There was a time in my life when I saw Jesus as a great historical figure. Wow, He was one smart man! His replies to opposition were always amazing! His ability to love and to show compassion seemed to far outweigh any other human’s ability to do the same! This MAN changed the world. Indeed, time started at His birth! He must have been quite some man for the world to start to revolve around His message! And then something in my heart changed, I started to see Jesus in a completely different light………
Mark 9:1-3 (TNIV)
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
Up and to this moment in the account of the life of Jesus, he has been performing miraculous healings, driving demons out of people’s hearts, indeed, Jesus has been telling the disciples that He must suffer and die soon….something they could not fathom. They had declared that Jesus was the Messiah, yet there was something missing in their relationship with Jesus. I’m not even sure they even know that something was missing, however, it was certainly apparent. Jesus knew it!
Here, the first point I want to focus on is that when Jesus says that they will see “that the kingdom of God has come with power”, I believe that this is the point in our lives when we start living in that great Kingdom of God, indeed, the kingdom of heaven, that Jesus speaks most of. Jesus states many times that the kingdom is here right now (Luke 17:21, Luke 22:29) and He makes it very clear that it extends into eternity.
Then, six days later, Jesus takes the disciples up on a mountain (“going up on a mountain” is often associated with getting closer to God) and a great occurrence takes place……..the Jesus that they knew as a MAN….is transfigured before their eyes . I would note that this word translated as “transfigured” in Greek is “metamorphoo” [met-am-or-fo-o] which means “to change one’s form or an outward change that comes from within”. Here, Jesus, right before them, changes His form from the earthly MAN they know to the heavenly supernatural Messiah or Savior that He is!
Sooooooo, here is my question to you? Have you been up on that mountain with Jesus? Has there been a point in your life that you realized that Jesus is soooooo much more than the wise wandering prophet that some people want to portray? Has he transfigured in your heart? Have you seen the eternal and loving Father, son and Holy Spirit all in one…… in your life?
If you have, hold on to that mountaintop experience closely! It changes sooooo much of how you look at your past, your present and yes, your future!
That mountaintop experience in my life was in 2003. Before that, I loved Jesus! I had reverence for the Father. But there was something missing in my life, and yes, I knew it.
For me, it was late in life that I truly went up on that mountain with Jesus. For some it is earlier. The key is that it is never too late! Ask, ask God…..seek, seek God……knock, knock and the door will certainly be opened! Jesus is on the other side and wants you to come in. Indeed, Jesus wants to come into your heart, your mind, your everyday existence and, most of all…….your eternity!
If you haven’t been up on that mountain with Jesus don’t be alarmed, ask Him daily to take you there. He will! Just keep listening to His voice in your heart and your day-to-day experiences, just keep asking Him to take you up on that mountain. It is indeed life changing! Seek Him with passion; seek Him with every fiber of your being. “Lord, take me up on that mountain.”
Interestingly enough, I have become a mountain man. Every day I take that path from my daily existence to the mountain top, to praise and worship Jesus, to seek His wisdom, to bask in his glory, and to humbly thank Him for His mercy and grace in my life and the life of others. Hey…..maybe we can go up on that mountain together? Let’s go…….