FriendshipSample

Tuesday: Outer Circle, Inner Circle

SOAP: Mark 9:2

Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them

Devotion:

Even Jesus needed a few close friends. The scene of the transfiguration in Mark 9 is a stunning account of Jesus revealing to a few of His disciples a glimpse of His coming kingdom and glory. While Jesus selected a few disciples as those closest to Him, there is another set of friends in this story worth noting. After Jesus is transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared with Him. Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the prophets, the revelation of God in the Old Testament. However, the law and the prophets were only shadows. The law and prophets were revelations from God, but Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. 

Mark 9:4 says that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus—what were they talking about? Luke’s account (9:28-36) tells us that they were discussing His departure at Jerusalem. In this crucial moment before His death and resurrection, Jesus spoke with some friends who knew a little more than His disciples did. None of us have experienced anything close to what Jesus discussed with Moses and Elijah, but this astonishing story makes clear that Jesus Himself needed friends who could bear His burdens with Him, knowing the suffering He was about to endure. 

Prayer:

God, thank You for the Incarnation. Thank You for Your Son who has intimately experienced what it means to be human and who shows us our need for human friendship. Show me how to build those kinds of relationships in my life. Amen.