Daily Bread 2010
Daily Bread 2010
Matthew 17
The Transfiguration
1After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
We often talk of mountaintop experiences. Maybe it is at a retreat or conference, or accomplishing something we never thought possible. Ie. finishing a marathon, climbing a mountain. These transformative experiences take us to a place we never thought we could go and change our lives.
As Jesus nears the day he will go to the cross for the world, he and his inner circle of Peter, James and John have a mountaintop experience. As they go the top of high mountain (Mt. Tabor) it says, Jesus is literally “transfigured”. The term “transfigure” comes for our word “metamorphosis”, which means to change literally or figuratively. In contemporary language we might say he was, “morphed”.
We can take this to mean for a moment the disciples truly saw who Jesus was, as the Son of God. They beheld His glory not as the human Jesus of Nazareth, but the unique and divine Son of God. As such, they had a glimpse of what was going to come. The disciples were so thrilled that they didn’t want to leave and go back down the mountain, but set up camp and stay.
This was a very important moment in the disciples’ life, and we know they have shared the story with others, It is included in Luke and Mark too. As you think back on significant moments in your life, how have they helped you to see Jesus as He really is? Sometimes even in the death of a loved one, it is a sacred moment where we experience Jesus’ presence in a powerful and transforming way. Although our walk is by faith not by sight, there are moments in all of our lives where we see a glimpse of God’s glory. May they help us to stay on the path of faith, until one day we will finally see God’s glory face to face.
Prayer: God thank you for giving us moments where we can behold Your Glory. We wish there were more but we look forward to the day when we will see you as you really are. We know that will be a humbling moment but through Jesus we will be able to stand before you and enjoy Your presence forever. Amen.
Matthew 17
The Transfiguration
1After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
We often talk of mountaintop experiences. Maybe it is at a retreat or conference, or accomplishing something we never thought possible. Ie. finishing a marathon, climbing a mountain. These transformative experiences take us to a place we never thought we could go and change our lives.
As Jesus nears the day he will go to the cross for the world, he and his inner circle of Peter, James and John have a mountaintop experience. As they go the top of high mountain (Mt. Tabor) it says, Jesus is literally “transfigured”. The term “transfigure” comes for our word “metamorphosis”, which means to change literally or figuratively. In contemporary language we might say he was, “morphed”.
We can take this to mean for a moment the disciples truly saw who Jesus was, as the Son of God. They beheld His glory not as the human Jesus of Nazareth, but the unique and divine Son of God. As such, they had a glimpse of what was going to come. The disciples were so thrilled that they didn’t want to leave and go back down the mountain, but set up camp and stay.
This was a very important moment in the disciples’ life, and we know they have shared the story with others, It is included in Luke and Mark too. As you think back on significant moments in your life, how have they helped you to see Jesus as He really is? Sometimes even in the death of a loved one, it is a sacred moment where we experience Jesus’ presence in a powerful and transforming way. Although our walk is by faith not by sight, there are moments in all of our lives where we see a glimpse of God’s glory. May they help us to stay on the path of faith, until one day we will finally see God’s glory face to face.
Prayer: God thank you for giving us moments where we can behold Your Glory. We wish there were more but we look forward to the day when we will see you as you really are. We know that will be a humbling moment but through Jesus we will be able to stand before you and enjoy Your presence forever. Amen.
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