On his way to the Cross, Jesus took three of his closest followers with him onto a mountain where he was transfigured. (Metamorphosis comes from this word.) His glory was evident as he was clothed with unspeakable bright light. He was on his way to be treated as a criminal and a moral scourge. The disciples needed to know his true nature.

Moses and Elijah were also present. These heroes of the Law and Prophets made the event even more dramatic. Peter was moved to do something significant. He suggested they build a tent for each of those three great men, but his ignorance was exposed. Moses and Elijah were important but they were not on the same level as Jesus. He in fact was the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets. He alone stands at the center of God’s universe.

His physical body was the tent he lived in while on earth, and now His people serve as his temple.

See Jesus for Who He Is

Until we see him for who he is, we, like Peter, will be trying to fit Jesus into our own stories of reality. Yes, he played with the little children, but he was not childish. He humbled himself, but he was not weak. He was crucified but no one took his life.

He stands uncontested as the Lord of life and death. We don’t have to try to make him relevant, by reducing him to the level of other religious leaders. We don’t have to make him acceptable by defining him as a social worker and avoiding talk of his blood. He is the Lord of creation and redemption. He is the judge of all men. He will sum up all things in heaven and earth in himself.

He brings all things together that sin separated. He takes sin upon himself and absorbs its wrath so that we can take his righteousness and enjoy God’s eternal favor. He doesn’t need a man-made tent for us to have a God we can be close to. His physical body was the tent he lived in while on earth, and now his people serve as his temple that is universally accessible to all people — without distinction.

Later in the biblical story, we see his glory being revealed in even greater measure as he lays his life down for us. This is the mystery that baffles the secularists. It is the majesty that angels long to behold. It is the day of the Lord when righteousness is vindicated and wickedness is forever judged. It is the reason that Paul the apostle chose to make all his preaching revolve around the Cross of Christ.

The vision is available for you now! Look to him. Look at him. He is beyond the treasured Law of Moses. He is the fulfillment of the great promises of the prophets. The angels adore him. The demons run from him. Death and Hell lose their threat in his presence. A vision of him will tranquilize the mind, pacify the conscience, purify the heart and transform the character.

Seeing him in his glory will prepare us for the days of trial. Don’t get so busy building him a place in your culture that you miss seeing him in his glory.