Breaking the Word

Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful.  "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."  (Lk 6:36-38)

The listener is presented with a way of life that he is asked to lead. This will help the listener to be at peace within himself. The first thing that he is asked to live is like the heavenly Father. This is anything very difficult. Since it is from God the Father the quality is positive. The author sees him as a merciful father. God is merciful to all, at all times and always and everywhere. This quality links the listener to be close to the Father.

His attitude with the others is a bit different from that of the Father. He should not judge the other. By judging others we enter into the legal world. We try to put ourselves over the others and against others. Judging others separates us from the others. Similarly condemning others puts us in the moral world. Condemning others puts us above the others in moral sphere and separates us against the other. We ara all equal in front of God.

Forgiving one another makes us equal and put us in among the others. We are one among the others. We are equals. Whatever we do is repaid to us. The good thing that we can do among one another is forgiving and giving gifts (sharing our wealth). When forgiveness and things are shared among us we receive back the same in greater quantity.       

 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "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. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."  (Mt 17:1-9)

Peter, James and John are there with Jesus. When these three are there, then there is something very important is going to take place. They are invited to experience something very special, which in turn would be one of the basics for the kingdom. This experience is given right at the beginning of their journey towards Jerusalem (still they are in Galilee) and they are asked not to reveal this until after his resurrection. So this experience is something to do with his death and resurrection.

They all have a vision of Moses and Elijah. Moses was the first one to experience Yahweh and share this experience with the enslaved Israelites. This sharing of God experience became the foundation for their liberation. Elijah was the first prophet who made the Israelites (who were enslaved to the Canaanite religion) re-live the God experience on mount Carmel. So the vision made them to reflect on God experience.

The experience on this mountain top is an experience of the Glory of Jesus. This will lead to another mountain top experience on Calvary. The second experience will be an experience of the Cross. One experience leads to the other. The experience of the glory will help (or should help) the awaiting experience of the cross. A disciple should learn to see glory in the cross and learn to see the cross in the glory.