What an intriguing conclusion to the story of Jesus' transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). Just when Peter, James and John get a flash of insight into the true nature of their Lord, Jesus instructs them not to say a word...at least not until after "the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." Oh, please. How do you keep such an experience under wraps?
But Jesus knows something about human nature which compels his command: we are suckers for the spectacular.
It's true. We love the glitzy and the glamorous...the headline-grabbers and the mega-performers. Jesus...dazzling on the mountaintop, holding forth with Moses and Elijah...certainly fits in that category. We could hardly help but be impressed. But if we think we know the truth about God from one shining moment, we are not just mistaken...we are deprived. And our faith will never be much more than a wilted plant, thirsting for the next infusion of life-giving excitement.
If, however, we are able to see the Divine also at work in the healing of the sick, the inclusion of the outcast, fellowship with sinners, and finally on the cross...then we might begin to grasp (and give thanks for the fact) that Christ comes not merely to amaze us, but to save us. And he does so not by ignoring or superceding our ordinary existence, but by sanctifying it with his own blood.
Now...we've got something to talk about!
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