Listen to Jesus: The Command That Changes Everything

As Open Arms Community Church enters the season of Lent, Lead Pastor Zoe Hatcher launched a new teaching series called Listen to Jesus—a call to slow down, remove distractions, and return to the most essential practice of Christian discipleship: hearing and obeying the words of Christ.

Throughout Advent and the weeks that followed, the church journeyed toward salvation, witnessing Jesus as the light of the world. Now comes the next step. To follow Jesus is not only to admire Him or believe in Him, but to listen to Him.

This message centers on a moment in Scripture where God the Father speaks audibly from heaven and gives a command that still shapes the life of every disciple today:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

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A Glimpse of Glory on the Mountain

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,”he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
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

Matthew 17:1–9

Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, away from the crowds. There, before their eyes, He is transfigured. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become brilliant white. Moses and Elijah appear, speaking with Him. Then a bright cloud covers them, and God’s voice speaks from heaven.

This moment, known as the Transfiguration, is a brief but breathtaking glimpse of the true glory of the King. It is a special revelation of Jesus’ divinity and God’s affirmation of everything Jesus has done and everything He is about to do.

The disciples are not simply witnessing a miracle. They are being shown who Jesus really is.

This Is My Son

God’s first declaration is unmistakable: Jesus is His Son.

Jesus is not merely another prophet. He is not simply a great teacher or religious reformer. He is greater than all who came before Him. Born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is God in the flesh.

In this moment, the Trinity is revealed. The Son is glorified. The Spirit is present in the cloud. The Father speaks from heaven. The fullness of God is made known before three ordinary men.

Whom I Love, With Him I Am Well Pleased

God does not only declare Jesus’ identity. He reveals His heart toward Him.

The Father loves the Son. Not reluctantly. Not distantly. He delights in Him.

The Greek word translated “well pleased” carries the meaning of taking pleasure in, approving of, choosing, and preferring. God does not merely tolerate Jesus—He delights in Him. He approves of Him. He has chosen Him.

This identity is the foundation from which Jesus lives and ministers. Secure in the Father’s love and approval, Jesus faces opposition, rejection, suffering, and ultimately the cross. Nothing can shake who He knows Himself to be.

And in a profound way, this same love is extended to those who belong to Christ.

A Familiar Voice at the Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16–17

These same words were spoken when Jesus was baptized. At the very beginning of His ministry, heaven opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father declared Jesus’ identity.

But in Matthew 17, God adds something new.

“Listen to Him.”

What It Truly Means to Listen

The word “listen” in this passage is far richer than casual hearing. It carries the idea of hearing with understanding, perceiving, considering, and learning by hearing.

Listening to Jesus is not allowing His words to pass through the ears and quickly fade. It is receiving them deeply. It is letting them settle in the heart. It is learning from them. It is being shaped by them.

To listen, in the biblical sense, is ultimately to obey.

This is what it means to be a disciple.

Why Moses and Elijah Appeared

Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the Prophets.

Together, they stand for the entire Old Testament witness. Their presence alongside Jesus declares something unmistakable: everything God has spoken through the Law and the Prophets finds its fulfillment in Christ.

Jesus is not replacing Scripture. He is completing it.

This moment reveals the New Covenant standing in continuity with everything God has spoken before.

Another Mountain, Another Cloud

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.” When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 24:12–18

Long before the Transfiguration, Moses ascended Mount Sinai and encountered God in a cloud. God spoke from within that cloud and invited Moses into His presence.

The same pattern appears again in Matthew 17.

God does not call people from a distance. He invites them in.

God desires to be known.

God desires relationship.

God still invites His people into His presence today.

The Fulfillment of God’s Plan

Moses and Elijah standing with Jesus confirm His messianic mission. He is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.

Peter, James, and John are given a window into something extraordinary: Scripture coming together before their eyes. The Law. The Prophets. The Messiah.

The Transfiguration is a foretaste of heaven—a glimpse of the glory that awaits those who belong to Christ.

A Moment for Worship, Not Activity

Peter’s instinct is to build shelters, to preserve the moment, to do something.

But this moment is not about action.

It is about adoration.

It is about awe.

It is about listening.

The Father is not assigning tasks. He is giving a command.

Listen to Jesus.

His Presence Is the Sign

Many people ask God for signs.

In Matthew 17, God shows that His presence is the sign.

Jesus is not absent.
Jesus is not silent.
Jesus is not hidden.

He is present and speaking.

Jesus Speaks What the Father Speaks

For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken
John 12:49

Everything Jesus says flows directly from the Father. To hear Jesus is to hear God.

If someone wants to know God’s will, God’s heart, and God’s wisdom, the place to begin is simple:

Listen to Jesus.

Peter’s Eyewitness Testimony

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:16–21

After the resurrection, Peter boldly testifies that what happened on the mountain was real. He saw it. He heard it. He witnessed Jesus’ glory and the Father’s voice.

His message is clear: this is trustworthy. This is reliable. This is true.

God said, “Listen to Jesus.”

So listen to Him.

Jesus Alone Is the Authority

Some treat Jesus’ teachings as one religious viewpoint among many.

Scripture presents a different reality.

God commands His people to listen to Jesus.

Jesus is the light shining in the darkness.
Jesus is the authority for truth.
Jesus is the guide for life.

A Lenten Invitation to Slow Down

Lent is an invitation to pause.

To remove distractions.
To create space.
To seek God intentionally.

Listening to Jesus does not happen by accident. It happens through intentional time in Scripture, prayer, and quiet attentiveness.

God is still speaking.

The question is whether His people are ready to listen.

If you’re searching for a church in Bradford, PA, Open Arms Community Church in Bradford PA is a place where people are discovering hope, healing, and purpose through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

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