For details or context necessary from Part 1; see the below post….

The second time God spoke audibly was at Mount Hermon, or the “mount of transfiguration,” when He said…   Matt 17:5…“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Again God expressed His unfailing and precious love for His Son as well as the pleasure enamored because of Him. Jesus was being transfigured or changed into another form. Some say Jesus’ appearance was changed to that of Christ and was resplendent with divine brightness. His immortal body was revealed in all of it’s splender. We will one day have bodies like this and I can’t wait. However, on this night, three disciples were fortunate enough to see it, but what exactly did they see?

Matt 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” So check it out, they saw two men appear, talking with Jesus. Men that they’d only heard stories told about. Seeing Moses and Elijah for them would be like us seeing George Washington or the Apostle Paul (why did I choose these two; I have no idea) today having a conversation. We would immediately be smitten and we’d want to hear what they were saying as well as show them how appreciative we were for their contributions to our lives today. This is what I believe Peter was feeling in all of his excitement. He wanted to commemorate, what they were witnessing as he knew nobody would ever believe him when he’d tell. Peter failed to just sit and soak in the presence of Jesus and the miraculous event he was witnessing.

Check this out, Peter was in the midst of trying to do something good rather than receiving (remember Martha)… actions without direction…. God then cut Peter off and said this: Matt 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” The same thing He said before, even though the three disciples were there the first time. So why? Peter was distracted by all that was happening on mountain and had lost focus… Remember: Jesus is my Son and I am pleased with everything about Him. That was His message, but He went on to add something else… Hear Him!” God thought it was important to hear what His beloved Son had to say.

So what did Jesus have to say after God spoke… “Arise, and do not be afraid.” the Greek word Arise means to awaken from sleep, WAKE UP!!! (for my School Daze fans) Then He encouraged them to no longer be scared. Words we need to adhere to. The Church today needs to be reminded; Wake up from your deep sleep; stop being scared (we’ve got all the power and we know who wins). We often listen to smart, successful, humble and impressive people who are great leaders and have significant accomplishments. However, while it is great to get advice from these people, there is only one who God wants us to Hear from (listen too; comprehend) and that is Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus continued to speak and continues to talk to us all of the time.

I believe the key is in verse 8. The text says that When they had lifted up their eyes, our focus is on our situation, circumstance which are often our problems…these are all typically in low places, so we have to look up. What we know from scripture is that Ps 121:1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. When we look up, we can Hear Him! As a matter of fact, when all of the dust had settled they saw no one but Jesus only…And He is all we need.

When God Talks…Hear Him!!

….Up Next When God Talks…We Should Listen!! (Part3)