Matthew 17:9-13
New International Version 1984
(NIV1984)
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed
them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the
Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the
law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah
comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has
already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything
they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples
understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Have you ever been told to “listen”? Maybe it was a teacher or a parent who said, “Listen
to me!” and you knew that they meant to do what they said. Or maybe you had a husband or a wife say to
you “look at me, I want to know you are listening”. Whatever the case may be I am sure there have
been times when people wondered if you were truly listening to them.
In these passages we see the disciples, Peter,
James, and John coming down from the mountaintop, Jesus is talking to them,
they have been instructed to listen, but are they listening to what He is
saying? There is some indication that
they were listening as they recognized and understood who He was talking about.
When someone is truly listening they begin to understand what the other person
is saying. Just as Jesus spoke in parables,
only some people understood. Listening
is not just turning an ear towards another person or looking at them when they
are talking, it is asking questions and listening in order to understand what
is being said. The disciples were doing that. They asked questions and they understood what
Jesus was saying but only partially.
There is evidence that they still did not understand
that Jesus was going to suffer and die just like John the Baptist had to suffer
and die. What is even greater is that
they did not seem to hear that He would rise again. I find it very interesting that Jesus took
these men with Him another time but this time it was to pray. You can find the account in Matthew 26:37 – 38.
36
Then Jesus went with
his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37
He took Peter and the
two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the
point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2026:%2036%20-%2038&version=NIV1984)
I
have to think that if they would have listened to Jesus coming down from the
mountaintop they could have been a little more comforting to Him. They heard Him but yet they didn’t. He took them because He knew that they, of
all the disciples, would understand the agony He was going through and maybe
they could be His trusted companions that could give Him strength through
prayer. Even though Jesus knew the
outcome, He became stressed at what He was going to have happen to Him. And where were His friends? They were falling asleep, no empathy, just
sleep.
Have
you ever been there? Have you thought
they you deserved to be listened to but no one would listen? They might have pegged you as a trouble maker
when you asked questions? They may have
said you were stuck-up when you simply were trying to listen and understand
when others were talking. Do you ever
question God? It is okay to question God
but you better be prepared to listen to the answer.
At
those times in our life when life gets rough, we, like Jesus, need companionship,
friendship, and a listening ear. Jesus
demonstrated this by taking His disciples with Him to pray. He was not counting on them falling
asleep. He counted on them remembering
what He told them coming down from the mountain. Yet, while He was crying to God in agony they
were falling asleep.
Which
one are you? Are you the one that needs
to be listened to or are you the one asking the questions? Are you the one that needs comfort a friend
or the one that needs to be comforted? Wherever
you are at, remember that you have a comforter in Christ. You have one that will listen to you but you
also need to remember to be still and know that He is God. You need to be still and read His word. He has the answers for you but you must be
willing to receive them. Seek Him and
find Him when you seek Him and listen to Him with all your heart.
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment