Luke 9:28–36

Read the passage.

Jesus takes His inner circle up a another mountain to spend a night in prayer, but while they are there, Peter, James, and John see an amazing thing. Jesus’s divine glory is revealed to them, Moses and Elijah (somehow recognizable; perhaps Jesus called them by name) appear before them to represent the testimony of the Law and the Prophets, and the voice of God Himself thunders out of the heavenly cloud to declare Jesus His Son. It’s such an amazing experience that Peter tries to prolong it by suggesting they set up shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

And yet, later in life, Peter says that the Word revealed by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures is more sure&emdash;more certain&emdash;than even being there on the mountain at that time. (2 Peter 1:19) Anybody can have an experience, but its significance depends on its source. If it’s generated by an unstable mind, crafted by demonic manipulation, or invented wholesale by fraudulent men, then it doesn’t mean a thing. You have to correlate the felt experience with the truth of God’s Word in order to know what to do with it.

In this case, we can be sure this experience is true and came from God, because it does match up with what the Law and Prophets said about the Messiah, even if no one at the time realized it.

Your Word is sufficient for all of our lives, teaching us how to live for You.