December 30, 2021: Metamorphosis

“All of us who ... can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord ... makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image” (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).

Have you witnessed a butterfly leaving its chrysalis? The cycle goes from a tiny egg to a caterpillar moving around and eating leaves, followed by the chrysalis phase, where other changes take place. Finally, the adult butterfly emerges from its cocoon. Scientists call this process metamorphosis, meaning transformation—a significant change in looks and character.

The Bible also tell us about a “spiritual metamorphosis.” Metamorphoō, a verb not a noun, appears four times in the King James Version, translated twice as “transfigured” and one time each as “transformed” and “changed.”

Jesus was transfigured before His disciples (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:2). His divinity shined through His humanity! We are admonished: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Rom. 12:2, NLT). This is a divine command. Our role is passive by allowing God to transform us.

Finally, we can attain this spiritual metamorphosis by beholding Jesus through His Word, as is written in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Ellen White says, “It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed” (The Great Controversy, p. 555).

In another one of her writings, she says, “Through close study and earnest contemplation of the character of Christ, His image is reflected in our own lives” (From the Heart, p. 321).

God, let us behold Jesus! Amen.

Preston G. Monterrey-Clark is the district pastor of the Chambersburg, Needmore and Waynesboro churches in Pennsylvania.