Title: Mount Transfiguration/Mt 17:1-8
Contents The Great Pilgrimage of Life (23) Mt. Transfiguration / Matthew 17:1-8
1. Because we can expect ultimate change.
In a sense, the experience of Jesus' disciples on the mount of transformation can be said to be the ultimate model of the faith experience that Christians living today can expect. So, what did Jesus' disciples witness on this mount? It was the first sight of Jesus being transfigured in glory. This is verse 2. “He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.” While Jesus came and lived in this world, to some extent He lived with the glory of His divinity limited. But on this day, on the mount, Jesus revealed his original glory as it was. It was so thrilling to see Jesus staying in that glorious state and conversing with the Old Testament heroes Moses and Elijah. What does the disciple Peter ask Jesus? Verse 4. “Peter inquired of Jesus, saying, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
2. It is because we can be more obedient to Jesus, the Lord of change.
Another ultimate fruit of the Christian experience of faith is that we must love the Lord and obey Him. It was not the conclusion of that day that Jesus' disciples climbed the Mount of Transfiguration to witness the Lord's glorious transformation. They hear a voice after this miraculous experience on this mountain. This is verse 5. “As they were speaking, suddenly a brilliant cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” This is the conclusion. We must live as those who hear and obey the voice of God's beloved Son, Jesus. In the end, we stand before the Lord as fully imitators of the Lord because we listened to His voice and lived a life of obedience to follow Him.
3. Because it gives us the strength to overcome the hardships of life to come.
Remember Romans 8:18? “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” Here are two contrasting pairs of words.
He began his investigation by quoting Martin Luther King himself. {This is what Martin said. “Of all tragedies, the worst is not to die young, but to live to seventy-five but never truly live life, and that is the greatest tragedy.” The 39 years Martin lived from 1929 to 1968 was a very short time. Thirty-nine years was too short a period of time for his work to bear fruit. 39 years is too short a time to give condolences to the parents who spared no effort in their behalf. 39 years is too short a time to even see our children finish school. 39 years is too short a time to have grandchildren. But for Martin, 39 years was too long. 39 years was too long to endure the ordeal of racism. 39 years was a long time. 39 years was too long for him, who suffered from phone threats forty times a day. 39 years was too long for him, who was under constant political pressure. The investigation continues.
For Martin, 39 years was not only a long time, it was long enough. It's been a long enough time to pray for those who threaten me and throw bombs. 39 years was a long enough time. It was long enough to awaken neighbors who did not know justice and love. 39 years was long enough to enter college at the age of 15 and earn four degrees. 39 years was long enough to get married and become a happy father of four children. 39 years was long enough to gather tens of thousands of people and leave hundreds of moving speeches. Thirty-nine years was long enough to lead his 200,000 followers through the American capital to lead a march of freedom and peace. 39 years was long enough for him to realize the value of peace and love to mankind and win the Nobel Peace Prize. 39 years was long enough for him to use the $54,000 he received for his Nobel Peace Prize for the peace of mankind. Thirty-nine years was long enough for him to climb to the top of a mountain and dream of peace for mankind.
Because he has finally reached the summit of the mountain of glory, the mountain of liberty, which he dreamed of. On August 28, 1963, in front of a million people in Washington Memorial Square, he said, “Today I am dreaming. I am dreaming of the day when all the valleys will rise, and all the hills and mountains will be brought low, the bumps will be made flat, the crooks will be straightened, the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” 39 years was a long enough time to realize that dream.} Today, as we look at the vision of future glory that the Lord has prepared for those who believe in Him, are we overcoming the present hardships well? I pray that you will live a life that does not give up on your dreams despite the hardships, hold on to only Jesus, and walk towards the tomorrow of glory that he shows.