17 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.
Mike McCoy
Vineyard Church – Concord CA
Observation: “This is my Son, whom I love… Listen to Him!” Father, you command me to listen to Jesus – to do what He says. My reflection is that I need you to open my ears so I can hear Him clearly above all other voices – even the likes of Moses and Elijah.
Action: Father, today I expect you to empower me to do what Jesus tells me to do – love God, love others, heal the sick, act justly, encourage people, whatever He says.
Observation: ‘This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ I love a little affirmation, but the affirmation You give is so often drowned out by the affirmations the world has to offer. At times it’s almost deafening–do this (whatever this is at the moment) and you’ll be somebody, and the world will be well pleased. That affirmation always comes with a catch–conformity to whatever pleases the world at that moment, and that is ever changing.
Action: Look to Jesus’ example, to His ‘conformity’. He walked through the world untainted by it, unaffected by the affirmation it offered. I want to be like that. I want to conform to His example alone. I know it comes with a price, at least during this life. May I be always willing to pay that price.
well said. may we so receive
observation: I love Peter seems to say the right thing, “its good for us to be here.” But then what he thinks he should do next is off the mark, “lets build something.” I love Father You interrupted his misguided need “to do” something with Your call back to being, a focus on relationship, identity in Sonship that precedes the obedience of “listen to Him.”
action: today i am going to pay attention to “being here” when You bring things to my life today. I will linger, just be there and fight the tendency to do something in a perfunctory or should based manner.
Observation: Jesus took His disciples with Him to get away by themselves and had an awesome experience. They heard the voice of God! Jesus invites me to get away with Him and wants to bring me along to meet God.
Action: Say yes! Every time I sense Jesus telling me to get away by myself to be with Him, say yes.
Observation: The Father calls us to listen to the Son. I have always thought I was a listener just because I am a believer, but noew I see that actually listening to Jesus is more than just believing.
Action: Lord, I will listen to You. I will understand that I can hear from You, I will seek Your voice, and I will be open-minded to what You might say and will obey.