Mount Tabor* (The Mount of Transfiguration)
Anchor: Luke 9: 28-37
Carabiner: Luke 9:37
From the time of his birth, Jesus was actively and obedient in His earthly mission. For about 3 years, He performed His work of preaching, healing, performing miracles, serving others. While doing the work and will of His father, our Lord, He selected and groomed His disciples, teaching & preparing them to carry the Gospel onward after His departure from Earth. Soon, His work would bring Him back to Jerusalem, where His passion would be made complete.
Again, Jesus went up a particular mountain to pray, and took with Him only 3 of His disciples. While there were 12 disciples, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him. These 3 were of the first disciples He bid to follow Him; they were the same 3 He allowed in the room with Him when He raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead, and they were the same 3 He had with Him in Gethsemane.
*NOTE: These 3 particular disciples do not signify favoritism, but rather the carefulness and selectiveness of those whose faith development indicates readiness to experience certain things. It is important in our walk that we too, as Christians and Believers, take note of those in the Body of Christ that demonstrate such faith and allow them to share in our Christian journey.
During His prayer, the Lord transfigured. This is the result of the conversation He had with God, His father. While the substance of His body remained the same, it matched that of His face. He was no longer the physical representation of a human male the disciples were used to, but now made new, radiant in Spiritual purity, power, and glory! During this Spiritual experience, the disciples present were able to witness the Lord talking with Moses and Elijah (representation of the Law and the Prophets), both of whom knew that Jesus was fulfillment of the Law and the words of the Prophets.
I can’t speak enough of the mountains we as Believers will have to face in this life. I can’t tell enough of how hard it will get, how much it will hurt, and how heavy it will feel living a life in Christ. He was and still is the greatest example of the sufferings that come with living a life in obedience
AND servitude to God. But, greater still, I cannot profess the importance of climbing on anyhow. I beg you, again, to never be weary in climbing your mountain(s). By taking Peter, James, and John with Him, the Lord allowed them a privileged Spiritual experience that would strengthen their faith for the challenges they would face later. So, it is in our climbing that we gain the strength needed to do the work God has called for us to do for those challenging days ahead. And when we reach the top of our very own Mount Tabor*, rejoice in the transfiguration that God will allow you to experience as you take on some of His glory…..just as our Savior Jesus Christ did!
Again, thank you all for your time. Be blessed in the Lord, and the grace of Christ Jesus be with you always!
References:
Damon Williams,
writer,
“The Ultimate Climb: Hiking Up to Meet God”. Vacation Bible School (Adult).
Mark 5: 21-25; 35-43 (KJV)
*NOTE: it has been disagreed by many Biblical scholars and theologians about the exact location of The Transfiguration. Many believe it did occur on Mount Tabor, but the mountain is NOT mentioned in the New Testament of the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Many believe The Transfiguration took place on Mount Hermon, as it was significantly taller and bigger than Tabor, and it is also located near Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus and his disciples were just prior to this Spiritual experience. Readers are encouraged to read the Holy Bible (King James Version) for confirmation.
