Matthew 17:6-10: a reflection

6When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. 7Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid.” 8Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone. 9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10His disciples asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

At the transfiguration, the disciples have seen Jesus shining in glory, with Moses and Elijah beside him, and heard the Father's voice from the cloud. Overwhelmed, they fall on their faces, terrified. And then Jesus does a tender thing: he comes and touches them and says, Rise, and do not be afraid. And when they lift their eyes, the vision has passed; they see no one, the text says, except Jesus only. When the glory faded, Jesus alone remained.

Notice two things in this quiet moment. First, Jesus meets the disciples' fear with a gentle touch and a kind word: he does not leave them trembling on the ground, but comes to them, touches them, and tells them not to be afraid. And second, when they look up, they see Jesus only. The dazzling vision, the great figures of Moses and Elijah, have passed; and what remains, and is enough, is Jesus himself, alone with them.

Both truths speak to us. When we are overwhelmed and afraid, Jesus comes near, touches us, and says, do not be afraid; he does not leave us on our faces in fear. And when the mountaintop experiences fade, as they do, when the extraordinary moments pass and the glory dims, Jesus himself remains, and he is enough. Do not build your faith on visions and high experiences, which come and go; build it on Jesus, who remains when all else fades. When you are afraid, let him touch you and lift you; and when the extraordinary passes, be content to see Jesus only, for he is enough.

Lord Jesus, when the disciples fell terrified at the transfiguration, you came and touched them and said, Rise, and do not be afraid; and when they lifted their eyes, they saw no one except you only. Thank you for both of these. When I am overwhelmed and afraid, come near, touch me, and tell me not to fear; do not leave me on my face in dread. And when the mountaintop moments fade, as they do, when the extraordinary passes and the glory dims, help me be content to see you only, for you are enough. Keep me from building my faith on visions and high experiences, which come and go, and help me build it on you, who remain when all else fades. Touch me and lift me in my fear, and let me be satisfied with you alone, Jesus, who are more than enough.