Dressed to compete

Jesus, help me remember that there's more than one side to every person. Amen!

Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain. As they watched, He began to change. His face and clothes got brighter and brighter, until they couldn't even look at Him! Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus, and God's voice said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him." Then the light went out and they were alone with Jesus again. "Don't tell anyone about this yet," Jesus said.

Did you watch the Winter Olympics last month? If you saw the athletes being interviewed on TV after they won a medal, it might have seemed strange to see them in regular clothes. You're so used to seeing them dressed to compete in their sports!

Athletes aren't the only ones it's hard to imagine in a different way than you usually see them. In this week's Gospel (Mark 9:2-10), the Apostles have an experience like that with Jesus.

When Jesus was traveling around, teaching people about God, everyone got used to seeing Him a certain way. He was probably tired a lot from walking everywhere, and His robe probably got dirty from the dust in the desert. He probably didn't have time or money for a haircut often, either! Most people would have thought of Jesus as a "regular guy."

If you watched Olympic athletes competing, you saw them in skiing clothes, skating costumes or team uniforms. After seeing that all the time, it was startling to remember that when they're not competing, they wear jeans and t-shirts like everyone else!

Jesus was the opposite: Though He often looked like a regular guy, He was really God. That's what the Apostles got to see when they watched Him change on the mountain: what Jesus really looked like.

Like athletes are more than just their sport, Jesus was more than just a teacher. The brightness of God's love shone out of Him!