Daily Devotion – March 14, 2022 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
9:29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
9:30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
9:31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
9:32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
9:33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said.
9:34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
9:35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”
9:36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
9:37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
9:38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child.
9:39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him.
9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
9:41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
9:42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
9:43a And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

Here are two stories about people being astounded at the greatness of God.  First, the Transfiguration of Jesus has Peter, James, and John with Jesus on the mountain praying when Jesus, deep in prayer, begins to shine and glow, just the way Moses had when he had talked with God. The disciples saw this radiant glow, as Jesus was talking with God about Jesus’s coming departure/death in Jerusalem. Then two other prophets, Moses and Elijah, appeared. This was a weighty time for Jesus, so God sent him Moses and Elijah, and both Jesus and his clothing shone with a dazzling whiteness.

For the disciples, this was amazing and unnerving, just as it must have been for the Israelites when Moses would shine after talking with God. Moses took to wearing a veil to cover this glowing glory. But Jesus was unveiled. When a cloud came to veil all of them, God spoke from the cloud: “This is my Son, my Chosen. Listen to him!” And then suddenly things returned to their normal state. But the disciples remained astounded.

The second story, of the man and his possessed or epileptic son, happens when Jesus and the three disciples return to the crowds who wanted healing. The man begs for healing that the disciples were unable to do. During one of the son’s seizures, Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit and the boy is cured. And the crowd is astounded at the greatness of God.

Are we astounded at the greatness of God? What keeps us from being astounded? For me, it is distraction. If I am dejected or saddened by the way people behave and the damage they do, I can easily forget how big and amazing God is and always will be. I need compassion for my fellow humans, to be sure, but I cannot let their bad behavior distract me from praising God, who loves us very much. This week I am going to make sure I set aside time to be astounded at God.

Gracious Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Help us in our efforts to spend time being astounded by your greatness.  Amen.