“I want to show you something,” I told my wife.
One of the perks of having a computer is the pictures. Every morning when I press my screen button, a delightful scene awaits my viewing pleasure: A line of mischievous sea otters afloat on their backs. A night shot of downtown New Orleans at Mardi Gras. The great wall of China. An Italian village lit up at night, or a solitary bird. Sometimes I am compelled to call my wife to come and see. One day I saw a closeup of a mother polar bear snoozing on the snow with her tiny cub nestled beside her. I called my wife for her to see.
As Peter, James, and John followed Jesus up the mountain, they probably wondered what the trip was about. Jesus didn’t tell them. Even if He had, they wouldn’t have understood. But the underlying expectation was that He wanted to show them something. And He did. He wanted to show them a side of Himself they hadn’t seen before, an essential side they could not possibly have known apart from divine revelation.
Luke says they saw Jesus’ glory in His physical appearance. They had already seen it many times through His miracles, which always involved changes outside Himself. Now, for the first time, they saw His glory as a change within His physical being. But not just for show.
The disciples needed this glorious vision to bring perspective to a largely negative picture. A week earlier, Jesus had warned them of His approaching death, a violent death that would disfigure His appearance horribly. But the cross was not the end.
The Holy Spirit often beckons us and says, “I want to show you something?” Show us what? Not another curious piece of Bible trivia but rather a more intimate knowledge of God’s incredible love for us. An awareness that jolts us out of our spiritual rut and moves us to act out His love to others.
When the Spirit says He wants to show us something, we often must go out of our way. How can you be more willing to alter your plans to obey God?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
A native of South Africa, Philip Siebbeles lives in Harrells, North Carolina. An ordained elder in the Wesleyan church, he currently serves as interim pastor at Rockfish Presbyterian Church in Wallace, NC. He recently retired from teaching religion courses at James Sprunt Community College. His wife is a retired psychiatric nurse, so he claims to be in good hands. He loves to walk their lab, Potter, in the garden, watch PBS with Ellen, and create Bible study guides to help people analyze the text for themselves.