Obeying By Listening

𝐀𝐔𝐆. 𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝟕:𝟗-𝟏𝟎, 𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟒

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟗𝟕:𝟏-𝟐, 𝟓-𝟔, 𝟗 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡.”

𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟐 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟏:𝟏𝟔-𝟏𝟗

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟗:𝟐𝟖-𝟑𝟔

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝑺𝒐𝒏, 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆…. 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎.” (𝒗.35)

         Much of what has been written about the Transfiguration of the Lord at Mt. Hermon spoke of the appearance of Elijah and Moses and how our Lord Jesus was transfigured in the company of two of the greatest leaders the Jews have ever known.

         But there was more to this Gospel scenario than just the meeting between Our Lord, Elijah and Moses and to be able to understand this event deeper than what it suggests it is important that we try “𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰” and get into the very character of Jesus.

         And for us to understand what transformation means, let me provide you with some words used to define what it is and these include metamorphosis, conversion and, transformation. I believe it is necessary for us to know what transfiguration means so that we will at least have an idea of what took place at Mt. Hermon that the Church describes as the Transfiguration of Our Lord.       

         The fact that this event is depicted in all the Synoptic Gospels (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟏𝟕:𝟏-𝟔; 𝐌𝐤 𝟗:𝟐-𝟏𝟎 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐤 𝟗:𝟐𝟖-𝟑𝟔) makes the Transfiguration one of the most significant events in the life of Jesus.

         Mark’s account says that Jesus was transfigured while he was with Peter, James and John on high mountain as his clothes turned into dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them (𝐌𝐤 𝟗:𝟐-𝟑) and before them appeared Elijah and Moses who talked to Jesus (𝐌𝐤 𝟗:𝟒). Luke, on the other hand, wrote that “his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” (𝐋𝐤 𝟗:𝟐𝟗)        

         There was also something peculiar and common to all the three major characters in this event (Jesus, Elijah and Moses) and that is the mountain. We see in the Scriptures that Jesus always goes to a mountain or something higher especially to pray at night.

         The same was true for Moses who was given the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai and Elijah encountered God in Mt. Horeb. There was no clear explanation for their choice of a mountain to pray and the only plausible explanation could be that it brings them closer to heaven where God is supposed to be, and it could also be the stillness of the place that makes it conducive to prayer.

         The Transfiguration of Our Lord is deemed significant because as his Baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist was the starting point of his public life and his Ascension to Heaven the end of his earthly mission, the Transfiguration was the culminating event of his ministry.

         This event was also important to Jesus because it confirmed the Will of God for him to proceed with his salvific journey to finally bind the powers of Satan and the world to reconcile all men through his death on the cross.

         And the appearance of Eljah and Moses was not a coincidence but part of God’s design so that the Apostles – at least the three of them Peter, James and John – can testify to the truth that Jesus indeed was the Son of God. The presence of the three Apostles made them witnesses of the Glory of Jesus Christ and this is important because as witnesses, they must first see and then show to the world what they have seen.

        This is the same with us. For us to witness for Christ, we must first encounter him and be transfigured into his image and then go out into the world and make disciples of all nations (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟐𝟖:𝟏𝟖).

         What the Transfiguration showed was that in everything that he does, Jesus always asks the Father to direct his works and this decision to go to Jerusalem was no different. Jesus placed his life in the hands of the Father in heaven, and this was what Jesus was actually telling his disciples that they are to put all their trust in God.

         What makes this narrative significant was the transfiguration of the personhood of Jesus Christ from being a teacher or Rabbi into the sacrificial lamb who will be offered as an expiation for our sins. When God spoke in 𝒗.35, Jesus knew that it was the Will of the One who sent him that he should go to Jerusalem and suffer for all of mankind.

         In this Gospel narrative, Jesus is inviting each one of us to take a leap of faith and step out of our comfort zones and into the unknown. When Jesus went up to Mt. Hermon, he was stepping into the unknown and he needed to pray and ask God for an affirmation that going to Jerusalem to suffer and die was the right thing to do.

         Most Christians in today’s post-modern lives are living defeated lives. We woke up in the morning with all the heaviness that we went to sleep with last night. We open our eyes with all the negativity that we have entertained in our lives, and we invite these same negative trends by patronizing them.

        We may not be aware of it but we stay and remain defeated when the first thing that cross our minds upon waking up is “𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥.”           

         At times we try to look good by lying and manipulating situations and people around us. What we may not be aware of is that these negative thoughts and actions are blocking the flow of grace into our lives such that instead of becoming a vessel that would attract blessings from God, we unknowingly turn our backs into the favors that are in store for us.

         To be transfigured in the way we live as Christians is what is being asked of us as we step into the unknowns in this era of New Evangelization, but this is something that we all need to do if we are to save our Church from being decapitated by the secularism and relativism that are beginning to destroy our Christian values.

         Serving God is filled with “unknowns” and only those among us who are bold enough to go up to our own Mt. Hermon and seek God in prayer will be equipped with the strength to enable us to also carry our crosses and experience our own transfiguration so that we may also know that we do not belong to this generation.

          There is nothing that God wants than to share his glory with us and the transfiguration that gave Peter, James and John the unique opportunity to have witnessed the glory of God in its fullness as Jesus appeared in glory with Moses and Elijah can also happen to us if we will only abide by his Word.

          We as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory and we have to make it a habit to listen to Jesus as what Paul the Apostle said to the people of Corinth: “𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅’𝒔 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓-𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕.” (2 𝑪𝒐𝒓 3:18)        

         Thus we must ask in faith what God wants from us today. The transfiguration shows us that God simply wants us to obey his Son. When God spoke from the clouds and said “listen to him” it means we are not to just read the Scriptures, enroll in seminars and workshops, go to prayer meetings and attend Bible-sharing sessions but what he wants is for us to move and act on what we hear and casting our vote for the right candidates following a prayerful discernment process is one of the ways we can contribute to the conversion and or transfiguration of the country’s political environment.

         This Transfiguration event is a message for everyone who wishes to follow Our Lord, especially those who regard themselves as disciples. This Ordinary Season is the time for us to take stock of our relationship with Jesus Christ because our spirituality rests in our being transfigured into the personhood of Christ. We must gather all our energies to fuse together our inner and public life which means that who we are when no one is looking is the same as what people see. This is what we call integrity, and this is our spirituality.

          To listen is to obey. That’s the bottom line. This means that we die to our human nature and be transfigured into the nature of Christ. It also means we are to serve God by serving men without counting the cost.

          And if we as disciples want to give honor and glory to Jesus and look forward to joining him in heaven where we can behold His majesty and power, then all we need to do is to heed what the Apostle Paul told the people of Corinth: “𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕.” (1 𝑪𝒐𝒓 11:1)

This event is also important for us as the new disciples of Christ because it gives us preview of what the second coming of Our Lord will look like. (Ed Malay – Aug. 6, 2025)