Jesus alone

Monday, May 10, 2021

Jesus alone

But Jesus approached them (the disciples), touched them and said : Get up, do not be afraid! They looked up and saw only Jesus alone. Matthew 17: 7.8

On the mountain, the Lord is transfigured. He appears in his glory as the Son of God and speaks with Moses and Elijah who represent the Law and the prophets.

Peter, surprised at the appearance of these two great men from the Old Testament, puts Jesus on the same level as them by proposing to make three tents. Yet, very shortly before, he made the beautiful confession : You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). It is then that the voice of the Father is heard : This is my beloved Son, who has found my approval ; listen to him (Matthew 17: 5). This voice is such that the disciples fall with their faces to the ground in great fear.

Not only does the Father not want his Son to be confused with men, even the most honorable, but he also designates his Envoy as the one whom it is now appropriate to listen to, him alone.

The Law and the prophets have had their day and accomplished their mission: they have shown that, on the basis of obedience to laws, men are unable to stand in the presence of God. Now Jesus appears among men as the Word manifested in the flesh, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

This means that God no longer demands that men earn their salvation by keeping the Law. It is he who, by the gift of his beloved Son, opens the way to his presence for all believers. No more "doing something to be saved", as the law of Moses and the prophets prescribed.

Now, Jesus alone is the way to salvation and it is by faith in him that God saves us, by his grace (Ephesians 2: 8). It is because we are saved and have received divine life and the Holy Spirit that we can live to the glory of the Lord and walk in the good works that God places before us (v. 10).

Source (Pleasing the Lord)