After Jesus was transfigured, he said to his disciples, “Arise, and be not afraid.” Through faith in God’s Son, our sins are not counted against us. They were already counted against Christ on the cross for us. God could have held our sins against us, but instead sent his only-begotten Son to stand in our place. Through Christ he assures us there is no reason to be afraid. He comforts us as though we had never sinned at all. We shouldn’t be afraid even of death because Christ already went through it for us to give us eternal life. We can trust in his mercy and forgiveness.
The transfiguration of Christ also teaches that we should not be offended at the outward lowliness of his kingdom. Everyone would love to win the powerball and live a glorious lifestyle, yet our Savior became the lowest of the low for us all. “For your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Although he was the Almighty Son of God, Jesus usually did not show his glory so that he could gain for us the eternal glory of heaven.
Soon after the transfiguration, the disciples were already offended. When Jesus told them of his coming suffering, “they were exceeding sorry.” Some become disappointed today also because Christ’s kingdom isn’t very glamorous. The means of his grace come to us through lowly words, water, bread, and wine. Yet, he assures us the Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
- Pastor Wyatt Rosebrock