Sunday 26 July, 2015

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

Just before this story Jesus asks Peter “who do people say I am.” Peter replies that some say he is John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some say a prophet… I (Peter) say you are the Christ. Mark 8:28-29. Then in today’s passage we have read the account of the transfiguration and it answers or confirms this truth that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.

Jesus on the mountain is visited by Elijah and Moses, they come to pay their respect to the greatest prophet Jesus. Moses the great deliverer of Gods people comes to see the forever complete deliverer of Gods people, Jesus the Messiah. God speaks to the company, “This is my son, listen to him.” A reference to when Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, he is not John the Baptist, he (Jesus) is God’s son.

And now most importantly, now that who He (Jesus) is has been made clear, LISTEN TO HIM.

Peter has declared Jesus to be the Christ earlier but has he listened to Him. Listened to Him as the Christ? He has not. In Mark 8:31-33, just previous to the transfiguration, he (Peter) has rebuked Jesus for predicting his own death. And then on the mountain rather than just listening and watching the amazing scene before him, he is busy coming up with ideas about how to make it even better, by making a shelter for each of them.

Peter is an ideas man who believes but has difficulty listening. I can identify so well with him. I love that Jesus is so gracious with Peter, letting him see the transfiguration and hear the fathers’ proclamation over Jesus. Jesus invests in Peter as he is. Thank you Jesus, you are the same with me. Patiently and graciously helping me to listen to you better. Please help me to believe, to stop and to LISTEN.

Written by Zoe Stewart