Discovering the True Glory of Christ in the Transfiguration
Mark 9:8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
First, let’s get the backdrop: Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John so that his clothing turned a brilliant white, so excellent and pure that Earth could not produce such brilliance. Also, there was Elijah the Prophet and Moses the lawgiver having a conversation with Jesus. It was a sight to see! Any of us who claim to follow Christ would LOVE to have experienced this moment with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.
The disciples were SO excited, and yet so afraid (see verse 6), that they felt this level of glorious revelation required some kind of an attempt to commemorate and honor such an experience for generations to come. So, since they didn’t know what to say, they got what my good friend Scott Boatner calls the “let’s just DO SOMETHING!” mentality. They suggested building three temples, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Sounded good to them!
BUT, the Father did not approve. He immediately replied out of a cloud above them, saying in verse seven, “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” Then the entire supernatural scenery disappeared and all they were left with was Jesus, in his humble bodily form, with natural earth tone, and possibly earth-marred clothing, just as he was before the revelation. Keep that in mind.
Now, looking back at verse one, Jesus said unto them, that there would be some of them that would not die until they “have seen the kingdom of God come with power”. I think it not ironic that it was immediately after this statement that this experience on the mount took place.
So, what does all of this mean? Consider this: God decided to give His disciples a glimpse of Christ’s power and glory, from a Heavenly perspective. Up to this point, they had only seen Christ from the natural eye’s point of view, but it was time to elevate their perspective!
HOWEVER, once the elevated perspective had been given, God then immediately took it away so that the ONLY focal point from this point forward would be Jesus. Here’s the point: God’s greatest display of the power and glory of His kingdom is embodied in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ! And before you think you need to see what they saw with the natural eye to benefit from their experience, I wish to point out that The Father did not say, “Don’t forget what you SAW!” Instead, He took all the visual stimulation away and simply ended with, “hear him.” Are you listening?
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
First, let’s get the backdrop: Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John so that his clothing turned a brilliant white, so excellent and pure that Earth could not produce such brilliance. Also, there was Elijah the Prophet and Moses the lawgiver having a conversation with Jesus. It was a sight to see! Any of us who claim to follow Christ would LOVE to have experienced this moment with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.
The disciples were SO excited, and yet so afraid (see verse 6), that they felt this level of glorious revelation required some kind of an attempt to commemorate and honor such an experience for generations to come. So, since they didn’t know what to say, they got what my good friend Scott Boatner calls the “let’s just DO SOMETHING!” mentality. They suggested building three temples, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Sounded good to them!
BUT, the Father did not approve. He immediately replied out of a cloud above them, saying in verse seven, “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” Then the entire supernatural scenery disappeared and all they were left with was Jesus, in his humble bodily form, with natural earth tone, and possibly earth-marred clothing, just as he was before the revelation. Keep that in mind.
Now, looking back at verse one, Jesus said unto them, that there would be some of them that would not die until they “have seen the kingdom of God come with power”. I think it not ironic that it was immediately after this statement that this experience on the mount took place.
So, what does all of this mean? Consider this: God decided to give His disciples a glimpse of Christ’s power and glory, from a Heavenly perspective. Up to this point, they had only seen Christ from the natural eye’s point of view, but it was time to elevate their perspective!
HOWEVER, once the elevated perspective had been given, God then immediately took it away so that the ONLY focal point from this point forward would be Jesus. Here’s the point: God’s greatest display of the power and glory of His kingdom is embodied in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ! And before you think you need to see what they saw with the natural eye to benefit from their experience, I wish to point out that The Father did not say, “Don’t forget what you SAW!” Instead, He took all the visual stimulation away and simply ended with, “hear him.” Are you listening?
~ Pastor Gary Caudill