Daily Scripture:
Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them; and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the talmidimheard this, they were so frightened that they fell face down on the ground. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
Auggie, Wonder’s protagonist, was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, which severely deformed his face. At one point, his father told Auggie, “I know you don’t always like [your face], but I love it. It’s my son’s face.” Jesus received similar (but even more cosmic) affirmation. Usually, Jesus looked like just another person—but on this occasion, “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light” (Matthew 17:2). God meant this dramatic moment, not as a random light show, but to prepare Jesus and his disciples for the cross that lay just ahead.
- The transformation the disciples saw in Jesus' physical appearance pointed strongly to him being more than just one more teacher. As though to leave no doubt, God’s voice said of Jesus, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” What does it mean for you to listen to Jesus today? How willing are you to actually do it?
- When this happened, Peter, James and John were still struggling to understand what Jesus was all about. What do you know about their later lives as apostles that suggested that they did, indeed, “listen” to Jesus? How has “listening” to Jesus changed your life for the better?
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live when Jesus lived. Today, I read about miracles, but what if I could experience them? How would my faith be different? What would I do if I saw the clouds open up and proclaim that Jesus was the son of God?
When Jesus began his public ministry, he faced a major problem: why should anyone believe that he was the son of God? That’s what this event was designed to address. It cleared the first barrier in his mission: establishing his authority and trustworthiness. It then allowed Jesus to move on to the next steps: getting his message out there, and moving them to change their lives to be more in line with God.
If I look at those steps, though—believing that Jesus is the son of God, hearing what he has to say, and changing my life—the one I have the least trouble with is the first one. Very rarely do I doubt that Jesus was who he said he was. Instead, I struggle with each of the other two. Too often, I simply don’t open my Bible, or I hear God’s word and choose not to change my life.
In light of that, I don’t know that witnessing Jesus’ miracles first-hand would have helped with the problems I have. Saying I would be a better person if only God had provided a little more evidence—essentially, blaming God for my own transgressions—does not accurately reflect the real problems I have, which are not about what I’m not seeing or hearing, but more about what I’m not feeling or believing. The problems I have are problems of the heart. As we see time and time again in the gospels, when someone’s heart is hardened, they would find the motivation to excuse away any miracle.
Believing in Jesus is vital, but it’s not the end of the story. We need to let that belief lead us to listen to his words, and we need to let those words lead us to change our lives for the better. Listening and reacting need to be parts of our daily lives. Without a heart that’s open to change, we could easily be one of the many bystanders who saw Jesus’ miracles and excused them away so we could return to lives of apathy.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
- Kindness: a fruit of the Spirit
- Prayer Tip: What do you see?
- “The fields are already ripe for the harvest”
- The first evangelists
- “The time… is here!”
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
***
No comments:
Post a Comment