“The Inner Circle”
by Pastor Steve Purdy
[Preached in Seasons February 19, 2012; Based on Mark 9:2-9]
Peter, James and John ascended the mountain with Jesus. They saw the change Jesus experienced… they witnessed his glory… and in Luke’s version, he tells us that as he was praying, the transfiguration occurred. When Jesus was praying: Jesus’ face and then even his clothes glistened white… and none other than Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus about his departure (his exodus)… Jesus would soon be released from his earthly captivity.
An anonymous 6th Century monk wrote a commentary suggesting that the miracle of the transfiguration was not that Jesus’ light shone bright because his light shone throughout his entire life and even on the cross… but rather, the miracle is centered on Peter, James, and John – that they actually saw Jesus as he really was! Their blinders were removed. They saw him as he really was… nothing would ever be the same again… everything was transfigured.
I have to say, in the spirit of the Transfiguration and in the spirit of Valentines Day, that something similar happened to me some 30 years ago before Vickie and I were dating. This is absolutely true. One day I was praying and I was praying about a couple of girls I was dating and I said something to the Lord like, “Lord, why can’t so-and-so and so-and-so be more like Vickie; then, there’d really be a future for us?” And, I kid you not, it was then, that something like blinders fell off my eyes [My blinders were removed.] as the Lord knocked me upside the head and said, “Do you hear what you just said? What’s wrong with you?”
Well, that day, my blinders fell off and on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John’s blinders fell off. These three are known as “the inner circle” of disciples. I have searched the New Testament to locate the places where these three are together with Jesus. I found six places, the Transfiguration plus four more:
- The raising of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8: 51, Mark 6: 37) – Jairus was the Gentile “God-fearer” who donated significantly to the building of the synagogue, but his daughter was extremely sick. He invited Jesus into his little girl’s room and Jesus invited Peter, James and John to accompany him into her room along with her parents to witness his raising her from the dead. I would imagine that made a life-long impression on them!
- At the Temple (Mark 13: 3) – They were admiring the architecture of the Temple and Jesus commented that a day would come when not one stone would be left upon another. The “inner circle” along with Andrew asked him privately when this would happen? I have the sense that because they experienced more personal time with Jesus, they were more adventurous in asking this difficult question. Jesus went into a lengthy teaching for the remainder of Mark Chapter 13.
- Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14: 33; Matthew 26: 36) – When Jesus went to pray for God’s will in the Gethsemane, he brought the three a little closer than the rest of the disciples to be near him as he prayed. Of course, all three fell asleep from fatigue…. Lastly, I would add…
- After the Resurrection (John 21) – Peter, James, and John were joined by Thomas, Nathanael and two unnamed disciples… and I want to talk a bit more about this. In verse 3, Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” We’re told they all went along with the idea.
This is a significant passage because they had all given three years of their lives to the most intense mentoring course ever. Unfortunately, after three years they felt like failures and wanted to get back to something they could do well.
This reminds me of a writing by Watchman Nee, who was born in 1903 in mainland China. He became a Christian in 1920 and began a 30-year ministry. He was imprisoned for his faith in 1952 and remained there until his death in 1972. He wrote,
If you have a very clumsy servant and he just sits still and does nothing, then his clumsiness does not appear. If he does nothing all day he will be of little use to you, it is true, but at least he will do no damage that way. But if you say to him: “Now… don’t idle away your time; get up and do something!” Then immediately the trouble begins. He knocks the chair over as he gets up, stumbles over a footstool a few paces further on, then smashes some precious dish as soon as he handles it. If you make no demands upon him, his clumsiness is never noticed, but as soon as you ask him to do anything his awkwardness is at once apparent.
Now, we might be tempted to point fingers at someone else, but I’d imagine that each of us can see ourselves in this illustration. We all have clumsiness and awkwardness and so it is much safer to stand by and watch the actions of others. To say yes and get involved is to become vulnerable so that others might witness our clumsiness.
I believe the disciples felt awkward and thus went back to something they felt better equipped to do. But they we were not even successful at fishing that night. They had to face their failure! Have you had to do that? I sure have!
Don’t you think it is noteworthy that even though they:
- Were in the inner circle
- Had witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration
- Had witnessed the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead
- Had heard all his teaching and asked the toughest questions
- Had been there with him in the Garden and knew he longed for God’s will more than anything
- Had been prepared better than anyone, but as they stood on the verge of reaching out to the world in mission for Jesus, they felt like failures! They felt clumsy.
Jesus called to them from the shore, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” They confessed, “No.” Jesus said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” And when they tried the right side, there were so many fish they were unable to pull them in. When this happened, John said, “It is the Lord.” He knew that Jesus was reminding them that their worldly pursuits, even when they were abundantly successful, could not satisfy them deep down!
I suppose this is one of the dangers of growing in one’s discipleship… growing in spiritual victory – other successes fade in comparison.
Even “the inner circle of disciples” experienced fear and felt failure as they stood on the verge of mission. Each of us has faced demanding circumstances. We know what it’s like to be “over our heads” and pray for mere survival in one way or another! In some cases, minor adaptations work, but in other cases, it takes all that we have and more!
Perhaps you’ve never seen yourself in “the inner circle” with Jesus, that such a position is a bit lofty. Perhaps the Psalmist states your view in Psalm 131: O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. (Psalm 131: 1-2)
I can certainly understand this perspective. “Lord, I don’t want to be some super-disciple, I just want to be faithful. I don’t need a mountain top experience; I just want a glimpse of who you are.
Reggie McNeal challenges us in his book, Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders, “Great spiritual leaders are great because they reflect the heart of God to his people. They know God for who he is. They have been captured by him. They enjoy him. Because they do, they hang out with him. And they encourage others to do the same.” (158)
In other words, we are not all called into the spotlight; however, we are all to reflect upon God’s heart and then to reflect God’s heart to others. All of us are called to do that… and when we experience fear, defeat, or even confusion, we have a much greater opportunity to demonstrate God’s love and faithfulness.
“The inner circle” is not a place of honor, it is a place of maturity and it doesn’t just happen. We spend time with God and we grow closer to God. No one can prevent us from being in the inner circle – well, no one but ourselves.