Friday, August 06, 2004
Thoughts on Peter at the Transfiguration
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from
God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we heard this
voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
2 Peter 1:16-19
The Transfiguration is a wonderful example of Emmanuel, God With Us.
Here is Peter talking about an event in his life, a particular moment
in time where he woke up to see Jesus dazzling white when the man he
knew who was praying when he fell asleep had no physical reason to
look like that. Peter knew a lot by this time about Jesus - the types
of things that irritated him, or how he behaved when he was especially
tired, or what he liked to eat, or how he liked to spend time around
the fire at night. Jesus was his teacher, but a person who could also
make jokes and called him Rock, who healed people by the numbers, but
who got tired and cold and hungry.
And then he woke up to that other side of Jesus. Did he think of the
passage in Daniel, where the Ancient of Days is protrayed as being
dazzling white, and one like the Son of Man came to receive dominion
and power? Or was he merely frightened, awed, overwhelmed?
Peter who so wanted to follow Jesus, who wanted to stay on the
mountain, would find that the time would come when even having seen
Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration, couldn't hold onto that
image when frightened for Jesus and in fear of his own life, he ran
away. Yet even so, he knew what he heard, and as his faith matured,
he could stand up and witness, for he KNEW. Jesus is our Emmanuel,
our sign, our God with us, who knows the taste of tears and dust and
loss and sorrow as well as joy and power.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from
God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we heard this
voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
2 Peter 1:16-19
The Transfiguration is a wonderful example of Emmanuel, God With Us.
Here is Peter talking about an event in his life, a particular moment
in time where he woke up to see Jesus dazzling white when the man he
knew who was praying when he fell asleep had no physical reason to
look like that. Peter knew a lot by this time about Jesus - the types
of things that irritated him, or how he behaved when he was especially
tired, or what he liked to eat, or how he liked to spend time around
the fire at night. Jesus was his teacher, but a person who could also
make jokes and called him Rock, who healed people by the numbers, but
who got tired and cold and hungry.
And then he woke up to that other side of Jesus. Did he think of the
passage in Daniel, where the Ancient of Days is protrayed as being
dazzling white, and one like the Son of Man came to receive dominion
and power? Or was he merely frightened, awed, overwhelmed?
Peter who so wanted to follow Jesus, who wanted to stay on the
mountain, would find that the time would come when even having seen
Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration, couldn't hold onto that
image when frightened for Jesus and in fear of his own life, he ran
away. Yet even so, he knew what he heard, and as his faith matured,
he could stand up and witness, for he KNEW. Jesus is our Emmanuel,
our sign, our God with us, who knows the taste of tears and dust and
loss and sorrow as well as joy and power.
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