From the desert to the mountain top!

Luke 9:28-36

Eight days after saying these things, Jesus took Peter and John and James with him and went up into the mountain for prayer. 29 And while he was in prayer, his face was changed and his clothing became white and shining. 30 And two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him; 31 Who were seen in glory and were talking of his death which was about to take place in Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were overcome with sleep: but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were with him. 33 And when they were about to go away from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah: having no knowledge of what he was saying. 34 And while he said these things, the shade of a cloud came over them, and they were full of fear when they went into the cloud. 35 And there was a voice from the cloud saying, This is my Son, the man of my selection; give ear to him. 36 And after the voice was gone they saw that Jesus was by himself. And they kept quiet, and said nothing at that time to anyone of the things which they had seen.

Food for thought!

Today's gospel begins with the words, "Eight days after saying these things." Before we look at the gospel reading, let's consider these things which were said by Jesus. Immediately before today's gospel reading, we find these words of Jesus, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

These are the words that occasioned today's gospel reading. Jesus must have shocked his disciples beyond telling when he revealed to them his destiny and fate. This was no good news to the disciples who expected Jesus, as the Messiah, to be mighty and omnipotent. Many of them would have begun to have second thoughts: Is Jesus really the expected Messiah? Is he really the Anointed of God who is to come? Should we take him any serious at all? Why and how can such bad things happen to him?

So, eight days after saying those shocking words about to happen to him, Jesus invites the three leaders of the group of apostles, Peter, James and John, to go with him for a prayer session on the mountains. This fact is extremely important, because it shows what we must do when life gets tough, when we don't understand ourselves or others: take the matter to the Lord in prayer; this is what Jesus did and what he teaches us to do.

As Jesus was praying, and as the disciples were watching him, he began to change. The gospel says, "As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning." Prayer, as Jesus taught us a few days ago, is power; prayer puts us in touch with the mighty God. Prayer is seeing things from God's perspective. This is what happened on the mountain: the eyes of the apostles, their spiritual eyes, were opened and they caught a glimpse of the true reality of Jesus that their physical eyes never saw. Then they saw that the whole heavenly court was on the side of Jesus. And they heard the voice of the invisible God, “This is my Son, the man of my selection; give ear to him.” (Luke 9:35).

Such was all the confirmation they needed. Even though bad things were about to happen to him, Jesus was the Son of God. Yes, bad things do happen to good people.

How often do we experience the absurdities of life such that our minds are filled with doubt and we ask, “Where is God?” Think of people who have given up on life, on faith, on God, just because God let bad things happen to good people? Last Sunday Jesus was taken into wilderness of temptations. Today, he is at the mountain top, from where the Father in heaven assures us that, though tempted, though destined for suffering and agony and death, Jesus is still God's beloved Son.

Sometimes we all do feel like the whole world is collapsing on our heads? Sometimes we are like Jesus in the desert of temptations; we are like Jesus destined for much suffering, rejection and finally death. Unless we learn to go up the mountain of prayer and ask God to open our eyes to see our life as He sees it, we are bound to be frustrated. For despite our suffering, we are still his sons and daughters. Yes, many of us need the mountain experience of prayer. When and if we go to this mountain, we shall have the courage to accept the apparently meaningless suffering of this life, knowing that through it all God is on our side. All it takes is a little glimpse of heaven to empower us to take up our daily crosses and follow Jesus, knowing that the cross of Lent is followed by the crown of Easter.

And while he was in prayer, his face was changed!