Jesus has taken his inner circle of disciples to the mountain to pray. They are falling asleep. This seems to be typical as they have the same experience in the Garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus is betrayed. Jesus is praying while his disciples are sleeping.
Then something extraordinary happens. Through their grogginess the disciples begin to realize that something has changed. This is not an ordinary night. They see Jesus appearance has changed into something they have never seen, nor heard.
St. Matthew tells us how it was altered when he writes that "his countenance shone as the sun." And his raiment was white and glistering; literally, lightening forth, as if from some inward source of glorious light. The earthly robes were so beautified by contact with this Divine light that human language is exhausted by the evangelists to find terms and metaphors to picture them. St. Matthew compares these garments of the Blessed One to light; St. Mark, to the snow; St. Luke, to the flashing lightning.[1]
They recognize, they may not even be sure how they recognize, but they recognize Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. They see his glory, and the hear him talking with two men they have only heard about – two men from their own faith history. They are startled out of sleep by this astonishing and unexpected event.
Peter's first response is to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. "Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Luke 9:33). He didn't know what he was saying, but he felt like he should do something. Too often we too are so action oriented that we lose our ability to listen and worship. Too often we are so obedience oriented that we lose sight of the reality that what God wants more than obedience from us is relationship with us.
Then something extraordinary happens. Through their grogginess the disciples begin to realize that something has changed. This is not an ordinary night. They see Jesus appearance has changed into something they have never seen, nor heard.
St. Matthew tells us how it was altered when he writes that "his countenance shone as the sun." And his raiment was white and glistering; literally, lightening forth, as if from some inward source of glorious light. The earthly robes were so beautified by contact with this Divine light that human language is exhausted by the evangelists to find terms and metaphors to picture them. St. Matthew compares these garments of the Blessed One to light; St. Mark, to the snow; St. Luke, to the flashing lightning.[1]
They recognize, they may not even be sure how they recognize, but they recognize Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. They see his glory, and the hear him talking with two men they have only heard about – two men from their own faith history. They are startled out of sleep by this astonishing and unexpected event.
Peter's first response is to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. "Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Luke 9:33). He didn't know what he was saying, but he felt like he should do something. Too often we too are so action oriented that we lose our ability to listen and worship. Too often we are so obedience oriented that we lose sight of the reality that what God wants more than obedience from us is relationship with us.
Psalms 51:16-17 (ESV)
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
There was a reason that Jesus took his inner circle of disciples to the mountain to pray, and it wasn't so they would learn to obey. Yes, God want us to do his will, but first he wants us to come and be with him.
[1]. The Pulpit Commentary,
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/luke/9.htm, accessed February 24, 2016.
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