“And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.”
– Matthew 17:1-2
Can you imagine being a part of that scene? Going with Jesus up a high mountain, nobody else around and all of the sudden seeing Jesus transfigured, his face shining like the sun, his clothes becoming white as light and there shows up Moses and Elijah, the next verse, talking with him. What of a scene? What a perspective that Peter and James and John just got of Jesus? His face shining like the sun, his clothes white as light.
Matthew 17:1–2 Reminds Us That Jesus Will Make Things New
A day is coming when we will see God as He is. Let’s long for the day when Jesus will make all things new.
And as I read Matthew 17:1–2, I’m just filled with hope because there’s coming a day when you and I, all who have trusted in Jesus, put our faith in him are going to see him. His face shining like the sun, his clothes in pure light. This is our hope. I look around at everything going on in the world right now and I long for the day when, Revelation 22, we will see his face. When Jesus, the judge of all the earth will make all things right and he will make all things new and there will be no more sin and no more sorrow and no more suffering and no more pain in the light of his Holy presence.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray Jesus Will Come Quickly
So in prayer right now together, Lord Jesus we just pray in fresh way come quickly. Jesus we long to be free from sorrow and pain and hurt and weariness and discouragement. We long to be free from strife, division, hatred, injustice, evil, and wickedness. Jesus we long to see you so we fix our eyes on you right now.
Think 2 Corinthians 3:18, beholding the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed from one degree of glory to another so Jesus we pray that as we fix our eyes on you that you would make us look more like you. Make us look more like you, we pray, make us look more like you today. Bring our thoughts more in line with your thoughts, our desires more in line with your desires. I will still love like you, help us to care for people who are lost like you, God help us to care for your church like you do. Want to help us to long for the glory of the father like you do.
Matthew 17:1–2 Leads Us to Pray to be More Like Jesus
We pray make us more like you Jesus. We bow and hold your glory as we look forward to seeing your face in a 1 John 3 kind of way. Make us more like you in anticipation of the day that we will be with you. We will be fully restored in your image. Oh, we love you Jesus. We worship and praise you. And we want to see you come back quickly. In your name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
