Listen

A son wants to visit his father. He asks his friends to join him and they set off to travel up a tall mountain.

They arrive at the mountain top. The son stands high above the world and tilts his gaze skyward to share his thoughts with his father. As he does, a burst of white radiance suddenly engulfs him and he is miraculously transfigured by the light. Amidst the glorious transfiguration, his friends see the vision of two other men.

One of the friends, Peter, asks Jesus if he should prepare a place for the two men who have joined them, Moses and Elijah. Before Jesus can answer, a booming voice comes from out of the clouds:

“This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7)

The apostles Peter, James, and John are astounded at what they see and hear. First, they see Jesus embraced in brilliant radiance. Then, they see the appearance of two icons of the Scriptures: Moses, the lawgiver; and Elijah, the great prophet. Even more incredibly, they hear the voice of God proclaiming the divinity of his Son, Jesus.

Jesus commands his friends to not tell anyone of this happening until his work is complete. Then, he reveals to them his coming destiny.

“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. (Mark 9:31)

God sends his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world so that those who believe in him will not die, but gain life everlasting in heaven. God does this because of love for the people of the world—He does this to save the people of the world. But to do accomplish this, His Son will have to first endure rejection and humiliation and be crucified by those he has come to save.

On the day Jesus climbed the mountaintop to pray, God pronounced His witness to the world and He did it in this way: God attired His Son in beautiful radiance, He honored him with the presence of Moses and Elijah, and He praised him with the heartfelt words known to all proud fathers: “This is my beloved Son.”

God is the proud Father of Jesus Christ. God was willing to endure the suffering of His beloved Son so that we can one day join them in heaven. When God calls out from above the clouds and speaks to us about Jesus, he asks only one thing:

“Listen.”

These Bible stories are re-imagined in the novels:

Songs of the Deliverer