when Jesus becomes familiar

I was reading Mark 6 and Mark 9 this morning and contrasting the two. Here are a few observations.

Mark 6:1-6 is basically about how Jesus was teaching in his hometown. And all the people were like, "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, and Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And so Jesus basically says that prophets don't have honor in their hometowns. It says that Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith and couldn't do many miracles there.

It's almost like they grew up knowing about Jesus and knowing of him, seeing him around town, and being familiar with him from a distance that they couldn't see him for who he really was. Since they didn't expect much from him, he didn't do much there.

I wonder if our society struggles with the same thing. Everyone grows up knowing about Jesus, we see churches on every street corner and Christianity is a commonplace, ordinary part of our culture. And how does that affect our faith or lack of faith? Does that affect the way we know of him or know him?

But then you look at Mark 9. In Mark 9 Jesus leads three people who are close to him up a high mountain where they were all alone with him. And on this mountain Jesus was transformed before them. His clothes became "dazzling white" and Moses and Elijah appeared. Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them and a voice came from the cloud, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

To a few people who really knew him, really followed him, whose faith expected much of Jesus, Jesus was willing to reveal himself to them in a new light. In an unfamiliar light. They saw Jesus in a different perspective than all those people from his hometown.

I like how it says, Jesus led them up a high mountain. That shows they followed him where he led even when it was a climb, even when it was inconvenient, not easy, and away from the crowd. I think to know Jesus for who he really is, to see him in an unfamiliar light we have to follow him up the difficult paths, even when it's not easy or fun.

Also it says they were all alone with him. I think to see Jesus up close and to really know him, to actually hear God's voice, we have to get alone with him, not just be familiar with him from a distance.

"His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them... then a cloud enveloped them.." I mean nothing about that is ordinary, commonplace, or familiar.

I want to see Jesus that way, I want to see past the familiarity and see him in his glory. I want to have faith that expects much and experiences much of Jesus. I want to know him even when he leads me in ways I'd rather not go.

And if I follow him up those paths, he might possibly take me to a place where I get to know him and see his glory in an unfamiliar light.

"For God...made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God seen in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6