#DailyDevotion Jesus Reveals The Kavod YHWH

Luk 9:32-36  Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  (33)  And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.  (34)  As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  (35)  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  (36)  And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Well it must have been something to have awakened to see. You fall asleep and you wake up to see Jesus in the Kavod YHWH, the Glory of the Lord, something even Moses only the backside of on the mount. Now here on another mount the Lord Jesus reveals his glory to three of his closest disciples. Peter in shock doesn’t know what he is saying. I imagine we would be also. It’s also amazing that they recognized Moses and Elijah; they didn’t have pictures of them. Perhaps this is a glimpse of how when we are resurrected into glory that we will indeed know everyone who is there.

This is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection. He hides his glory before the crucifixion from men. He doesn’t particularly show it after the resurrection, who could bear it, but he is raised in glory. This glory Jesus is going to raise us up in as well. 2Co 4:17 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,…” 1Pe 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1Jn 3:2 “But, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Even as Moses’ face shown with the glory of the Lord having spoken with the Lord face to face, his glory faded. The glory Christ Jesus raises us to will be an eternal glory.

Now this manifestation of Jesus’ glory reveals him to be the Lord of the Old Testament. On top of that though, that Father surrounds them all with a clouds and witnesses to his only begotten son saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  We should listen to what the Lord says of him in Psalm 2: Psa 2:2 “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed…” Psa 2:8 “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” Psa 2:12 “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Jesus is this anointed one. Jesus is the one to whom the Lord gives the nations as a heritage. Jesus is the one in whom we take refuge in and am blessed.

As Jesus teaches in the Gospels and through his holy apostles letters we are to open our ears and listen to him. We are not only to hear but to believe and do. First and foremost we are to believe what he teaches and take his words to heart. We are to trust in him for our salvation. This is the work of God, to believe in the one the Father has sent, namely Jesus of Nazareth. We are to believe he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. As his disciples, we are called also to do what he says. He commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Whatever commandment you can think of, whatever regulation, statute, precept that you can conceive or read in the scriptures comes down to this, love your neighbor. Jesus gives us faith and the Holy Spirit to do this. When we fail, we come to his throne of mercy to receive the forgiveness won for us and go back out to live this life again with our ears listening to his voice calling us to trust him and to love.

Heavenly Father, you revealed the glory of your only begotten son that we may put our trust in him and to reveal to us the glory that is to come. Always give us your Holy Spirit that we may trust in your chosen son and listen to him in all our doings. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.