“Listen to Him!”

“And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” Matthew (17:4-7 ESV).

The Mount of Transfiguration, what a remarkable passage in Scripture, showing that indeed our Lord and Savior was God in the flesh.  Few passages in Scripture grab our attention as much as this passage. There are so many truths waiting to be explored. But today I would like to focus not on the appearance of Moses and Elijah (we will have to wait for another day to discuss this), but on Verse 5. We all know the story of Peter, James, and John being singled out and, according to church tradition, taken up to Mount Tabor, a high mountain in Galilee, where Jesus was transfigured before these apostles and conversed with Moses and Elijah. Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard that conversation?

Peter, as he often did, interjected himself into the situation, seeming to interrupt the conversation between them. I can’t blame Peter; I’m sure he was overwhelmed just like we would have been. Remember, it was just six days earlier that Peter made his declaration of exactly who Jesus is : “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16). So, all three of these apostles are trying to comprehend everything that is happening. Can you imagine trying to grasp that you are traveling with the very Son of the Living God? I’m sure Peter was overwhelmed with everything going on and could not contain his emotions. After all, he only wanted to honor Jesus and make a tabernacle or a cloth hut, like a tent, to honor all three of them.

Now, unlike in the last chapter where Jesus Himself confirmed Peter’s confession about Him being the Son of the Living God, here we see God the Father stating, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”. The first thing I noticed about this interjection of God into the conversation is that He states that Jesus is not just His Son, but His “beloved” Son. I have found that adjectives are essential in Scripture; they provide a lot of details and emphasize critical information about the noun they modify. Here we see that Jesus, “my son,” is “beloved” by the Father. Of course, this word we translate “beloved” is from the Greek word agape’tos [27] from the root word aga’pe’ [26], which we have all heard hundreds of times, and means that special “divine-love” that comes from the Creator of all things. Don’t pass too quickly over this description of exactly who Jesus is. He is “beloved” by the Father and is indeed the very Son of the living God. Remember John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  We should never become too comfortable with this phrase “My beloved son”, we should never forget what it cost God the Father to give His Son to pay the price for our sins so that we could live in eternity with Him.

Secondly, we see that the Father makes two statements of fact when he says, “This is my Son,” and “I am well pleased” with Him. Both of these statements are in the indicative voice, which means a statement of fact. Again, don’t be too quick to pass over this truth that is provided here. These are statements from God the Father, where He states a fact about His Son. He says that Jesus is indeed His Son and that He is “well pleased” with Him. First, this is a clear statement of the divinity of Jesus, and secondly, that God is “well pleased” with His Son. The word we translate “well pleased” means “approved, content with, to think well of”. Here we have God, the very essence of purity and righteousness, stating that He is “content with, He approves of” His only Son, our Lord Jesus. Statements of fact: Jesus is divine, and God is content with His purity, sinlessness, and righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Then, the Father gives a command to us; His statement to “listen to Him" is in the imperative voice, which indicates a command. Now God is not just stating a fact but is giving a command. “Listen to Him”. If there is one thing that we should take away from the Mount of Transfiguration, it is to “Listen to Him”.

Jesus only gave us one new commandment while He was here on this earth, and that was, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34)

Let’s listen to our Lord and Savior, our sinless and righteous God in the flesh, the gift from the Father that provides complete forgiveness and eternal life, and let’s love one another. 

Are you listening to Jesus? This question is for those who have not decided to accept God’s gift of salvation, and for those of us who have received this gift. Are you listening to Jesus? Only you can answer that question.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"