Peter’s reaction is everything.
For Sunday
Epiphany Last A
Collect
O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Reading
Reflection
What do you suppose these three disciples expected when they climbed that mountain with Jesus? What did they think they would see?
The most obvious answer is: I don’t know, but I know it’s not this!
Spiritual seekers have climbed mountains to find the divine for millennia. It is also where we expect to find our gurus, busy communing with the divine. Moses famously did it multiple times. So if we want to find someone who knows anything about the divine, that’s usually where we look for them.
Students also follow their teachers where they go. So, if the teachers walks up the mountain and invites you to join him, well, you usually go.
I suspect that these disciples expected something special for them. Something the rest of the disciples weren’t supposed to have. Maybe they felt that made them special. Or that Jesus recognized something special in them. It is an honor to receive such special wisdom.
And yet I doubt that Jesus sought to honor them as much as teach them. This seems particularly true of Peter, who, in one breath, proclaims deep truth, and in the other, misunderstanding.
Peter, once again misses the point. He wants to memorialize the moment or capture it. But he also declares the moment “good.” Which, I think we’re prone to overlook. For it is Peter’s exuberance that leads him to miss the mark. But it also what allows him to see a profound truth. To name this moment what God will affirm.
That it is good for them to be there. As it is good for us to be here. Listening to God’s beloved.