Thursday 07 June 2018

Psalm: Psalm 74:13-23

Background

If Mark is the newspaper reporter of the Gospel writers - he writes in short, sharp sentences with a degree of urgency - then Peter could be the TV reporter.

He liked to capture the moment, either with an instant opinion or soundbite, and here he seemed to want to create an image to lock in their experience on the mountaintop. If they make three dwellings, or booths, then there will always be a place where he and others can come back and remember that Moses, Elijah and Jesus appeared together.

There may be difficult days to come but Peter’s dream was that these dwellings could provide them with a bolt-hole - somewhere to be able to recall this holy moment and sit together reminiscing.

What he failed to remember was his previous assertion that Jesus is “the Messiah of God” (Luke 9:20). So shortly after being certain that Jesus is the one for whom all Israel has longed, he now wants to create a memorial that would say something completely different.

To have three dwellings – or shelters as other versions of the Bible put it – suggests that Jesus is no different in status to Moses and Elijah. And Peter wanted to lock that in stone.

Then, almost as if it’s a rebuke, the voice of God reminded the disciples: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (v. 35).

There are only three times in the Gospels when the voice of God speaks out loud - at Jesus’ Baptism (Luke 3:22), here at the Transfiguration and finally in John 12:27-28 after some Greeks ask to see Jesus. Each time God speaks it is to affirm Jesus as God's beloved son.

Here it seems to make it clear that no one else stands in the same relationship: not even the heroes of Israel – Moses and Elijah.

To Ponder

• Do we make the mistake of trying to ‘lock in’ our experiences of God? If so, how might we prevent this?
• Are there holy moments that still sustain you in dark times? If so, what are they?