he continues to hide. After surviving a huge blast, Seth knows he is finally safe for good.

“The Mystery”: Who is Seth, and who is his enemy?

“The Clues”:

1) Seth is smarter than his brothers.
2) Seth’s enemy has strong lungs and sharp teeth.
3) Seth’s enemy enjoys a good pork chop.
4) Seth’s house is made of brick.

You know the answer?

“The Solution”: Seth is one of the Three Little Pigs. The Big Bad Wolf is his enemy.

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Sometimes I like to play "Thirty Second Mysteries" with our Confirmation kids ...

As a reminder that Mark’s Gospel presents the life of Jesus as something of a mystery ... laden with clues and hints and allegations that are there for us to sort through ...

But the Question that is left for us to answer in that mystery that is the Gospel is this:

“WHOM DO YOU SAY THAT JESUS IS?”

And the answer to that question impacts a whole lot more than whether or not you ... and your team in the game.

Because ... beyond all of the everyday and ordinary questions that we ask ourselves and each other ...

That is the ONE question that really needs an answer.

Beyond the thoughts of the ordinary and the commonplace ...

Beyond questions about today’s lunch and tomorrow’s duties and next summer’s vacation ...

That one question that is a bigger deal than all the other questions put together.

Beyond all of our plans and our planning ...

Beyond all of our memberships and our medical plans ...

There lies that question that Jesus posed to his disciples ...

The answer to which totally impacts and shapes the manner in which we live in this world AND the manner in which we live in the next.

“WHOM DO YOU SAY THAT JESUS IS?”

It’s the question that demands an answer ... folks.

Not just from our confirmation students but from each of us:

“WHOM DO YOU SAY THAT JESUS IS?”