Daily Devotional for February 3
February 3 Mark 9:2-13
"And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses;
and they were talking to Jesus."
The event of the Transfiguration must have been an over-
whelming experience for Jesus. Throughout his life, from his
childhood in Nazareth to his death in Jerusalem, people failed
to understand his unique calling and his intimate relationship
to God. Surely Jesus must have longed for his followers to
understand his sense of mission. He was always explaining
himself to his disciples, who never seemed to grasp his mean-
ing. But on this day, on this mountain, something happened.
God gave Christ glory, revealed power, and put Christ in the
company of the patriarchs of old, Moses and Elijah. If we
believe Christ was fully human, then he must have needed this
moment just as much as the three disciples with him.
Remember your most mystical spiritual experiences?
Remember how you felt you couldn't tell anyone about them?
Just as we might do, Jesus tells Peter, James, and John not to
talk about this experience until after his Resurrection. Here
for a moment we can see Jesus so very much like us, private
and personal, keeping a secret of this most amazing revelation
of God's favor. How strange that in this moment of being set
apart from others we can see how much like us our Saviour is!
Jesus asked his disciples to keep this secret until he had been
raised from the dead, when they would be free to share this
news with others. What about us? If we have been baptised
into Jesus' death and are raised to new life with Christ, are
we not now free to disclose our most intimate encounters with
God? The work of Christ would surely be enhanced by our
telling our stories, disclosing the spiritual dynamics of our lives.
Jesus, not only do I want to experience the
power and glory you experienced on the mountain,
but now I want to share my experience with others
so that you may continue to be glorified. Please
give me an opportunity to do so today.
From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle
Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.