Thursday, February 23, 2006
Matthew 17:4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters -- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
THREE TENTS
It's funny the things that will come out of our mouths when placed in an unfamiliar position. No doubt that was part of the problem with Simon Peter. It was tremendous enough to have been on hand when Jesus showed forth His Glory as God and shone like the Sun. Now he and his mates, James and John, found themselves in the company of Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory. In Peter's mind it just couldn't get any better. He thought it'd be great to stick around for a while.
So Peter suggested three shelters, three tents, for Moses, Elijah and Jesus. It didn't occur to him that they would not be staying on this third rock from the sun. Luke tells us that they appeared in glory and spoke of His death, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. There is no indication that they would be staying, or would even want to! Why would they want to give up glory for even a moment on a sinful earth? Hey, camping is great -- but it doesn't come close to spending time in the presence of the Lord.
One day we who trust in the Lord Jesus will also see Him face to face. We will know Him as we are known, Paul says (1 Corinthians 13:12). How much longer will we have to dwell in these tents (our bodies)? Only the Lord Himself knows the answer. We will one day depart this earth and our tents will be laid to rest in the earth, until the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Then we will know the glory that Moses and Elijah know, and all those who are confident in Christ.
When Jesus returns to this globe in glory, then the Scripture says that our tent will be changed. The rotten one we have now will be replaced with one better suited for everlasting life. I doubt we'll look back on these days and long to dwell in these bodies again!
After all, camping with Jesus forever requires a much better tent!
