Luke 9:28-36
"About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning... As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, 'Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.'"
The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain was an important event for the disciples at that time. First of all, it clearly demonstrated to the disciples that Jesus is the son of God, because they saw cloud, which in the Old Testament represents the presence of God; they also heard a voice from the cloud which said "this is my beloved son," which was how Father God testified for His son. Second, the disciples got a taste of the coming Kingdom of God; it convinced them that the promise of the Kingdom was true, the teaching on the Kingdom of God by the Lord was not fictitious, and it further deepened their faith in the promises of the Kingdom. Third, it made them understand the close connection between the saints and the Lord. Elijah and Moses were much like us, but they were close coworkers of Jesus and they were talking intimately. This was a great encouragement for the disciples.
People often think that if it was the work of the Holy Spirit, it shouldn't make us fearful. The Bible, however, has more than one instance where God revealed Himself to people and the first thing He said was "do not be afraid!" It's not because the Holy Spirit makes us fearful, but it's the ignorance and lack of understanding by people that make us fearful. Peter didn't really understand what he saw on the mountain; he was afraid, so he said "Lord, just let us settle here, let us eternally enjoy your presence and never go down from the mountain." In the same manner, many believers like to focus on their intimate experience with the Lord's presence, but forget that presence of the Lord is for us to preach the gospel to the poor. Someone who is really in the presence of the Lord will also enter the will of the Lord and work together with Him.
Faith is not about doing what we want to do, nor is it doing things in our way. Faith is to listen to the words of Lord Jesus and the message from God. We need to solely focus on the Lord and see His face in our life.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.