Dear Theophilus,
While the call of discipleship for
the apostles was certainly a difficult one, calling them to give up their
lifestyles and many of their connections to their previous lives, it was not a
call without brilliant moments of confirmation, of clarity that existed, it
seems, for the sole purpose of reminding the apostles the importance of their
mission, the identity of Jesus. I have
received news of such a story, and it is so dramatic I am scarcely able to
believe it is real, despite the assurances I have received from others. If this story was isolated from the rest of
our account and told to me without any other information, not enough testaments
in the world could convince me of its authenticity, or I would suspect the
witness’ state of mind. But within the
context of this story, and standing next to some of the amazing things Jesus
has done, I must wonder if this event is just as true as the others and, if it
is true, what effect that has on me. I
trust that this account will serve as a confirmation of much of what you
believe, while those of us who still wonder about the place of faith in their
lives will have to do something with this account, either discarding it or
discrediting it.
Roughly eight days after the
challenging sayings you relayed in your letter, Jesus, Peter, James and John
went up the mountain to pray. I do not
know why the rest of the disciples were left behind, or how they felt about it,
but I would have twinges of jealousy if I were them!
Something incredible happened while
Jesus was praying. Words can scarcely
describe it, and even now my hand shakes as I write this—it is so extraordinary
as to be incomprehensible. From what I
have gathered, the appearance of his face was altered, and his very clothes
begin to shine with a brilliance that we can scarcely understand. I picture it as looking directly into the
sun, and yet Peter, James and John were able to watch this, albeit with
expressions of wonder and curiosity plastered on their faces.
In the midst of this, two men
appeared, names that are familiar to you.
I don’t know how the disciples were certain of their identity, but I
don’t doubt that they were right, or else Jesus would have corrected them
later. They were Moses and Elijah, two
pillars of the Jewish faith, paragons of integrity and leadership, speaking
with Jesus in his glory about his departure, which Jesus was about to finish in
Jerusalem. This is yet another
conversation of which the content has vanished, and yet I would love to hear
what these men were conversing about. I
do not expect the disciples to remember all of this, for surely their minds
were stretched enough by the visuals.
Speaking of the disciples, they
were very tired, but they managed to stay awake to witness this event, and just
as Moses and Elijah were about to leave Peter spoke out, daring to interrupt
this scene that was unfolding before his eyes.
Peter told Jesus that it was good that they were there, and offered to
build three houses, one each for Jesus, for Moses and Elijah. Peter didn’t truly know what he was saying,
but I believe that he wanted to dwell in that moment forever, to hold onto it
and not descend back down the mountain, where ordinary life went on as
usual.
However, before an answer was given
to Peter, a cloud consumed the scene, and as it surrounded the disciples they
were terrified. Their spirits were
already on edge, and this seemed to push them over. Perhaps they feared it was the end for them,
or maybe the unknown of it all was just too much. A voice spoke out from the cloud, a voice
with no body they could see, and yet none of them questioned who it was. They were hearing the very voice of God
saying, “This is my Son, my chosen.
Listen to him!”
As the disciples were still trying
to take this in, the cloud vanished, and Moses and Elijah with it. Soon it was just Jesus, and the entire scene
was as though the events had never happened, which I suppose is what many
believe. The disciples told no one about
these things in that time, suspecting (probably correctly) that they would be
viewed as crazy and discredited. I don’t
blame them—how do you describe the voice of God, or the vision of Moses and
Elijah? How do you tell people that you
witnessed Jesus’ face glowing? People
would think you were crazy, and I probably would, too.
I can’t say that I understand all
of this, Theophilus. It’s like a giant
puzzle already, and this piece has so many corners and edges that I don’t know
where to put it. It should be a huge
confirmation of what many suspect about Jesus, a reminder that he’s more than
just a brilliant man, and yet it is so hard to believe that this is true. I want to believe it, but it’s so
extraordinary, so singular, that for my human mind to grasp the meaning of it
is asking too much of me right now.
I hope you understand my
position. I am not antagonistic towards
the story, and I don’t want to discredit the disciples. Everything about this story, though, is
outside the realm of my experience, and to somehow believe it as true is a huge
leap of faith for me. Be patient with
me, friend, and perhaps in time I will learn how to fit this cumbersome piece
into the puzzle.
Sincerely,
Luke
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