May 20, 2022 – Friday
Mark 9:2-3 NIV
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
Comment.
We have the same event – He was transfigured before them – in Matthew 17:1-2, After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. And again, in Luke 9:28-29, 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
In Mark His clothes became dazzling white. In Matthew His clothes became as white as the light. Then in Luke, His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. All these describe His clothing, only Matthew describes His face, His face shone like the sun. Plus, it is only Luke who tells us As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and it was then His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Thus, it was Jesus who made His clothes seem brilliant in color as His body changed.
The Greek word for the transfiguration of Jesus is metamorphoō and is where we get the word metamorphosis. This is the word we use to describe how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. A time lapse video of the process may be seen here. Unlike the caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis, Jesus’ metamorphosis was immediate, one moment there was this man, then next moment there was a man whose face shone like the sun.
So, we might ask, “What gives with this amazing change in Jesus?” I believe we are being given a glimpse of Jesus as He really is. This might seem confusing as Jesus is both fully man and fully God as demonstrated via His transfiguration and then a short while later He returns to being simply a man. To make sense of this we need to turn to Philippians 2:5-8 where Paul is talking about how we should humble ourselves when he writes, 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Jesus humbled Himself to become a man and then further humbled Himself to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins if we would but repent and follow Him. No other religion, no other God exhibits such love for His own creation that He would die for them. Jesus is the highest expression of love we can know from our God in whose image we are made.
It does not end there. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 we too are to be transformed, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Transformed here is the same Greek word metamorphoō used to described Jesus’ transfiguration, but for us the change takes time. Paul adds to this with 2 Corinthians 3:18, And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. One short explanation of this verse, the more aware of God’s glory and the more we focus upon it, the more we, as believers, are transformed into Christlikeness.
Bottom Line: Know Jesus really and truly is God. Further keep your eyes and heart on God and His glory.
Prayer: Dear God, Please help us to keep our eyes on You – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek