February 20, 2023

Matthew 17:2 His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. (The Message Bible)

Jesus took three of his followers up on a mountain with him and then the above happened. Did you ever have one of those models in biology class in the form of a human except the outer shell, which is usually skin, was transparent? You could then see the bone structure and the organs, all those things that make a body work but are usually not visible. The word in the original Greek of the gospel is one you already know, again from your science classes: Metamorphosis. Remember that? When a caterpillar turns into a butterfly it undergoes metamorphosis. Who would think by looking at the caterpillar that it had inside it all the makings of a butterfly? The three followers in the story above were given a glimpse into the something more of Jesus, “from the inside out.” They didn’t quite understand it and Jesus told them to keep it to themselves until after Easter. Why would it make sense then? I guess the something more of the transfiguration was similar in some ways to the something more of the resurrection. In both cases Jesus was more than meets the eye. Something to ponder during Lent!