Can you imagine going with a couple of friends up a mountain and suddenly one of your friends begins to shine brightly?! Then, two other people appear out of the blue and a voice from the sky begins talking? It sounds like something you would find in a fantasy movie.
This is what Peter, James, and John experienced the day they went up a mountain with Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus’ clothes became intensely white, “more so than any launderer in the world could bleach them” (Mark 9:3). Then Moses and Elijah appeared and began to have a conversation with Jesus. Don’t you wish we knew what they talked about?
Most amazingly is the voice that came from heaven, the voice of God the Father speaking about His Son. There are so many things the Father could have said about Jesus, but what He said was simple and yet so important.
“This is my one dear Son. Listen to him!” – Mark 9:7
This is My One Dear Son
Immediately, God the Father claimed Jesus as His Son. There was no more wondering or guessing as to who Jesus is. If Peter, James, and John still had any doubt in their minds it would have been erased right then. Jesus is the Son of God, the great I AM, Creator of all and Ruler over what He has made.
God claimed Him and therefore so must we. We must pray that God would erase any doubt we might have about who Jesus is. We must stand firm on the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the nations so we can boldly proclaim it to those God places in our lives, and so our faith will not be shaken.
Listen to Him
The second thing the Father said about Jesus is that we are to listen to Him. We must pay close attention to what Jesus teaches. We need to make sure that we are not adding or taking away from His Word like the Pharisees did. Be careful of human made rules that are pushed on others as divine law. What did Jesus teach? What does the Bible say? That and only that should be our rule for life. Listening to Jesus is not just about hearing what He says, it is also doing what He says. Obedience is a part of listening to Jesus. It shows a heart that loves and cares about His teachings because it knows that what Jesus says and teaches is good.
This might sound simple, but it is hard. So hard, in fact, that we cannot accomplish this on our own. The sins in our lives are stronger than our willpower to obey Jesus. We need His help and strength. What a wonderful God we have who not only shows us the way to live and provides a Savior to save us from our sin, but also gives us the power to do what we are called to do.
