There are two junctures in Matthew’s Gospel Account to which I want to draw your attention. One is 3:13-17, Jesus’ baptism, and the other is 17:1-8, Jesus’ transfiguration. In both cases the Father summons our attention and response to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us prime the pump. What is the most amazing or beautiful thing you have ever seen? Hands down, for me it was seeing my wife as she walked the aisle on our wedding day! I have also been on top of Whistlers Mountain in Banff National Park on the perfect day, taking in a breathtaking 360 view of a dozen mountain ranges.
The first juncture is a heavenly summons to “behold” Jesus, as he rises from the waters of baptism and is declared by the Father to be his beloved Son with whom he is well pleased. How do we behold Jesus? By following him across the pages of the four gospel accounts.
What is the purpose? That we might come to know him for who he is and what he has done. However, too often we read the gospels, and the whole Bible, through the lenses of our time and place. Thus, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to pull back the spiritual blinders we have acquired so we can more clearly see the amazing wonder of Jesus.
Let us take it to the next level. Think about a time you set a goal. You followed a course, faced the challenges, overcame the obstacles, and started again after many setbacks. Some days you thought you would not make it. You thought of giving up. But you found the strength to press on in faith. Then the day came when you reached your goal! You looked back in amazement at your journey, and you humbly gave thanks to God.
That was me when I researched, wrote, and defended my masters thesis; that was me when I got my physical health back; and there are other milestones I could share, but you get the idea.
The second juncture is a heavenly summons to “heed” Jesus, as his kingly glory is displayed for a moment and the Father repeats his declaration of, and pleasure in, Jesus. The point? Having beheld Jesus, we must come to trust in him to save us and learn to walk as he walked. This is a firm commitment to a life-long goal with unmatched benefit extending from this world into the next!
Since there is nothing greater than Jesus, let us spend the rest of our earthly lives learning to better behold him so as to better heed him.
