A Taste of Glory

This post is part of a devotional series based on our 2019 Bible Reading Calendar.

In Mark 9, Jesus took the inner circle of the apostles–Peter, James, and John–upon a mountain. While there, his appearance changed, so even “his clothes became dazzling–extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them.” In this transformation, Elijah and Moses appeared alongside Jesus, and the Father spoke from heaven: “This is my beloved son, listen to him!”

The three disciples stood dumbfounded.

In that moment, those three received a taste of glory, few others have experienced this side of heaven (perhaps, closest, would be Moses himself when he asked to see God’s glory in Exodus).

What they learned and what we are reminded of is that Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth as no ordinary man. He might have had the DNA of Mary and he might have been known as the carpenter’s son, but he was still the Son of God.

The Father calling Jesus beloved shows his delight in him. In his book Rejoicing in Christ, Michael Reeves states that Jesus being called the “beloved Son” means “there is nothing more precious to the Father than him.” For us, then, “there cannot be any blessing higher than him or anything better than him… He is the treasure of the Father, shared with us.” [1]

To taste the glory of Christ is to sample the greatest joy of all. Psalm 16:11 states that “in [God’s] presence is abundant joy and at [God’s] right hand are eternal pleasures.” It is Jesus himself that we find at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3).

Yet, where the disciples stood agape in that moment, we find our salvation and sanctification in beholding Jesus’ glory through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:15-18). Therefore, holding Jesus as our greatest joy, we “listen to him.” He gives us his very word to hear and obey that his joy might be in us and our joy be made complete in him (John 15:11).

Gaze upon the glory of Christ. Feast upon the goodness of his word. And find the greatest joy your heart can ever know.

All scripture quotations taken from the Christian Standard Bible.

[1] Michael Reeves, Rejoicing in Christ (IVP Academic: 2015), 21.