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.
The Arnold Journey 