A Little Naive

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, March 5th, 2023:
The Second Sunday of Lent

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Matthew
17.1-9

​Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”

When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

I have to admit that this passage about the Transfiguration always makes me cringe, not because of the beauty of our Lord and the reveal of His divinity, but because of Peter’s enthusiastic, well-intentioned, and misplaced ignorance.

For some reason I find it very easy to step into Peter’s perspective here: Seeing something good. Wanting more of it. Wanting to make it keep happening. Thinking I know how to make it keep happening. Making a suggestion. Suddenly being flooded with new information that shows just how vast my ignorance really is, just how little I know, how paltry my idea was in comparison to what actually is. 

I read this, and I cower with Peter, and I feel more than a little ashamed.

I’m not exaggerating – this passage really does evoke a huge emotional response in me. The contrast between the beauty of the divine (Jesus Christ as Son of God) and the foolish naivete of humanity (Peter offering to build dwellings for Moses and Elijah – what a suggestion!) is so stark and striking. I’m almost embarrassed for Peter. Yes, I’m definitely projecting my own fear of looking foolish and making mistakes onto him.

And yet, the good-heartedness and good intentions behind Peter’s naive suggestion are not lost on me, his great enthusiasm mixed with great ignorance. Human beings are fundamentally good, because they are of God. And they – he – we are drawn towards and compelled by goodness. 

My mind keeps turning towards little children. Kids often have delightfully outlandish ideas that would be laughable if they came from an adult’s brain, or they’ll make suggestions that would be considered foolish coming from someone more knowledgeable. But, because they’re kids, the ideas are tender and sweet gestures of connection with the people they trust. For example, I work with kids in a healthcare setting. We often play games, do crafts, and have quite a lot of fun in appointments. Every once in a while a patient will invite me to a party or say they wish I could be friends with them in real life. Their parents understand that I can’t see my patients outside of work, while the kids, especially the younger ones, don’t always understand this ethical boundary. But I’m always deeply touched by their trust in our connection, and I always try to decline the requests with the utmost gentleness and respect. To me, their wishes echo Peter’s offer to build dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah – well-intentioned, lacking all the information, deeply trusting and hopeful from the heart. 

We, like Peter, are always children to God. We may be naive, foolish, and ignorant, but I suspect that God nevertheless treasures our “trying to make the goodness keep happening even though we don’t actually understand what’s before our eyes” impulses.

Maybe this is a good reminder that it’s okay to make the kind of mistake that comes from the heart knowing something before and better than the mind does. We can’t see everything, but we can trust when we feel God’s goodness. And we can know that, if we fall flat on our faces, Jesus will gently say to us as He did to His disciples, “Get up and do not be afraid.”



Kim Tan

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