Hear Him: Listening to God's Son

On the mountain, God the Father spoke only a few words. The last two were a command: “Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5). Those words reach all the way back to Moses.

Said before, with something new. At Jesus' baptism the Father had said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). On the mountain He said it again, and this time He added a command to listen to Jesus.

Moses' promise. Long before, Moses told Israel, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Why a prophet? At Mount Sinai, God's voice and the fire on the mountain frightened the people. They begged not to hear God's voice like that again (Deuteronomy 18:16). So God promised to send a Prophet who would bring His words to them.

God's words in His mouth. God said, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

The same command. Moses said of the coming Prophet, “Him you shall hear.” On the mountain, the Father said of Jesus, “Hear Him!” Jesus is the Prophet Moses promised.

Peter understood. After Jesus rose and went back to heaven, Peter preached that Jesus is that Prophet. He quoted Moses: “Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you” (Acts 3:22).

Greater than the prophets. Moses brought God's words, but Jesus is God's Son. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Peter never forgot. Years later Peter wrote, “And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:18). He was there, and he heard it.

Not made up. Peter said, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables” (2 Peter 1:16). Cunningly devised fables are clever made-up stories. What Peter saw really happened.

A light for us. Then Peter wrote, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed” (2 Peter 1:19). Heed means pay attention and obey. We have God's Word in the Bible.

Hear, O Israel. God's people knew these words by heart: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). In the Bible, to hear God means to listen and obey.

Listening first. Peter wanted to build tents for Jesus. The Father told him to listen first. Doing things for God starts with listening to God.

What to do. This week, read a short passage of Jesus' words in the Gospels each day. Ask God to help you do what Jesus says.

Peter, James and John heard the Father's voice on the mountain. We will probably never hear a voice from a cloud. So how do we hear Jesus today?

In His Word. Jesus' words are written for us in the Gospels. When we read them, we are hearing the same Jesus the disciples heard. God's Word is how He speaks to us now.

Hard words too. Soon after they came down the mountain, Jesus told His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men” (Luke 9:44).

Afraid to ask. But they did not understand, and “they were afraid to ask Him about this saying” (Luke 9:45). They heard the words, but they did not want to think about them.

The sad part and the happy part. Matthew says Jesus told them, “they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” But “they were exceedingly sorrowful” (Matthew 17:23). They heard about His death and missed the good news that He would rise.

Listening to all He says. Hearing Jesus means listening to everything He says, even the parts that are hard to understand. When something confuses you, ask Him in prayer, and ask a grown-up who knows the Bible.

A boy who listened. When God called young Samuel in the night, Samuel told God to speak, because His servant was listening (1 Samuel 3:10). That is a good prayer for anyone who opens the Bible.

Day and night. God told Joshua, “you shall meditate in it day and night” (Joshua 1:8). To meditate means to think about God's Word again and again.

Be still. God says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Listening often starts with being quiet. Find a quiet moment each day to read and pray.

Listening together. We also hear Jesus at church, when the Bible is taught and when we sing and pray together (Colossians 3:16). God gives us teachers to help us understand.

Jesus listened too. Isaiah wrote about God's Servant, whom the Lord woke up morning by morning to listen like a learner (Isaiah 50:4). Many Christians see this as a picture of Jesus, who always listened to His Father.

Jesus is knocking. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Hearing Jesus leads to friendship with Him.

What to do. This week, choose a Gospel and read one short story about Jesus each day. Underline one thing Jesus says, and obey it.