‘And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light ’ (Matthew 17:2).
Jesus was constantly rejected and criticised by people. The religious leaders in Israel refused to recognise Him as the Son of God. Satan tried to prevent Jesus from doing God’s will through the words of one of His most loyal disciples (Matthew 16:22-23).
In today’s Scripture, Jesus’ heavenly glory was briefly revealed to His disciples. Luke 9:31 tells us that Moses and Elijah, once important religious leaders of the people of Israel, spoke with Jesus about what would be done to Him in Jerusalem. Peter wanted this meeting to continue. However, this encounter was not Jesus’ final destination, but only a stage in the journey to Jerusalem. Before Peter could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a voice coming from the cloud. In this way God hid His glory when He revealed Himself on earth (Exodus 16:10).
At that moment, God’s voice confirmed Jesus’ identity, as His beloved Son (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:17). This would strengthen the disciples’ faith, despite not yet understanding much about the road that Jesus had to travel. But they would be fully convinced of this: Jesus was God’s own Son, and they had to heed His words. And Jesus had a great work to do in Jerusalem.
Food for thought: Jesus’ face shone like the sun. Imagine looking towards the sun. What does Jesus’ glory mean to you? Tell Him.