#DailyDevotion Jesus Is The Son. Listen To Him!
Matt. 175He was still speaking when a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is My Son Whom I love and delight in. Listen to Him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown; they were terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” He said, “and don’t be afraid.” They looked up and saw no one but Jesus. On their way down the mountain Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
Like the cloud that covered Mount Sinai as Moses went up a bright, shiny cloud overshadowed the 6 on the mount. The voice from heaven made 7. For no one could see the Father, only the only begotten who has made him known, i.e. Jesus. It is interesting in iconography, up to recent Russian iconography the Father was only imaged as hand for this reason. In Western art he starts appearing as we left the standards of iconography and went into the Renaissance. Here we only hear his voice, “This is My Son Whom I love and delight in. Listen to Him!”
God the Father once again puts his seal on his son Jesus Christ as he did at his baptism. At his baptism Jesus is identified as one of us, that is he takes our place as humanity. In the baptism of the cloud his mission, he is prepared for sacrifice like one of the ritual animals. Jesus intensely begins teaching about his upcoming death and resurrection after this point as we will shortly see. Yes, Jesus is God’s son and as a son is of the same substance and essence of the Father. As such he is equal to the Father concerning his divinity. The Father’s seal tells us to listen to him. This indeed is another place which tells us all of Scripture is about Jesus and God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. Jesus’ teaching is the Father’s teaching and has the Father’s authority. Because of this Jesus’ teaching is life, eternal life.
Now this frightens the disciples. They were terrified! And who wouldn’t seeing Jesus in his glory and then hearing from the cloud the Father’s voice. Yet in this age the voice of Jesus is gospel, good news, “Get up and don’t be afraid.” When you are with Jesus and he is on your side you don’t need to be afraid. Even if you don’t think he is on your side he wants to be if you would just humble yourself before him, confess your sin and know he is the Father’s love expressed to you. No matter what you have done or who you have been or are, Jesus has come for you with these words, “Don’t be afraid.” For in Jesus we find the Father’s mercy, kindness, patience, loving-kindness and grace. There was no one else there anymore, just Jesus. That is all we ever have is Jesus and he gives us the Holy Spirit and gives us to the Father.
The quest is now in earnest as they go down the mount. “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” The others wouldn’t understand it. I doubt they did at the time. Perhaps he knew they would try to make him king before his time like the crowd. But Jesus’ mission is before him. The Son of Man must rise from the dead. If he must rise from the dead then he must be dead first. Jesus sets his face from now on to Jerusalem to be offered up as a ransom for humanity. He is to be the Father’s sacrifice for our sin. He must taste death for us and overcome death for us, for you. And he did.
Almighty God and Father, grant us ears that listen to your son our LORD Jesus Christ that we may believe in him and receive the kingdom prepared for us before the foundation of the world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.