Shining on the Mountain

High on a mountain, the wind drops. Three fishermen look at their friend, and his face begins to shine. Brighter. And brighter. Like the sun coming up over the hills.

Six days earlier, near the town of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But then Jesus told them something they did not want to hear. He would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised on the third day. Peter could not accept it. The disciples were confused and uneasy. Now Jesus takes Peter, James and John, and leads them up a high mountain, away from everyone else.

At the top, something happens that the three of them will never forget. Jesus is transfigured in front of them. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become as white as light. And he is not alone. Two men are standing with him, talking with him. The disciples somehow know who they are. Moses, who led God's people out of Egypt and received the law on a mountain. And Elijah, the great prophet, who was taken up into heaven. Here they are, on this mountain, speaking with Jesus.

Peter has to say something. He always does. “Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you want, I'll put up three shelters. One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Maybe he wants to make the moment last. Maybe he just doesn't know what else to do. But he is still speaking when a bright cloud rolls over them, and from inside the cloud comes a voice. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

The three disciples fall flat on their faces, terrified. Everything is light and cloud and that voice. Then they feel a hand on their shoulders. It is Jesus. “Get up,” he says. “Don't be afraid.” They lift their eyes and look around. The cloud is gone. Moses and Elijah are gone. They see no one except Jesus, by himself. The same Jesus they have walked with for months. And yet, they will never see him in quite the same way again.

On the way down the mountain, Jesus gives them an instruction. “Tell no one about what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” They have a question. “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answers, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognise him. They did whatever they wanted to him. In the same way, the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood. He was talking about John the Baptist.

Why Moses and Elijah? The very last verses of the Old Testament prophets, in the book of Malachi, name these two together. “Remember the law of Moses my servant,” it says, and then, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” So for Jesus' followers, Moses stood for the law and Elijah for the prophets, the whole story of God's dealings with Israel. As for the mountain, Matthew doesn't name it. Christian tradition since at least the fourth century has pointed to Mount Tabor in Galilee, while some scholars suggest Mount Hermon, closer to Caesarea Philippi.

Shining on the Mountain. You'll find it in Matthew chapter 17, verses 1 to 13. Peter wanted to build shelters. God told him something simpler: listen to my Son. So here's the question to carry with you. When everything around you is loud or frightening, how will you listen to Jesus?