The process of a caterpillar changing to a butterfly is pretty fantastic. We call that process a metamorphosis. It’s the undoing of one thing and the starting of a brand new thing. Well this word is actually used in the bible a few times. The most notable for many is when it is used of Jesus at the time called the transfiguration. But what we call transfiguration is really the word metamorphosis.
This metamorphosis happened at a time when his closest followers didn’t really understand who he was. They had seen him do some cool things. They were there when he was able to manipulate the physical world and walk on water. They even watched sick people completely healed. But they really didn’t get who he was or why he was there.
So he took these close followers with him up a high mountain and changed, transformed – metamorphosed in front of them. It’s like the cracking open of an egg and what’s inside that was hidden behind the shell is exposed. Behind the human exterior of Jesus’ body and clothing, buried inside him was the real and complete presence of God. At the transfiguration, it’s like Jesus’ human shell was cracked open and the Godness burst out of him for a small moment in time.
Take a listen to the following to see how this happened and better yet why it’s important to us today.