“Suffering and Glory” – Seeking Jerusalem – Day 26
Suffering and Glory – Lenten Season 2018 “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and […]
A Burden of Glory
Suffering and Glory – Lenten Season 2018 “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and […]
Jesus did not use parables to teach them about the cross, he spoke plainly. It was his life that would be the lesson, his experience that would be their teacher. The Way of the Cross is always so. It is clear and plain and needs no fancy words. It is a path which we must walk, not endlessly discuss. It is the dust of the road on the way to Jerusalem that is the aroma of real life. The question is…and always has been…will we follow?
We are going to spend a little bit of time talking further about the Transfiguration of Jesus (and us). The Transfiguration is a major theme in the latter half of the ministry of Jesus. It is all about hidden glory being revealed. It’s about getting a glimpse of the glory of Jesus as seen from the Father’s perspective, even if just for a moment, so that you can learn to recognize his glory even when it appears to be hidden from our eyes. It really is about having eyes to see and ears to hear. We are blind to the glory of God all around us, much less in Jesus and in his ministry. We are often blind also to the glory of Christ in others, in the church, and in the quality and nature of the relationships we have with the people all around us. Hidden Glory Revealed. Transfiguration.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” You can imagine the consternation, the concern, the fear his words must have evoked. They were no doubt taken quite literally since Jesus, himself, not only predicted his death but the manner of his death by crucifixion. And they would no doubt be included. Full of fear but staying the course. Trusting in him.
Not many people realize that after feeding the 5000, there was a group of people who intended to come and force Jesus to become king (John 6:15). Jesus slips away by himself and then, that night he walks on water to catch up with his disciples during the storm. On the other side of the lake a lot of these same people found him again.