DAY 1

Mark 9:2-13

YOU SHOULDN'T STAY AND SHOULDN'T GO NOW

The transfiguration of Jesus is the pivot point in the Gospel story. From here on, Jesus is no longer simply the miracle healer or the prolific teacher. He turns his face to the cross and marches into his mission to be the Messiah, who gives himself up to be arrested, tortured, and put to death.

These matters are all lost on the disciples, of course; you can tell by their reaction when Jesus is transformed on the mountain.

"Jesus, this is great!" Peter said, in a manner of speaking. "This is awesome! I have an idea, let's stay here on this mountain forever! We'll set up three tents, one each for you, Elijah, and Moses. Imagine it! A veritable amusement park of faithful heroes! People will stream in from everywhere to catch a glimpse, get an autograph, and take a selfie. Move over, Comic Con, this will be the place where everyone will want to be. Let's stay here!"

But that was not Jesus' desire. He knew they weren't going to stay forever.

The disciples might have assumed then that Jesus was thinking in the opposite direction. "Well, great, then let's go share this story with the whole world," they may have thought. "The people in Capernaum aren't going to believe this! The Nazareth Chronicle Times will eat this story up, and the Bethlehem Bugle is going to love it too. We'll book an agent, go on a speaking tour, and maybe — if we're lucky — we'll get to go on Oprah! The whole world must know about this. Let's go!"

But Jesus said no; he told them not to tell anybody until after he had risen from the dead (Mark 9:9).

So, let's get this straight, Jesus. We can't stay on the mountain and keep the story to ourselves. We can't leave the mountain and tell other people. What do you want us to do? We can't stay, we can't leave. What, then?!

That is the question we ask on the cusp of Lent. The answer we find in this story is the reason the Transfiguration account is so important. Jesus' transformation not only reminds us of our past and refocuses us on our future; it also invites us to incorporate this one critical ingredient into our daily spiritual lives: the practice of watching.

Jesus wanted his disciples to watch.

You're not yet ready to share this story, Jesus would tell them, because you have not yet seen all there is to see. Not until you see the cross, and not until you see God's divine love revealed through death and resurrection, will you be able to understand all the mysteries of the faith.

The reminder here for you and me as we enter these special, sacred forty days is to watch — to carefully attune our attention to the Spirit of God at work in our lives.

For most of us, that is precisely the missing ingredient, the one thing that is preventing our good life from being a deep life. It's what prevents a successful life, a prosperous life, and a life of achievement from being a life of real purpose and eternal significance.

What many of us are missing is the disciplined practice of constant attention to spiritual things, watching and listening and praying for God's best aims for us and for the world.

You see, a lot of times we are like the disciples. We may say, "Lord, it is good for us to be here" and wish to stay in the past. We dwell on the glory days and never really let go of the things that have already happened. Or we may want to rush into the future, saying, "I've got it, God. I know what I'm supposed to do with my life: my job, my family, my school, my career, my future. I know." We rush on ahead, charging forward, eager and energized.

Neither of these is the way that leads to deep significance and eternal impact. Instead, we have to watch. That means praying. And a lot of asking. And a lot of listening. We must pray, asking God to reveal to us how we are to live and behave and talk and relate to each other, and we must be willing to listen patiently for God's response.

And yes, it means going to a cross. It means going to a place where our old patterns of behavior and our old perspectives and prejudices — our old selves — can be put to death.

Over these next forty days, we will follow Jesus down from the mountain and walk the paths where he leads us. As we trace the post-Transfiguration stories of the Gospels, we'll pay attention to the cadence of his steps and watch his footprints, so that we don't scurry ahead of him or lag behind.

Along the way, listen up. Pay attention. Watch. Discover the work of the Holy Spirit within you, pointing out parts of your life that you would much rather ignore. Receive encouragement and affirmation from the most unsuspecting sources, which is one of God's favorite ways to relate to us.

The entire time, ask God the same question the disciples asked of Jesus in the wake of his Transfiguration: What does it mean to rise from the dead?

God, help me to walk in your path and follow your lead. Teach me not to rush ahead of you and not to lag behind. Teach me to watch. Amen.

In what ways are you fixated on your past, either reliving past hurts or clinging to past achievements?

DAY 2

Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43

PRAYER IS SIMPLE BUT NOT EASY

I will admit that there are many statements Jesus made that I have yet to understand completely. One of them is in Mark 9:29. The presenting story is of the father who came to Jesus and the disciples so that his demon-possessed son could be healed. The deeper story is in why the disciples were not able to heal him.

After Jesus healed the boy, the disciples were left wondering why they could not cast the demon out themselves (Mark 9:28). They were doing everything right, or so they thought. They said the right words, performed the right motions, and followed the formulas to the letter. But apparently, they couldn't do what Jesus could do.

The answer Jesus gives is that they weren't praying: "Throwing this kind of spirit out requires prayer" (Mark 9:29).

That is a good response, to a certain degree. Prayer, we have learned, involves our surrender to God, an invocation of the power of the Holy Spirit, and a declaration of belief that God can do what we cannot do. Because we are followers of Jesus, every action, thought, and aspect of our being ought to be centered and grounded in a spirit of prayer. It should not surprise us that Jesus answers the question in this way.

But it doesn't make his answer any easier to understand. It seems like he's saying prayer alone would guarantee success in spiritual endeavors. If the disciples had only prayed, they could have cast the demon out.

Back in 2000, acclaimed sports columnist Rick Reilly reflected on two separate accidents involving famous NFL football players Isaac Bruce and Derrick Thomas. Bruce's car flipped over, but he was able to walk away unscathed. Thomas's car accident, however, resulted in Thomas being paralyzed, and he ultimately passed away a few weeks later.

In the February 7, 2000, issue of Sports Illustrated, Reilly interviewed Isaac Bruce, before Derrick Thomas died:

"Do you ever think about Thomas and say, 'That could be me'?" I ask Bruce.

"Oh, no, not at all," Bruce says.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because as I was flipping, I threw my hands off the wheel and called Jesus' name."

"Does that mean God doesn't love Derrick Thomas?" I ask.

"Oh, no," Bruce says. "I don't know what Derrick said as his car was flipping."

In the interview, Reilly continued to press Isaac Bruce about other individuals who were Christian and had nevertheless perished in tragic ways. Bruce appeared unwilling to accept the possibility that people don't always get what they pray for. I don't want to fault him too much, especially if he were to interpret Mark 9:29 the way many people have. He believes in the power of prayer; there is no blame in that. But we can see the danger in simplifying Christian belief and practice to the point where it is rendered useless — and even harmful — in the face of real life complexities.

In fact, I don't think Jesus would say that prayer is simple at all. What if his response to the disciples was not simply, "If you had just prayed, it would have worked" but, "If you only knew what you were up against, you would not have tried to do it on your own to begin with." In other words, Jesus' call to prayer would have been a reminder that complicated times require a God beyond our comprehension. The forces of suffering and evil are so overwhelming that we dare not think we can handle them on our own.

Maybe that's what prayer really is, after all. It's not some magical incantation that gives us what we want when we want it. It's a reminder that when life comes at us hard, we can't go at it alone.

God, teach me to trust in you, that I might not face my struggles alone. Teach me how to pray. Amen.

When have you ever struggled with your prayer life? What do you think happens when you pray?

DAY 3

Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43-45

THE BEST WORST ADVICE EVER

If you read all three versions of this short conversation between Jesus and his disciples, you will discover some subtle but significant differences among Matthew, Mark, and Luke. All three agree on the gist of the conversation: while in Galilee, Jesus predicts his death, telling the disciples that he would be handed over to the authorities.

The difference lies in the way the three Gospel writers portray the reaction of the disciples and their state of mind.

In Matthew, the disciples' reaction is the simplest and most straightforward. "And they were heartbroken" (Matthew 17:23). That's it. The disciples were heartbroken by Jesus' words. No elaboration, no explanation.

Now skip over to Mark. Mark was written before either Matthew or Luke, and it often offers the shorter version of a particular Gospel story, which the other two writers embellish and expand. In this instance, though, Mark actually gives us a slightly fuller picture than Matthew of what the disciples were wondering: "They didn't understand this kind of talk, and they were afraid to ask him" (Mark 9:32). They were not only confused about what Jesus was saying, but they were also afraid even to ask him about it.

Now look at Luke. It's here that we get the most complex and most mystifying psychological profile of the disciples at that moment. First, Jesus prefaces his comment with the words, "Take these words to heart ..." (Luke 9:44). In other words, listen up, disciples. Pay attention. Let these words sink in deep. Jesus goes out of his way to perk up their ears and tell them that his next words are very important.

At the same time, Luke tells us not only that the disciples did not understand Jesus' statement and that they were afraid to ask him about it, but Luke also tells us that "its meaning was hidden from them" (Luke 9:45).

Whew, that just brings up a whole lot of questions, doesn't it? Who or what did the hiding? Was it God? Was it the world? Was it their own finite comprehension? Did Jesus know they would not be able to understand what he was saying to them about his arrest and crucifixion? If he did, then why bother telling them at all? Why did he even tell them to "take this to heart" if they weren't going to understand it to begin with?

Oh, it had to be hard to be a disciple sometimes. It would have been hard enough to understand what Jesus was saying, but then to have the meaning concealed from them? Yikes. It must have felt like the chips had just been stacked against them.

When I was much younger, I was having a conversation with my dad. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but I'd had a very rough day at school. Things were not going well with something or another, and I came home just weepy.

My dad sat me down at the dining room table and listened to how my day went. He was often a man of few words, especially in moments like these, but it was helpful just to empty out my emotions in front of him.

When I was finished, we sort of sat in silence for a few seconds. I'm not sure what I was expecting him to say, but I was hoping he would say something encouraging, something like, "It's okay, son. You'll be fine." Or, "I know you're strong, you'll make it through this." Or, "Don't worry, this will pass."

Instead, he looked at me in much the same way Jesus must have looked at his disciples to get them to take his word to heart. Then he said this: "You know what, son? You're going to have a lot tougher problems than this as you grow older."

I chuckle even now as I type this. I remember thinking, "That's the craziest, most unsuitable advice I have ever heard, Dad. Thanks a lot." The last thing I wanted to hear, as I felt like I was careening downhill, is that there were steeper slopes and rocks ahead. If that's what the disciples experienced when Jesus told them he would be arrested and killed, it's no wonder they were confused, distressed, and afraid to ask Jesus more.

But now, I can see exactly the great wisdom my father was sharing with me. He was right. There have been so many other hurdles and trials in my life that I can't even remember what I was so worried about when he and I had that talk. Oddly enough, his words at the time were strangely comforting. In retrospect, it was exactly what I needed to hear.

My youth, inexperience, and inability to see the high-altitude view of life concealed the meaning of my dad's profound wisdom. It would only be revealed to me when the true sufferings of life hit me. If Luke were my autobiographer, he would say that it was not until I followed Jesus to the cross that I could discover the beauty of God's resurrection.

It is that same resurrecting power of God that enabled me to go through some very difficult times and revealed to me the wisdom of my father's words. Such can be the case for you too.

God, thank you for being with me, even during the toughest times, even when I feel confused and heartbroken. Help me to trust you, especially when I don't understand fully what I am going through. Amen.

What is the best advice you ever received from someone, only to understand and appreciate it more fully in retrospect?

DAY 4

Matthew 17:24-27

TEMPLE TAXES AND FISHY COINS

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all agree that after yesterday's story about Jesus predicting his death, there was tomorrow's story about the disciples arguing about who among them was the greatest. But Matthew alone tucks between them this odd — very odd — story about Jesus telling Peter to go fishing for a coin-bearing fish.

On the surface, this is a dispute about paying taxes. It's not the official Roman tax, the kind that got Jesus into a heated discussion elsewhere in the Gospels about whose head was on the Roman coin (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26). This is not about whether to pay taxes to the IRS. Instead, this about whether Jesus ought to pay the temple tax — his contribution to the treasury of the temple in order to support its ongoing work.

Certainly, we would believe that Peter answered the question correctly. Yes, his teacher paid the temple tax. That should have been it. End of story. On to the next Scripture passage.

But the story stretches on, with Jesus speaking to Peter as they came into the house where Jesus and Peter were staying. The two of them had a cryptic conversation about kings, the king's children, taxes, and fish with coins in their mouths. What Jesus said to Peter, in essence, was that the kings of the world don't expect their children to pay taxes. Only the strangers.

Whoa. What exactly was Jesus saying here? Was he telling Peter he shouldn't have to pay the half-shekel temple tax? And if he did, what does that say to us? Should we not be supporting our churches? What about financial stewardship, and tithing, and giving a portion of our income, and offering ourselves in gratitude to God, and funding the missions and ministries of the ...