In The Word
Read Luke 9:18-36
And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, MyChosen One; listen to Him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
What a powerful question to be confronted with, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus moved from the general consensus of whom people thought He was to the heart of whom His disciples thought He was. A.W Tozer says in his book Pursuit of God, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Jesus brought His disciples to that point; He wanted to know what they thought about Him. This revelation exposed the hearts of the disciples. In Luke 9:20b, Peter exploded with, “The Christ of God!” Jesus then built on that observation. He revealed the mission in which He would redeem the world from sin. He assured them that those who believe that He is the Christ will be required to suffer for His sake. But that revelation was not enough, He took those disciples closest to Him and revealed His glorified nature to them. They heard the confirmation from God the Father, “This is My Son, My Chosen One, listen to Him” (Luke 9:35).
This was not just heart-altering, it was mind-altering. And what would now come to the minds of the disciples when they thought of God would be the most important thing about them. This was so important that when they were asked who Jesus was, they would be able to answer, “The Christ of God.”
We still are confronted with that question today, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” How we answer exposes everything about us. Is Jesus the Christ of God in your life? Are you denying yourself and taking up your cross and following Him because He is most important to you? If not, turn to Him today. Repent and make Jesus the Christ of God over your life.