Saturday, 8/6/16
I like pointing out that our missals tell us today’s Gospel
starts in Luke Chapter Nine , verse 28b. It leaves off the first half of verse
28 that tells us “About eight days after this . . .”
That first half of Luke verse 28 was making the point that
today’s incident was brought on by what happened eight days before. That was
when Jesus had saddened the disciples and even himself by saying their happy
days were drawing to a close. He told them he would be handed over to
foreigners and put to death. He followed up that with the dire warning that his
disciples too would have to take up crosses.
Those two sad predictions might have sunk in a little with
Peter, James and John; so, a week later, when Jesus, wanting to get some comfort
from the Father, climbed a mountain, he brought Peter, James and John along for
their share of heavenly assurance.
On the mountain they had a heavenly experience that was beyond
words. The story Luke laid before us probably isn’t factual, but it doesn’t
even come close to giving us a feel for the touch with heaven itself that they
experienced.
The disciples had fallen asleep as Jesus went on praying.
Then they awoke to seeing the bottom of heaven stretching down like a
trampoline. It stretched down just far enough to take Jesus within it. With
that, he was changed into a heavenly being. He appeared glorified.
The Jews had a belief that just two mortals had made it to
heaven. They were Moses and Elijah. Moses along with the whole of his grave
from opposite Beth Peor had been taken up to heaven, and Elijah had been
taken up in a fiery chariot. Those two came over to chat with Jesus, and Luke
tells us they talked about the end of Jesus’ mission.
Then, as Peter tells us in his Second Letter, they heard the
Father calling Jesus his Son, staging a foretaste of the heavenly reward. It
let both Jesus and the disciples see that they would be rewarded for their
sufferings. It was also staged to give us hope.
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