Who really sees him?
Commentary
The writer's task for this section of Charting The Course is to tie the week's readings together by suggesting how a common theme running through the texts might be developed into a sermon. This week that task is extremely difficult. These readings have been linked for reasons that remain obscure to this writer. The passage from 2 Kings is of an assumption, not a transfiguration. They are not considered even parallel, let alone synonymous. Perhaps the story has been included because Elijah is mentioned in the Markan passage.
The account in 2 Corinthians speaks of those who have a veil over their understanding and cannot see the truth of the gospel. Perhaps this is included with the transfiguration because the apostles used their sense of sight to see the Christ. Since they were believers, they must not have had an impediment to their sight. Unfortunately, both the link from the gospel to the epistle and the Old Testament seem perilous at best. There must be something more here than the writer understands.
Maybe, just maybe, that is the linkage: sometimes the meaning of that which we see with our eyes, escapes our understanding. For instance, the apostles saw Jesus light up like an electric bulb with their eyes, but certainly did not grasp the meaning of the event. They knew only that it was significant. In fact they may have started a tradition on that mountain which continues through the ages: If it is important, build a building, put up a plaque, install a stained glass window. Elisha saw the assumption of Elijah, but his grief-stricken reaction indicates that he really did not grasp the significance of the moment.
On the other hand, the preacher may simply want to abandon the effort to link these readings to the transfiguration and settle for another common theme. Each of these passages deals with the issue of seeing. The assumption was seen by Elisha. The transfiguration was seen by the apostles. And 2 Corinthians refers to unbelievers as those who simply cannot see because the god of this world has placed a veil over their understanding.
A sermon can be developed on how "It is not what you see that is important. It is what you do about what you see."
A. Obviously, there are some people not even capable of seeing in the first place. (2 Corinthians)
B. As the apostles, some people see and then respond in inappropriate ways. This point could be pushed too hard about the apostles. Mark adds an explanatory note that Peter's response emerged from fear. However, the word of God does respond, "This is my Son, the Beloved. Do what he says!"
C. Elisha sees the assumption of Elijah. Then he responds in a very appropriate way. He takes up the leadership mantle of his mentor.
OUTLINE I
I will not leave you
2 Kings 2:1-12
Our aging family dog detests vacations. Whenever she sees an alteration in the family daily routine accompanied by the appearance of luggage in the bedrooms, she gets unsettled. To communicate her feelings about us leaving and her being left behind, she will not let the family out of her sight. Normally she spends most of the day sleeping in a sunbeam, but not when the family prepares to leave. No matter what, she stays close.
A. Elisha behaves similarly with Elijah when the mentor informs him of his immanent departure. Elisha accompanies him to Bethel, Jericho and Jordan insisting, "I will not leave you."
B. The threat of being left alone can be overwhelming. The farewell passages from John 14 deal with the Master's assurances to his followers. "What will happen to us when you are gone?" they asked. Jesus responded that he would send an Advocate (John 14:16) who would help them.
C. Concern for what will happen when his mentor is gone, seems to be the basis of Elisha's request for a second portion of the spirit of Elijah. He wanted to experience the continuing presence of the one who was so important to him.
D. A couple suggestions of directions to take:
1. Who are those who are important to you; whose memory feels like a continuing presence?
2. Perhaps use this as an opening wedge for discussing the Holy Spirit as comforter and encourager.
OUTLINE II
Blinded by this world
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
He was not a bad kid. Any neighbor could confirm that. He just fell in with the wrong crowd. Growing up in the inner-city made that easy. Just locating the right crowd was more the problem for kids like ShaNeal.
A gang recruited him when he turned 10. By 12 he was acting as a look-out for drug dealers. By 14 he was dealing drugs himself. A judge sentenced him to a year in juvenile hall, but it did not turn him around. How hard to convince a kid making $1,000 a week to flip burgers at minimum wage!
By 18, ShaNeal's life was a shambles. He was waiting sentencing on an armed robbery charge when he was shot to death in a drug deal gone sour. If only he had listened to his mother. She wept as she explained, "He was blinded by the evil of this world."
A. There is an evil force in this world which keeps people from understanding the truth of the gospel. From inner-city drug dealers to Wall Street inside traders to selfish me-firsters, we see them.
B. They may not see God, but God doesn't give up on them. We who have the gospel light must continue to show it.
C. Let us never give up hope for those who are so blinded. They may have a serious problem, but there is always reason to hope.
OUTLINE III
To see a vision
Mark 9:2-9
Six days after the visit to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter offered the remarkable insight that Jesus was the Christ, Peter, James and John witnessed the transfiguration.
Let me suggest this relationship between these events. The confession of Peter remained an intellectualization until the visit to Mount Tabor, the traditional transfiguration sight. While there, the apostles caught a vision of a glorified Christ which changed them. They saw Jesus in a way which caused Peter's confession to be driven from the top of their heads to the depths of their hearts. Abraham Maslow called that a peak experience: an ego-transcending, self-validating, intrinsically valuable moment.
A. I once knew this fellow only as an aging sickly minister, long past his prime. Then I learned how active he had once been in the civil rights movement as a young man. That fact changed the way I thought about him. Sometimes seeing people from a different perspective changes our entire understanding of them.
B. The apostles caught a vision of the Christ which empowered their lives. We all need such a vision. I asked the aforementioned minister what motivated his ministry. He said, "I have always had a vision of the risen Christ who stands before me with outstretched hands, calling, 'Be more like me.' My ministry has been spent trying to haunt the church with the same vision."
C. People who glimpse a vision of faith are empowered through the hard times by it. What is your vision?
The account in 2 Corinthians speaks of those who have a veil over their understanding and cannot see the truth of the gospel. Perhaps this is included with the transfiguration because the apostles used their sense of sight to see the Christ. Since they were believers, they must not have had an impediment to their sight. Unfortunately, both the link from the gospel to the epistle and the Old Testament seem perilous at best. There must be something more here than the writer understands.
Maybe, just maybe, that is the linkage: sometimes the meaning of that which we see with our eyes, escapes our understanding. For instance, the apostles saw Jesus light up like an electric bulb with their eyes, but certainly did not grasp the meaning of the event. They knew only that it was significant. In fact they may have started a tradition on that mountain which continues through the ages: If it is important, build a building, put up a plaque, install a stained glass window. Elisha saw the assumption of Elijah, but his grief-stricken reaction indicates that he really did not grasp the significance of the moment.
On the other hand, the preacher may simply want to abandon the effort to link these readings to the transfiguration and settle for another common theme. Each of these passages deals with the issue of seeing. The assumption was seen by Elisha. The transfiguration was seen by the apostles. And 2 Corinthians refers to unbelievers as those who simply cannot see because the god of this world has placed a veil over their understanding.
A sermon can be developed on how "It is not what you see that is important. It is what you do about what you see."
A. Obviously, there are some people not even capable of seeing in the first place. (2 Corinthians)
B. As the apostles, some people see and then respond in inappropriate ways. This point could be pushed too hard about the apostles. Mark adds an explanatory note that Peter's response emerged from fear. However, the word of God does respond, "This is my Son, the Beloved. Do what he says!"
C. Elisha sees the assumption of Elijah. Then he responds in a very appropriate way. He takes up the leadership mantle of his mentor.
OUTLINE I
I will not leave you
2 Kings 2:1-12
Our aging family dog detests vacations. Whenever she sees an alteration in the family daily routine accompanied by the appearance of luggage in the bedrooms, she gets unsettled. To communicate her feelings about us leaving and her being left behind, she will not let the family out of her sight. Normally she spends most of the day sleeping in a sunbeam, but not when the family prepares to leave. No matter what, she stays close.
A. Elisha behaves similarly with Elijah when the mentor informs him of his immanent departure. Elisha accompanies him to Bethel, Jericho and Jordan insisting, "I will not leave you."
B. The threat of being left alone can be overwhelming. The farewell passages from John 14 deal with the Master's assurances to his followers. "What will happen to us when you are gone?" they asked. Jesus responded that he would send an Advocate (John 14:16) who would help them.
C. Concern for what will happen when his mentor is gone, seems to be the basis of Elisha's request for a second portion of the spirit of Elijah. He wanted to experience the continuing presence of the one who was so important to him.
D. A couple suggestions of directions to take:
1. Who are those who are important to you; whose memory feels like a continuing presence?
2. Perhaps use this as an opening wedge for discussing the Holy Spirit as comforter and encourager.
OUTLINE II
Blinded by this world
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
He was not a bad kid. Any neighbor could confirm that. He just fell in with the wrong crowd. Growing up in the inner-city made that easy. Just locating the right crowd was more the problem for kids like ShaNeal.
A gang recruited him when he turned 10. By 12 he was acting as a look-out for drug dealers. By 14 he was dealing drugs himself. A judge sentenced him to a year in juvenile hall, but it did not turn him around. How hard to convince a kid making $1,000 a week to flip burgers at minimum wage!
By 18, ShaNeal's life was a shambles. He was waiting sentencing on an armed robbery charge when he was shot to death in a drug deal gone sour. If only he had listened to his mother. She wept as she explained, "He was blinded by the evil of this world."
A. There is an evil force in this world which keeps people from understanding the truth of the gospel. From inner-city drug dealers to Wall Street inside traders to selfish me-firsters, we see them.
B. They may not see God, but God doesn't give up on them. We who have the gospel light must continue to show it.
C. Let us never give up hope for those who are so blinded. They may have a serious problem, but there is always reason to hope.
OUTLINE III
To see a vision
Mark 9:2-9
Six days after the visit to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter offered the remarkable insight that Jesus was the Christ, Peter, James and John witnessed the transfiguration.
Let me suggest this relationship between these events. The confession of Peter remained an intellectualization until the visit to Mount Tabor, the traditional transfiguration sight. While there, the apostles caught a vision of a glorified Christ which changed them. They saw Jesus in a way which caused Peter's confession to be driven from the top of their heads to the depths of their hearts. Abraham Maslow called that a peak experience: an ego-transcending, self-validating, intrinsically valuable moment.
A. I once knew this fellow only as an aging sickly minister, long past his prime. Then I learned how active he had once been in the civil rights movement as a young man. That fact changed the way I thought about him. Sometimes seeing people from a different perspective changes our entire understanding of them.
B. The apostles caught a vision of the Christ which empowered their lives. We all need such a vision. I asked the aforementioned minister what motivated his ministry. He said, "I have always had a vision of the risen Christ who stands before me with outstretched hands, calling, 'Be more like me.' My ministry has been spent trying to haunt the church with the same vision."
C. People who glimpse a vision of faith are empowered through the hard times by it. What is your vision?
