On the mountaintop the disciples were “very much afraid.” Which is why Jesus tells them “do not be afraid.” We live in frightening times. It is frightening that we are altering the climate of the planet to the detriment of all living things. It is frightening that the nations possess nuclear weapons that are capable of plunging the earth into an interminable, dark winter. It is frightening to live in Chicago with its ongoing violence. Given all that, does Jesus really want us not to be afraid? If you think of it fear had an important evolutionary value for human beings. It equipped us to fight sabre-toothed tigers and wooly mammoths. We can only hope that the fear generated by climate change, atom bombs, and assault weapons will similarly motivate us to fight for a better world. But there is another side to fear. Fear can freeze us, make us feel trapped, lead to despair. There are good reasons to avoid fear. In one of the greatest science-fiction books, Dune, during dangerous situations the hero repeats a litany against fear: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death.” Or, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt put it, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Fear is complicated. How are we to cope with fear in our spiritual lives?
Let’s think about fear not on the global or national level but on the personal. I’m not talking about an individual’s fear of tarantulas, of heights or of needles. I’m not even talking about common fears like fear of becoming sick, of a loved one dying or of running out of money. These or similar fears are probably part of most of our lives. But there is a deeper fear, a more basic fear that lies on the human heart. At some level we fear that we are unlovable, unworthy, insignificant. Many of the negative experiences in life feed that fear: guilt, shame, disrespect, prejudice, rejection, abandonment, abuse. When we fear for our intrinsic value as a person it corrodes everything we are, everything we do and every relationship we enter into. Fear truly is the mind killer.
We must hear the words of Jesus as addressed to us: do not be afraid. Easier said than done with so much negativity being thrown at us. But the gospel tells us how the disciples got beyond their fear and thus models how we can get beyond our fears: “When the disciples raised their eyes they saw no one else but Jesus alone.” The way beyond fear is to see that Jesus is there for us. Of course, Peter, James and John could see Jesus because he was walking with them as they came down from the mountain. How can we see Jesus in our own lives today? We begin to see Jesus in prayer. In any relationship we have to do the work of conversing, of sharing ourselves. So with Jesus – in prayer we bring ourselves just as we are and find that God accepts us and loves us. One of the best ways to pray if we want to see Jesus is with the Bible. The Bible is not a book like any other book but the Word of God. In the Scriptures Jesus lives. Jesus was a real person, who did specific things, who taught genuine life-lessons, who had actual relationships. As we get to meet Jesus in the Scriptures we can see him as he is. One of the ways that Jesus himself told us that we could see him was in those who were hurting. “Whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto me.” We can see Jesus by reaching out to those who are having a rough time of it and see in them the infinite value that they possess because they bear the family resemblance to Jesus.
Of course the reason that we tell the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus on this Second Sunday of Lent is as a reminder to us that the season is about our transfiguration, our transformation into the people redeemed by Christ. Lent is designed to move us from fearful to faith-filled. The disciples on the mountain top with Jesus, Peter, James and John, heard a heavenly voice which provided direction on their transfiguration into faith-filled people. They were told to listen to Jesus. “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Let’s think about some of the things Jesus told us that we should listen to so we can move beyond our fears. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Stop worrying. Your heavenly father knows what you need.” Worry can be a great cause for fear. We worry about our health, our family, our finances – the list goes on. If we listen to Jesus and trust in God’s transforming love we can stop worrying and our fears will subside. Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will open.” We grow afraid because we understand how limited our abilities are. Will we be able to do what we are supposed to do for ourselves and those we love? When we listen to Jesus and ask, then our fears subside because God always hears us and can make a way out of no way. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed.” We hear the Biblical message that seeing Jesus is the way beyond our fears. But at times it is hard to see him, to touch him, to know him. When we listen to Jesus and believe even when we don’t see, don’t feel it, then our fears subside. So here is our work for Lent, the work of transfiguration. Listen to the words of Jesus, take them into your hearts, and let fear flow through you until only you and Jesus remain.