2 Corinthians 3:16 - Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
“Well, I didn’t see that coming.” I wonder how often this happened in the life and ministry of Jesus. The sky is torn apart and a voice boom from heaven. The Spirit descends on Jesus at a dove. John the Baptist must have thought, “I didn’t see that coming.”
Mary asked Jesus to help at a wedding because they were out of wine, and he turned water into wine. Surely, that was not what she imagined he would do, is it?
Jesus called uneducated, untrained fishermen to be his first disciples. They would be the first missionaries of his in the world. These are not the guys I would have chosen.
Jesus preaches a life of following him that is hard, not easy. The blessed life is enjoyed by those who weep and who are poor. The Christ-follower is called to love enemies and pray for the good of those who persecute them. It’s an upside-down, radical, unexpected life.
Jesus has dinner with the town outcasts and lets them wash his feet. But the people, who are the upper crust of society, he puts them in their place. Who saw that coming?
And I wonder what the disciples expected when they went up with Jesus to pray on the day his figure was changed before them (We call this his “transfiguration.”). Surely, they didn’t expect to see the glory of the divine Christ. And they sure didn’t think, “I hope we’ll get to see Moses and Elijah today.” All of that was so far from their mind.
Did they expect this path of the divine Christ to lead to a cross? Did you? Did they expect his death to become life again? The entire life of Jesus is unexpected and surprising in every way. He never does what we expect. It never happens the way that we’d imagine.
If you believe these things, praise God. God’s Spirit has removed the veil from your eyes so that you can see. If that’s not you yet, ask God’s Spirit to help you see Jesus as he is in all his surprising ways. Each of you. Ask for God’s Spirit to help you see more, to understand better, and to believe more deeply in all that he has done. And this is the promise of Jesus: “You will see greater things than these” (John 1:50).
Prayer: Lord Jesus, send me your Holy Spirit so that I can see in higher, brighter, and deeper all the things you have done for me and for the world. Fill my heart with longing to see what you will do next. Amen.
This weekend we’ll celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord and get a glimpse of his glory. For all other news and notes, check out “The Mount Weekly.”