February 27, 2025 | Be God's Family
Listen to Him!
Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13(NIV)
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Devotional
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, God the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Mark and Luke have an even more personal form of this message given directly to Jesus: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22).
In today’s reading, three of Jesus’ closest disciples were with Him on the mountain when He was transfigured before Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament times. They heard similar words as at Jesus’ baptism, with one additional command: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
Yes, you caught it. Listen to Him!
In John 8:47, Jesus said, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” Are you listening?
In John 10:27, He said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Are you listening?
And in Revelation 3:20, the Lord says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Are you listening?
Notice that the disciples weren’t afraid when they saw Moses and Elijah. They even offered to construct some shelters for them. But whey they heard the voice of God, they were terrified.
Jesus had already told them everything that had happened at His baptism. He was probably aided by Andrew, Peter’s brother, who was a disciple of John the Baptist before he started following Jesus (John 1:40). They already knew that God was pleased with His beloved Son. Now they were hearing it for themselves, with an added command.
The question is, was it the voice of God or the words of God to listen to Jesus that shook them?
Are you listening?
Poem
In The Council Of The Holy Ones
Psalm 89
In the council of the Holy Ones
I see my God arise
He stands before me glorious
Once veiled in flesh, disguised
His righteousness now radiant
His judgments pure as light
O, who can stand before Him now?
No one, on earth, in skies!
I can but bow before Him
My hands shield tight my face
His radiance surrounds me
His radiance, His grace
O, let me never ever
From You my soul depart
Instead, forever ever
Reign solely in my heart
