While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
(Mt. 17:5 NKJV)

Only by hearing Him (explicitly obeying His Word) can we have hope of eternal life

The scene is the Mount of Transfiguration. The Lord’s face has shone like the sun. His clothes have become as white as the light. Moses and Elijah have appeared and talked with Him. Surprisingly, Peter suggests making three tents: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah (Mt. 17:4).

We don’t know if Peter actually wanted to put Moses and Elijah on the same level as Christ, but the Father’s voice certainly rejects that notion. This passage teaches us that:

1. Jesus is the way, the only way, to the Father (John 14:6). When the old covenant was in effect, Jews who wanted to remain faithful to God had to listen to Moses and Elijah. That time has passed. “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, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
2. No matter how exalted Old Testament prophets were, they cannot compare to God’s Son. Jesus alone is Lord of all (Acts 10:36). “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
3. Only by hearing Him (explicitly obeying His Word) can we have hope of eternal life. “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9).

On the Day of Judgment we will stand before the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:10). The answer to one question will occupy our mind – Did I obey Jesus?

-- Rick Duggin