"Listen to Him"

 

            Perhaps they felt honored. Perhaps it did not faze them at all. The invitation by Jesus to join Him on the mountain would, however, teach them much…about God….about Jesus….about themselves. They were often invited to accompany Jesus when the other disciples were not. Here they were again, on ‘special assignment.’ But climbing a high mountain? Were fishermen really equipped for that kind of physical exertion? Sleepiness, as Luke tells us, enveloped them as did a strange cloud, transforming the mountain into a classroom that God designed.

            Fishermen, whose lives on the sea gave them many opportunities to experience the gamut of emotion, were to stretch those feelings to depths they had never known. Consider these: the sheer wonder of seeing their Teacher completely engulfed in light from within Himself. The awe of seeing two of the giants of their faith, Moses and Elijah, alive and talking with Jesus about His coming departure from earth to enter heaven. Panic as the ‘visiting saints’ were leaving Jesus. Overwhelming fear as events unfolded and as the cloud engulfed them and the voice from heaven spoke to them. Shame and confusion as their suggestion to camp out on the mountain top was rejected. Emotional-overload might best describe the entire experience. But wait. What did they learn, or did they? Was the experience in itself enough to help them, or were there lessons God wanted them to learn that they could possibly learn in no other way than a direct, clear word from God Himself?

            Matthew’s account of the event records the essence of the message God wanted Peter (and us) to learn, four specific facts that can transform our lives if we let them: (1) That Jesus is God’s unique Son, (2) That God loves His Son, (3) That God is well-pleased with His Son, and (4)  We must learn how important it is to listen to the Son. There they are: truths vastly important for us all to learn, and ones that God will engineer circumstances in our lives to help us learn them.

            Ponder. (1) Jesus is never to be compared with other great men; He is indeed unique. He is God. He is Lord. He is not just another good teacher. (2) God loves His Son and He loves all who love His Son. There is no other way to acceptance by God except through His Son, no matter how wonderful we think that ‘way’ or person is. (3) God is well-pleased with His Son, and so should we be. If we seek satisfaction or peace or happiness in any other place, we will fail, because God will never allow us to experience true joy anywhere except in the Son. (4) And the message that ends this dialogue from God is urgent for us, too: “Listen to Him.” Listening to the Son must be our daily pursuit. And listening in the true sense of the word means to respond positively, to obey what He says. We must never be enamored with or distracted by the glitzy, the new and different, even when it is housed in religious garb. For them to see and hear Elijah and Moses was indeed very exciting, even overwhelming. But their ecstasy was hollow when compared with what they could know by listening to the Son of God! To become callous or indifferent toward the wonder of Jesus is dangerous ground for us all. Perhaps it is that kind of apathy or familiarity that brings the rebuke of Jesus that we have lost our first love . This enemy of apathy stalks the church as much as any other monster today. We must never place anyone or anything on the same level as our love for Jesus, no matter how wonderful humans are or even how religious experiences effect us. He alone must be our passion, our desire, our reason for being, our goal….our love-object. No matter how many ‘tents’ we want to erect on the same level as our devotion to Jesus, no matter how afraid we may feel at times when we see His workings around us, no matter how awestruck with people we are, nothing, absolutely nothing, must detract us from our Master. The cloud from God will engulf us and doggedly obscure those elusive ‘idols.’ He loves us too much to allow us to find any satisfaction in anyone or anything but His Son. The voice will continue to speak to any with open, receptive hearts: “Listen to Him. Listen to Him.” And what will He say to us when we listen? Much, I am sure, but of this I am positive. The most life-changing thing we will hear from the Savior Himself will be: “I love you.” To hear and believe that is indeed life-changing.