A Glimpse of Glory
In our walk with the Lord, we tend to get into ruts, to take things for granted, to lose the excitement of Jesus and the hope of eternal life. In the mountaintop event with Jesus recorded
in Matthew 17:1-13, three disciples gained a fresh perspective. First, they enjoyed a kingdom moment—“He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.” (v. 2) Then Moses and Elijah appeared … a glimpse of glory! They were talking to Jesus about His coming death. See Luke 9:30-31 What a great time those disciples had: it was the original mountaintop experience! And you just don’t want special events to end. “Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’” (v. 4) Mountaintop experiences are great, but the work of ministry is in the valley. Second, they experienced a divine encounter—“A voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’” (v. 5) Peter was on the wrong page, getting distracted by the atmosphere. God interrupts our plans. We think we know it all about spiritual matters, and God breaks in to say, ”Listen to [Jesus]!” We think we know how God’s work should be done, and God breaks in to say, ”Listen to [Jesus]!” When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. Engaging the living God should shake you up. Third, they received a spiritual truth—“Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” (v. 13) Jesus revealed to them a spiritual truth: Elijah had already come and the leaders killed him. In the same way, the Son of Man will soon suffer at the hands of those same religious leaders. Then the light bulb came on, they got it. Are you experiencing special growing moments with the Lord?
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.