Scripture Study for

The early chapters of Genesis display the repercussions of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, passed on as an inclination to sin.  In the call of Abram we see the beginning of a long-term divine plan to deal with the problem of the human heart. In the promise  that initiates the relationship that will eventually lead to the creation  of God’s covenant partner, Israel, God assures Abram not only of  descendants and land, but also that “all the communities of the earth  shall find blessing in you.” It is through Israel that God will bring all humanity back into that harmonious relationship with God they originally enjoyed in the Garden. 

In his letter to Timothy, Paul reminds the young man that he has received a gift from God that must be “stirred into flame” (2 Timothy 1:6). Timothy has received a commission to teach the Christian message in its integrity. This task will bring hardship, yet Timothy is to take heart and be strong; like all Christians, he has been saved and called by Christ to a holy life. This is not the result of anything  Timothy has done, but is purely through the design and call of God.  The “life and immortality” that Christ brings is a pure gift, but it calls for a response: a holy life that manifests the “light” of the gospel that  Timothy is called to proclaim.

On a mountain called Sinai (or Horeb), God appeared to Moses,  the people of Israel met their Deliverer, and Elijah encountered  God in silence. It is fitting, then, that the divine sonship of Christ,  just confessed by Peter (16:16), should now be confirmed on a mountain. The Transfiguration of Jesus reveals not only his identity and authority as God’s beloved Son, and as the fulfillment of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), but also a hint of his post-resurrection glory. Since the truth revealed on the mountain can only be understood and accepted in light of that future event, the disciples are ordered not to speak of it for the time being.