Hidden reality

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (Matthew 17:1-9a)

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s an old saying, but it’s very true. A good cover artist can make a book stand out from all the others on the rack, but that striking image does not guarantee that you’re buying a good read. The writing might be pretentious or boring; the book might be padded with unnecessary or confusing details. On the other hand, some great books have been disguised by cover art that is amateurish or uninspired. If the book’s cover is uninteresting, you might not even look close enough to read its title or see who wrote it. Good cover art can trick you into wasting money on a book you’ll never finish; bad cover art might put you off from reading something that is truly extraordinary.

We see the same principle everywhere in life. You can’t judge a movie based on its trailer or the movie poster. You can’t judge a TV show by its opening credits. You can’t judge the merchandise sold in a store based on how the display looks. You can’t judge how a car or appliance will perform just by looking at it in the show room. You can’t judge anything based solely on appearance.

This is especially true of people. You cannot judge a person by how they look. Yet this happens all the time. When I was in high school, I noticed that store employees were always watching me while I shopped; now that I’m older, no one spares me a second glance. I assume that when I looked young, the clerks thought that I might try to shoplift something; I was judged on my appearance. I also notice a difference based on how I’m dressed; for example, if I go through an airport in a suit and tie, I am treated with more courtesy than when I’m dressed in a pocket “T” shirt. Again, people are judging me based on outward appearance.

Appearances can be deceiving. I remember a woman who was absolutely gorgeous; yet once I discovered that she was vain and lazy, she stopped looking attractive to me. I’ve known several people who were nothing to look at, but once I found out how wonderful they were to be around, their looks became irrelevant. It may sound a bit clichéd, but true beauty comes from inside a person.

You also cannot judge other people based on first impressions. Presidential candidates will say almost anything to get elected, but once in office they start to show their true colors. People who sit down for a job interview can present themselves quite well, but many times they are less than stellar if actually hired. When you first start dating another person, they make a special effort to dress well and be on their best behavior; it is only after you have been together for awhile that their less appealing side starts to come out. No matter how hard people try to hide what they are really like, soon or later the mask will slip and the truth will be revealed.

None of you reading this can be judged by your cover. Every one of you works hard to present yourself in the best possible light. You go to church. You don’t yell at your kids in public. You spend time on your face, hair and clothing to be as attractive as possible. When you shop for a car or truck, part of the decision is based on how owning it will make you look to others. When you hung out with your buddies from school, did you behave the same way around them as you did when you were at grandma’s house? When you met your future in-laws, did you act like yourself or did you try to make the best possible impression?

Every one of us is a phony, to some extent. We all have thoughts that we’d never share with anyone else. We’ve all said and done things that we hope no one will ever find out about. There have been thoughts of hatred, nasty words, and acts of violence. There have been lies, and spreading gossip that turned out to be untrue. Promises have been deliberately broken because they were inconvenient or too hard to keep. Disrespect has been shown to parents, teachers, and bosses. Jealousy and greed have ruined relationships. Worst of all, God has been frequently ignored.

Every one of us is a phony—but we cannot fool God. You cannot show up at church, sing a few hymns, put some money in the plate, and think that God is satisfied. You might fool the person in the next pew. You might even fool the minister. But God cannot be fooled. He knows how loyal to Him you really are. He knows every evil thought that’s crossed your mind. He’s heard every hurtful word you’ve spoken. He’s seen every moment that you’ve wasted on sinful pastimes. It is impossible to pull one over on God; he knows the secrets of the heart (Psalm 44:21).

Which brings us to Jesus. Jesus looked quite ordinary. Isaiah said (chapter 53), he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was the first born son of a carpenter’s wife, the oldest of several brothers and sisters. He grew up in a small town that was in the middle of nowhere. At age 30, He left carpentry behind and became a wandering preacher—not a common profession, but there were other men who also made a living by going from town to town, lecturing on matters of religion.

But you cannot judge a person by outward appearance. Jesus was much more than a carpenter-turned-preacher. Jesus’ disciples had seen indications. John the baptist had named Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). At a wedding in the town of Cana, Jesus had turned water into wine. On the Sea of Galilee, He had ended a terrible storm by saying, Quiet! Be still! (Mark 4:39) Jesus had fed thousands of people from a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He had cured paralysis, blindness, deafness and leprosy; on two occasions Jesus had even raised children from the dead! Clearly, Jesus was much more than He appeared.

There was just one time during His years on earth that Jesus revealed Himself. He took the three men closest to Him and went up a mountain where they could have complete privacy. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. For a few brief moments our Lord offered a glimpse of His magnificent glory, glory that was otherwise hidden by ordinary flesh and blood.

Why did Jesus hide His glory behind a veil of humanity? Why come to earth as a baby in Bethlehem’s manger? Why spend His adult years walking dusty roads dressed like a commoner? Why allow Himself to be crucified as a criminal? Why didn’t Jesus come to earth blazing with light, announced by thunder and lightning, and accompanied by an army of angels? Jesus gives us the reason in Matthew chapter 20: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus did not come to impress us so that we would like Him. He did not come to soak up attention like some media celebrity. Jesus came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus is the Son of God; the angels of heaven sing His praises continually, and He has the love and respect of God the Father. Nothing on earth could compare to that.

Love is why Jesus came to earth. Love for you and me. Love for people who are made ugly by sin and constantly try to hide the truth about ourselves. God is not fooled by our pretensions; our sin angers Him and demands eternal punishment in hell. But even though He hates our sin, God still loves us. So the Father and the Son reached an agreement—Jesus would be a perfect human being in our place and suffer the punishment for our sins; in exchange, the Father would forgive everyone who clings to Jesus as their dearest friend. This would only work if Jesus was truly one of us—so the Son of God was hidden within the Son of Man until His work on our behalf was completed.

If it was so important that Jesus live as a man, why perform miracles? Why reveal His glory to Peter, James and John? The Son of God came to save us, not only by what He did, but by what He said. Jesus spent three years teaching about God and man, sin and salvation. He said, The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work (John 14:10). Jesus also said, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me (John 18:37). Paul writes, Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Jesus’ words reveal God to us, and create a bond of trusting love that saves us from eternal punishment in hell.

Jesus’ words are incredibly important. That being the case, Jesus needed to make sure that we paid attention to Him. And so He performed miracles. The miracles were more than just acts of kindness to suffering people; the miracles made people listen to Jesus and believe what He had to say. Jesus said, believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves (John 14:11).

Again, if it was so important that Jesus live as a man, why reveal His glory to Peter, James and John? These three men were the core of His disciples. In the days to come, Jesus would be arrested, tried and condemned for crimes He did not commit; soon He would suffer and die on a Roman cross. During those darkest of days, even these men would question their faith in Jesus. So our Lord gave them a look at His glory, a reminder of who He really was despite His human appearance. No matter what happened, Jesus was in charge—He could not be tried or executed unless He allowed it to happen. No group of humans, no matter how powerful or influential, could interfere with the plans of God or the work of His beloved Son.

Many people have tried to judge the Son of Man by His outward appearance and been completely fooled. The religious leaders of the Jews did not understand who Jesus was. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate didn’t understand who Jesus was. Many people today are also unable to see Jesus for who He really is. Some think that He was a prophet like Moses or Elijah, others believe that He was a wise man like Confucius or the Buddha, while still others see Him as a peaceful revolutionary like Mohandas Ghandi or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They fail to see the truth hidden by Christ’s humanity, that He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).

Like Peter, James and John, you know the truth. You are not fooled by Jesus’ human appearance; you know that in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). It’s true that you have not seen His glory, but that really doesn’t matter; Peter writes, Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9). We cannot see Jesus’ glory now, but we have His words, and those words give us confidence in who He is, what He has done for us, and what He will do for us in the future. As Jesus Himself said, blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:29).