What about moving forward?

“Lord, it is good for us to be here, if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles:
one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4

On a very special occasion, six days after Jesus had been teaching His disciples very important things for their spiritual life, He chose three of them who had accompanied him to witness a very special event up on a high mountain.

Previously He had revealed to all of them that He was to be killed, to be resurrected and later come back in His glory and that there was a cross for anyone who would like to follow Him. He showed them that the value of a soul was more precious than the whole world and that there was a reward waiting for everyone at the end of His work on earth.

He allowed six days to pass by so that these teachings could be well assimilated by these men with faulty characters and little faith but eager for something better than the routine of a mortal life. On the seventh day He called impetuous Peter and the two so-called “sons of thunder”, John and his brother James, to give them a living testimony of what He had been teaching them.

Once on the mountain, having left the noise and worries of this world behind, suddenly, the Master was transfigured and the divine glory enfolded Him. Both His face and garments shone brightly. Soon, two imposing figures made their appearance, two characters the disciples had read about in the Scriptures. These were Elijah, the Tishbite, the prophet of God who had been translated to heaven in a chariot of fire without seeing death, and Moses, the humblest man upon this earth, who had resigned to the Pharaonic court and throne and was used by God to deliver His people from captivity in a heathen land. Although he was the physical and spiritual leader of a huge crowd, he did not enter the promised land, because of one act of disobedience. He had given free expression to his choleric temperament instead of hiding himself in Christ. Although the devil claimed him as his, God’s mercy and love rescued him from the fetters of death, and translated him to heaven.

And there stood, these two great men, at both sides of Jesus, their Redeemer, the One who by the sacrifice He was about to make had already, centuries before, gathered early fruit for the heavenly granary. There they were, as a symbol of both the ones who would ascend to heaven alive at Jesus’ second coming and the ones who would be resurrected, by God’s grace, to enjoy eternal life.

It was something too glorious to remain silent and Peter, as it usually happened with him, felt he had to speak and so he said: “Lord, it is good for us to be here, if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah. ”

He was used to, at the feast of tabernacles, which was a memorial of the time the Israelites had left Egypt and dwelt in the wilderness for 40 years, make and lodge for a week in those improvised dwellings made of “branches of palm trees, and bough of leafy trees and willows of the brooks.” (Leviticus 23:40) He found that it would be wonderful to make such tabernacles for Jesus and His heavenly guests so that they might all dwell there because “it is good for us to be here “, he said. Peter was spiritually shortsighted and could not see further than his nose. He did not understand the real symbolism of the apparition and of Jesus’ transfiguration and was ready to settle down then and there; the whole plan of redemption was still an enigma to him and his vision was limited to what his eyes could see.

“If you wish, let us make tabernacles “. Thanks to the Lord that He did not wish, that He still does not wish! He does not want just a few of us to enjoy the brightness of His glory, but He wishes those who have had the privilege of seeing Him in His divine nature to be heralds of His second coming in glory. He does not want for us to be suspended between heaven and earth as was the case of the tragic end of Absalon whose beautiful and rich locks were entangled on the branches of a tree, but to be genuine and legal citizens of heaven. He does not want for us to be satisfied with our temporary dwellings, even if they are in the middle of nature and flanked by heavenly beings, but He wants to provide us heavenly dwellings in the city of gold and precious stones, where life will be perpetuated and where we shall have access to the tree of life.

Only if our understanding and hearts are opened by the Holy Spirit as it was in the case of the disciples on the way to Emmaus and of Lydia, that woman £om Thyatira who first heard and accepted the gospel in Macedonia, shall we be able to understand the magnitude of God’s plan for and with us. Have we understood it? Or are we maybe happily settled down in an tabernacle, enjoying our well-equipped earthly dwelling, surrounded by nature, having now and then a vision of heaven through our study of the Bible or a spiritual sermon but somehow not fully understanding why, in spite of it all, there is a certain emptiness in our soul, a lack of real peace and joy?

Let us not wonder why anymore! Let us remember the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice and stop being a Peter. We are not meant to dwell on the top of a mountain on this earth, isolated from the world, enjoying the presence of spiritual beings. Our commission is to go down to the valley, where people are still possessed by demons and looking for deliverance among Jesus’ disciples. We, as such, have been given that power to set them free. Unlimited power has been granted us. “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8), commanded Jesus to His newly called disciples before He sent them to work.

How many people have we healed? How many lepers have we cleansed? How many dead have we raised and how many demons have we cast out? The result is very discouraging if not maddening, and maybe the reason is that we still say what Peter said. “It is good for us here”. Our aspirations are still limited to this environment that is familiar to us. We think that as long as there is a time of grace and we have the opportunity we are entitled to enjoy the harmless pleasures of this life. We are afraid to fly higher in the wings of faith.

Although we know how fragile our tabernacle is, although we are well aware that it takes a 7 scale Richter earthquake to leave us homeless – if not lifeless – in a matter of seconds, we still somehow manage to block the idea out of our mind. We think those catastrophes happen elsewhere and that we, as God’s children, are always safe under His wings, and are given the chance and privilege to send help to the victims. It is so easy and comfortable to sit at our ebony desk or under our parasol in the garden and write a cheque for a generous amount to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy! Is this what Jesus asked us to do? He said: “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means, enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

Jesus left His throne in heaven, the adoration of the angels, an atmosphere of purity and love and came down to this valley of misery so that you and I may have access to the heavenly city, so that we may ascend not only with our imagination or divine inspiration by physically, to the wonderful kingdom of God the Father. The highest living standard we may have set for us or reached cannot be compared with the glory of our heavenly dwellings. We have been
called to be priests and kings, a peculiar people and if we keep this in mind and allow it to enter our heart we shall not say: “It is good for us here, let us make tabernacles.” But we shall live in tents, as Abraham did, be always on the move following the Lord’s instructions carefully because we are strangers and pilgrims in this world and “wait for the city whose builder and maker is God. ” (Hebrews 11:1))

But before we ascend we must descend. Before we are taken in the arms of our guardian angel to Mount Zion we must be taken in the wings of faith to the valley of affliction to relieve people’s suffering, to the valley of decision (Joel 3:14) to help people decide for salvation and eternal life. Before we increase we must decrease. Before we live we must die. Before we may be used by God we must surrender to His will. Before He may work through us we should stop working for Him and remember what Isaiah, the prophet who had a great revelation of God’s throne and glory and whose lips were cleaned with coal from the altar said before he could be an ambassador of heaven: “You have also done our works in us. ” (Isaiah 26:12)

We are absolutely incapable of doing anything and we have not been called to make our own plans and have the Lord sign them, but to follow His instructions as Noah did when he built the ark, or Moses when he made the tabernacles in the wilderness. We are to be obedient as the servants at the wedding in Cana to whom Jesus said: “Fill the water pots with water and they filled them “. Ttake it to the master and they took it. ” (John 2:7,8)

As Peter, John and James were having that wonderful experience on the mountain and amazement filled their hearts, the voice of God the Father was heard: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Mary had said to the servants at the wedding in Cana: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) Two commands are given to us: to hear Him and to do what He tells us and He certainly does not tell us “conform to this world”, “It is good for you here” but “take up your cross and follow me”, “In my Father’s house are many mansions…! go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may also be. ” John 14:2,3.

Where is Jesus today? We all know the answer: “Sitting at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1) Where may we also be? “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21) This is the promise of a long-suffering God to His self-sufficient church at the end of times. This is the reward to everyone who opens the door of his heart to the divine messenger and accepts His sacrifice of love. To dine with Him, to eat His body and drink His blood (John 6:54) and who are not scandalized by these words as were the many followers who left Him because they could not understand what an intimate communion He wanted to have with each one of them. This is the promise to those who are sick and tired of the mediocrity of life upon this earth and do not say: “It is good for us to be here” but suffer as they realize that they themselves are delaying His coming.

May the Lord help us not only to understand but also to believe, appreciate and long for His high goal for each one of us.
AMEN

Teresa Corti