Owners of Cheon Il Guk

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, shall I make three booths?” He was referring to the Mt. of Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus to plan the final stages of his mission. Peter did not comprehend what was going on, but faithfully wanted to help – he said, “Lord, three booths?” We see through this story the disclosure of two basic personality types, the mission / vision personality and the helper / faithful follower personality.

Jesus knew God’s Will and understood his Providential mission in a profound way. So much so that he described the proper behaviors all human beings should follow; that is, being born again. He spoke not with suggestions or ideas, but with “truth” supported by a love never seen before on earth. He carried with him the heart of the Father in Heaven. He spoke the truth of restoration and came to earth to reverse the results of the Fall of Man. His mission was different from any scholar, teacher, political leader, or businessman. He came as the central figure of all humanity. All human beings were destined to recognize him as the sole representative of Heaven and follow him at the risk of their lives! He came to reveal God’s heart and bring complete salvation to all humanity.

Thus, Jesus’ personality was the quintessential mission / vision personality. Peter, on the other hand, did not understand what was taking place on that mountain. The Bible even records the he and the other disciples were “afraid.” Many Christian scholars use this story to illustrate the coming kingdom and the future resurrection. They point to the many examples of Peter’s apparent zealous out-of-place comments, and faux pas believing that Peter was just sort of an immature and undeveloped person. On the contrary, I do not think that Peter was all that different from many of us. I think Peter was a faithful person, full of enthusiasm and willingness to help. He was a man of action who wanted to work and get things done. Agreeably, on the Mt. of Transfiguration he did not have a clue about what was going on, but in his zeal and willingness, he offered to “build booths” for Jesus and his guests.

Please think about this. How many times do we hear our True Father’s speech or sermon? How many times do we actually understand him or what he expects? Don’t we often do the same thing as Peter…in so many words, saying “Shall I build three booths?” meaning, “How can I help?” Even though we do not understand so well and our brain and lineage are still connected with the Fall, our original mind has been activated by the Principle and we believe that True Father knows what he is talking about; we believe him, and we feel we should help. The real question is simply, “Where do I start?”

It is true that Jesus rebukes Peter on occasion and we see Peter as a sort of wishy-washy character at times, especially after Gethsemane. Yet, Peter wanted to help; he just did not understand what was going on or how to support Jesus, so he offered to build something which is what he was good at. This is our situation too. We offer those things that we are good at, or feel comfortable doing. However, we need to work harder in sharing the vision of our True Parents and understanding the mission and how it relates with our own personal lives and position as Central Blessed Families. In short, we too need to own the same vision and same heart that True Parents exhibit toward God and all humanity…although well intentioned and sincere, we need to do more and become much more than mere followers…we need to become the Owners of Cheon Il Guk!

Frank LaGrotteria