Do You Hear Him?
Jesus said in Matthew 16:28, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, til they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” Those that Jesus were referring to were Peter, James, and John. We read in Chapter 17 that Jesus took these three disciples with him up in a high mountain away from the others to pray. The three disciples became sleepy and went to sleep while Jesus prayed. They awakened to see that Jesus was transfigured before them. He changed in form. They were looking upon His glory. His face began to shine as the sun, and his raiment was glistening white; whiter than a new-driven snow. It was as white as the light. The Bible says that Moses and Elias appeared unto them and spoke with Jesus concerning His death, resurrection, and His ascension (Luke 9:31).
The disciples may have awakened because of the bright light. Now, isn’t it amazing that Peter knew who these two men were. He said to Jesus in Luke 9:33, “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.” It may have been that because Peter was observing the Lord in His glory that he thought that the kingdom of God had come and that this was the right thing to do.
Luke 9:34&35 says, “While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” God spoke to them through the cloud. It wasn’t just any cloud. It was bursting forth with a fire from within. Remember the cloud that led the Children of Israel by day and a fire by night in Exodus 13:21? Notice, God spoke “this is my beloved Son”. He said in Matthew 17:5, “…in whom I am well pleased…” This was more proof that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
God instructs the disciples to “hear ye him”. Moses says in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;” That Prophet is Jesus Christ, and the Father confirms this in His Words to the three disciples. The Bible says that Peter, James, and John fell to the earth when they heard the Words of the Father. Jesus touched them, and said, “Arise, and be not afraid.”
God is still commanding His people today, “Hear ye him”. Jesus is speaking through His Word and to our hearts. He speaks through His ministers. Are we listening? Do we hear? Are we obedient? Have we become listeners to everything that vies for our attention? We must pull apart as Jesus and His disciples did in these passages, sit at the feet of Jesus, and “hear ye him”.
Luke 9, verse 37 says that on the day following these events, Jesus and the three disciples came down from the mountain. The Bible says that “much people met him”. Jesus ministers to a young man that had been tormented by a demon. We may not experience seeing Jesus transfigured before us or God speaking through a cloud, but we have the Holy Spirit that is speaking the Words of the Father and Jesus. When we move into His Presence in worship, prayer, and fellowship, we are ushered into the glory. This is where the glory of our great God comes upon us by His Spirit; that we, too, are ready to be used in the miraculous. Are you ready to experience the glory of our great God? It is time to get ready.