Matthew 17:5, "While he yet spake, behold a
bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him."
This morning, the Bible remains as timeless
as ever. Quite often, the world will loudly proclaim that the Bible is
out-of-step with modern society: such an archaic book not worthy of
intellectual consideration. However, I have discovered that the Bible
is not only relevant, but I also have to run to keep up with it. The
smallest things in this world can cause so much trouble. As James said
about our little tongues, "Behold, how great a matter a little fire
kindleth!" (James 3:5b) Those words are as true today as they were when
first penned. Man's tongue continues to get him in trouble, and though
he might like to claim otherwise, the evidence is overwhelming that what
we say gets us in trouble and snowballs into other things as well. The
start of any sentence that should make us cringe is when someone says,
"Well I just think...." Brethren, what we think is of far less value
than what God has commanded. Likewise, man today likes to say, "God
just wants me to be happy." God is far less concerned with our
happiness as He is interested in us doing what is what right.
Our study verse is found in the midst of
the account of the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration. In this
lesson, Peter, James, and John are privileged - as they were quite often
- to come "a little farther and further" with the Master. While all 12
disciples walked with Him where others did not and heard things others
were not privy to, these 3 in particular were able to go places the
other 9 did not. This is one such time. As many times as I have looked
at this lesson and tried to preach from it, something stuck out to me
recently in the lesson that I had not ever considered before. It has
reference to Peter and how his mouth gets him in trouble, as it often
did with him and sadly often does with me as well.
The main thrust of this verse is that Peter
is speaking through ignorance and anxiousness, and God answers, pointing
out Peter's folly in what he said. Now, some of the other accounts of
this lesson tell us that Peter's rash statement in verse 4 was because
he did not know what to say. (Mark 9:6) Peter sees Moses and Elijah
speaking with Christ in glory, and he immediately says that he, James,
and John can rear three tabernacles: one for Christ, one for Moses, and
one for Elijah. So, Peter says something rashly, because he does not
know what to say. How often has that been our case friend? We say
something just to say something. Even if it does not make sense, we
would seemingly rather say something senseless than deal with the
silence. If I could encourage people today in something, it would
simply be this: do not be afraid of silence or stillness. Those times
when we are quiet can yield the greatest scenes of pleasure and joy with
our Master in sweet fellowship with Him.
However, what I had not noticed until
recently in this text is that the Lord interrupts him. While he was yet
speaking those rash words, the Lord cuts Him off to say something truly
worthwhile and at the same time point out Peter's foolishness. Now, I
freely confess that I hate being interrupted and cut off in my
speaking. One of the hardest lessons we are undergoing with our
children right now is to instruct them not to interrupt others while
they are talking. Interestingly enough, my children's actions have
showed me something quite revealing. Why does a child so often
interrupt someone else? As children, they think that what they have to
say "can't wait." In our constantly interrupting society, we see a
whole culture of adult children. What they have to say "can't wait" as
there is a complete dearth of patience in our world at large.
Consider what would have most likely
happened had the Lord not interrupted Peter. Have you ever seen someone
(or been the someone yourself) that talked without thinking and kept
talking and talking? Have you ever seen a preacher that had zero
liberty, but he just kept talking and talking to no purpose whatsoever?
Men have a propensity when talking in this manner to just keep talking
and talking and talking. Who knows how long Peter would have carried on
had the Lord not interrupted him? Who knows how long I would carry on
in my foolishness had the Lord not cut me off from time to time to
realign with that which is good and proper?
Instead of letting Peter ramble on for a
while in foolish talk that boiled down to idolatry, the Lord refocuses
these 3 disciples' sight. Moses and Elijah (who had no doubt fixated
much of their attention) vanished when the voice began to thunder. The
voice redirects their minds and eyes to the only One who should have
ever had their minds and eyes: His Beloved Son. Had they been listening
to what Moses and Elijah said? Obviously, since the Lord instructs them
to hear His Son. While we may value what respected and sage men say and
do, we should measure everything ever spoken or done by the standard of
the Son and what He has said and done. No matter how high our level of
esteem is for another, His must be higher. No matter the love and
devotion to a dear one, His must be stronger.
We might look at this scene today and
indignantly say, "How foolish to raise up an alter to Moses or Elijah!
The very idea when surrounded by glory and the Master Himself!" Indeed,
Peter's is a thought fraught with foolishness. But consider friends.
Our actions are no less patently foolish. How often have we been
surrounded with glory in our lives while touched, blessed, and visited
with the presence of our Husband and Friend? How often has our mind
when so blessed with a sense of His love, presence, and glory seemed to
immediately drift to the throes of life? We raise up alters to those
inferior things by placing things either before or on the same level
with Him. Notice that Peter was not contemplating an alter to Moses and
Elijah "above" the Lord. He was contemplating it "with" the Lord.
Friends, Christ cannot even be worshipped "with" other things much less
"below" other things.
Our lives seem day by day to be a constant
turmoil of care and activity. However, who should be above all others
in our minds, hearts, and eyes? The same One with whom we sit so many
times in glorious scenes above the things of this world. These 3 men
were already blessed above all others in the earth to see and experience
things that no one else did. How often have we been blessed above all
others to come above the world for a time to experience blessing, glory,
and rich scenes like none other at that time? Sadly, sometimes those
same scenes are muddied with the same sentiments that Peter espoused,
"Wow! He sure is a good preacher!" Exalting the preacher - no matter
how much you love or think of him - equates no less foolishly than
Peter's 3 alter statement.
In my short little experience, I have
become convinced that God still speaks to us through His word and in our
lives through a still, small voice. The strongest scenes of His
fellowship with us have been in the courts of His pavilion while in
halls of glory in His house. May those scenes find us looking solely
upon the well beloved Son, and may our ears be listening to Him. If He
is speaking so sweetly to us through the mouth of His minister, then by
all means listen. If He is singing back to you in songs of love as you
sing songs of praise to Him, then by all means listen. If He speaks to
you in the resonance of your own heart, while the prayers are fervently
being offered up, then by all means listen. May we not get caught up in
the rich sights of the experience but always remember to keep our eyes
and ears upon Him. As Habakkuk said about the Lord being in His holy
temple, "let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20)
In Hope,
Bro Philip