Listening to Jesus

He was still speaking when behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”       – Matthew 17:5 

 

According to London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, “sport’s greatest goal” was accomplished on the morning of May 6, 1954, when Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes.  Despite warnings from physiologists that attempting such a feat was an athletic impossibility, one that would endanger his health and his life, Bannister trained continually. On the morning of the race, a strong wind was blowing at the racetrack. He was encouraged not to push, but he pressed on. He would later say, “The earth seemed to move with me.” At his funeral in 2016, his son was the last to eulogize him. In introducing his son, the officiating minister said, “There are some things about a father that only a son or daughter can know.”

 

The Father-Son relationship Jesus had as a human with God in heaven is unique. Jesus could speak of the Father as only a Son could, and with the same authority that the Father has. At the Mount of Transfiguration, God the Father, acknowledging His pleasure with Jesus, told the disciples to “listen to Him.”

Listening to Jesus today involves spending time with Him through reading His Word, prayerfully considering what you have read, and following through on the calls or commands He gives.

Dr. David Jeremiah said, “We have a responsibility to hear God speak and listen.”

Theologian John Piper said, “Turn down the noise and listen to Jesus. Wake up! Listen. Don’t drift. Take heed. Look. Zero in.”