Monday 16th June
Read Luke 9:37-40
“The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.’” (NIVUK)
Descending down the mountain is devastatingly disappointing. The disciples have literally reached the high point in their understanding of who Jesus is. They have seen and heard His glory. They were awoken by the light of the radiance of the glory of the Son of God. Darkness literally fled from His presence.
The next day, as all the gospels record, the disciples are defeated by the forces of darkness that they had seen flee the night before. In fact we will read repeatedly in the rest of the chapter how time after time the disciples’ failures and immaturity betray their lack of faith or understanding of who Jesus really is. Even after the mountaintop experience they do not know their Lord.
In one sense we could choose to be critical of their obtuseness and immaturity. In another we can be immensely comforted. Jesus is ultimately so patient with them, and in being so patient we can take comfort that He will also be patient with us. We may not have had the mountaintop experience that Peter, James and John had and the true revelation of the glory of God was beyond their comprehension and is likely beyond ours also. But it will not always be so.
Failure is part of following Jesus. But as Peter writes, Jesus’ glory and their witness to it, along with the witness of Moses and Elijah, is something secure and trustworthy. “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19) (NIVUK)
