"'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to him.' When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid." The disciples' fear immediately follows the command to "listen to him" that issues forth from the voice in the clouds. In Matthew's gospel, the passage that comes just prior to the transfiguration may help us to understand the fear of the disciples. In Matthew 16:21-28, Jesus first predicts to his disciples the suffering and death that await him in Jerusalem. Peter in turn rebukes Jesus for even suggesting such a thing, to which Jesus chastises Peter harshly, even calling him Satan. Then Jesus offers the paradox of discipleship to those who would follow him: "Whoever wishes to save their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."

 

Earlier in the transfiguration passage when Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, Peter is excited to be a witness atop this mountain to such a momentous event. But even as Peter is speaking, the voice from the bright cloud interrupts, reminding him and the other disciples of what is most important - they must listen to Jesus. Their minds are thrown back to the words Jesus had just spoken to them - words of his death and their own fate if they choose to follow him!....

 

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