AVOIDING THE VALLEY

Peter said to Jesus,
“Lord, it is good for us to be here.
If you wish, I will put up three shelters —
one for you,
one for Moses
and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking,
a bright cloud covered them,
and a voice from the cloud said,
“This is my Son, whom I love;
with him I am well pleased.
Listen to him!”

Matthew 17:4-5 (read 17:1-9) - NIV

It was an amazing and wonderful experience for Peter, James and John. They had a glorious vision of Jesus. There on the mountain top Jesus’ face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as the light. Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with him. It was an unforgettable moment! It was worth capturing and hanging onto. They wanted to set up three tents to perpetuate the experience. It would be nice to stay there, reliving all that had just passed.

But that was not to be. A bright cloud lowered and overshadowed them. A voice rang out with the recommendation "Listen to him". This same Jesus who took them to the mountain top led them back to the valley where there was a suffering multitude. The three wanted to stay on the mountain top, but Jesus took them back to the valley.

The above depicts the two great polarities of our religious life – isolation for the enjoyment of the divine presence or getting lost in the needy crowd in the valley.

Like good imitators of Peter, James and John, over time, the church has invested heavily in building its "tents" to conserve religious experiences. These "tents" take the form of buildings, monuments, places of pilgrimage, movements, institutions, camps, retreats, etc.

One example is the Pentecostal experience. Luke is the only evangelist who makes mention of Pentecost which was a spontaneous event to meet a specific situation! Pentecost has captivated the imagination of many churches in the West. There are great efforts to reproduce the Pentecostal experience. There are many types of Pentecostal movements such as revival meetings, spiritual renewal encounters and charismatic movements, to name only a few. They strive to create conditions for the Pentecostal phenomenon to be repeated.

The problem is that the Holy Spirit is not programmable. Like wind, the Spirit blows where, how and when it wishes. Any programming is nothing but manipulation, and God is not manipulated. I've heard this kind of invitation – "Come to such and such a place at such and such a time and Jesus will do wonders by healing the sick and delivering the demon-possessed." Some even mark "the hour of blessing", where in the safety of temples or meeting halls Jesus supposedly performs miracle on demand. Imagine! A programmable Jesus! God is so creative that He(She) does not repeat the same things again and again and does not need our "programming" to operate.

The ministry of Jesus spoke loudly. He returned to the valley. The "tents" would be safe and comfortable, but the valley would be dangerous and full of surprises. Soon Jesus encountered a demon-possessed boy. Later came betrayal, abandonment, and finally the cross. In the "tents" the cross is only an object of decoration.

Today, the valley is darker and more dangerous than ever before. The valley needs light, healing, compassion and hope. Following Jesus would have us descend into the valley with Him. By living justice and compassion in the valley we may not necessarily transform society, but we can touch the lives of some people, helping them to face difficulties and maintain hope.

MATTHEW 17:1-9 – NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”