And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
Luke 9:33
Today at church, Pastor Mark taught from Luke walking us through the Transfiguration. This passage is all about God’s glory and Pastor Mark spent most of his time there, but there was one thing that he said that the Spirit tucked away in the back of my head and marinated.
Peter tells Jesus, face shining and clothes glittering, decked with bling, “Hey, it’d be great if we could all just hang out for a bit. I’ll set up some tents for you, Moses and Elijah, we can just stay here and chill,” but the Bible says that he didn’t know what he said.
I manage to say the wrong things at the wrong time quite often, so I find much comfort in the fact that Jesus loved Peter.
What Pastor Mark said about this verse is that Peter here wants to prolong this mountain top experience, but there’s such danger in doing so. It’s so easy to associate place and circumstance with times where we met God, and in so doing, we crave those experiences in our lives more than God himself.
The archetypal example of this is the “spiritual high” from a retreat, but for me, it takes a much more insidious and daily toll. On Sundays, sometimes if one band is leading but I like another, my heart is so cold and broken that it refuses to worship, only being at church in body but not in spirit. If one pastor is away on a sabbatical and another is teaching, oftentimes my heart is unwilling to learn, because he’s not pastor so-and-so.
So, instead of seeking to relive certain experiences, where do we go so we can see a little bit of God’s glory?
For 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,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And 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, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
2 Peter 1:17-20
Peter himself, who saw all these things, tells us that what is more sure than these mountain top experiences is the Bible! Why do we seek to be satisfied with creation in chasing these experiences that God gives us, instead of the God who gives us those experiences?
Listen diligently to God and eat what is good, delight yourselves in rich food, his Word, which is sweeter than honey, because it is the very word of God that is spoken to you. Through Scripture, the Spirit leads us and teaches us about that which will satisfy our souls most.
How are we doing on this? Have your methodologies in pursuing and worshipping Christ become, as Pastor Mark puts it, methodolatries?
Father, reveal to me how often I replace you with experiences, that I might see my methodolatries and be corrected by your Spirit. You are better than any emotion or experience this world has to offer. Teach us the Bible so that we can get to know you better so that we can tell the world about your Love!
