Transfiguration
There are several points about this very well-known story that
caught my eye today. Notice that in the
transfiguration Jesus Himself changes.
Jesus doesn’t merely reflect, the glory comes from within. Jesus’ face actually shines. Jesus’ clothes actually radiate. This is no mere external reflection; it is an
internal quality. When the spirit of God
truly comes upon us, we are changed inside.
We don’t just reflect the difference (holiness) of God. We become it.
Second, notice the reaction of James, Peter, and John. Like Ezekiel in the presence of the theophany
of God, they fall upon their faces. Like
Ezekiel upon his face, the disciples don’t rise again until God Himself picks
them up. Jesus comes to them and says, “Do
not fear.” Then they rise. What do I see here? Empowerment follows submission in the
presence of God.
Third, I see Jesus teaching His disciples about how the world
treats spiritual people. They do not
understand. They reject. They mistreat. They inflict suffering. Sure, not everyone. There are a few people of peace in the world
who listen to the message. But most just
don’t get it.
What’s really scary about this passage is the people to whom Jesus
is referring when He says, “they” and “their.”
Jesus is talking about the religious leaders of the Jewish people. Jesus is talking about the people who should
be able to see and who should be able to recognize God at work. What do I learn here? Persecution is just a part of life for the
one following Christ. Persecution will
come from those who don’t understand as well as those who should understand but
don’t.
Of course, I haven’t spoken about the biggest point of the
transfiguration. I would be remiss if I
didn’t. The whole point of the
transfiguration is for God to pronounce His pleasure in the ministry of Christ. God is pleased with His Son because of His
obedience. All that Jesus has done is
good. All that Jesus is getting ready to
do is likewise good. Above all else,
this passage is about God the Father giving public approval to Jesus in the
presence of His closest and most intimate disciples.
Boy with a Demon
When Jesus, James, John, and Peter come down the mountain, Jesus
meets up with a crowd. In the crowd is a
man with a boy who has a demon. The
demon causes the boy to convulse and injure himself. Jesus takes the boy and casts out the demon.
This immediately causes the disciples to wonder why they couldn’t
do what Jesus could do. After all, are
they not Jesus’ disciples? Did we not
read in Matthew 10:1 that Jesus had given this authority to them?
Notice that they come to Jesus privately for more
instruction. Again we see that Jesus’
times of instruction are private, personal, in the small group or 1-on-1
context. But there is something really
deep about Jesus’ teaching.
Jesus tells them that they have to have faith of the mustard
seed. The point here is not the
size. Remember, what makes the mustard
seed unique is that from something small comes something very large. The point is growth. Jesus isn’t yelling about their pathetic
faith. What He is chastising them for is
a stagnant faith.
The mustard seed is powerful because it is always growing. It is always transforming from a minor seed
into a major bush. It doesn’t take a
year – or a decade – off. It is a seed
on mission to prove itself to the world.
That is what Jesus wants to teach His disciples. It is easy for us to become arrogant,
complacent, and lazy. Jesus wants us to
be growing. He wants us to be
maturing. He wants us to have an active
and powerful faith.
Jesus Again Teaches About His Death
Once more we see Jesus teach about His death. What can this tell us? His disciples need reinforcement. We all need reinforcement. We don’t learn a lesson forever. We learn, grow a little, forget a lot, and
need to revisit and relearn. Such is the
process of discipleship. It’s okay.
Temple Tax
In the final story of this chapter, we hear Jesus questioned once
more. The topic this time is the
relationship between the people of the Kingdom of God and the religious
institution. It is a very poignant
lesson. It always has been, and I think
it always will be.
Notice that Jesus teaches that as sons of the King, we have no
need to pay tax. We receive freely from
God. All of His children receive freely
from God. There is no need to pay to
receive services.
However, notice that Jesus does support payment of the temple
tax. He has Peter pay via a coin found
in a fish’s mouth. It’s a miracle, but
it is still payment. The question is,
why? If the Son if free, why would the
Son pay?
I believe the answer is once again submission. I think Jesus submits so as to not become a
stumbling block. Jesus submits –
although He doesn’t have to – because some would see it as conflict between
perception and how they believe the Son of God should act. Jesus does not want to be a stumbling block.
Furthermore, Jesus submits to the tax because it allows the
ministry of the temple to continue. He
doesn’t pay so as to receive His own services.
Jesus pays so that other people may benefit. In this act, we can see a truism. The church is not for my benefit. The church is so that I can come and serve
others. Coming to church is not so that
I may be fed and I can have my way. The
church is so that God’s ministry can go out to the world. How often do we forget that lesson?
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