No More Time to Doubt ...

The women were the first to speak the truth of the gospel.  Then two men of the inner circle came bursting into the upper room bringing the same words of the gospel good news.  Jesus is alive.  Don’t care that we all saw Him get crucified and die.  Don’t care that we all know He was laid in the tomb fully dead.  He just walked with us all the way to Emmaus and showed us right out of scripture how all of this was fore-ordained.  We nearly ate dinner with Him before He just disappeared.  And Luke picks up the story right as they are speaking the validation of the women’s first gospel testimony that should have never been needed to be validated.  But just to put a nail in the coffin of doubt forevermore Luke interrupts what goes on there continuing in chapter 24 of his letter to his friend about what we believe and why.  In verse 36 it says … “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”  While they were yet testifying as to what they had seen, heard, and experienced.  They are interrupted by this Jesus Himself appearing right in the middle of them.  No knock on the door.  Not tired from running the whole way there from Emmaus.  God does not need to run.  God moves where He wants.  God goes where He is needed.  No prophet ever did that.  Jesus is not just some mere mighty prophet.  Jesus is God.  And God is very much alive.

The time for doubt to die is here.  The time for faith born in evidence is now right there in the middle of that room looking them straight in the eyes and hearts.  But once again, human weakness, is the response to Jesus, even when He just got finished saying “peace be unto you”.  In effect Shalom.  A greeting of peace.  A greeting meant to assuage fear.  But when we refuse to see, we often refuse to hear, all because we are so set in our ways that even if Jesus appeared right in the very room with us, we cling to our notions of the past.  Luke continues recording their responses in verse 37 saying … “But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.”  It winds up easier for us to believe in ghosts than God.  We prefer the darkness to the light, even when it shines right in front of us.  Consider that every disciple in that upper room (man or woman, part of the 12 or part of the 70), every one of them, knows and has seen firsthand Jesus raising the dead while He was yet with them in His earlier ministry.  They know it can be done, because they have all seen it done.  Some of them will do this in His name in the future.  But regardless, they all know it is possible.  No ghosts back then.  No tricks back then.  But when Jesus shows Himself to be alive, we reject the possibility of resurrection and cling to the notion of evil spirits or ghosts.

Is it any different today?  We accept death as inevitable and permanent, never considering for a moment that our resurrection is assured.  Never considering that God may even bring us back to this world early to accomplish the mission He has in mind for us.  But no one asks that prayer.  And worse NO ONE believes it could ever happen.  So NO ONE tests their own faith in the name of Jesus by asking it.  We just see death, and give up all hope, barely trusting in the resurrection that will one day come.  We just assume death is the will of God.  How could it not be?  If God did not want death, then why is it so inevitable?  But these musings are the thoughts of believers who accept the results of sin, without considering that God never intended for us to understand death at all, let alone to experience it.  We were created with the notion of forever in mind.  Time was to have no end.  Endings would be a foreign concept.  So why do we believers now choose to NEVER ask for God to bring life back in the here and now, in order that we may continue the work He has set for us.  It is possible that work was prematurely ended by death.  And it is possible that God would have that work restarted now, if those fellow servants would only have the faith to ask and believe in those same possibilities.  What is the worst that can happen; He says “no”.  Seems like we are already settling for that answer, without ever asking for something else.

The lesson in this upper room is one for our church today.  Our ideas of the past, what we believe the doctrines dictate, so inform our judgment that even a risen Lord is unable to penetrate them.  We get in our heads what we think things should be, then cement those ideas so that nothing can shake them.  Even a plainly risen Lord Jesus, is translated into the ideas of a spirit or ghost instead.  A spirit or ghost is still consistent with their earlier beliefs, a risen Lord is not.  And are we any different?  Our ideas create our fear, our doubt.  Any evidence, or testimony, that lends itself to the notion we are mistaken, is discarded in favor of ridiculous conclusions that keeps us fully in line with the past.  We choose, like our disciple forefathers, to look backwards even when standing in the presence of God Himself.  And in so doing we nurture our fear and self-reliance, not our faith, and our ability to step forward.  Imagine if even when you do not have the money, you pay your tithes anyway.  Common sense tells you that this is a financial mistake.  There is no way that spending money you do not have, on church of all things, or ministry of all things, could possibly make sense.  But I challenge you to challenge God and spend that money that way, then stand back and watch.  Somehow, someway, everything works out.  It does not make sense, but it does work out.

And this lesson is to be applied to more than just our money.  Imagine if instead of returning some well deserved righteous indignation to someone who has wronged you, who is guilty, who clearly has it coming and they know it – instead – you return some undeserved love and total forgiveness, you show kindness where it is not deserved.  And believe me, kindness is the last thing that will be expected in that situation, from them or you.  But instead of “being human”, you react through the power of His love, letting it flow through you, and only then; lives will be changed, perhaps yours most of all.  To apologize when you have done no wrong, to be humble when you are in the right, to be forgiving when you are the aggrieved party; these are the hallmarks of a true believer in Jesus Christ as your lord.  We should not need evidence before we are able to trust this way.  We should not need Jesus appearing in our living rooms, to truly know that living this way, is living a better way.  And no difference of doctrine or denomination should warrant a limit to our love, our forgiveness, or our kindness.

Luke continues in verse 38 saying … “And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? [verse 39] Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. [verse 40] And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.”  So Jesus must reach out to us even farther.  He offers his own flesh as proof of His identity.  Jesus humbles Himself enough to let His followers poke the holes in hands, or feet, or side.  Imagine how far Jesus will go, to assuage your doubts and fears, to turn you from looking backwards and start you on looking forwards to what really matters.  The only way the incorrect beliefs or doctrines you hold to will ever be corrected, is if you look forward to Jesus, and to where and how He leads you.  Nothing can change while we cement ourselves in a backwards posture.  Looking to Jesus can be the full death of doubt if we let it.

But humans can be stubborn when we choose to.  Luke continues in verse 41 saying … “And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? [verse 42] And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. [verse 43] And he took it, and did eat before them.”  So even when we start seeing the potential in the future, even when that potential introduces so much joy we can hardly stand it, we still find a way to keep doubting, and keep the door to all that - sealed shut.  Where Jesus is concerned, too good to be true, is not yet good enough.  Jesus always brings more good, more joy to us, than our limited brains ever thought possible.  As a final demonstration that He is not some spirit or ghost, Jesus eats something right in front of them.  In the kingdom of the Lord there are no spirits or ghosts save the Holy Ghost or dimension of the God head we do not fully understand.  Think about it, other than that, when Enoch goes to heaven he is translated alive in full bodily form, just as he was born to his parents.  When Moses dies, he is buried in a secret place by God, but when the devil finds his body, Moses is resurrected and taken to heaven in full bodily form.  When Elijah goes it is the same story.  When Lazarus was brought back it was in no spirit form, but in full bodily form, as was every other resurrected person during the ministry of Christ.  When the firstfruits go to heaven, it is the same story once again, resurrected in full bodily form.  And Jesus is no different.  God does not need a shell of who we are.  He did not make us this way, He has no interest in seeing us this way.  We are either living as we do now, or dead and sleeping in a grave with no memory, or interest in what happens today. 

But the disciples were more inclined to believe in demons masquerading as spirits or ghosts of those no longer alive, than in a resurrected Lord.  It took more than just His appearing in their room and speaking with them.  It took more than poking the holes of His wounded flesh, wounds He has chosen to keep forevermore.  It took Jesus eating a meal in front of them, before they would finally set aside their doubt.  This was Jesus subtlety teaching them their superstitions should be undone by what is real.  We don’t need the ghosts of the past, we need the Lord of today, the Lord of the future.  We should not allow our ideas of doctrines and what we think “should” be, cloud our notions of what the Lord is actually doing right now, right here in front of your face.  God is bigger than our box.  God is greater than our limitations, or our imaginations.  Now is the time for the doubt of the past to meet its end.  Is your faith capable of letting go of the past, and fastening hold of the future Jesus has in mind for you?  I hope mine is …

 

Ghosts in the Night ...

Little children fear the dark.  It is not the blackness so much as the unknown, what cannot be easily seen.  A stuffed animal in the light of day is a cuddly toy, but in the dark, is a silhouette of undetermined malice.  And let’s not even get started on clowns.  That makeup hides who-knows-what behind it.  But as unsettling as finding a clown in your room in the daytime might be, discovering one there at night might have you wondering where the next pair of clean underwear is waiting.  Perhaps the business truisms of transparency and visibility that offer benefit because they de-mystify and make things clear or easy-to-understand have an echo in life.  In life, a good dose of light seems to drive any monsters away (or at least the monsters that may still reside in our imagination).  Real monsters follow suit.  Thieves typically prefer the dark for their deeds.  So do those among us who would harm us; molesters, rapists, and killers.  In the light they may be caught.  If their victims shine a light on what they did, and who they are, they will surely get caught.  So for evil to prosper, it prefers the dark, to the light of day.

It would seem the supernatural bent on scaring us follows suit as well.  Witches practice rites at night.  Ghosts, or demonic manifestations of those known to be long dead, love to emerge at night.  Perhaps these traditions are handed down because the night makes it easier to scare us – whereas the full illumination of daylight would reveal trickery and raise the comfort level of those encountering these phenomena.  True supernatural manifestations do not actually require nighttime.  The devil is just as comfortable attempting to deceive in daylight as he is at night.  But the night does add an atmosphere of fear to it, that daylight somehow seems to miss.  When King Saul sought the witch to bring him a manifestation of the dead prophet Samuel, he went to her at night.  The demonic representation of Samuel, perhaps one of the earliest Biblical ghosts, appeared in the fire of that night, to bring Saul a message of his own doom.  Not exactly a happy ending.  And a story every Jewish believer would have become familiar with over the years.

Ironically perhaps one of the only events of “after death” that Pharisees and Sadducees could agree upon was - that ghost was not Samuel.  Both would agree it was a demonic manifestation attempting to impersonate Samuel, as neither side would believe God would allow His prophet to be called forth by any witch.  And demons were scattered all through Israel in the time of Christ.  The Sanhedrin should have been the religious leadership body capable of casting demons out; and keeping Israel fairly clean of them.  But this was not the case.  The Sanhedrin seemed unable to stop the plague of demon possession.  So it would be nearly impossible for a believing Jew to throw out the idea of ghosts, and still know that demons were scattered all through the lands of Israel despite an ultra-conservative Sanhedrin leadership.  And when night time arrived, anything supernatural is going to be immediately assumed to be part of team evil.  Even the angels who came to sing of Jesus’ birth had to say fear not, before they could praise the Lord in front the shepherds (watching their fields by night).

So Matthew begins to record his own tale of ghosts that scared him nearly half to death.  It begins after an incredible day of miracles, from healing, to feeding a crowd of 5000 men, plus women and children.  Matthew picks up in his gospel in chapter fourteen picking up in verse 22 saying … “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. [verse 23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”  This would not be a tale of willing participants.  Matthew uses the word “constrained” as he remembers how insistent Jesus was on the disciples getting in to this boat and heading to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  It made no sense, again.  The Sea of Galilee is not exactly a small lake you can throw a stone across.  It is rather large.  Sailing across it takes a while with a good tail wind.  And it is much easier to sail than to try to hike around the edge of the Sea on foot.  How was Jesus going to catch up with them?  Was He saying goodbye?  Was this it?

Apart from just loving to be around Jesus (who wouldn’t), Matthew and his colleagues had real concerns for the safety of Jesus in this crowd, in this region, and his ability to rejoin them any time soon.  The disciples had no orders for what to do when they reached the other side.  What then?  Were they supposed to wait?  To minister?  To setup a fishing camp?  What?  This is why Jesus nearly had to force them to obey what He wanted.  Once they did, Jesus sent the multitude away, and went up a mountain to pray.  He was there alone.  Meanwhile Matthew records picking up in verse 24 saying … “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.”  Picture a microburst.  Picture a water spout.  Picture the terror of being on the middle of the Sea of Galilee with only a few accomplished fishermen, the rest were tradesmen of other crafts so pretty much useless in a Sea fairing crisis.  The storm that comes is fierce, perhaps fierce enough to interrupt the prayers of Jesus.  There was no Coast Guard, no rescue ships, nobody to save you.  If your boat filled up with water – you drowned.  This was not a casual bit of rain, it was a life and death struggle to survive, and it was being done at night, when it is far more difficult to see in highly reduced light (no moon, no stars, only thick clouds).

Matthew continues in verse 25 saying … “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. [verse 26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.”  First thing to remember is the disciples had NO idea this was Jesus heading their way.  All they saw was a human form, that was a source of light, which would really stand out in the darkness all around them.  It was moving at incredible speeds.  Jesus was not moving at a snail’s pace, or taking the time it would take a normal person to walk the distance the disciples had already sailed before the storm kicked up.  That would take hours.  This was happening in minutes.  This form was moving across the waters at a great speed, and for every step it took, the waves were smoothing out like butter in front of it.  Only a ghost could do this, or a demon, bent on possessing one or all of them in that boat.  And they were terrified to a man.  Every one of them began screaming like a cackle of little girls.  Again this all happening in seconds and minutes.

Matthew continues in verse 27 saying … “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”  Now let’s take a second look at this from the perspective of Jesus.  He is alone atop a mountain in deep prayer with His Father.  This was not something new and unusual, this was a habit for Him.  It usually happened at night, because He did not want to deny His time with us during the day.  So when we were all tired and heading to bed, Jesus could not wait to get to talk to His Father.  He would climb the nearest hilltop to be as close as He could get, and begin His prayers.  So it was this night.  But something interrupts Him.  He can sense that the devil has begun a special attack on His crew out on the water, intending to kill them all while Jesus is busy in prayer.  The devil figures Jesus is too far away to help them, so they are doomed men.  But the devil is wrong.  Jesus stops praying and does something the devil does not count on.  He moves across land and sea as if on a hover board.  Each step He takes spans many feet in distance below Him.  And a journey that might have taken hours is now ending in only minutes, the storm losing strength as He nears the boat.

But Jesus finds His crew in terror, screaming at the top of their lungs at His approach.  He immediately slows His pace so that their fears do not rise any further.  He is close enough to speak out to them, but not close enough to enter their boat yet.  The storm persists at the boat.  And Jesus announces who He is.  He is lit up, so plainly visible to their eyes.  But all they see is a ghost they believe is a demon attempting to impersonate Him.  They need more proof it is really Him.  Matthew continues in verse 28 saying … “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. [verse 29] And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.”  Peter has an idea.  No demon or ghost will ever help them out, but Jesus would, so he asks to join Jesus on the water.

And it works.  Matthew continues in verse 30 saying … “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. [verse 31] And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  Matthew is more generous than other gospels on this story.  Matthew attributes Peter’s doubt to the ferocity of the storm, but in truth there was more to it than that.  Other gospels record Peter turning around to look back at the others still in the boat, and immediately he sank.  Nonetheless Peter cries out to save him, as should we, ideally as do we – and the response of Jesus is, to immediately stretch out His hand, catch Peter, and save Him.  You will note, Jesus did not delay.  He did not chide Peter about being dumb, and tell Peter that he needs to do better, before Jesus is going to invest the time in saving him.  Peter does not need to complete the Lord’s prayer first.  Or read up first.  Or start attending Wednesday prayer meetings first.  There were no pre-requirements.  There was Peter crying out to be saved, and Jesus saving him without delay.  That is how it still works with us, no matter what your church, family, or friends might tell you.

How we respond to the love of God, as we learn to love Him, is a response to that incredible love.  It is not a pre-requisite to getting it.  Jesus simply reminds Peter that to focus on Him, would have kept that faith strong.  Asking Peter how he lost his faith, is a gentle way of showing Peter the error of looking away from Jesus, either to a storm, or to others.  The same holds true for us.  Looking at the crisis we face does nothing to make it better for us, but looking to Jesus will.  Looking to others in the church will do nothing to increase our faith, but looking to Jesus will.  Nature disappoints.  Humans disappoint.  But Jesus does not.  This lesson was not just meant for men who were still recovering from a deep terror they felt only moments before, it is for you and for me.

Matthew continues the epilogue in verse 32 saying … “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. [verse 33] Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”  As if His identity could ever be in question again.  The disciples recognized Jesus as the Son of God.  But a few more subtleties for us to examine here.  First, as Jesus enters the boat, the entire storm is dissipated to nothing.  Game over Satan.  Satan, demons, and “ghosts” may be literally out to kill you; they were trying to kill Jesus’ first followers.  But Jesus wins those battles every time; we need only look to Him.  Nature obeys the will of Jesus, Jesus is not captivated by the will of Nature.  In addition, time and physics also bend to the will of Jesus.  His movement across and land and sea to reach His disciples did not end there.  Upon entering the boat, other gospels stated, the boat was “immediately” at the destination they were originally sailing for.  The hover effect continued, or time and space were folded, either way distance is no object for Jesus, then or now.

The disciples perhaps once feared the night, but no more.  They learned, as should we, that dark is not something Jesus cannot see through.  He can rescue us from the dark we embrace, save us the moment we call out to Him, and be with us when time and physics say it is impossible to reach the destinations He may have in mind.  From this moment on, I would bet the disciples longed to see a human form lit up at night, not fearing any ghost or demon, but instead hoping it would be Jesus once again.  When fear disappears, faith and hope can emerge.  No more shrieks of terror, instead shouts of joy and hosanna to fill that night air.  Were it me, I believe I would have collapsed at the feet of Jesus unable to move, like a two-year-old content to curl up under daddy’s chair.  I have great respect for the disciple’s ability to continue on in their journey with Jesus.  And continue on they did; the miracles were about to reveal even greater truth to them only moments away …

 

A Preview of His Kingdom and Power ...

A preview is not the same thing as the main event.  In our world, we use “warm up” acts in live musical concerts, or stand-up comedian acts to get the audience in the mood for what will come next.  In boxing, there is such a thing as the “under-card” which is usually a series of fights that take place before the main event bout.  Obviously these previews are not what we paid to see or were most looking forward to, but there have been a fair number of musicians, comedians, and fighters who transitioned from being the warm-up act to being the main act because of the exposure they got during their entertainment previews.  And the previews themselves do serve to get the audience properly prepared for what comes next, in order to heighten the experience of the main event.  No one knows how far back this practice dates, but given that Jesus had one, we can say at least 2,000 years.

Peter records how it all started as he recited it to John Mark to transcribe beginning in the gospel of Mark chapter nine, and verse 1 saying … “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”  In these words, Jesus is talking to His disciples.  He has just given them a sort-of salvation tutorial in the previous verses.  That was a detailed explanation of what it means to be able to be like Christ is, to follow Jesus where He was going.  Now Jesus is taking that idea a bit further, He is telling them, that at least some of them will not die until they have seen Him as God, and His Kingdom coming here with power.  Of course our human minds, which live nearly 2,000 years since those words were spoken, immediately “wants” to interpret them as being a promise of a quick second return by Christ to take us all home.  But as 2,000 years has passed since then, we know that is not the case.  Further, since the laws of aging were not suspended for the disciples (allowing them to live until now without getting old), we can further conclude that the “main event” of His return was also NOT what He was talking about.

So what was Jesus referring to?  The answer can be found in the texts immediately following these remarks and continuing this story.  Mark continues writing in verse 2 saying … “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.”  Note this is the very next verse following the lead-in written above.  You don’t need to search through scriptures to find an event that may somehow fulfill the words of Christ, it is the very next thought.  What happens in only six days, is that Jesus takes Himself, Peter, James, and John up into a high mountain in order to be alone with them (out of the reach of the crowds).  He then “transfigures” Himself before them, or in other words, He reveals the “God” portion of who He is.  He takes the mask of humanity off for a few moments and reveals the God side, the infinite side, of who He really is.  Up to now, this has never happened.  Up to now, and since His birth, there have only been a few incidents where God the Father’s voice was heard acknowledging Jesus as His son.  Even when Jesus performs miracles for us, it is always with Jesus cloaked in humanity, never showing anyone what is under the veil.

Imagine the brilliant light that emerges from Jesus when Peter sees more God than man standing before him.  Imagine the purity of Christ’s love and brilliance of the Creator now shining through in this lonely place high on a remote mountain top.  I can imagine that even here, Jesus must hold back the fullness of who He is, or the disciples would perish at the sight.  But I can also imagine that for these 3 men, who will ever be only human, the plain sight of His divinity would have overwhelmed them.  They may well have prostrated themselves on the ground at His first revealing.  This was no small event, and it was not one that would be repeated often or with casual regard.  This was an epic event.  This was the true revelation of God underneath the human form.  The power that emanated from that purity was beyond our words to relate.  But yet here it was.  None of us could ever do this.  No other wanna-be Messiah could come close to doing such a thing.  This distinction between man and God was forevermore marked here.

Peter tries to describe what he saw to John Mark in verse 3 saying … “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”  Perhaps doing his best to look at Jesus once the God identity has been unveiled, Peter can only see his robe which up to now, has been a home spun garment, full of the dirt and sweat that comes from climbing a high mountain.  Up to now, the robe of Jesus was not especially different from Peter, or James, or John.  But look at it now.  It is a brilliant white, a white more white than anything Peter has ever seen.  It shines.  The robe now gives off a light Peter cannot explain.  This brilliance is not something mankind is possible of duplicating or making.  Peter takes special note to call out that no “fuller” (a profession of clothing cleaner) could ever make a robe as white as this one is.  Indeed the beginnings of the Kingdom of God are being revealed, for this is clearly a picture of God being revealed to His three disciples.

Then comes the fullness of a kingdom’s description as John Mark continues in verse 4 saying … “And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.”  And thus the remainder of the kingdom appeared: mankind with God.  That is what the Kingdom of God was all about, reconciling mankind with God.  Here were both groups of mankind represented in this first preview of the coming of Christ in His second return to earth.  Elias or Elijah had never died but was fully transformed in character before his earthly death and taken to heaven by angels pleased to carry out that job.  Moses had died, and was raised from the earth fully transformed in character, ready to greet his Lord in the air, carried to heaven by angels glad to have been assigned that task.  Mankind was here now, in the form of both of these saved groups, talking plainly with Jesus.  These were not ghosts, or disembodied spirits, they were men like you and I.  They were there right now, united with their Savior.  This was the first preview of the Kingdom of God, beheld in power as was promised by Christ only six days earlier.

As usual Peter is not quite sure what to do, or say, but as usual Peter has to say something.  That boisterous personality cannot just keep still at the sight of something that overwhelms the others.  So he recalls to John Mark his best efforts at the time picking up in verse 5 saying … “And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. [verse 6] For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.”  No human had ever experienced what was going on at this moment, nobody, ever.  There was no basis in scripture to have studied.  There were no stories handed down from father to son.  In the 4,000+ years of earth’s history, nothing like this had ever occurred.  So Peter tries to make conversation by offering to build 3 tabernacles on that ground one for Jesus, Moses, and Elias.  A normally flattering offer, but none of them are interested in the attempted flattery of Peter.  There are no ego’s here to stroke, only a continued united mission to redeem mankind from itself.  But there was still one thing missing from the definition of His Kingdom, a unity between God and man.

John Mark continues transcribing in verse 7 saying … “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. [verse 8] And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.”  God the Father had come, He masked Himself in a cloud, for even here in this preview event, He could not reveal His glory to those who were still marked by sin lest He destroy the object of His love.  But God the Father had a message for those three disciples, that Jesus was indeed His only Son, and that they should hear Him.  Almost as quickly as these events began, they were ended.  As the disciples looked around they saw only themselves, and Jesus as He had been before.  His robe was as dirty and sweaty as theirs.  No Moses, or Elias, just the four of them.  At this point, each disciple must have wondered if they were hallucinating.  But then how could all 3 of them have seen exactly the same thing at the same time in their respective hallucinations.  No, it had to have been real.  It was after all the preview event Jesus had promised that some of them would see.

In the aftermath of this event Jesus charges them with a familiar charge.  John Mark records in verse 9 saying … “And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. [verse 10] And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.”  Jesus again asks for secrecy, but this time only until He is risen from the dead.  This is a new condition, and the disciples have no idea what it means.  They still cling to a false idea of the role of the Messiah.  Having seen Him transfigure and get the support of Elijah and Moses, only deepens the false idea they cling to.  If Jesus has access to all this power in heaven, surely He will use it to accomplish creating His kingdom here on earth.  The preview they just got, must be a prelude to an anti-Roman paradise, what else could it be?  So they decide to change the subject slightly and see if they can get more information out of Him.  They ask a different question.

John Mark continues writing in verse 11 saying … “And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? [verse 12] And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. [verse 13] But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.”  The disciples ask why the Pharisee leadership and scribes think that Elijah must come before the Messiah fulfills His role.  Jesus answers that again they have a mistaken interpretation (how like us), but if you examine it … Elias just did come in the flesh, and in the message of John the Baptist.  Both in person and in truth has Elias come ahead of the fulfillment of the Messiah’s role, albeit, not the role the disciples wanted Jesus to fulfill. 

When we read scripture, we do what the disciples did.  We read it from a preconceived set of traditions, and personal hopes.  We read the scriptures that support our ideas, and ignore the texts that do not fit them well.  We, like the disciples, cling to our ideas and views of the role of Christ, despite what He directly tells us that we simply do not understand.  This is all because like our Pharisee forefathers, we do not seek Christ to lead us to truth, we instead attempt to tell Jesus what our truth is and expect Him to conform to it.  If we are even to read rightly, we must learn to submit ALL our ideas to Jesus first.  We must read through the lens of Jesus where loving others is the primary concern.  Only after full submission, and being led by Christ, can we begin to understand what was written, and what it means to each of us.  To distinguish between previews and main events, and to understand what Jesus asks of us, we must read through the lens of Jesus Christ and after submitting our will to His.  And there will be far more Peter has to say to us …