Briefing: Over the years, I have been to more training classes, schools and seminars than I can count. I can count on one hand the times someone has told me, “This guy knows what he’s talking about. Listen to him!” It is usually an indicator that the person really knows his stuff.

Dispatch (Assignment): Listen to Him. Read Matthew 17:1-13.

On the Street: God is giving His full endorsement of Jesus to Peter, James, and John. This was not the first time God had spoken to a crowd. When Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:17), God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased”.

When I was in college, there was an election for the Governor of Texas. It was a political race that I will never forget. One of the men running was an old country boy. His TV ads always depicted him riding a horse with his cowboy hat on. He ran as a “good ole boy” who was going to fix things. His election campaign started out great. He was leading the polls at one time by eighty-one percent. He hit a snag on the campaign trail when he made an inappropriate comment comparing sexual assault to bad weather, saying: “If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it”. He really looked like a great candidate until you listened to him.

The disciples would carry on Jesus’ ministry after He was gone. It was important for them to listen to what He was teaching them. Time was running out and they needed to understand what the gospel was all about.

Highlights from this Read: Peter, James and John were the inner circle. These three were called by Jesus on three separate occasions (one, in Mark 5:37, when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead and again in Mark 14:32-36 when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane praying). He asked these three to pray and keep watch with Him. They were close enough to hear His prayers.

The Transfiguration was a singular event in history. Jesus was visibly glorified in the presence of these three select disciples. The Transfiguration was outwardly visible and consisted of an actual physical change in the body, as described in Luke 9:29.

Investigational Resources: Exodus 24:15-16 is another example where a cloud represents the physical presence of God. For other gospel accounts, see Luke 9:28-36 and Mark 9:2-13.

Officer Safety Principle: We have to listen to what the Bible tells us. God speaks to us in that way, among others.

from The Gospel of Matthew Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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