An Ongoing Hunger for God's Presence

May 2, 2021

The Transfiguration

2 oAnd after six days Jesus took with him pPeter and James andJohn, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he wasqtransfigured before them, 3 and rhis clothes became radiant,intensely white, as no one1 on earth could bleach them. 4 And thereappeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking withJesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, s“Rabbi,2 it is good that we arehere. Let us make three ttents, one for you and one for Moses andone for Elijah.” 6 For uhe did not know what to say, for they wereterrified. 7 And va cloud overshadowed them, and va voice came outof the cloud, w“This is my beloved Son;3 xlisten to him.” 8 Andsuddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them butJesus only.

9 yAnd as they were coming down the mountain, zhe chargedthem to tell no one what they had seen, auntil the Son of Man hadrisen from the dead. 10 bSo they kept the matter to themselves,cquestioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And theyasked him, “Why do the scribes say dthat first Elijah must come?”12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first eto restore all things.And fhow is it written of the Son of Man that he should gsuffermany things and hbe treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you thatElijah has come, and ithey did to him whatever they pleased, as it iswritten of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 jAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowdaround them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately allthe crowd, when they saw him, kwere greatly amazed and ran up tohim and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguingabout with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him,“Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has la spirit that makeshim mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and hefoams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked yourdisciples to cast it out, and mthey were not able.” 19 And he answeredthem, “O nfaithless generation, nhow long am I to be with you? Howlong am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they broughtthe boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately itoconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about,foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long hasthis been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And ithas often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But pifyou can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 AndJesus said to him, p“‘If you can’! qAll things are possible for one whobelieves.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out4 and said,“I believe; rhelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that sa crowdcame running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it,t“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him andnever enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and oconvulsing himterribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most ofthem said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus utook him by the hand andlifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had ventered the house,his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anythingbut prayer.”5