A Day in the Life
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” — Matthew 17:5
There are moments in the life of Jesus that feel almost too radiant to approach. The Mount of Transfiguration is one of them. I imagine the climb—Peter, James, and John following Christ up the mountain, unaware that they are about to glimpse His unveiled glory. Matthew tells us that Jesus “was transfigured before them,” and His face shone like the sun. The Greek word used here is metemorphōthē, from which we derive “metamorphosis.” What was always true of Jesus inwardly was allowed to shine outwardly for a brief moment. This was not a change in His nature but a revelation of it.
And yet, even in this holy moment, the disciples struggled. Luke’s Gospel tells us they were heavy with sleep. At the very hour when Moses and Elijah appeared—representing the Law and the Prophets—the three closest followers of Christ were fighting drowsiness. It is striking how often spiritual dullness accompanies divine revelation. D. A. Carson observes, “The disciples’ misunderstanding is not due to lack of information but lack of spiritual perception.” They were present, but not attentive.
I see myself there. How often does Christ reveal something of His heart—through Scripture, through worship, through a quiet prompting of the Spirit—and I am distracted? The pressures of the day, the urgency of tasks, the noise of responsibility can lull the soul into inattentiveness. Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah about His “departure,” Luke says—His exodos, a deliberate reference to the cross. Heaven was discussing redemption, and the disciples were sleeping.
When they finally awakened, Peter did what many of us do when confronted with glory: he tried to manage it. “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will make three tabernacles.” He wanted to build something. He wanted to respond with activity. But the Father interrupts him. A cloud overshadows them—a sign of divine presence—and a voice declares, “This is My beloved Son… Hear Him!”
That command is the centerpiece of the scene. The Greek imperative akouete autou means “Keep on listening to Him.” Not Moses. Not Elijah. Not your own plans. Listen to the Son. The Father was not dismissing the Law and the Prophets; He was declaring their fulfillment. As Hebrews 1:1–2 reminds us, “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.” The final and full revelation is Christ.
There is a subtle but important lesson here. The disciples were distracted first by sleep, then by activity. Both can hinder spiritual attentiveness. We can be sluggish in prayer, inattentive in worship, careless in Scripture reading. Or we can be so eager to “do something for God” that we fail to sit at His feet. Oswald Chambers once wrote, “The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain.” That insight captures the heart of this passage. Before building tabernacles, before planning ministry, before launching effort, we must hear Him.
In our own discipleship, this raises searching questions. Am I so preoccupied with productivity that I neglect intimacy with Christ? Do I assume I know what He wants without first listening carefully? Sometimes the Father, in mercy, removes distractions. He may allow certain ambitions to fade or certain supports to fall away so that only Jesus remains clearly before us. On the mountain, when the cloud lifted, the disciples “saw no one but Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8). That is not loss; it is clarity.
The Transfiguration also reminds us that glory and suffering are intertwined. Jesus was preparing His disciples for the cross. They needed to understand that the One who would soon be humiliated was also eternally glorified. As R. T. France notes in his commentary on Matthew, “The heavenly voice interprets the vision and directs attention not to the spectacle but to obedience.” The vision was not given for fascination but for faithfulness.
In this season of the Church calendar, as we reflect on Christ’s journey toward the cross, the Father’s command rings clearly: Hear Him. When He calls us to forgiveness, we listen. When He calls us to humility, we listen. When He calls us to trust in suffering, we listen. The Christian life is not driven by spectacle but by obedience.
Perhaps today you feel spiritually distracted. The demands of work, family, and responsibility crowd your thoughts. Or perhaps you are eager to accomplish something significant for God. Pause. Before the activity, before the planning, before the striving—listen. Sit quietly with the Gospels. Read His words slowly. Ask the Holy Spirit to sharpen your hearing. As Jesus Himself said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Hearing precedes following.
If you would like to explore this passage further, The Gospel Coalition offers a helpful theological reflection on the Transfiguration and its meaning in redemptive history: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-is-the-transfiguration/
Today, I want to walk through this day seeing “no one but Jesus only.” Not because other responsibilities disappear, but because Christ remains central. When the Father speaks, it is not to overwhelm us but to orient us. His Son is the focal point of revelation, redemption, and relationship. Our task is not to construct monuments but to cultivate attentiveness.
May we resist spiritual sleep. May we restrain unnecessary activity. And may we hear Him—again and again—until His voice steadies our hearts and shapes our obedience.
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