Why God’s Extraordinary Light?
His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them… Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love.
Listen to him!” (Mark 9:3,7)
It brings great excitement – the appearance of the bride in that characteristic white gown, yet woven to largess and detail just for her! We can’t have enough of weddings; each brings a unique feel and leaves us hungry for more. That white gown points us to the glorious state of Christ’s bride at the wedding of the Lamb in heaven. It is also the closest I can get to illustrating God’s extraordinary light which has appeared in many instances, two of which we will explore here and draw an important lesson from these appearances. Before Elijah was taken to heaven, fire appeared; and more extraordinary light was experienced when Jesus had a fellowship at the Mountain of Transfiguration.
Follow the Light. That is the crucial lesson from these ‘extraordinary light’ situations. It is well illustrated by the servant Elisha who lived as a true disciple of Elijah to the very end. In 2Kings 2:1-12 we find Elisha insistently trailing his master, even when he is told ‘Stay here…’; three times Elisha swears, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” Elisha is following, and finally he will see extraordinary light – “a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared” – as Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind. It matters who you are following. This faithful and persistent tracking resulted in Elisha’s promotion; from there he walked in Elijah’s anointing and more, and served God effectively.
The other instance was Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark 9:2-9): The description of Jesus’ appearance includes ‘the rays of glory and brightness which darted from his body through his clothes, and made them as bright as the light of the sun at noon day’, and his face had such a dazzling glory upon it, as the sun shining in its full strength! The bright light confused Peter, James and John, and they must have been asking, “What does this mean?” The appearance of Elijah and Moses made matters even more perplexing. Did they remember the fire at the end Elijah’s life, or the brilliantly shining face of Moses coming from God’s presence? Maybe. So, what does this extraordinary light mean now? As if to answer the question, a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” In my words: Follow the Light.
Just like the bride excites the congregation and lights up the party – and many eyes follow her, so God’s extraordinary light should captivate everyone who desires to be at the wedding of the Lamb. The ultimate light clearly symbolizes God’s divine presence and glory. Someone conscience pricks when going astray – straying from the Light! The message in the instances above is one: Follow the Light.
God bless you all.