Jesus Only

Tom Barnard

 

“Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—

one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say,

they were so frightened.” (Mark 9:5)

 

In Matthew 6:22 Jesus said to his disciples, “If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (KJV) Peter had double vision—or more accurately, triple vision. He thought it would be splendid for Jesus to be joined by Moses and Elijah for a grand celebration on that mountain—a triumvirate of sorts. Moses would be there to represent the law, and Elijah would be there representing the prophets, and Jesus would be there representing the New Revelation. In this configuration Peter saw Jesus on equal footing with the Jewish law and the prophets. He just didn’t get it.

 

God had an answer. He sent a cloud to “overshadow them.” A voice came from the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” And the scripture continued, “Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.” (Mark 9:7, 8)

 

In his book, A Song of Ascents, E. Stanley Jones said about this experience, “That was one of the most clarifying moments in the history of the Christian movement …Christianity is Christ.” No matter what our theological persuasion is, without Jesus at the center we cannot see things clearly. It is a defining moment in life when we open our eyes to see Jesus as he really is—not a prophet, not one among many great men, not one worthy of our respect—but One above all others. When God transfigured his Son on that hill, lives were changed eternally. The message of the Church was cast in stone. And still today we say, “Jesus is Lord.”

 

Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to see Christ “high and lifted up” during the Lenten Season just past. Thank you for letting me sing and hear the songs of Easter. Thank you for helping me revisit the “defining moment” in my own life when Jesus became real to me. Thank you for forgiving my sins and cleansing my heart. Even this week, thank you for helping me focus on the Christ of Today—the One who comes to stand beside me through his Spirit, the One who empowers me to become the person God has in mind for me. At week’s end, I praise your name once again. Amen.