#DailyDevotion Jesus’ Transfiguration Shows What God Has Planned For Us
Matt. 17 After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain to be alone with them. 2He was transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. 3And there Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were talking with Him. 4“Lord,” Peter said to Jesus, “it’s good for us to be here. If You wish, I’ll put up three shelters here, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Jesus brings three of his apostles up with up to the mountaintop to be alone with them. They are to be witnesses of what they are about to see. Peter, James and John were several of the first disciples Jesus had called, though I’m always surprised Andrew, Peter’s brother, seems to not get as much attention as Peter even though he was first. We could probably equate this account of Jesus with Moses seeing the backside of the glory of God, the disciples fulfilling the role of Moses where Jesus is indeed the very same LORD whose glory Moses saw.
So Jesus is transfigured, metamorphasized before his disciples. His face shines like the sun and his clothes became as white as light. He is manifesting the glory he had before the incarnation, the glory of the Holy One of God. Like the 70 elders of Israel were not consumed by glory of the LORD on Mt. Sinai when they ate with him, the disciples are protected by the LORD Jesus Christ’s grace. This is a preview of how they shall see the LORD when he returns in glory.
For those who think we won’t know our relatives in the resurrection the disciples see and here Moses and Elijah. The disciples never saw a picture of these two prophets of God, yet they recognized them. When we are in the glory of God, when see Jesus as he is, as John later says, we will be like him (even as Moses shown with the glory of God when he spoke with the LORD, though fading).
Peter desires to set up three tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. We think he wanted the experience to last longer. Who wouldn’t? I don’t think we can fully comprehend the magnificence of this experience. Probably the closest thing we ever come to is being in the presence of some celebrity or politician we really admire and don’t know what to say.
Yet in this manifestation of Jesus’ glory we have something very important revealed to us—our destiny. 1 John 3 tells us, “Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but it hasn’t yet been shown what we’re going to be. We know that when it will be shown, we’ll be like Him because we’ll see Him as He is.” Peter tells us in his second epistle we participate in the divine nature through the promises of the Gospel. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 4 we are being prepared to bear the eternal weight of glory. This is all God’s grace won for us by our LORD Jesus Christ. It is his gift, his free gift to you to become like him.
Heavenly Father, you manifested your Son’s glory to the disciples so we may see what you have prepared for us by grace. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may believe these promises so we may participate in his divine nature. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.