Saturday and Sunday, February 2 and 3,2008

Sermon: "He Touched Me"

Scripture: Matthew 17: 1-9

Reverend Larry M. Gerber

Jesus embraced a huge, virtually impossible assignment. We could call him a hero. But let's not forget that Jesus invites us to take on a heroic task as well.

Discovery Channel's Animal Planet has a new hero.

Unfortunately at this point in time --production schedules and all -- we don't know who it is for 2007.

Their Hero of the Year for 2006, however, was Mona Rutger. She was, in fact, their first Hero of the Year!

She won the award which included a trip for two to Hawaii for her work with Back to the Wild, a volunteer wildlife rehabilitation and nature education center that she and her husband run. In addition, Animal Planet donated $10,000 to Back to the Wild to benefit injured animals.

Hero of the year!

What a cool idea! Most kids these days probably don't grow up thinking they will spend their lives taking care of orphaned animals, or orphaned children, for that matter. They start first grade thinking that someday they'll be an astronaut, doctor, firefighter, police officer or the president.

We learn at an early age that there are people in our world who are more admirable than others, based on our sense of their power, prestige and potential for greatness. So, we begin at an early age dreaming about the day we will be like them. We see them in action. They become our hero.

When Peter sees Jesus -- his Jesus, the rabbi he's chosen to follow -- chatting with the two -- THE TWO -- heroes of his own faith, Moses and Elijah, he's becomes ecstatic.

Suddenly, everything falls into place for him: Jesus as Hero. Jesus as Messiah. Jesus as the One. Jesus the Anointed.

Peter is ready to proclaim Jesus as Hero of the Year and send him to Hawaii right now.

Of course Peter doesn't know what he's talking about.

That's the Bible speaking: "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 Elija' (not knowing what he said is an added saying in the book of Mark).

 while Jesus may be the hero, he wants to unveil or unleash the hero in us. He tells Peter to slow down a bit and make the real connection to the world. Peter needs to see the whole picture.

The Heroic Task. Emergent author and speaker Donald Miller has a forthcoming book titled Let Story Guide You in which he points out the narrative elements resident in the Scriptures and their connection to people's imagination both in Jesus' day and in our present culture. Miller claims that in story, the strength and greatness of the protagonist are measured by what dreams would potentially die if the hero does not succeed in the task.

In other words, the greatest stories have great heroes with great tasks at hand. Have a heroic task, and a person to take it on, and you've got a great story.

Do a Web search on your local news station's Web sites and at least one if not all of them will have a spot that features exemplary individuals who stand out in the local community for their service and valor -- they're our "Hometown Heroes."

With all of the hero worship and heroic aspirations, we might be quick to label the trend self-aggrandizing. They are just people glorifying the celebrity limelight, right? Hey -- look at me! Check out my "cape"!

This is Super Bowl Sunday. You can't bypass the hype, the game plan, the excitement, the projected heroes, the celebrities who entertain before the game, at half time, and beyond. The week before events, etc. Yet, in a short time it is history and the game plan for next year begins all over again. The hype is short lived. The victor is the hero, my hero, and the loser is second best as they fade into the dust.

In today's text, Peter is pointing to Jesus, his Hero: Jesus is the star quarterback that will lead his team to victory. He's the one! He's the one with the Heroic Task! And, he will be well remembered, long after the game is finished.  

It seems that we are born with the admonition that: "You were designed for something greater -- the greatness of living to love others." There is a drive in all of us to be a hero for someone. We need to know that we are "thumbbody". My stole reminds me of that every time I see it. The thumb prints of pre-schoolers imprinted on it in 1992 with the embroidered words "You are Thumbody Special" These thumbprints are 16 years old, making those preschoolers now 20 years old. They may not remember me, or the act they did, but they touched me....

Jesus Came and Touched Them. Today's transfiguration text is common to most of us. It's usually conveyed theologically as a story to demonstrate the deity of Jesus confirmed through his connection with great Jewish prophets and with the Father. But if this were all Matthew was concerned about, he could've scrapped a lot of the surrounding details and emphasized the doctrinal highlights: "This is my Son with whom I am well pleased".

Clearly Jesus is the hero/protagonist of the passage, but the secondary characters tell a story from the transfiguration mount that we all need to hear.

It was "six days later" (v. 1). Normally that would merely be a literary device of time and place, but as Matthew edits historical events into a written account, he wants us to see this story tightly on the heels of what preceded it. For six days, the disciples were probably talking with Jesus about his last shocking teaching. After foretelling his own death and rebuking Peter for wanting to protect him, Jesus hits it hard with his disciples: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).

So while that discipleship nugget is still marinating in the stew six days later, Jesus takes the Big Three -- Peter, James and John -- up a mountain to witness an object lesson that will change their ministry.

Sixteenth century Italian painter Raphael visually captures so much of the wonder of this event in his Transfiguration. The radiance of the glory of God visibly resting upon Jesus. The prophetic approval of the Jewish heroes Moses and Elijah shown through their posture -- hovering below and yet leaning in toward the beaming Christ. The disciples who didn't ascend the mount that day -- roused from their activity in wonder and confusion. And the fear of the Three -- sheer prostrate terror felt by men watching a supernatural manifestation of the deity of their rabbi.

But while the transfiguration is focused upon Jesus, the moment is extended to the Three. They hear the message clearly -- God loves and approves of the Son. Yet for them, hearing the thundering voice leaves them trembling. So Jesus takes a moment to extend the Father's love to his closest friends.

"Jesus came and touched them, saying, ?Get up and do not be afraid" (v. 7).

But verse 9 seems odd. Why would Jesus tell the Three to keep what they experienced a secret until after he was dead? The obvious theological thread which runs the whole of the gospels is the messianic secret -- the desire to suppress the public fervor about his ministry until the appropriate time. But what if this were also meant to be a moment of grace and wonder and approval ... just for them?

As Jesus is leaving his earthly ministry behind, he's passing the mantle of the kingdom on to his disciples, and namely these Three. What better way to commission them to love the world than by demonstrating that being Beloved means extending love to others?

Being a hero in God's eyes is about being a hero to others. When someone does something special for another they are thumb body special. We are touched by that special moment. He's my hero. She's my hero. Because he/she touched me. Jesus set the example and passed the mantle on to those who would listen. Let us break bread....
 
Sources:

Miller, Donald. Let Story Guide You (Nashville, Tenn: Thomas Nelson, publication pending January 2008).

Raphael's Transfiguration. eyeconart.net/history/Renaissance/transfiguration.htm.

"What I Want to Be" Poll. http://rankthese.com/What-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up.aspx.

Wright, N.T. Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.