Tip of My Iceberg

I understand the choice to color one’s hair. I found my first gray hairs when I was quite young, and the decision to not leave them that way came when a young boy, a friend of my son, looked at me and said, “Mrs. Rogers, you’re so old!”

Bring on the color.

People do it for other reasons. Teagan, at nineteen, bleached his brown hair to make a statement. Because he could. I have a friend at work who colors her hair bright pink because she loves the color.

Cousins Brooklyn and Sloane wanted to add color to their hair for fun.

The process itself was arduous. Beauty costs.

But they were so thrilled with the results.

When we try to change something about our appearance, it typically isn’t easy. It’s often to mask what we really are or what we truly look like.

Jesus understood what masking His true identity meant. He had chosen to leave heaven, where His glory was celebrated and known, to come to earth to take on the fraility of human flesh. The religious leaders, who were teachers of the Old Testament scriptures, knew all the prophecies of what the Messiah would be like, but they couldn’t see Jesus for who He was. They didn’t appreciate that He showed up as a humble Servant of God; they wanted a warrior who would save them from the Romans.

Peter understood that Jesus was the Messiah. When Jesus asked His men who the people said He was, they responded with the names of those who were dead: John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Elijah, or one of the other prophets. When He asked them who they thought Him to be, Peter immediately said, “The Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Matthew 16:16.

Barely a week later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to a high mountain. “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.” Matthew 17:2-3.

These three men were privileged to get a sneak peek of the resurrected Jesus in all His glory, showing Him to be the Son of God. The significance of Moses and Elijah wasn’t lost on these men; Moses represented the Law, and Elijah represented the Prophets, both of which had clearly proclaimed the coming Messiah.

Jesus revealed His true identity to these three shortly after He told them He would have to suffer and die to offer forgiveness for sins, a fact they didn’t grasp at the time. They also didn’t understand what Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was: not to fight their physical enemy, the Romans, but to conquer the enemy of our souls who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy all hope and life we have.

Jesus didn’t come with a lot of pomp and circumstance. He came quietly, living out the holiness of His character, helping people understand they could be forgiven for the mess we all tend to make of our lives.

Brooklyn and Sloane changed their hair color for fun, a statement of their independence and uniqueness.

Jesus masked His glory so people would have the chance to consider His offer of life and forgiveness, not feeling pressured into it, but choosing it for themselves.

What He’s offered has never been hidden–eternal life and the forgiveness of all our sins.

All we have to do is listen to what He has to say.