I always wonder about...
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Object:
I always wonder about Andrew. He was the only brother left out, but he was the one who brought Peter to see Jesus! I admire his humility. He stuck with Jesus anyway!
Jesus allowed the three, his closest, to be with him and observe that vision. It is amazing to try and envision that experience. Would the Pharisees have accepted Jesus if they saw it? How many doubters would be convinced by that transfiguration? Did Jesus make a mistake by only inviting three to witness the transfiguration?
Maybe it is dumb, but how did the three recognize Moses and Elijah if there were no photos or even paintings of them? They could have been anyone! Did Jesus introduce them?
Peter is always jumping in with a bright idea. Since the Jews knew no one higher than Moses and Elijah, would it elevate Jesus to make him one of those three shelters? Great idea? But God seemed to be shouting, "Shut up! Listen to my Son!"
Are we today in this country trying to build three altars: one to Moses, one to Muhammad, and one to Jesus? That way we wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings! But then, we had no vision on the mountain that would put things in proper perspective with only Jesus' altar there! Shocking prejudice! We forget Jesus' command that we should not be ashamed of him, or we would end up outside the gates. When I visited Morocco, I saw that they allowed all faiths to be present. They even allowed a synagogue! But you had no doubt that Muhammad was the head honcho.
In Nepal there would not have been room for all the Hindu gods if you made an altar for each one. Buddha would only have one, but we saw altars all over Nepal for the many gods the Hindus worshiped. The Nepali liked the idea of only one god and came to our churches by the droves! Besides, our God did not demand "Baksheesh" up front to worship him. We did not have stewardship Sundays to raise money. We did not have to pay to have healing prayer.
When we have an "experience" of God's presence, as some Christians do, we may also be terrified. We will never forget that experience. It will stay with us. It may be a turning point, as Paul's experience on the road to Damascus was. It was a turning point in my life. My buddy in seminary had an experience in his life when his secretary said, "Mister Moekle, you ought to be a minister."
I think Jesus' advice may still be worth remembering. We should not shout to others about our experiences. We should not brag about them. We should keep them in our hearts and only share them when God gives us his permission, when they can be a help to someone else.
Jesus allowed the three, his closest, to be with him and observe that vision. It is amazing to try and envision that experience. Would the Pharisees have accepted Jesus if they saw it? How many doubters would be convinced by that transfiguration? Did Jesus make a mistake by only inviting three to witness the transfiguration?
Maybe it is dumb, but how did the three recognize Moses and Elijah if there were no photos or even paintings of them? They could have been anyone! Did Jesus introduce them?
Peter is always jumping in with a bright idea. Since the Jews knew no one higher than Moses and Elijah, would it elevate Jesus to make him one of those three shelters? Great idea? But God seemed to be shouting, "Shut up! Listen to my Son!"
Are we today in this country trying to build three altars: one to Moses, one to Muhammad, and one to Jesus? That way we wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings! But then, we had no vision on the mountain that would put things in proper perspective with only Jesus' altar there! Shocking prejudice! We forget Jesus' command that we should not be ashamed of him, or we would end up outside the gates. When I visited Morocco, I saw that they allowed all faiths to be present. They even allowed a synagogue! But you had no doubt that Muhammad was the head honcho.
In Nepal there would not have been room for all the Hindu gods if you made an altar for each one. Buddha would only have one, but we saw altars all over Nepal for the many gods the Hindus worshiped. The Nepali liked the idea of only one god and came to our churches by the droves! Besides, our God did not demand "Baksheesh" up front to worship him. We did not have stewardship Sundays to raise money. We did not have to pay to have healing prayer.
When we have an "experience" of God's presence, as some Christians do, we may also be terrified. We will never forget that experience. It will stay with us. It may be a turning point, as Paul's experience on the road to Damascus was. It was a turning point in my life. My buddy in seminary had an experience in his life when his secretary said, "Mister Moekle, you ought to be a minister."
I think Jesus' advice may still be worth remembering. We should not shout to others about our experiences. We should not brag about them. We should keep them in our hearts and only share them when God gives us his permission, when they can be a help to someone else.
