SCRIPTURE: Luke 9:28-36
“He did not know what he was saying.” (Luke 9:33)
Jesus transformed, Moses and Elijah appearing, God’s voice heard in the glory cloud… Why does this line jump out at me today?
Peter was thinking about setting up a shrine, for people to come and worship Jesus, Moses and Elijah (that is what people do when a holy person shows up: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe).
Peter didn’t get why Moses and Elijah appeared, Peter didn’t really get who Jesus was.
Yes, he said that Jesus was God’s Messiah (Luke 9:18-20), but he also told Jesus He wouldn’t die (Matthew 16:21-23).
“He did not know what he was saying.” (Luke 9:33)
I guess what goes through my mind is how much we say about God and Jesus, and yet do not know.
I’m not saying that what we believe is not true, but that it is much bigger and deeper than we realize.
I hear the Lord humbling me (and us as Christians) about our doctrines and beliefs.
We think we know so much, we think we’ve figured out orthodoxy, as well as who the heretics are.
If this is true of Peter, who was with Jesus, how much more of us: “We do not know what we are saying.”
As we stare at Jesus shining in His glory, wrapped in God’s glory cloud, we need to remember that Jesus is so much bigger and greater than our minds can grasp.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for allowing us to say things about You, even if we only know in part. Help us stay humble and open to the Real You, and not just to our limited ideas about You.
Jesus went with Peter, James, and John up to a mountain to pray. The one thing that jumped out to me with this passage was that Peter, James, and John were tired. This was also the case in the Garden of Gathsemene. This tells me that either these guys had a very busy schedule, and had to catch a nap when they could, or that they were just like me, and got tired easily. Just as it was hard for the disciples to concentrate on pray, so it is with me. I can fully understand the disciples nodding off during prayer.
But as this story shows, wonderful things can happen as a result of prayer. I should not write prayer off as a sleep inducing process. Here God comes down to meet them. Jesus is transfigured, and he has a chat with Moses and Elijah. I do not fully understand, but obviously, neither did Peter, James, and John, who were right there at the time.
The second thing that jumps out at me is the message that comes from God. This is the direct statement, so there really is no misunderstanding. “This is my Son, Whom I have chosen, Listen to Him” This message was for Peter, James, John, and MUB.