Christian Living

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One day, Jesus led Peter, James, and John up Mt. Hermon where they would have a mind altering experience. It was here that Jesus was transfigured (changed) into a heavenly body that was clothed in the whitest of whites. Besides Jesus transformation, they witnessed Him conversing with two of the great Jewish prophets, Elijah and Moses. This experience must have ignited an adrenaline rush in these three disciples. Peter was so taken back at what he saw that he ventured forth with one of his spur of the moment responses, one which really made no sense: “…let us make three booths…” While they stood overshadowed by a cloud, the real purpose of the trip was revealed.

Just days before this Transfiguration, Jesus had explained to His disciples that He would be rejected by the religious authorities and would be killed. But He also told them He would rise again in three days. Peter responded to this revelation by rebuking Jesus. He was not going to let this happen. Jesus returned the rebuke by telling him he was interested more in the things of man than he was in God’s plans and purposes. Jesus startled Peter by rebuking Satan’s presence in his life. (Mark 8:31-33) Peter’s problem was “selective hearing.” He was hearing only what would fit into his comfort zone. Anything outside of his agenda would have little effect on him. As a result, Peter was hearing what Jesus was saying, but with little or no understanding. This was a problem Jesus faced throughout His ministry. A number of times when Jesus was teaching using Parables, His disciples would come up later and ask for a clarification. Jesus would say, “Are you also yet without understanding?” (Matthew 15:16, 16:11) The Disciples were thinking too much like the world. They were trying to apply with their experiential minds what they heard, instead of accepting Jesus’ teachings through faith.

On that day, on the Mount of Hermon, as the Disciples stood recovering from seeing Elijah and Moses, all of a sudden God spoke to them and said, “This is my beloved Son: hear Him.” To hear the voice of God would dwarf any previous spiritual experience anyone would have ever had! Why did God speak to them? Peter knew that Jesus was the Son of God, the Christ, so why would God seem to introduce Jesus to him? (Mark 9: 2-10) Could it be that God was rebuking Peter for his insolence and self-centeredness? It was time for Peter and the rest of the disciples to stop with their own agendas and start understanding what Jesus’ ministry was all about. God was saying it was time for them to take up their cross of self-interest and “get with the program!”

Today, many Believers take a similar approach when it comes to the proclaimed Word. We know the addresses of the Scriptures and its content, but we tend to accept only that which keeps us comfortable. If we hear a sermon that does not fit our agendas, we stand ready to alter or ignore its content. That is what Peter did. It was unacceptable to him that Jesus would die a violent death, and he told Him so. When we hear only part of the Truth, we stand vulnerable to Satan’s deceptions.

Hearing the Word is more than giving audience; it is understanding what is being proclaimed. It is comprehending. It is putting together the totality of the message. One of the most dangerous things a Christian can do is to fail to grasp the total picture. When we mix our tangible opinions with God’s intended Truth, we will run with our emotions instead of our Faith.

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