For most of us, Western culture describes and defines who we are and how we
tend to act in public situations, and this is very different than Eastern cultures.  Let me give an example.  A Chinese Episcopalian priest and theologian by the name of Eric Law is fond of asking this question concerning the Pentecost event as described by the gospel writer Luke in the second chapter of Acts: Is it a miracle of hearing or speaking?  I sat in the largely white audience at his workshop and heard a resounding answer: "It is an act of speaking."  This made sense, for being the traditional dominant ethnic culture in America, we whites are used to speaking and having others listen to us.  His question made me realize most of us white Protestants tend to focus on verse 4: "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Meanwhile, the Asians in his audience provided an alternative point of view.  For a culture whose overriding dynamic of social interaction is that of listening before speaking, for them it was a miracle of hearing: "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?"  The difference between the two cultural experiences was glaringly obvious.  For my part, I think the Pentecost event is a miracle of both speaking and hearing: "We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."  The point I took home from Eric's workshop, however, was that we Americans tend to speak before thinking and think before listening.  The order here is reversed from what it should be.  First things first: First we should carefully listen to each other, and only then carefully think about a response (if one is even called for) and then speak what's on our minds before leaving a relationship to lie in the dust, for there are valuable lessons to be learned.

In Jesus' transfiguration, Peter talks before thinking.  God responds by basically telling him to shut up and listen!  And God at least tells him this before abandoning him, for it's Peter's lesson to learn.  First things first.

 

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

 

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.