“Lord, It Is Good That We Are Here”

            Matthew 17:2–5 ²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. ³And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁵He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

            Have you ever been asked to go somewhere and you said yes you’ll go, but you forgot to ask why you were going?  While you are on your way to this place you are going to wouldn’t you wonder why you were asked to go?  You would think that at least half way up the mountain you surely would be questioning if this journey was necessary.  You might even be asking at this time what is so important that you would have to endure climbing up to the top of the mountain. 

            I don’t know maybe I might have asked the one who invited me on this journey what the point of this venture was.  But, Peter, James and John didn’t ask, rather they took it on faith that there was something important to be accomplished in this journey following behind Jesus climbing to the top of this mountain.  After all, this was Jesus the Christ, whom they have read about in the Scriptures, the Savior, and if He the Savior says we should do something maybe we should do it and not question God.

            Have you ever wondered why someone asked you to tag along and thought at some point you figured out why?  Then all of a sudden you realized how very wrong you were.  Peter, certainly did.  “Lord, it is good that we are here” as if Peter, James, and John thought they were invited to wait on the esteem guests they saw with Jesus.  What could they possibly do for those who now have everything they need?  Moses and Elijah stand at the brink of heaven from where they exist now, and they are standing beside the light of the world of all the living of which they are now a part of.  I don’t know what Peter could have been thinking.  There is really nothing meaningful that we could give to those who actually have everything.  However there is much the one who has it all will give us.

            2 Peter 1:19–21¹⁹And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. ²¹For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

            Peter thought that he had interpreted what was going on correctly, that maybe they were brought along to wait on Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  At least until He saw that bright cloud cover them and then most likely got scared out of his wits when he heard the voice of God emanate from within the cloud.  We would probably do the same as we sometimes think we are called to do something for God.  The truth is what God asks us to do is not for Him but for each other (Matt 25:35-40).  The only thing God wants from us is Faith, Hope and Love of which love is the greatest (1 Cor 13:13).  Love is the greatest because it contains faith and hope.

            Peter says “pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”  The dark places are over come through our Lord Jesus Christ who blots out the darkness with His light that He shined from the cross.  It is called forgiveness and when we know we have received genuine forgiveness it shines a light on our heart.  The light is our Lord Jesus, the light is God.  Did you notice the cloud that overshadowed them?  It was not a dark cloud but a “bright cloud” and this brightness is the one who is pure light (1 John 1:5). God is covering us in His glory which is His light, which is Christ Jesus His only begotten Son.  Being covered by Christ’s bright cloud we are no longer considered a dark place but one who belongs to the light because He brought us into His light.

            2 Peter 1:16–18 ¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

            It is not what we make up that saves us but what God has planned from before the very beginning of His creation that keeps us in His light.  Christ is the light of the world and He is the cloud that overshadows and covers every dark place.  Christ brought us out of that dark place of sinful nature and into His light so that we may have everything we truly need along with Moses, Elijah and all who have gone on before us.  The light of God embraces us into eternal life and everlasting relationship with our God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.