Listen To Him

Mar 13, 2023

Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, my Chosen One.

Listen to him.”

- God, Luke 9:35 (NLT)

"The Transfiguration of Jesus reveals [that] the glory of God is a live human being

and a truly human life is the vision of God."

- St. Irenaeus, 2nd Century

One of the things I love most about Jesus is that He understands you and I so perfectly, so completely, so deeply.

Jesus knows you, inside and out, better than you know you, inside and out. Time and time again, in the Bible, Jesus introduces Heaven's eternal promises smack dab in the center of our earthly temporal insecurities. For instance, if you've ever wondered:

What is Heaven really like? I mean, is it singing in a church choir or listening to sermons 24/7… Is it boring or fun?
What will we look like in Heaven? Will I recognize my Dad, my Mom… my son… my Uncle Bob?
What will I feel like in Heaven? Will I be happy… I mean… really happy? Or will I have some lingering regrets?

I mean, if you're like me, you wonder about stuff like that – which is why Jesus put a miracle in the Bible just for you and I.

It's called the Miracle of the Transfiguration.

In Luke 9, right after Jesus performs a series of miracles and predicts His own death on a cross, Jesus leads three disciples, Peter, James and John, to a mountain that becomes known as the Mount of Transfiguration. On that mountain top, Jesus suddenly begins to shine before them with brilliant bright rays of shimmering light. He appears to be luminescent before them.

Then the Old Testament figures of Moses and Elijah appear and the Scripture says Jesus begins "talking to them."

Don't you just love this? Jesus is having a casual conversation with two of the greatest men in the Bible…. And even though they just happened to die centuries earlier, Peter, James and John watch with jaw-dropping fascination as Jesus chats with Moses and Elijah as if they're having a cuppa joe at their favorite bistro! And what did Moses and Elijah look like? The disciples said: "They were glorious to see." (v.31) In other words, they looked better than their best moment on earth… they looked happy, content… they looked perfect! And what were they talking about? Again, the Bible says, the disciples heard them talking about the resurrection of Jesus that would happen in Jerusalem.

There is something so refreshingly beautiful about all of this! In the midst of the most distressing news they had ever heard – that the Messiah they loved was going to die – Jesus comforted His three friends by giving them not only visible powerful evidence of His Divinity, but also a profound preview to the glory of His resurrection on Easter Sunday. And then, feeling as if this must all be a dream, God the Father shattered the disciples' reverie with the words: "This is my dearly loved Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!" (v.35).

In Christian teaching, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment.

The setting on that mountain is the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place between the temporary and the eternal, with Jesus Himself as the connecting point, as the bridge between Heaven and earth. You want to know what your Uncle Bob is doing right now in Heaven? Chances are… like Moses and Elijah… he's not singing in some celestial choir… but enjoying a cup of Heaven's brew chatting with Jesus, like they're best friends, at a bistro, on top of some mountain overlooking all of creation.