Mark 9:8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more ,save Jesus only with themselves.
Jesus, our Touchstone
We are living in an increasingly difficult and complex world. Sometimes it is difficult to know how we should frame our relationships with people. The way to get our relationships with people right is to see Jesus clearly because that puts everything else in perspective.
In Mark 9, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a high mountain by themselves where He is transfigured before them. In verse 4 it says, “And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.” This was amazing! They saw Jesus in a way they had never seen Him before. They also saw two figures who were just as historical to them and they are to us.
The disciples were startled by all this, and whenever Peter was at a lack of words, he opened his mouth. Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.” Not knowing what to say did not keep Peter from saying it.
Peter profoundly misunderstood and mischaracterized Jesus. Jesus isn’t just one of many. He is singular, the only begotten Son of God. Verse 7 says, “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.” Verse 8 defines the entire story, “And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.”
They got a perspective of Jesus that helped clarify their perspective of other people. Jesus is our touchstone, our standard, by which we judge our relationship to all others.
Jesus is the touchstone that keeps us from worshipping others or dismissing them as inferior. It is so easy to be so taken with people we consider great that we nearly worship them. We give them a place that belongs only to the Lord Jesus. On the other hand, it is easy to dismiss people if we think they are not up to our standard, inferior to us, or not a benefit to us.
The Bible tells us that when we serve others, we serve Him. Our estimation of others needs to be defined by our relationship to the Lord Jesus. When you see Jesus clearly, you will see everyone else as you should, neither worshipping them nor dismissing them.