This scripture begins with Jesus
telling Peter, James and John not to tell what they had just witnessed, and
they had indeed witnessed a true event!
They had witnessed Jesus transfigured, saw him chat with the supreme law-giver
of the Jews (Moses) and the first and most revered prophet of the Jews
(Elijah), and had heard the voice of God!
And, now they were being told not to tell.
Their minds raced with questions. God had directly proclaimed to them that
Jesus was indeed His son, but the appearance of Elijah raised the question
about the teaching that Elijah would come first, before the Messiah. Jesus answered their questions, and in these
few verses, outlined the entire lesson of the Gospel.
Moses and Elijah had appeared with
Jesus, but after God spoke, only Jesus remained. God instructed “This is my Son, whom I
love. Listen to HIM.” In other words, Moses and Elijah had served
their purpose, and now the disciples (and we) are to listen to and follow only
Jesus. Moses and Elijah were history,
Jesus is the future. Jesus taught that
Elijah had already finished his work, and now the Savior would suffer, die and
be resurrected. Though not fully
understood by the three, Jesus was proclaiming the Gospel in a nutshell.
Why were they told not to tell? There are many theories, but maybe Jesus knew
that these things (His death and resurrection) would have to be experienced
first to be understood.
Prayer:
Gracious and loving God, we did not physically walk with our Lord, but
we do have the benefit of knowing that He did in fact suffer, die and arise,
and the He did it all for us. We also
know that we are no longer restricted from telling the world about it. Bless us with the strength to be messengers
of the great gift of Jesus. It is in His
name we pray. Amen.
Brent
Russell
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