This Sunday is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Our ol’ pal Peter, along with James and John, had front row seats for this miraculous event. Scripture explains that Jesus “was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.”
Peter was so frightened, he started babbling, and offered to build shelters for the three glorified persons. That was very typical of impulsive Peter. If he didn’t know what to say, he just started talking and hoped that maybe something sensible would eventually come out of his mouth. (Hmm, I know a guy like that. I see him every morning – in the mirror.)
Peter had a history of flapping his yap without knowing what he was talking about. The most famous incident occurred on the night Jesus was betrayed, when Peter boasted that he would die for Jesus. But then later on, when things got a bit dicey, he denied knowing Jesus and bolted like a frightened bunny rabbit.
As the years went by, however, Peter grew in wisdom and became much more sober and thoughtful in his statements. It’s amazing what an infusion of the Holy Spirit can do to a person. Many decades after the Transfiguration, Peter referred to it in his second epistle as proof of Jesus’ divinity. He wrote, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.”
It’s interesting that Peter cited the Transfiguration as evidence of Jesus’ supernatural power. After all, Peter witnessed all kinds of miracles at the hands of Jesus. He saw the Lord cure sick people, change water into wine, even raise the dead. Peter saw Jesus Himself walking around alive after having been crucified; watched with his own eyes as Jesus ascended into Heaven; and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
As the years went by, however, Peter grew in wisdom and became much more sober and thoughtful in his statements. It’s amazing what an infusion of the Holy Spirit can do to a person. Many decades after the Transfiguration, Peter referred to it in his second epistle as proof of Jesus’ divinity. He wrote, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.”
It’s interesting that Peter cited the Transfiguration as evidence of Jesus’ supernatural power. After all, Peter witnessed all kinds of miracles at the hands of Jesus. He saw the Lord cure sick people, change water into wine, even raise the dead. Peter saw Jesus Himself walking around alive after having been crucified; watched with his own eyes as Jesus ascended into Heaven; and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
And yet, when Peter wanted to demonstrate that he had personally witnessed the miraculous nature of Jesus’ life, he talked about the Transfiguration. It must have been quite a spectacular sight.
Now, of course, modern skeptics will say that Peter was, in fact, following “cleverly devised myths.” These folks, who deny that a supernatural realm exists, say that Peter was either hallucinating when he witnessed the Transfiguration, or, more likely, lying through his teeth about it to manipulate gullible religious followers.
There’s really no other choice for those who have an anti-supernatural bias. If supernatural events are, by definition, impossible, then the events described in this week’s gospel reading could not have occurred.
About 30 years ago, I was involved in a prolonged back-and-forth debate on the Letters to the Editor page of a local newspaper. One regular contributor, a devout secularist, often accused me of having “a fascination with the supernatural.”
Well, if his materialistic worldview is correct, and a supernatural realm does not exist anywhere in the universe, then spending even a tiny amount of time thinking about the supernatural (let alone writing about it repeatedly) is indeed a waste of time. But on the other hand, if a supernatural realm does exist; if there truly is a Divine Being who created life on earth; if mankind possesses a soul/spirit which will exist long after our bodies have died; then we can’t spend ENOUGH time thinking about it, writing about it, trying to draw closer to it, and, yes, being fascinated with it.
Now, of course, modern skeptics will say that Peter was, in fact, following “cleverly devised myths.” These folks, who deny that a supernatural realm exists, say that Peter was either hallucinating when he witnessed the Transfiguration, or, more likely, lying through his teeth about it to manipulate gullible religious followers.
There’s really no other choice for those who have an anti-supernatural bias. If supernatural events are, by definition, impossible, then the events described in this week’s gospel reading could not have occurred.
About 30 years ago, I was involved in a prolonged back-and-forth debate on the Letters to the Editor page of a local newspaper. One regular contributor, a devout secularist, often accused me of having “a fascination with the supernatural.”
Well, if his materialistic worldview is correct, and a supernatural realm does not exist anywhere in the universe, then spending even a tiny amount of time thinking about the supernatural (let alone writing about it repeatedly) is indeed a waste of time. But on the other hand, if a supernatural realm does exist; if there truly is a Divine Being who created life on earth; if mankind possesses a soul/spirit which will exist long after our bodies have died; then we can’t spend ENOUGH time thinking about it, writing about it, trying to draw closer to it, and, yes, being fascinated with it.
We who live today have not witnessed a spectacular Transfiguration, like Peter did. But if you’re starting to have doubts about your faith, just remember that many of us have witnessed genuine supernatural miracles: drunks suddenly becoming sober; thieves becoming honest; prostitutes becoming chaste; managers of Planned Parenthood clinics becoming pro-life activists — all through faith in Jesus Christ.
Please, don’t doubt – God is real and His supernatural power is amazing!
Please, don’t doubt – God is real and His supernatural power is amazing!
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