Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for this daily challenge. It’s Thursday, the day we try to apply and live out what we’ve learned this week from the Bible. This week we’ve been studying the Transfiguration, a time when jesus appeared radiant before his friends, and showed himself to be the Son of God.
Jesus could have just said once again that he was greater than the Law and the Prophets, he could have said he was the son of God, and he could have said He was God in the flesh, here to lead an exodus from slavery to sin and into the light. But instead he decided to SHOW us…what a difference!
It’s amazing how much a little glimpse of God’s kingdom can say! It’s not the complete picture, just a snapshot like our picture of the Sistine Chapel, but how could we ever see or understand the big picture of God’s kingdom? The disciples saw a little glimpse of God’s kingdom that day long ago, and it showed them that Jesus Christ, Messiah, God in the flesh, more than a prophet, the giver of a new law – would lead them from sin to life. Each of those, even all of them combined, are still just snapshots of who Jesus really is…just a glimpse.
The disciples weren’t looking for it, they were just being obedient, going with Jesus where he asked. Maybe this was the last thing they expected to happen…that they would see the great heroes of their faith with a glorified, shining Jesus, the guy they walked and talked with every day!
They also had to cut through all the different voices. There were all kidns of opinions out there about Jesus, and so Jesus gave them an up close and personal answer, showing them who he really was.
In other ways, we get snapshots of God’s kingdom too, and they can help us cut through the many voices in our lives that might pull us away from Jesus.
I’d encourage you to go through your week, and watch for those glimpses of God’s kingdom. It may not look like a resurrected Jesus on a mountain, that was a one-time-only event! But it may look like a random act of kindness, a smile from someone you disagree with, or basically anytime that the love of God wins out over evil. In each of those instances, you’re seeing the face of Jesus shining through the darkness, and getting a little glimpse of the kingdom of heaven breaking into the darkness of sin.
Challenge: This week, intentionally watch for signs of God’s kingdom, and of Jesus. What did you have to tune out, in order to see this?