2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
The Transfiguration (a fancy word for change) of Jesus is a monumental moment in the narrative of Jesus' life because it is one of the few moments where His Divine nature is clearly revealed. His clothes became whiter than anyone could bleach them, and the voice from the cloud proclaimed "This is My Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!" This is not the last physical change Jesus would go through. He would be beaten and whipped. He would be crucified and dead. And finally He would rise again from the dead! Through faith, we are changed. From sinner to saint, and from temporary to eternal. In our lives, when we are challenged, worried, foolish, or afraid, we get to turn our eyes of faith to see only Jesus; reflect on His change, and on our own change that has come to us by grace through faith.
Tuesday: 2 Corinthians 4:5-6
5 For what
we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as
Lord, with
ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God,
who said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,”
has shone in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ.
We live in a time, and perhaps it has always been this way to a certain extent, where people often preach themselves. People come on talk shows to talk about themselves and their stuff. People use Facebook to reveal events about themselves, or express their opinions. People preach themselves at job interviews, in meeting new people, and even in asking for assistance. These times of preaching oneself are not necessarily wrong. However, when it comes to what we as Christians are called to do, the spotlight is not on us, but on Jesus. It can be hard to stop thinking only of ourselves, and it can be hard to stop talking about ourselves too. The Light of salvation is Jesus. When it comes to talking about Jesus, we are not called to sell people on the idea of our Church, our activities, or our achievements. We get to proclaim the Savior, Lord, and Redeemer. He is why we worship, why we live, and what we get to reflect to those around us.
Wednesday: Matthew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, " 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Immediately after Jesus' Baptism and right before His public ministry began, He was led by the Spirit into the desert. After fasting forty days and nights, in the midst of hunger, He was tempted three times by the devil. First, the devil tempts Jesus to use His divine power to make bread from stones. Jesus points to the Word of God as His source for resisting the temptation. Man lives on the Word of God. How true! In our times of hunger, worry, or fear, we can be tempted to a wide variety of quick fixes, but in truth, we only find true hope and satisfaction in the fulfilled promise of God to save us through faith in Jesus Christ.
Thursday: Matthew 4:5-7
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Next, the devil tempts Jesus to jump from a high point in the temple in order to test the power of God to save Him. Once again, Jesus points to the Word of God as His source for resisting temptation. There is no need to test God in order to get Him to prove His love for you. He has already done that perfectly in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Though our heart and body may fail, God is our strength and portion forever (Psalm 73). This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16). God has passed the test of demonstrating His love for you! We need not give in to temptation, but rather look to His Word for assurance in His grace.
Friday: Matthew 4:8-11
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Finally, the devil tempts Jesus to worship him by promising Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus could have pointed out that He is God and all those kingdoms were His anyway. He could have pointed out that those kingdoms were not the devil's to give. Instead, once again, He points to the Word of God as His defense. Jesus' defense is our defense. In fact, Jesus is our defense. The devil can use so many things to tempt us off the path to eternal life. Our defense, our protection, and our strength remain the Holy Word of God. He alone is the Truth and He alone has given you His kingdom forever and ever.
Saturday: Matthew 26:36-39
36
Then Jesus went with them
to a place called
Gethsemane, and he said to his
disciples,
“Sit here, while I go over there
and pray.”
37 And
taking with him
Peter and
the two sons of Zebedee,
he began to be sorrowful and
troubled.
38 Then
he said to them,
“My soul is very
sorrowful, even to death; remain
here, and
watch with me.”
39 And
going a little farther he fell
on his face
and prayed, saying,
“My Father, if
it be possible, let
this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, not as I
will, but as you will.”
I imagine you've been in a position where the task in front of you was a difficult one. Perhaps you had to take a test. Maybe you had to lay someone off. Maybe you had to tell someone that a loved one had passed away. If so, you might have at least a tiny bit of an understanding of Jesus' prayer in these verses. He was about to begin the last hours before His death by crucifixion. His purpose was to be the price of sin. His death would be for the sins of the world. He is a guiltless man condemned for everyone else's sin -- even those who deny Him and refuse His truth. Ultimately, He surrenders to the will of God. This was His plan. This was His way. When you face a difficult challenge, it seems smart to ask God to take it away or at least give you the strength to endure it. I also encourage you to remember that Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for you. You are a child of God whom He loves unconditionally. No matter what happens, God's will has been carried out for you in Jesus.
