Mark 9:2-13
Long
before computers could change our view of the world, people saw things that
blew everything they knew about the world out of the park. They saw things that
so stretched their understanding of their world that they had to make
fundamental shifts in how they viewed reality. When, for the first time, someone
looked through a telescope and saw a glimpse of the vastness of the universe,
it had to have so expanded their understanding of our insignificance. Or
looking into a microscope and seeing ‘invisible’ organisms.
Children
still display that wonder as they learn about the world. I watched a small
child, maybe three years old, at the beach this weekend. They ran down and sat
in the receding water of a wave. Then as the next wave came they got up and
with glee ran back up the beach only to turn around and run back down and sit
in the receding water. Each time there was a squeal of delight. It was as if
the water was playing a game with them for their amusement. What delight!
Or
the way my grandchildren look at bugs. I think I need to get them a magnifying
glass. I will put that on my shopping list. I want to see more of their wonder.
Or when they run after bubbles in the yard, or jump in piles of leaves, or
tromp through snow, or even watch the spinning of a ceiling fan. They hold onto
hair as if it were a play toy, and grip skin as if it weren’t attached.
Jesus
gave His disciples a glimpse of His reality while standing on a mountain. They
saw Him without the earthly garb inhibiting the brilliance of His deity. We have
seen these types of transformations because we have Computer Generated Imagery.
Light can shine from someone’s eyes and burn up their opponents. The end of
fingertips work as well.
But
Jesus didn’t have CGI. His light was the real deal. And two other things
confirmed it. The two biggest characters in Jewish history, Moses and Elijah,
are also there with Jesus. They aren’t shining, but their presence validates
Jesus role and place in the spiritual hierarchy. And then, the voice of God the
Father Himself declares Jesus’ uniqueness.
And
Jesus tells the three who experienced this transfiguration to not share what
they had seen. But they don’t get what they have seen. They get stuck on the ‘rise
from the dead’ issue. Here they are hearing the voice of God and they get stuck
on a small, detail. They have the opportunity to see into God’s reality, and
all they can do is puzzle about the resurrection. This is one of the things
that they don’t get until after Jesus rises.
Just
because someone has a ‘blow your mind’ experience doesn’t mean they understand
its implications for their day to day lives. The miraculous seen does not mean
the miraculous experienced. Hearing and seeing the Truth does not automatically
mean the application of that Truth to life.