Matthew 17:1-9 1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.  4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.  If you wish, I will put up three shelters– one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said.  “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.  9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

At the Transfiguration, God the loving Father expresses His pleasure with His Son and the work of redemption that He is accomplishing. The glory of that Son is always shining, but it was made evident on that mountain. It is shining in our lives, too, even when we are under clouds of misfortune and pain. The bright cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration points us to the cloud that will accompany our Lord at His return. Who is behind the cloud? JESUS!

Cheryl and I have done a lot of flying over the years. Some of those trips have been on rainy and dreary days. But when the plane takes off, it is quickly above the clouds where the sun is brightly shining. That reminds me that the sun is always shining, even when I can’t see it because of the clouds. In like fashion, God’s love in Jesus Christ is always present with those who have put their faith in Him, even though all you may see is clouds of misfortune. God’s light overpowers and shines through the dark clouds of our lives. And that light finds its expression in the promise of forgiveness for Jesus sake.

Our Good News is that behind the clouds of life shines our God, who has given us His instructions for our lives, and His Son, who has given us righteousness and forgiveness he accomplished through His redeeming work on the cross.

Jesus is the bottom line to the Transfiguration account. The passage from Matthew said of the disciples: When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. In spite of all the clouds in your life, may the same be true for each of you: when you look up, you see no one but Jesus!