In the Gospels, the failure of Jesus’ disciples to grasp the teaching of their master is hard to miss. Despite Jesus’ explanations and exhortations, his students show by the way they respond that they just didn’t get it. Peter, James and John often receive the hardest lessons. But the instruction offered by Jesus as a corrective applies to everyone without exception. To use contemporary jargon, Jesus uses his disciples’ lack of understanding as a teachable moment. It is Peter, James and John - the so-called “pillars” - who are, in true scriptural fashion, held up as examples not to follow; it is their correction that provides the light of instruction for all who are within earshot.