Rev. Eric Brown
“And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only” (Matthew 17:18)
How do you see the world? How do you view your life, your job, your friends and neighbors? There’s a lot of different ways we can view all these things. We can look at them in terms of how useful they are to us, or perhaps how they make us feel. We can look at things in terms of what we do or how we get validated from them. We can look at things in terms of what we fear, what we hate, what we despise.
There was a lot to see at the Transfiguration. There was glory and might. There were heroes from Israel’s history: Moses and Elijah. There was Peter’s attempt to keep busy and build some booths. There was even fear when they were overshadowed by the cloud. (There’s some more Old Testament history for you, Peter!) And yet, when it was all done, the disciples saw no one, but Jesus only.
Jesus makes us to see everything through Him. When you look at your life, you see the vocations that Jesus has given to you. When you see your neighbors, you see the people Jesus has placed into your life for you to serve. When you see your neighbor and their sin, you see someone for whom Christ Jesus died, and you see sins He was crucified and put to death for on the cross. When you see yourself, whether it is good or bad, you see Christ Jesus. You see the sin that He took up, and you see the love that He graciously works in and through you. Whatever you see, as a Christian, you see Christ Jesus. You see His love and forgiveness for you.
And Christ Jesus and His love for you is with you always, even to the end of the age.
Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois.
