Di Shining for Di Mountain

For top of one high mountain, di breeze stop. Three fishermen look dem friend, and im face begin shine. E dey brighter. E dey brighter. Like di sun wey dey rise for top of di hills.

Six days before, near di town of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus ask im disciples, Who una talk say I be? Peter answer, You be di Christ, di Son of di living God. But then Jesus tell dem something wey dem no want hear. E go go Jerusalem, suffer, dem go kill am, and God go raise am for di third day. Peter no fit accept am. Di disciples confuse and dem mind no rest. Now Jesus take Peter, James and John, and lead dem go up one high mountain, far from everybody.

For di top, something happen wey di three of dem no go ever forget. Jesus change for dem front. Im face shine like di sun. Im clothes become white like light. And e no dey alone. Two men stand with am, dey talk with am. Somehow di disciples know who dem be. Moses, wey lead God people comot from Egypt and receive di law for top of mountain. And Elijah, di great prophet, wey God carry go up to heaven. See dem here, for dis mountain, dey talk with Jesus.

Peter must talk something. E dey always talk. Lord, e good for us to dey here! If you want, I go build three shelters. One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Maybe e want make di moment last. Maybe e just no know wetin else to do. But e still dey talk when one bright cloud cover dem, and from inside di cloud one voice come. Dis na my Son wey I love, and I dey well pleased with am. Make una listen to am.

Di three disciples fall flat for ground with dem face, fear catch dem well well. Everything na light and cloud and dat voice. Then dem feel one hand for dem shoulders. Na Jesus. Get up, e talk. No fear. Dem raise dem eyes and look round. Di cloud don go. Moses and Elijah don go. Dem no see anybody again except Jesus, im alone. Di same Jesus wey dem don waka with for many months. And still, dem no go ever see am di same way again.

As dem dey come down from di mountain, Jesus give dem one instruction. No tell anybody about wetin una see, until God don raise di Son of Man from death. Dem get one question. Why di teachers of di law dey talk say Elijah must come first? Jesus answer, Elijah dey come true true, and e go restore all things. But I tell una, Elijah don already come, and dem no recognise am. Dem do am anything wey dem like. Di same way, di Son of Man go suffer for dem hand. Then di disciples understand. Na John di Baptist e dey talk about.

Why Moses and Elijah? Di very last verses of di Old Testament prophets, for di book of Malachi, mention di two of dem together. Remember di law of Moses my servant, na so e talk, and then, See, I go send Elijah di prophet to una before di great and terrible day of di Lord come. So for di followers of Jesus, Moses stand for di law and Elijah stand for di prophets, di whole story of how God take deal with Israel. For di mountain, Matthew no call im name. Since at least di fourth century, Christian tradition dey point to Mount Tabor for Galilee, while some scholars dey suggest Mount Hermon, wey dey nearer to Caesarea Philippi.

Di shining for di mountain. You go find am for Matthew chapter seventeen, verse one to thirteen. Peter want build shelters. God tell am something wey simple pass: listen to my Son. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When everything around you dey make noise or dey make you fear, how you go take listen to Jesus?