Whenever we talk about appearances, we are talking about a spectrum of manifestations.
For example, a flower when it is budding looks fragile; at full bloom it is in its glory; when it is withering it looks crumpled.
The 1st reading tells of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
It was an important symbol of the presence of God and it was also richly decorated.
But there was nothing in the Ark except the two stone tablets of the covenant that the Lord God made with His people.
But God manifested His presence when the Temple where the Ark was place was filled with a thick cloud, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.
In the gospel, when Jesus landed at Genessaret, the people recognised Him and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard He was.
There was nothing extraordinary about the appearance of Jesus, and no thick cloud around Him.
But the people were able to see beyond the ordinary and recognised in Jesus that shade of divinity.
May we also be able to see and recognise God in the ordinary and experience the power of His divinity when He answers our prayers.