Who Is This Guy?

Butch Cassidy repeatedly asks Sundance in our movie favourite, “”Who are those guys?” They have a bit of an idea about a persistent posse following them, their wonder and fear is increasing, but they still don’t know.

Jesus’ closest disciples have experienced his extraordinary charisma, his truth speaking, his breaking open of scripture, his love of the poor and marginalised, his courageous readiness to challenge corrupt authority. They have witnessed extraordinary miracles and Jesus’ challenging wrong or irrelevant rules. He has claimed a special relationship with God as Father. But still they wonder, “Who is this guy?”

Peter, James and John are Jesus’ chosen witnesses to the Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-9). At the time they couldn’t grasp the significance of the event, through after the Resurrection they will recognise this glimpse of Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father. A glimpse only but even so, extraordinary, beyond the comprehension of even these closest, select disciples. Fear rightly clutches at Butch and Sundance as their misdeeds catch up with them, but the Transfiguration witnesses too experience fear and bewilderment. They start jabbering on about tents and fall on their faces.

Jesus touches his disciples, calming their fears, reassuring them that, though glorified by God as his Son, he is still their very human leader. Without the physical reassurance of Jesus touch, we later disciples are heirs to the whole account of his life, death and resurrection. Who is he? We know who he is! He is Jesus, fully human and fully divine, who died for love of us. We need have no fears. As St Teresa of Avila famously proclaimed, now we are called to be Jesus’ touch, hands, feet and eyes for others.

Deacon Mark Kelly