A story about being on top of a mountain with God
(From the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, verses 1-9)
Jesus felt very close to God - so close that he called God "Abba," which means "Daddy." One of the places that Jesus felt really close to God was on the top of mountains. This was because mountains - especially very tall ones - reach up toward heaven. Jesus knew that God lived in many places, including heaven. Being up high, near heaven, made Jesus feel like he was right next to God.
One day Jesus asked three friends - Peter, James, and John - to hike up a big mountain with him. It took them a long time, but they finally reached the top. It felt great to be up so high! They could see for miles in all directions. They were hot and tired from their walk, but up on that mountain the breeze blew gently against their skin, cooling them off. It felt so good! They were happy.
Jesus sat quietly, closed his eyes, and began to pray silently. Peter and James and John settled down, too. They watched Jesus and didn't bother him while he prayed. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah, God's Chosen One. As they rested, they each thought about what that might mean.
Suddenly John whispered, "Look at Jesus! He's all lit up!" He was pointing at Jesus, his hand shaking.
"Whoa!" said James. "Look at him! He's bright white!"
No sooner had he said this than they saw something else that totally surprised them. Two men appeared, standing on either side of Jesus. Jesus sensed that they were there, too. He got up and started talking with the two strangers in a low voice.
Peter, James, and John could catch only a few words from the conversation, but what they heard made them realize that the two men were Moses, the great leader who had brought God's law to the people of Israel, and Elijah, the great prophet who spoke God's truth. Moses and Elijah had been dead for hundreds of years.
Peter dared to speak up. "Jesus," he began. "If you'd like, we can make places for you and Moses and Elijah to sit down."
Just then a huge cloud covered the place where they all stood. It was so bright inside the cloud that they had to cover their eyes. But everyone heard the voice that came out of that cloud: "This is my Son, the Beloved. With him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" And then the cloud went away, and there was Jesus all alone, looking at them.
"Don't tell anyone what you saw or heard up here today until after I am raised from death," Jesus said to them. And then they headed down the mountain together.
Questions to think about:
Have you ever climbed to the top of a mountain?
What do you remember from that experience?
If you and Jesus were hiking up a mountain together, what would you talk about?
Where do you feel close to God?
Why do you think Jesus didn't want his friends to talk about what happened on the mountain?