Seeking Confirmation (again and again)

Today’s Gospel reading was in the back of my mind as I spent the week with John, my four year-old. His two older sisters are away on a trip so he and I went on many adventures. John asks a lot of interesting questions, like any four year-old. There’s also a lot of “why, why, why” being asked when my attempts at answers are deemed insufficient. John will also repeat questions, day after day. My brain is constantly thinking about how I can answer questions better, more creatively, and in nuanced ways that will have some staying power with my small human.

When you read through Matthew’s Gospel before today’s Transfiguration, there are parables, an explanation of why Jesus taught in parables, teaching points, healings, and foreshadowing of Jesus’ passion. Matthew lays out the life and teachings of Jesus in many repeated–yet adaptive–ways. I can’t begin to fathom the depth and breadth of the task that Jesus had trying to teach so many different types of people, including fortifying the faith, physical, and mental strength of those closest to him. 

Jesus really brings out the razzle dazzle when he takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain. He changes his physical appearance, brings out Moses and Elijah, and a cloud appears with a voice that says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Wow: Jesus turned into a shiny, white-clothed man, talked to the Prophet Elijah and Moses, the bring-er of the Ten Commandments, and a voice reiterated that yes, Jesus is the Son of God. All of this connects to the fulfillment of the scripture; it predicts Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.

To me, today’s Gospel seems like a mic drop. It has all of the necessary elements of connecting to the past, a striking physical transformation, and a direct address from God. What else could you need? Then, I picture my son, who really is all of us, asking but why, why, why? We need more proof, more examples. No matter how much holy razzle dazzle is provided to us, in our lives, every day, it seems like our natural inclination as humans is to continue asking for more confirmation. What do we require for our faith to be such a decisive yes that our questions cease?

Jesus was keenly aware that the questions to a greater faith are a necessary and holy part of the journey. Just as any care giver has to impart knowledge on a daily basis in different ways, often over and over again, Jesus used every tool at his disposal to be a good teacher. Our faith and relationships can only grow and deepen when questions can be freely asked and when we are scared or in doubt, be told, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”