| | | JULY | 22 | TUESDAY
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| Seeing the Real Thing
He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.
— Matthew 17:2
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| READ: Matthew 17:1-4
REFLECT: With high anticipation, our tour group turned the corner and walked into the next gallery of paintings in the Louvre museum in Paris. Huge crowds were elbowing each other to glimpse the small painting hanging alone on an entire wall. As we finally looked into the eyes of the famous woman in painting— Mona Lisa herself—I wondered what all the fuss was about. The painting was much smaller than the large canvas I had imagined.
Yet as I lingered, her enigmatic smile, her piercing eyes, her gracefully folded hands, and the background landscape pulled me into the picture. This was unlike any of the printed reproductions in my school textbooks. Those now seemed so inadequate. This was the real thing—a truly “wow” moment.
The disciples must have felt the same “wow” as they saw Jesus in a new, transformed way. Here was revealed the true essence of the Messiah, confirming that there was more to the storytelling teacher they had been following around. Years later, Peter would recall how he had been one of the eyewitnesses of the honor and glory Jesus received from God (2 Peter 1:16-17).
Seeing the “real thing,” whether it is a painting of Mona Lisa or of our Lord transfigured, changes us forever. We cannot go back to the reproduced photos without reliving the experience of seeing for ourselves.— Nancy Becker
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| RESPOND: God, help me today to be authentic in a world of counterfeit values. Help me to see you work in the everyday events of life.
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