Luke 9:28-45

(sermon note: 03-02 sermon note)

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, ‘Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.’ But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a woman who visited her lawyer one day and said, “I want to divorce my husband.” “Interesting,” responded her lawyer. ‟On what grounds?” ‟Grounds? Well, we have a couple of acres outside the town, but it does have a big lawn and some fruit trees so it’s not like it’s empty ground.” ‟No, that’s not what I meant. Do you have a grudge?” ‟Yes, we have a 2-car garage but only one car, so we use the rest for storage. Why?” The lawyer was beginning to lose his patience. “Does he beat you up?!” he asked.  ‟No, I’m up by 6:30 in the morning. He doesn’t get up until after I leave for work.” ‟WHY DO YOU WANT A DIVORCE?!” the lawyer screamed. The woman pondered that awhile. ‟Hmmm…because we just can’t seem to communicate.”

Jesus told us in his famed sermon on the mount that the only permissible excuse for divorce is “sexual immorality” or infidelity, but I sometimes wonder if that’s the only good excuse. A breakdown in communication seems to be much more of a problem in a marital relationship than infidelity. It’s arguably the lack of communication in a marriage that leads to infidelity in the first place. No communication leads to no intimacy and no intimacy leads to infidelity. It’s no wonder that woman wants a divorce. Miscommunication is just as troublesome as no communication. Is it a good excuse for divorce? Perhaps. If anything, it’s certainly a good excuse for counseling from a third party to help improve the communication because good communication is key to any successful relationship.

Good excuses, good communication…it sounds like our friend, Peter, in today’s reading, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” The author insightfully adds, “not knowing what he said.” What Peter considers “good” is perhaps not “good” after all. Why did Peter want to make three dwellings? To enclose and encage the three men for others to come and visit them. Peter wants to protect the three men and make them available for others. Of course, in doing so, Peter has turned them into attractions like animals in a zoo. Not very fair to the three men, not to mention impossible. Two of the three were spirits and the third was God, none of which can be contained by a mere dwelling! Spirits and God are much bigger than any dwelling we could create! We gather in this dwelling week after week and invite God to be present with us but that doesn’t mean He is only in this dwelling during this time. No, God is in all dwellings at all times. We extend the invitation to God to join us, but God is already here before we arrive. This dwelling is for us, not God. This dwelling is for us to listen to God and give praise to God. We need the protection of this building, not God.

Peter said, “Master, it is good for us to be here,” and he wants to build the dwellings as if that is the reason why it is good for Peter, James, and John to be there; to be able to build three dwellings. Jesus neither confirmed nor rebuked Peter’s statement. He simply allowed the scene to play out. A voice from heaven affirmed Jesus being the “chosen” or “beloved” Son of God and Moses and Elijah simply disappeared. The dwellings were unnecessary.

Now then, was Peter’s statement incorrect? Not necessarily. It WAS good that Peter and James and John were on that mountaintop because it allowed them to witness God’s glory which ultimately strengthened their faith and belief. Friends, it is good that we gather to witness God’s glory and reflect on God’s loving work in our lives. It is good for us to be here today! Not because we have to build something together but because we can share in a common witness. Jesus is the one building something. Heck, he’s even got the carpentry skills! Jesus is the great builder, not us. We’re the good and faithful witnesses to what he builds in this world.

All week long I’ve been reflecting on this notion of what is good, why it was good that those three disciples were on that mountaintop so long ago. It got me thinking about what is good in this world. Of course, I’m not the first person to reflect on this! But I recalled some powerful passages from scripture. Recall when the young rich man asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus responded, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matt. 19:17) Did you catch that? There are no good deeds, only a source of goodness…Jesus himself. We are called to witness and dwell in that goodness. Good deeds will naturally arise from it. Psalm 37 tells us, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.” (vs. 3) Trust in the source of all goodness and there is goodness and life. And of course, the Paul’s familiar words in his letter to the Romans, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (8:28)

The three disciples came down from that mountaintop strengthened and encouraged. They had witnessed the source of all goodness, God’s glory. They would rely on that goodness as they made their way towards Jerusalem and Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion in the days to come. Believe it or not, there is goodness in this world! There is a light in our darkness…Jesus Christ! We’re setting out on our own journey through Lent this week. We, too, are making our way back to Jerusalem and we need to be reminded of what is good. It is good that we are here to share a common witness of God’s love through Jesus. Let us share our witness with the world and give thanks for it. Thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.