As
he (Peter) was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and
they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
Having seen Jesus in his glory with Moses and Elijah, Peter
blurted out a plan to build them tens. Immediately they are enveloped in a
cloud and they are afraid. Being in a cloud can be disorienting. I remember one
of the first times I flew. We were flying in clouds coming into Spokane when
suddenly the clouds cleared and I could see a mountain right beside my window. That
was a little disconcerting. A few years ago I was driving in Montana in fog.
When I suddenly burst out of the fog there was a herd of deer crossing the
road. I was able to thread my way between them, but what if they had been in
the fog. I would have never seen them. Being in a cloud can be disorienting and
disconcerting.
While in the cloud they hear the voice of God, “This is my
Son, my chosen one. Listen to him” (Lk 9:35). The word glory is Doxa. The word expresses reputation, greatness,
or renown. The Hebrew word for glory means weightiness, or greatness. Moses and
Elijah appear in glory as well. 1 Jn 3.2 says that, “What we will be has not
yet appeared.” Could what they disciples saw be an indication of the glory we
will have with Jesus when we are in Eternity? C.S. Lewis suggested that if we
saw people as we will be, we would be tempted to fall down and worship them.
There is a glory in Christ that we enter into now, but will be clearly visible
then.
I wonder if we would treat one another the same way we do
now if we realized what they will be. What if we were able to catch a glimpse
of their future glory? How might that change our attitudes and actions toward
our brothers and sisters in Christ? Too often I fear that we live in the fear
of the cloud rather than in the clarity of Jesus’ glory. Maybe we just need to
open our eyes.
Comments
Post a Comment