Wednesday, April 28, 2021
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John
and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could
bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were
talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi it is good that we are
here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for
Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud
overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;
listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with
them but Jesus only. Mark 9:2-8
This Is My Beloved Son; Listen To Him...
Peter,
James, and John were privileged to witness the transfiguration of Jesus - a spiritual experience that changed their lives forever. They went up the mountain
with Jesus and He changed right before their eyes. It was supernatural and could
only have happened by the hand of a Holy God. Jesus began to glow, and His clothes
became radiant – intensely white – more so than even bleach could make them.
Next, Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter, James, and
John were terrified, and Peter just had to say something.
I can
identify so much with Peter. He is shaken up and not sure what to say or do so he basically says Hey it is so great that we are all here! Lets make some tents for you
important guys! (Jesus, Moses, and Elijah) I love that God speaks immediately
and says This is my beloved Son; listen to him. I
really think there is supposed to be an exclamation mark at the end of that
statement – like a parent or a teacher with kids that are being silly, and you
need to get their attention. It feels a little like a reprimand, but God just wanted him pay attention to Jesus.
Like Peter, how
often do we try to just do something when we don’t understand exactly
what God is doing? We try to reason or make sense of a situation and if we can’t, we find something to do, as if that will suddenly make everything clear,
or solve a problem. We act out of fear
or confusion and miss the very presence of God, shining right before our eyes. God
just wanted Peter to be still and quiet and listen. If we are trying to
keep busy, we likely won’t hear God speaking to us. I think
Peter was in shock a little bit and needed to be redirected. God wanted him to just
be still and listen to Jesus, and often that is what He wants from us too.
What an
incredible story. Imagine standing there with Jesus, Peter, James, and John and
then suddenly Jesus changes right before your eyes! This was the glory of God
in physical representation though Jesus. Jesus was changed before their eyes
and they were changed because of it also. May we open our eyes to truly see Him
at work all around us and be changed because of sitting in His presence and listening. The less we pay attention to God, the less we will be changed.
The more we pay attention to Him and listen, the more our lives will be transformed in His presence.
