Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear you him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid”, and in chapter seventeen and verse seven of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus told the disciples to, “Arise, and be not afraid” where we read:
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
The verse reads, “And Jesus came and touched them, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “and Jesus came” or “the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate arose and came forth to the disciples” “and touched them” or “and fastened Himself, adhered to and clung to the disciples”. Matthew shared how Jesus went over to where the disciples were lying upon the ground and “touched them”.
The verse goes on to say, “... and said, Arise, and be not afraid.” Matthew continued with the words, “and said” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “arise” which means “arouse and be raised up”, “and be not afraid” or “and do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm”. Matthew shared how Jesus encouraged the trembling disciples by touching them and giving them comforting words.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus knew the frailty of His disciples, and when He manifested Himself to them with God's affirmation, they were terrified and in need of comfort. God desires people to know how awesome and powerful He is, and He deserves respect and awe accordingly, and yet, He wants people to relate to Him through His Son Jesus. First there was the “fear” of God, and afterward the disciples experienced the “comfort” of His Son Jesus. Let all who read these words know the power and the compassion of this loving Almighty God.
Next time Matthew shares, “when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only” Jesus, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment