As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Imagine the astonishment Peter, James, and John experienced on that mountain.
It was incredible. It was the sort of thing many religious people hope for —“ a direct one-on-one experience with God’s power and majesty.
I’m sure the apostles were familiar with the words from Daniel. Words from the visions Daniel received:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.
And there they were, confronted by all that power and glory —“ the words brought home in their experience of the Godhead.
As they came down from the mountain, in the same way Moses came down off the mountain in days of old, bearing the Law written by the hand of God, they debated what it all meant. Maybe they were still in shock. It hadn’t hit home yet —“ and it wouldn’t until Peter, James, and John, along with the others, saw the resurrected Christ.
They would need hindsight to understand their experience clearly.
My brothers and sisters,
Peter, James, and John play an important role. In Jewish Law, the testimony of witnesses was the sole determinant of truth. We see that over and over.
From Deuteronomy:
On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
and
One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
In Matthew, Jesus speaks about how we are correct our neighbor:
But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
In the Book of Daniel, Chapter 13, we read the story of Susanna the eminently beautiful wife of the wealthy and influential Joakim. Her beauty inspires lust in two Jewish elders who often come to Joakim’s house.
The elders plot to find her alone and entice her to sleep with them; should she refuse, they will tell everyone that they caught her committing adultery with a younger man. Their testimony would be believed because it would be on the authority of two witnesses.
Despite the threat, Susanna refuses their advances. We hear:
“I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned. “If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your power. Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord.”
So the elders accuse her. The story proceeds:
In the midst of the people the two elders rose up and laid their hands on her head.
They laid their hands on her to accuse her – not to bless her.
After a brief trial she is found guilty and sentenced to death. On the way to her execution, Daniel appears. The story continues:
As she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: “I will have no part in the death of this woman.”
All the people turned and asked him, “What is this you are saying?”
He stood in their midst and continued, “Are you such fools, O Israelites! To condemn a woman of Israel without examination and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”
Daniel examines the elders. Daniel shows that they are lying by demanding that they, while being kept separate, name the tree under which they allegedly found Susanna and the young man. Their testimony did not agree, and Susanna was exonerated and the two elders were executed in her place.
Witness meant an absolute fidelity to the truth. Life was decided by witnesses. False witness brought death.
Peter’s letter, when taken in combination with the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles of the other apostles, and along with the first hand oral testimony relayed by the apostles to the Fathers, and by the Fathers to us, gives us the witness we need. Peter says:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
—This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.—
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
In hindsight the apostles understood the significance of what they experienced. They not only understood the significance, but they proclaimed its meaning.
They did not hide their knowledge under a bushel basket; they set their witness like a light on a lamp stand, a light for all to see. Peter says:
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place
Let me make it clear. The testimony we have received and that we pass on to you has been handed down to us by the apostles and God’s Holy Church. We are the keepers of this testimony. We witness to the reality and truth of Jesus Christ.
In this age of lies, lying is cheep and easy. No one seems to mind or care. The witness we bear is the truth, and the death of our souls is the price for not witnessing the truth.
Take up this witness and proclaim what you know. Listen to this witness and be attentive to it.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place