Where Hope is Found

 “And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We often act as if this world is all there is. We believe that it’s in this world that our hope is found. And we believe that it’s in this life that our hope is found.

Salvation means to us deliverance from all of our worldly trials. It means the end of our suffering. It means the end of illness. And it means the end of conflict. 

We often find that this was the mindset of the disciples as well. Even as they followed Jesus, even as they hung on his every word, and even as they saw his every deed, they failed to understand that he’d come to bring something more. He’d come to deliver a blessing that’s far greater.

We see this in the above passage. As Jesus was transfigured before them, and as Moses and Elijah appeared to them, they seemed to think they were here to stay. And, for this reason, they offered to make a tent or a booth for each of them.

They failed to understand, however, that this experience would soon come to an end. They failed to understand that Jesus, who stood before them in his glory, would soon appear to them as an ordinary man. And Moses and Elijah, who were there speaking with Jesus, would soon be gone.

It’s true that Jesus would one day reveal his glory always. But that day was not then. And it’s true that, one day, Moses and Elijah would be forever in their presence. But it was not in this world.

The same principle applies to us, in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It’s true that Jesus came to deliver us from all suffering. As he paid the penalty of our sin, its consequences will also become a thing of the past. But this will happen only at the end of this age.

At the return of Christ, a new heaven and earth will come to us. Those who have died will rise from the dead, while those who remain will be transformed. And we’ll spend eternity in this place, free of sin and death.

Realizing this, we should not place our hope in this age. Nor should our hope be found in this place. We should, rather, anticipate the return of Christ and the ushering in of his new creation.