Matthew 17:1-5 (NASB) Six days later Jesus *took with Him
Peter and James and John his brother, and *led them up on a high mountain by
themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and
His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to
them, talking with Him. 4 Peter
said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make
three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a
bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said,
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
The
Transfiguration is a moment with a message. It is a message about the truth and
trustworthiness of Jesus Christ. It is a spiritual experience that assures us
of the realness and reliability of God. The Transfiguration is an experience, a
moment when something happens to us, when something speaks to us, when we
suddenly become aware, when there bursts forth to our mind and hearts a moment
when we know that God is real. It is a gift from God, not given to us because
we go to church or because we are good or because we are really spiritual. It
is simply a gift.
It
is an experience that also gives us a command. This is My
beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!
And yet I suppose we all know it is hard to listen. It is difficult. It is no
accident that the Transfiguration happened when the disciples were on the road
to Jerusalem when it would soon appear that Jesus had failed, that He was
powerless against the opposition and the forces of death. The Transfiguration
is given to us to support us in those times when we are looking into a murky
future and are not sure what is going to happen, and when we are wondering what
is best for us, for our families, for the job that we do.
Listening
to Jesus becomes a part of our life-style. We chose a different center for our
life than the way of noise and clatter and idle gossip. We value the cost of
paying attention so we can hear the voice of God over, beyond, and in all the
noise around us. We listen for the inner persuasions that draw us to particular
tasks that are ours and turn us away from those that are not. Listening is a
part of our life-style and we do it more effectively some days than others. But
the value, the importance, the commitment to listening has been impressed upon
us by the Transfiguration experiences of our life.
Listening
is also a discipline. It is taking a moment to do nothing but listen, to take
even a short time of silence and prayer and the reading of devotional material
to listen to Him. The listening is nurturing. It sensitizes our soul.
Some
of us may have had an experience when God was real for us. Did we also hear the
command Listen to Him? Have we been
faithful in doing what we have been told to do?
From
a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope February 18, 1996
©
Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell (Broyles)
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