Matthew 17:4 (NASV)
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
The story in the opening of chapter 17 of the Transfiguration of Christ is remarkable, memorable and educational. We see so many truths and doctrines revealed. Christ, Peter, James and John all go up to the mountain, leaving the other disciples at the bottom. At the top of the mountain something miraculous happens: The Lawgiver, Moses, appears; along with a The Prophet, Elijah. The two stand by Jesus, the Messiah, and their persons begin to glow brighter than the new-day sun. Peter immediately recognizes that he is in "a moment" and asks Jesus if he should build "tents" or "booths" for the three of them. The concept of "tents" could have meant the feast of booths where the nation of Israel used the tents to remember that they lived in them and God didn't want them to forget their sojourning. Or, more appropriately, Peter thought that the Kingdom was going to be established right at that moment and thought we need to have a tabernacle, like the one in the wilderness, to hold the glory he was seeing, or a place for God to dwell. After asking Jesus to build the tents, he never gets an answer. The reason Christ doesn't respond is because Peter is off base with the question. God, instead, speaks from heaven and lays out, "This is His Son, in whom He is well pleased, listen to Him." This is the same thing that was stated at Christ baptism, with the addition of, "Listen to Him." Peter was ready for the Kingdom, but God had more work for His Son. Jesus had teaching and suffering yet to accomplish. Peter, like us, had a plan. But, Peter's plan did not include suffering. Peter was ready for the glorification stage without the suffering stage. Sound familiar to our lives. We want God to rush in, save the day, and give us glorification. But, there is a process of teaching and suffering to go through. It is vital to not miss this point. We want to do great things for Jesus (build tabernacles) but we fail to remember that God has work for us to accomplish, prior to the glorification stage. Like a sport team that wants to play in the championship game without doing the sprints and work prior and during the season, we earnestly strive for the end without doing the work in the beginning and middle. Peter is to be commended for his instant desire to capture glory. But, he needed to know there are other stages he had to experience and observe first.
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