Seeing the Real Jesus

 

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. (Mark 9:2-8 ESV).

 

There are those times in our lives when we see something in person for the first time and simply cannot understand the magnitude of it until that moment. Some years ago Mary and I traveled with her sister and her husband to visit Yellowstone National Park. Of course, one of the sights we had to see was Old Faithful. This geyser, which is just one of many in the area, has been erupting at regular intervals with its boiling water. These eruptions regularly reach more than 130 feet and typically last for several minutes. It is difficult to understand the scale from the photo I’ve included. However, we were nearly 100 yards away from the actual eruption site. It was an awesome display of God’s power in nature. You truly must see it to believe it!

 

In our reading, Peter, James, and John experienced such a sight. They experienced the Son of God like no one else ever had. They witnessed a conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Jesus invited the three disciples to hear and see that God had confirmed and affirmed that Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise of grace and mercy shown through these Old Testament representatives. The voice of God, who has the last word, declared, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

 

Jesus wanted his disciples to remember from this event that God had come down to us in the person of Jesus to suffer and die and then rise again. His death and resurrection changed everything! While we cannot literally see Him, He is closer to us today than we might think. He has given us the Holy Spirit. He lives in us, knows us, and reminds us that we are in a vital relationship with him. And we don’t need to travel to a specific location to see and know the only Savior we will ever need. He is as close as your spirit!