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CHAPTER X
Mount Hermon

Far above us at the summit, one can stand upon Mount Hermon and view every mile of the Jordan valley.

At 9,232 feet, the mountain is so high its snow-laden peak can be seen from the Dead Sea, more than 115 miles away. As its name suggests, Mt. Hermon is a mountain "set apart," sacred to the peoples over which it stands, a maternal sentinel. It felt as if the whole of the land were in antiquity, spawned by this mother of mountains.

Jesus had come to this mountain for a special reason. None of us knew it. In this adventure, as in most, we followed him blindly, not knowing why and not caring as long as we were with him. As it is with me to this very hour as I scribble away under the flickering illumination of these candles, I think of the roads I have traveled, the paths I've walked. I would not in millennia have guessed that I would be here today where I am and doing what I am doing. I had other plans. Other roads.

But . . . I follow him. My hand is in his. As long as it is, I am never blind. As long as it is, he is with me--always. It doesn't matter my location, my employment, what my hands find to do; so long as he is with me, what he wants is what matters to me.

We were above the city now, perhaps a third of the way up the mountain. The air was thinner and dryer, making us breathe a little harder. The inside of our nostrils felt like rock. We found a spot to rest. Abishag plopped at Jesus' feet, her pink tongue lolling out of her mouth. Taking her head in his hands he asked, "What's the matter old girl?" scratching her ears. The dog responded by licking his hand. We were a long way from Jerusalem, a long way, in terms of how it felt, even from our beloved Galilee.

Caesarea Philippi, a place for Roman and Greek gods. Why had we come here? The day had worn into evening, and the stars were just beginning to glint in the mountain sky. We had eaten the biscuits, goat cheese and fruit we had purchased in the city. Spring water and juice from the grapes helped wash it down. "I must pray," said Jesus after we had settled in for the night. "Peter, you, John and James come with me." The rest of us were not quite at ease about what we perceived as favoritism toward these three. And why, I thought, would the Master give so much credence to Peter? John I understood. John was the wealthiest among us. John helped fund our little conclave, as did James. No problem there, but why Peter especially after what happened yesterday? And then I remembered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Why hadn't I thought of that, why hadn't I said it? Reflecting on this event I have begun to consider that, perhaps, it was no accident that Matthias was chosen instead of me.

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The four of them, Jesus in the lead with Abishag trotting behind, vanished into the tall cedars. The wind rushing through the limbs of the firs above had ceased its thrashing. A strange phenomenon: Late in the afternoon the wind would pick up and blow with sometimes heavy gusts until the sun dropped beyond the surrounding mountains. And then it would suddenly stop, as if knowing with the setting sun that it was time to rest, leaving an eerie silence and darkness.

It wasn't long, perhaps half an hour, perhaps less when I heard the dog bark. That was unusual. Abishag was not a noisy animal. She barked only when genuinely alarmed. We all looked in the direction in which Jesus had gone and were amazed to see a soft illumination through the woods. It silhouetted the trees. I started to run toward the light thinking Jesus and the others might be in danger, but then abruptly the barking ceased and was replaced by total silence, but the light remained. "Wait, Justus," spoke Matthew softly, "this is not for us. It is for him. He will not be harmed." We waited for what now seemed an eternity. The glow from deep within the woods remained.

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Smoke from the campfire shifted with the remaining soft currents, offending the nostrils of whoever it enshrouded with noxious fumes. They had not returned. The rest of us were bone weary and had found comfortable--or at least as comfortable as one can find in the cool airs at this altitude--places to lay our heads and had drifted off to sleep. We awakened with the light of dawn and still they had not returned.

I rolled over and gathered the covers around me to attempt to continue my slumber until the grey of dawn decided I had had enough of sleep. My bladder would not permit it. Clumsily, I extricated myself from my bedroll and stepped behind a convenient cedar, grateful that God had made me a man. It was then that I heard them. The underbrush moved and I saw Abishag loping along, her tongue happily shlepping out of her mouth. And then I saw Peter, James and then Jesus and John emerge from the woods. They seemed unaffected by having spent the night away from the rest of us.

Peter strode into the campsite clapping his hands together. With his foot he jostled those who were still asleep. "Get up!" he yelled. Some protested, gathering their covers against the cool of the morning. Peter was not dissuaded, storming through the campsite, he rolled everyone out of his sleep until all were standing, rubbing the slumber from their eyes. In a few moments, the fire had been rekindled into flame. Biscuits and dried fish distributed.

"You were gone the whole night," observed Thaddeaus. "We saw a light in the woods where you had entered and heard the dog bark. What happened? Surely you saw the light as well?"

Peter smiled. "We saw the light," said he.

"When we arrived at a glen in the woods," Peter began, "Jesus said that he wanted to pray. There was nothing unusual about that. He had just knelt. James, John and I made ourselves comfortable. We were just beginning to nod off when the very air we breathe began to glow with iridescent light. It came from a spot about waist high where its source emitted soft waves of brilliance. Then it grew to such intensity that we had to squint and shield our eyes. We were startled. I was so frightened I couldn't spit."

"My blood pounded like a blacksmith's hammer," offered James.

"As he was praying," continued Peter, "we heard other voices, voices that were not his. Then we saw two men conversing with him. The appearance of his face changed. He himself had changed. He looked the same, yet different. He appeared as through a misty radiance. His face shone with light and his clothes became brilliant. The other two men were also immersed in this same splendor," said Peter.

"Did you know who they were, Simon?" I asked.

"Not at first, but then it became clear that it was Moses, Justus! And the other was Elijah!"

"How did you know it was them?"

"Jesus called them by name." He spoke this with wonder in his voice. "It was the most wondrous thing I have ever seen. They spoke of his departure . . . from this earth." Peter's voice broke, remembering. "It is supposed to take place in Jerusalem." And looking at Jesus he said, "Soon." Jesus' gaze continued to be held by the fire.