Read Luke 9:28-50
“It is good that we are here, let’s stay.” Peter, James and John are there on the mountain and get to see Jesus glorified, white and radiant in the presence of Moses and Elijah, great prophets of old. Why wouldn’t they want to stay, experiencing Christ in all his glory? But just eight days earlier Jesus had made it clear that is not what he came for. When Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus clarified what that confession meant. As the Son of Man he would suffer, be rejected, and killed. He can’t stay on the mountain because the road to glory is paved with suffering and the cross.
While we get to view all things through Christ in the glory of His resurrection, we cannot lose sight of his suffering and death because without that there is no glory. We might prefer to hear about God’s power and sing about His glory. We certainly prefer the thought of experiencing life in that glory over enduring the trials and hardships that can come in life. But Christ came for the cross. Following Him means opening ourselves up to the world’s rejection in addition to facing the challenges of life (Luke 9:23-27). We anticipate living in the glory of Christ that will come with the resurrection, but we also endure all things in faith, reminded that our Lord has already endured the cross and overcome the world…for us.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for setting aside your glory, and fixing your eyes on the cross. Help me to never lose sight of your suffering and death as the means by which I have been redeemed. Amen.