So Very Good to Be Here

Monday after Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday


Mark 9:2-6

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

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How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year.
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here.

"Wish You Were Here" by Roger Waters and David Gilmour recorded by Pink Floyd from the album "Wish You Were Here"

Imagine Peter singing this song. Imagine him singing it to the world. He had just seen Jesus transfigured, a fancy word that means to change appearance. He was so freaked out, so shocked, so terrified that he offers to do some carpentry, building booths for the heroes. He wanted to do them the honor of creating a place for them to be, but to what purpose? Perhaps he wanted them to stay around so that everyone could see what he was seeing. A table to hang out at like a book signing. It was good for them to be there, so it is good for us to be there too. That seems clear.

Imagine Peter singing this song. He knows himself and he knows who we are too. We are just two lost souls swimming in this fishbowl year after year. Thoreau said "I have traveled extensively in Concord" and this is Peter's point, we know our lives. We know our neck of the woods. We know what we know and it will take something dramatic to adjust our image toward something holy and this will do .

Imagine Peter singing this song. He knows Jesus and he knows his old fears. He knows where they came from and he knows those who share them too. He wishes we were there with him, seeing what he saw. He was terrified, sure, but this was new. This was different. This is shock and awe.

But this doesn't happen. There are no booths. There are no guided tours of Transfiguration Point. There is only the story. There is only the promise.

Why does Jesus only bring Peter, James, and John? Scholars give all kinds of reasons, and if you were interested in scholarly opinion you wouldn't be reading this. What Jesus did give them is exactly what they needed. He gave them the image that mattered to them. Peter wished we were there too, but this isn't our image. This image is for them.

Imagine Peter singing this song. Now ask yourself, what is the image that you would have Christ show you? Imagine and know that the image you see can be as real as the one seen by Peter, James, and John. This is the lesson of the Transfiguration. As Jesus' image changes, our image of Jesus changes too. As the image of Jesus changes, our faith in Christ deepens. As the image of Jesus changes, it ought to scare us to death too. Of course it should be scary, this is shock and awe.