ALIVE: Chapter 144, Love and the Super Light

The next morning, His first in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus woke up before daybreak as usual and went looking for a solitary spot to be with His father. He walked over to the waterfall knowing that no one would be there so early, and He was right. He hiked up the hill and found a perfect place to sit near the top of the waterfall. The sounds of water crashing and the wildlife brought Jesus much joy. He was accustomed to desolate deserts. Surrounded by all this life reminded Him of the cacophony of creation week. His Father continued to prepare Him for the difficult days ahead, but also for the glory. Jesus listened attentively and asked questions. He wanted to know how to prepare His disciples. God explained that He would demonstrate His power in more astounding ways to give His men memories of miracles to cling to in the most harsh moments. Surrounded by so much life, particularly with His Father’s love and guidance energized Him for the day, after all, He was still human and needed a father’s guidance.  As the sun rose in the east and suffused the deep dark woods with light, Jesus and His Father decided it was time to go back.

As He was descending the hill, much to his surprise Jesus spotted Cory hiking up. “Cory! Hello!” He called out, “Remember Me?”

“WOW” replied Cory, “Of course I do. I think about you every day! I come up here to be with my Father…God!”

“So did I.” said Jesus with a smile. “How have you been? Do you like it here with your grandparents?”

“Yes, very much.” answered Cory. “They told me it’s about time that I pick a profession and I wonder what it will be.”

“Don’t worry, our Father will pick one for you, just ask Him to and it will happen, and it will be perfect for you.”

“When did you get here?”

“We arrived yesterday. It’s beautiful, you were right. I’m so glad to find you here.”

Jesus and Cory sat and talked for over an hour. Jesus talked to Cory about the psalms of David and that he should study them and recite them every day, for in those words King David walks through this dangerous world, emotionally on solid stepping stones.  After all, God said that David was a man after His own Heart. Imagine that, a man who killed thousands, a man who had so many wives, and even stole another man’s wife. And yet, David refused to kill Saul when doing so could to save his own life.  In fact, he revered the anointed king just because of his anointing. David went through the lows and highs of life, being fully exposed to good and evil, but who else could write such beautiful heartfelt words about the awesome God? That morning Jesus taught Cory Psalm 23 to memorize and keep with him throughout his life. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul…” Cory quickly memorized the short psalm and he had it down pat before they parted.

Cory remembered that precious meeting until he was a very old man.  On his deathbed, Jesus visited him and ushered him into heaven. Did Cory ever learn about the crucifixion and resurrection? We have to ask him if or when we meet him in the new world. But having known Jesus so intimately, Cory’s relationship with Him, brief as it was physically was deep and lasting. How many nights during his life did Cory lay in bed and pray and think about Jesus and their Father? How many answers to pressing questions or acts of providence did he gain from His Father? Meeting and being befriended by Jesus was the pinnacle of his life. It was the gift of a spiritual birth.

“Jesus, before you leave, can we go under the waterfall together?”

“Sure, Cory. This will be your baptism!”

“Baptism? What’s that?”

Jesus said, “I’ll race you to the bottom.”

Cory was given the most glorious baptism of anyone, and as the years went by and the man Cory evaluated his life, he clearly received the definition of baptism he sought that surpassed words. Jesus knew that.

Jesus and Cory parted with a handshake and a hug. As Jesus walked down the hill back to Hector’s house, Cory followed Him with his eyes until Jesus was no bigger than a dot and then even that dot disappeared. Cory went back to spend a few more moments with His Father God.

…

After leaving Cory, Jesus returned to Hector’s home. Everyone was awake and preparing for breakfast. Thomas explained to Hector’s wife that it was normal for Jesus to be gone in the morning and that He would soon return.

While helping to set up breakfast, James was still thinking about what Jesus told them the evening before about preparing for his own martyrdom. It was one thing to observe the miracles and delight in the Wisdom of their Master’s teaching, but to be tortured was going to require the strength of God. James figured that it would require a miracle to have such superhuman courage. This was one subject none of the disciples spoke to each other about. It was too personal.

Jesus and the disciples spent one more day in enjoyment of lush Caesarea Philippi, and then because Jesus had spent the time with Cory that He went for, they thanked their hosts and  returned to Galilee.

Taking the caravan back to Galilee, they couldn’t speak much to each other, leaving more time for each disciple to ruminate on his own thoughts about the hatred and violence he would have to endure, even to death, and how to prepare for it.

When they finally arrived in Capernaum, it felt good to be home.

Around a week later, one morning Jesus woke up Peter, James, and John and told them to come with Him. A little groggy, they crawled out of bed and dressed. This was the first and only time they were invited to join Him in the morning and wondered why. They followed Jesus out of the house and walked southwest in silence toward a small grassy mountain range. As they hiked up one of the peaks, some called Tabor, James remembered that this was where beacons of light had been sent out to inform the northern villages of the holy days or of the beginning of a new month. James wasn’t aware that either was the case on that day.

When they reached the summit, Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “Stand back and watch.” That was all He said. John wondered if they would find out what happened every morning when Jesus would speak with His Father.

Jesus walked over to a ledge and stood on the hard flat rock facing His men. All was silent. By then the sun was above the horizon and all was bright around them revealing all manner of crawling wildlife and colorful fauna.

Suddenly and without warning as they looked at Jesus He became luminous, brighter than the sun behind Him. His robe shone exceedingly white, as no one on earth could whiten them.

Peter, James, and John stood aghast gawking at Him. It was amazing how bright He became!

Then two men appeared, one on His left and one on His right and they were talking with Jesus! John overheard them enough to hear the names Elijah and Moses!

John turned to James and Peter in disbelief and whispered loudly, “That is Elijah and Moses!!!! He is talking to them!”

Peter said to John, “Can you hear what they are talking about?”

John replied, “Sh. No, let me listen.”

Peter gaining courage, took a step towards them and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. James and John and I can make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Elijah and one for Moses!” Peter didn’t know what else to say. They were so shocked!

Then just as suddenly as that happened, a cloud descended around them and a voice came out of the cloud. It said loud and clear so there would be no doubt, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him.”

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, and covered their heads, terrified.

Jesus walked over to them, touched Peter and said. “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” All three men peaked out from their arms to see Jesus looking down at them, grinning. He was standing there alone in the lesser light of the sun. Moses and Elijah were gone. All was silent except the birds chirping and singing and flapping their wings. John returned the smile as if saying, “That was fun!…what just happened?”

“Come on, get up. Let’s go.” Peter, James, and John stood up, brushed themselves off and looked around to make sure nothing strange was left from the spectacular scene. Jesus looked around too, very matter of factly as if nothing unusual had just happened and then started down the hill with the three perplexed men following close behind. Each man trying to digest what happened as best as he could.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus said, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until The Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

James heard that and quietly said to Peter and John, “What does the rising from the dead mean?” Peter shrugged his shoulders and replied. “Shhh He will hear you.”

Then James asked aloud, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

Jesus replied, “That’s true. But I tell you, Elijah has already come to restore all things, and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him what they wanted. In the same way I too will suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

John thought about what the Baptist did to restore, and figured that making people aware of their need for repentance and by giving them a new birth, of a contrite heart, John was restoring the relationship with God that He intended in the beginning.

Jesus knew that when His disciples were going to suffer for them, they needed to have no doubts whatsoever of Who He was, and Who sent Him. They would suffer nobly knowing that there was much more to this life than nature and evil.

While they were hiking down the mountain, Peter wondered how anyone on earth would want to kill Jesus? Forget that, how could anyone kill Him who has so much power over nature? Not possible.

Years later, when the time came for James and Peter to be tortured as Jesus predicted, it was impossible for any of them to deny the Truth of what they witnessed, no matter how much torture Peter or James or any of them had to endure. So strong is Truth and so weak and vulnerable are lies. How much easier life would have been for the disciples, if they could have gone back to their homes after the resurrection and pick up where they left off three short years earlier. Instead, they traversed their world to spread the good news that evil and even death, as powerful as they may appear to be, are temporary at best, because Jesus rose from the dead. It took Him, but it couldn’t hold Him. He unlocked the gates of Hades and granted new life to those in the tombs. Adam and Eve shyly walked into the light, forgiven.

When they arrived at the village below, there was a big hullabaloo because the disciples couldn’t heal. Everyone was frustrated and upset. Most of all Jesus.