On the way down from the mountain
after the transfiguration, the Lord instructed the three disciples not to say anything
about their experience. It shows that He understood human nature perfectly. Who
would not have excitedly speak of so glorious an experience? But He forbade
them from speaking about it till He, the Son of Man had risen from the dead,
for good reasons. Firstly, it’s because their information about the
resurrection was incomplete until the actual resurrection had taken place.
Secondly, their understanding of the resurrection, at that point, was also
incomplete. This is evident by their discussion among themselves, “What does
rising from the dead mean”. What The Lord had done here underscores for us one important
principle of sharing the things of God. It would be more effectively when we
have first personally experienced it before share it.
The question they asked concerning the
coming of Elijah proved that they did not fully understand the whole plan of
God. So they asked the question concerning the timing of Elijah’s coming. The
Lord briefly affirmed Elijah’s coming but He redirected them to the more pertinent
issue at hand – His suffering and the contemptuous treatment He would soon receive.
The long and short of it, is this: it’s
good to understand the chronology of events that would take place. But it’s
more critical to know what’s central. No point talking about the rapture if we
would not embrace the work of the cross. We can never experience the resurrection
until we have experienced the effect of the cross on our life. No cross, no crown.
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