February 26, 2014
The discussion in Looking at Scriptures Bible Study tonight was especially good. Sunday is the celebration of Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountain (see Matthew 17.1-9). What the disciples witness there is more than just an outward change of Jesus’ appearance, it’s a foretaste of Jesus’ future glory - after his crucifixion, after his time in the tomb, after his resurrection and ascension.
But really, it’s not a foretaste. Instead, it's a reality check of who Jesus really is. Not just the healer, the teacher, the miracle worker - but the Son of God. The Savior. The very one who, when the disciples wind up face-down in fear, reaches out to them and says, Get up. Don’t be afraid. And later says, take my hand and follow me. I promise to take you where I will go and what you saw on that mountain is what you’ll be with me. Forever!
This brought out a line in our discussion that stuck with me: you have to really believe in someone in order to be willing to die for them. Those disciples, ordinary men as they were, did believe in that someone, Jesus Christ. And as afraid as they would be, they were willing to stand up for who they believed and even die for him. Their belief changed them completely and their witness lives on in us.
So, when I read a commentary by Douglas John Hall, it made me wonder: when we, or the church for that matter, takes that kind of leap of faith, what might God be able to do through us?
Blessings.
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