Listen to the Word That Belongs to Him :: Matthew 17:1-9
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased. Listen [to the Word that belongs to] Him.’ (v 5)
[Introduction]
It’s hard to listen to Jesus, isn’t it?
The noise of the world surrounds us ... it overwhelms us. The noise of the world bombards us with daily responsibilities, societal expectations, news, opinion, and gossip. The buzzes and beeps of your phone vie for your attention. The busy pace of life makes it difficult to focus on the still small voice that Elijah heard on the mountain in 2 Kings 19. Our thoughts and anxieties can easily disrupt and destroy peace and steal the show. Amid all of it, there’s the constant noise that we should listen instead to our heart, our feelings, our thoughts.
But today, we can see and hear God on the mountain.
Listen, the voice from the cloud declares. Listen [to the Word that belongs to] him (v 5).
Listen to what? Listen to whom?
Listen to him. Listen to the Word of God. Listen to Jesus alone. This is the Word for our meditation today.
1.
Today, on the mountain of God, Jesus has stepped forward again to say, Stop being afraid. God Incarnate has come near so that you who have faith will know that you have life in his name. That’s why Jesus led Peter, and James and his brother John up this mountain ... to this place where heaven and earth meet. On this mountain of God, they were afforded the opportunity to become eyewitnesses of the majesty of God in Christ (2 Pt 1:16). They were allowed to see the face of God shining as brightly as the sun until Jesus veiled his glory again in blood and flesh (v 2). They were able to see that someone greater than Moses and Elijah is really here.
More importantly, they were able to hear the Word of God ... and to listen to it. As they listened, they were reminded of creation ... this happened after six days. They were reminded that Jesus is the Beloved Son of Man, the Beloved Son of Abraham, the One who would crush the serpent’s head, destroy sin, rise from the dead, and give you the hope of eternal life, too.
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, like Peter, James and John before you, I implore you ... to listen ... because ...
ALL OF GOD’S BLESSINGS COME BY MEANS OF LISTENING TO HIS WORD
That doesn’t mean it will be easy.
2. Sometimes God tells us things that are hard to listen to, doesn’t he?
You know, like Repent for the Kingdom of the Heavens is near (Mt 4:17). In the Gospel of Matthew, not only is that the first Word that Jesus spoke when stepped out of the wilderness and began his ministry, it was ... and still is ... a hard word to listen to ... because let’s be honest with each other ... Who here actually wants to repent? Who here is actually willing to openly confess your sin, iniquity, and transgression ... to speak of it aloud ... to admit you are wrong? Maybe you can speak of one sin, but all of them?
Repentance is a hard word because it is not merely confessing your sins. ... It is not merely saying, like Paul, that I am the chief of sinners. Repentance is a hard word because it is literally a change of mind ... and we all know how hard change is. More than that, whereas it begins with faith, which is not something you can create or nurture yourself (Eph 2:8) ... because Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith (Heb 12:2) ... repentance also includes sorrow that I struggle to believe. Repentance requires you not only to be able to hear the Word of God, but to listen to the Word of God and long to do all that Jesus commanded you to do ... you know, like loving the Lord you God with your whole heart and your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37-38). It means denying ourselves, sharing the hand of fellowship, laying aside grudges in humility (Mt 23:12).
To be sure, repent is a hard word to listen to.
But it might not be the hardest.
How about that word of God from Luke 14:26, when Jesus said, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and still also his own life, is not able to be my disciple. Talk about a hard word to listen to! And let’s not forget that time right before the transfiguration of our Lord when Jesus told his disciples that if anyone desires to follow him, we must ... take up his cross (Mt 16:24) ... in other words, to crucify our passions and desires ... and to forgive unconditionally. That’s also a hard word to listen to.
There certainly are many more words of our Lord that are hard to listen to, like going the extra mile (Mt 5:41) and following the so-called Golden Rule of doing unto others as they would do unto you (Mt 7:12). But there might not be a word that is harder to listen to than Jesus’ call to eat and drink his flesh and blood because it gives you eternal life (Jn 6:54). As Saint John tells us, this was the Word that prompted Jesus’ own disciples to start grumbling among themselves. This word left others feeling so offended ... scandalized ... that they stopped following him (Jn 6:61,66). Do you want to go away too, Jesus ultimately asked the twelve. To which Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, toward whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have faith and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God (6:66-69).
3. This leads us to Peter’s own testimony which encourages you to keep listening to the Word that belongs to God.
Peter not only saw the truth himself, he heard it ... and listened to it. We didn’t follow sophisticated myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received from God the Father honor and glory, when such a voice was conveyed to him by the majestic glory: ‘This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well-pleased,’ indeed this voice we ourselves heard (2 Pt 1:16-17a).
And now he is sharing that with you. On account of his witness, we can now see and hear why Jesus began his exodus to the cross, where all of our sin was crucified (Lk 9:31). We can now see and hear how and why Jesus suffered on the mountain of God in our place. We can now see and hear that the wages of our sin [truly] is death (Rm 6:23) ... that is, death on a cross (Php 2:8). We can now see and hear the Lamb of God being pierced for our transgressions, and the water and blood flowing from his side. Now we can understand why Jesus gave us an epiphany with baptism. Baptism opens our eyes and ears to see and hear.
Because of Peter, James, and John ... we now truly know the love of God in Christ ... We saw him die. We saw him buried. And we have seen that ... He is risen! ... He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah! ... And now we know that all who have faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus will never die.
It is on account of this Gospel that we can now listen for the call to come to the Divine Service, where God himself continues to serve us by delivering his means of grace. We can now listen to the Word of Absolution that announces you are forgiven and free ... returning to our Baptism every day, knowing that God indeed saves us ... through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom God pours out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. We can now know that ... because he has clothed us in his robes of righteousness ... we have a place at the Lord’s Table ... and that after the Supper, we will be able to arise and leave this mountaintop in peace, telling all about what the Lord has done for us.
[Conclusion]
What a truly humbling experience the Transfiguration of our Lord really is. God Incarnate has been manifested in such a way that only the glory of the resurrection surpasses it. On account of it, we have the more certain prophetic word to which you will do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns the light bearer arises in your hearts (2 Pt 2:19).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, listen to this word that belongs to him and ... Stop being afraid. As we continue to do this, we will come to know the Gospel. We will come to know true forgiveness. We will come to know pure grace. We will come to know true communion and thankfulness. In Jesus, we will come to know that there is a place where there is no more sin and suffering ... no more sorrow and regret ... where no more guilt and shame ... in Jesus’ name. Amen.