"Can You Hear Me Now?" - Luke 9:23-36 - February 22, 2004

In his book, "The Heart of the Enlightened," Anthony de Mello, tells a story that illustrates the importance of listening. There was a traveler who was lost in the desert in search of water. He struggled from one hill to the other, looking in every direction but without success. He staggered onward, but his foot caught a dry bush and he fell to the ground. He laid there with no desire to continue, completely without hope. As he lay there helpless and dejected he suddenly became aware of the silence of the desert. It was totally still. As he raised his head he heard something, a faint sound of running water. The sound aroused him and he kept moving and listening to the sound of running water until he finally arrived at a stream of fresh, cool water.

How open are we to the everyday transcendence of God? I believe no less than the disciples. They weren’t expecting anything unusual that day. But, their journey to the top of the mountain culminated in a magical moment. Naturally, they wanted to preserve it. Peter’s response was to build a structure to hold on to the experience. You know how it is, when you have a "high," you don’t want it to go away. All you can do is cherish your glimpse of glory and go back to the valleys of life, just like the disciples did.

What intrigues me about this story is not so much the mountain top experience that happened but the divine voice of God. "This is my son," God said to the disciples indicating the importance of who Jesus was. Then God said, "Listen to him." Apparently God wanted to get their attention. Jesus’ words were not something they should take lightly.

Just what was it that Jesus was supposed to tell them? They had been with him for months, listening to the parables and observing Jesus speak with others. Just before their climb up the mountain Jesus had reminded them of what it meant to be a disciple. "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it." (9:23-24)

Jesus also told them about his upcoming suffering and rejection. After their descent Jesus said, "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men." But these words went right over their heads. Next we find them arguing about who was the greatest.

Obviously the disciples were not listening. Jesus had announced to them what would happen in the coming days. Their ability or willingness to hear that message would enable them to understand Jesus’ purpose for coming. But, they were more concerned with their own agendas and getting distracted by other people and their problems. Do they every really hear?

Following the resurrection (chapter 24) we hear Jesus saying these words; "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter his glory?" Finally they understand and with burning hearts they went to Jerusalem and proclaimed, "The Lord has risen indeed." After a few more words of instruction and review Jesus blesses them and he disappears.

What they needed to hear was the truth. But, like Colonel Jessup said in A few Good Men, "You can’t handle the truth."

When we truly hear the words of Jesus we have to accept his rejection, suffering and crucifixion. But that is only part of the story. We also have to accept his resurrection. In other words, resurrection can only follow death. Newness comes only when we destroy the old. When we can hear this it changes the way we live.

To listen to Jesus is to believe in the resurrection and believing in the resurrection makes our lives different. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after he had been resurrected they had a change of heart. "Their hearts burned as Jesus appeared on the road with them and shared the scripture." (Luke 24:32)

In his book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Richard Carlson tells the story about a man who had a change of heart. He was working on a big project that was almost complete. It had been a major hassle and a ton of work, but he was just about there. Some thoughts began to drift through his mind about a previous employer who never would have had the confidence in him to do this particular job. He remembered how it felt to work for someone who didn’t believe in him, and he started to feel a little resentful and smug. One thought led to another, and another, until he was actually angry. Then it happened. He woke up to the fact that he was right in the middle of an all-out thought attack about his past. He said it was the strangest thing, his thinking seemed absolutely real. But in that instant, he remembered that it was only a memory, a thought that seemed real. He was now free to enjoy his new accomplishment instead of wallowing in resentful thoughts from his past.

We hall have events from our past that haunt us and they reemerge as thoughts which are disguised as the real thing. They are only thoughts and those thoughts are no longer a reality. A change of heart gives us new life. It is when we let go of the old and embrace the new. Listening to Jesus means we live in a constant cycle of dying and rising, letting go and embracing, burying the past and living in the present.

Listening to Jesus means our lives change. Its not a matter of hearing some words and remembering them. Listening to Jesus results in changes in our behavior. I recently officiated at a funeral for an elderly gentlemen. He lived by the motto, "Let the days problems be sufficient for today." Being anxious about tomorrow causes us stress. We tend to live our lives in a hurried way, always on the run rather than enjoying the moment.

This story is about one of those rare moments when Jesus and his closest disciples were far from any town or village. They had escaped from all the people wanting to be healed and helped. For a little while they retreated to the mountain top and during that retreat they experienced the presence of the almighty.

Jesus said, "Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on….therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day." (Matt. 4:25-34)

I have a busy schedule like many of you and I get frazzled from all my commitments and tasks. How difficult it is for us to hear Jesus’ words and let today’s problems be sufficient for today. This is another reason why I believe God wants us to listen to Jesus.

When we listen to Jesus we are also more concerned with the agendas of others than we are of our own. Once there was a farmer whose corn always took the first prize at the state fair. He had a habit of sharing his best corn seed with all the farmers in the neighborhood. When asked why, he said, "It is really a matter of self-interest. The wind picks up the pollen and carries it from field to field. So if my neighbors grow inferior corn, the cross-pollination brings down the quality of my own corn. That is why I am concerned that they plan only the very best. (from The Heart of the Enlightened, by Anthony de Mello, S.J.)

Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-13) When we listen to Jesus we are concerned about our neighbors.

Finally, listening to Jesus means we are focused on him and we are not distracted by the sounds of the world. When Peter, John and James went up the mountain with Jesus to pray, Jesus was transformed. They saw him in the company of Moses and Elijah. For the first time they saw Jesus as more than just a prophet in their midst. He was linked two of God’s faithful leaders from the past. They were overwhelmed to be in such great company and find themselves without words. They were silent and totally focused. No worldly sounds had their attention. Then, "A cloud came and overshadowed them. And a voice came from the cloud, and said, This is my son, my chosen; listen to him."

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio