“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. And as they were coming down the mountain, He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
(Mark 9:2-9 ESV)
I wonder why Jesus felt it was so important for Peter and James and John to have this experience? He clearly went to a lot of trouble. They went up a high mountain, which is a major effort in itself. Then the glory of His transfiguration. And then two Old Testament prophets appeared, called back by the power of God to appear once again in our world for a short time—for the benefit of three men? And of course, the voice of God Himself.
Maybe the transfiguration was necessary after so long a time living on the road—Jesus and the disciples, day after dusty day. They would have seen Him waking up in the morning, rubbing His eyes—cooking breakfast—gathering their belongings to continue walking. They knew the sound of His snores (if Jesus snored? I wonder). They knew and loved Him as their very human teacher and Lord. Maybe they needed to have that balanced by seeing Him as their Lord and God.
And maybe that’s what we need, too. We live side by side with Jesus through our own days and nights, and we get used to thinking of Him a certain way. Maybe it’s good to see another side to Him—our human Lord and Savior, but also our Lord and God. And we will know that, no matter what comes to us, He is enough to see us through—strong enough to break the power of death through His own cross, and loving enough to share with us His goodness, joy, and everlasting resurrection life.
We Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, make me to know You better. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on February 8, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you usually think more about Jesus’ humanity, or about His Godhood?
2. Why do you think you focus on that aspect of who He is?
3. What blessings do you find when you look at the other side of the equation?