“Listen To The Son Of God And Obey Him!”

“Listen To The Son Of God And Obey Him!”
“There is no gain without pain.” There is no sweet without sweat.”
Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain where he was transfigured before them. There Elijah and Moses appeared and was talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Prior to this mountaintop encounter Jesus had predicted his soon to be suffering and death. But he also told how he would later come in glory (cf. Mk.8:31ff).
Peter wanted to skip the suffering and death part and skip to the enjoyment of glory. Peter wanted gain without pain. He wanted sweet without sweat! In God’s plan it doesn’t work that way.
Peter forgot too soon that his nine colleagues and the rest of the disciples were down in the valley. We have a saying that the dog is not after the chase because it wants the game for its master. The dog is after the chase for itself. Peter knew that the King’s dog is the king of dogs. If they made three shelters for Jesus, Elijah and Moses, they, the three disciples would become the kings’ dogs, hence kings to all dogs. Of course he would be the superior servant dog.
Well, God had a different agenda. *Action is not on the mountain. Action is down the valley where the masses are gathered! The mountaintop is a place of revelation of the promised land or the future glory. Through the transfiguration God was revealing his Son who must be listened to and obeyed(Mk.9:2-8).
The last time God called Moses up the mountain it was to show him the promised land and to be told he was not to enter.
Martin Luther King Jr. in later days told the Americans, “I have been to the mountaintop. I have seen the promised land. I may not enter there, but my children would…”
My friend, mind the way you treat people in the valley while you are on the mountaintop. They are the very people you will descend to meet. The mountaintop has no permanence!
Listen to Jesus and obey him! There is no other name by which we have been saved, except that name Jesus!
Sunday prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I will listen to you and obey. Holy Spirit remind me always that there is no permanence on the mountaintop. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!