When the Glory Interrupts!

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

2 Peter 1:17-18

When Jesus took Peter, James and John up on the mountain to witness the “Transfiguration” none of them had any idea what was about to happen. The meaning of the event will become totally clear when we stand before Him in eternity, but there are certainly great lessons for us.

Someone once asked me the question: “If you could spend a day with any person in history, who would it be?” Of course my first choice would be Jesus. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington might be on the list, but spending a whole day in the presence of Jesus in the flesh would be utterly amazing.

If I were to spend a day with Jesus when He walked on this earth I would come to know how tall He was, the color of His hair, whether he appeared gaunt or well fed and all the physical attributes that the Bible never mentions. I would even come to know the tenor of His voice. But here is an amazing truth. Being in the physical presence of Jesus would give me no advantage in knowing Him.

There are plenty of love stories that developed without the two people ever seeing each other in the flesh. As important as physical touch is, lasting relationships can be established between two people who only write or talk on the phone.

You may think that “text messaging” is a new phenomenon. It is not. It used to be done by passing notes in class on small pieces of paper. The medium has changed, but the idea is same.

One lesson I learn from the Transfiguration is that if I spend my day continually in the presence of Jesus I will see great things! I can’t be physically in His presence today, but I can pray without ceasing and pass notes and text messages all day. I can even have extended conversations with Jesus.

When I spend my day talking to Jesus I will be there when the Glory of God interrupts the conversation. I will see some of the totality of who He is. Seeing His Glory will change me! Seeing the Glory of God will change you too! Go up on the mountain and watch for the Transfiguration!