Allow God to be God (Matthew 17: 1-8)
· 13.03.2024 · 19:38:29 ··· ··· Wednesday ·· 3 (3)
Knox Church Waterdown Have you ever had an experience where you knew something was different, deeply spiritual? The veil between heaven and earth was thin. God was present in the moment. In Mathew 17 Jesus’ three disciples, Peter, James, and John, experience such a moment. A week earlier Jesus and His disciples find themselves in a place filled with people worshipping all sorts of idols and gods. It is in the midst of this that Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Now, a week later, Jesus invites the three up a mountain to show them who He really is. He is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun, and his clothes become as white as the light. He reveals that He is fully God. The glory of God is on full display. He is the light of God. He is joined by Moses and Elijah, two others who had mountain top encounters with God. Moses and Elijah point to Jesus and Jesus points us to the coming hope, where God will dwell on earth with us and restore things to what they were meant to be. Peter’s response to this is to offer to make shelters for the three – Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. He is trying to make sense of what he sees. He is taking what is happening in front of him (something completely new) and putting it into a box he knows and understands. He is trying to contain God. Maybe if I could just hold on to this moment, Jesus wouldn’t have to die. How often do we try and contain what God is doing? Or limit what He is doing according to our own understanding or lack thereof. What box have we put God into? While Peter is still speaking God interrupts and says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” The disciples are terrified and fall face down to the ground, but Jesus touches them saying, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” Our lives will be filled with fear until we learn to fear God. What does this mean? Until we learn to have an undivided heart. Fearing God is not the same as terror, anxiety, or dread. The disciples get up and see Jesus, only Jesus. Allow God to be God. Don’t limit Him. There is much hope to be found in an undivided heart.
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