Seeking The Face of Christ

If there is anything that fascinate us the most, it would be the existence of other life forms/ other worlds. We are drawn to all kinds of imaginations about life elsewhere in the Universe. Star trek? UFO’s? Are we alone in this vast Universe? Jesus comes describing the realm of his Father’s Kingdom and we are less interested? What is going on? The Gospel of Mark presents the evidence of this Kingdom, where Jesus came from. 3 Witnesses: Peter, James and John went on this trip up on a high mountain with Jesus! They described in detail what they saw and heard. Mark tells us that they were so terrified that they mumbled words just to make small talk conversation. Jesus intended us to see the evidence of God’s glory, a glimpse into the eternal if you will. They saw how changed in appearance Jesus was, and they recognized two of the most respected Israel leaders: Elijah and Moses. Was Jesus showing them a window into his eternal Kingdom? Sort of, on-the-job training and mentoring? Is that what was going on? The key here, is the light of God’s countenance. That’s the center: the presence of the Lord. If our hearts been exposed to this light from the Kingdom of God, then it means we have begun a transformational journey to become like Christ, every moment of our lives. For Elisha, it was not a question if the other world exists, he just knew. He sought God’s blessing: I will not leave you! Elijah asked Elisha: What do you want to be done for you before we part ways? He replied: “I want to serve God like you!” This is good mentorship here, passing on the baton from a servant to another. Like we see in Paul and Timothy. All are drawn to the Center: the presence of the Lord/ the face of the Lord. Theologians argued that in the transfiguration story, Jesus didn’t change, it was rather the disciples’ perception of him that was changed. Their eyes were opened, and they saw the truth about Jesus; who He truly is. We see this same focus on the face of the Lord in Exodus 24, Moses comes back from the mountain and his face is shining with the reflection of divine glory, but here Jesus’ face is shining with divine glory. Our eyes need to open to see Jesus as He truly is. Face the truth, face Jesus! Paul taught Corinthian believers so that their encounter with the face of Christ through the Gospel may not be veiled. He taught them about the dangers of “carnal living”; because they were worldly. They only see a veiled Gospel and could not understand it. They could not perceive the Gospel’s true reality. Paul taught them that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers to prevent them from seeing the light of the Gospel of Christ. You see, this diagnosis is pure truth even today. Often, we are not ready to face the truth. We are worried about things that have zero value in eternity. If we live according to the desires of our human nature, the less we will be drawn to a life of holiness in God’s presence. I pray that the light of the Gospel of Christ would actually shine in our hearts, to expose what is not of God, especially in those rooms in our inner hearts that we have never allowed anyone in; to allow Jesus to enter them and redeem them. Our relationship with the cross is such a big concern for Paul. He didn’t want us to be ever so spiritual and pious and yet having a total unchristian conduct. At the feet of the cross, we learn great humility, we are constantly challenged to look into our mirrors and adjust quickly. Like Jesus: Go to a higher mountain for a divine meeting. This means: Look for a time alone, switch off your phone. Let God open the eyes of your faith; expect a divine encounter! Listen to God’s voice…

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