The Transfiguration of Jesus

I don’t know whether you have ever climbed a high mountain or had a ‘mountain top’ experience? I once climbed up St Mary’s Peak at Wilpena Pound with our son Tim, and we enjoyed a breath-taking view of the Pound and Flinders’ Ranges. And last month when Cheryl and I were at the Flinders for a few days we climbed up to ‘Alison’s Saddle’ at Rawnsley Park Station and had a great view of the valley and distant ranges and Rawnsley Bluff.

In today’s Bible reading from Mark we hear how Peter, James and John had a wonderful mountain top experience; how they had a breath-taking view - of Jesus in his glory. This amazing event is called “the transfiguration”. So let’s go back to the reading in Mark and think about it.

Firstly, we notice when it happened. Mark says, “And after 6 days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.” Mark 9:2.

“After 6 days”. 6 days after what? If we read back a few verses we hear this: “And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ And they told him, ‘John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ And he asked them, ‘ But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ’. And he charged them to tell no one about him.” Mark 8: 27-30

It’s one thing to hear what others say who Jesus is; but it’s much more personal to be asked “But who do you say that Jesus is?” That was, and still is the big question.

Jesus had waited 2 1/2 years to ask it. Jesus had fed 5,000 people with 2 loaves and 2 fish, he had stilled the storm, he had healed the sick and delivered people from demons. He had given them clue after clue, and now he asked them what conclusion they had come to.

Peter, with God-given insight, declared “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In effect, you have lived before, but not on earth; you have lived in heaven before. You are the Son of God.

Then Jesus told them “that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly.” Mark 8:31,32

This was the first time he had mentioned either his death or his resurrection. Before he talked about his death they needed to know who he is. And that is important for people today too. People need to know that the person dying on that cross was not only a man, even a great man. They need to know Jesus is the Son of God. The cross won’t mean what it should to us until we know who died on it.

Now Peter then proceeded to open his mouth and to put his foot in it badly!

“And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.”

“But turning and seeing his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter, and said ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men.’ “

A Christianity that by-passes the cross or down-plays its necessity, isn’t God’s Christianity!

And then Jesus called to him the multitude with his disciples and told them what it meant to come after him. Let me just read the Lord’s words,

“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

And so six days after all this Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, up a high mountain, probably Mt Hermon, and he was transfigured before them.

What happened?

It seems the three disciples saw Jesus become so bright they could hardly look at him. The description tells us that the light was coming through his clothes from inside them. It was not that a light was shining on him, it was a light shining out of him, and his clothes were almost transparent. Something like a powerful floodlight shining from behind a cloth. He was glistening, whiter than snow on Mt. Hermon.

These disciples were catching a glimpse of Jesus’ glory that he left behind when he was born in Bethlehem; they were catching a glimpse of what Jesus looks like when he is in heaven.

This transfiguration of Jesus was a confirmation of Peter’s confession; but it was also an assurance to them, and perhaps to Jesus himself, that the cross is indeed God’s plan and purpose, that suffering is the way to victory, trouble the way to triumph. Jesus will read the path of rejection, but the Father will not fail him; God will raise him up. The cross really is God’s way of salvation and victory over sin, Satan and death.

Jesus is both suffering servant and glorious divine Messiah.

Then Jesus is joined by Moses and Elijah. They were two great men of the Old Testament, representing the law and the prophets. They are talking with Jesus who had come to fulfil what both law and prophets had looked forward to. Jesus brings the past to its conclusion, completion, fulfilment.

In scripture, both Moses and Elijah are connected with the last days. The expectation was that a prophet like Moses would arise in the last days, and the Israelites were instructed to listen to him. And there was an expectation that Elijah would return as a herald of the Lord’s coming.

And here on this mountain top Moses and Elijah appear and they are talking to Jesus. This means, among other things, that Moses and Elijah were not dead but still alive. “God is not God of the dead”, Jesus once said, “but of the living.”

And here these two are talking to Jesus; so let’s not drive a wedge between the Old and the New Testament, as if the Old is not true, and the New is.

What were they talking about? Not the footy score!

Luke, in his account, tells us “And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.” Luke 9: 30,31

“his departure”. The Greek says his ‘exodus’. The word ‘exodus’ reminds us of the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom, when God acted through Moses long ago.

And here Jesus is going to set a lot of people free from sin by his death in Jerusalem. And Jesus’ sacrifice is so effective to deal with our sin and guilt that it never needs repeating.

Then Peter spoke up. “Master, it is well that we are here.” Yes, it was a wonderful mountain-top experience! He then went on to suggest building three shelters as memorials. Perhaps he was thinking of the Jewish festival of shelters where shelters were set up to commemorate the exodus from Egypt and living in the wilderness.

But God didn’t want this, and He spoke up. “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

Once before a voice had come from heaven, at Jesus’ baptism, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Sometimes people might say things like ‘I believe Jesus was a prophet,’ but then add, ‘like Mohammed and Buddha’.

But the important thing is what God says about Jesus - “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Jesus is not merely one of the prophets; as God’s only Son he far surpasses the prophets in authority and power. Therefore we are to listen to him now, and can be confident to listen to him.

Listening to others is important for any good relationship isn’t it? Not doing all the talking, but listening.

One man said to a friend one day, “My wife talks to herself a lot.” His friend answered, ‘Mine does too, but she doesn’t know it. She thinks I’m listening!”

If it is important to listen to one’s wife, or husband, or friend - how much more important is it to listen to God’s own Son! If we don’t listen to Jesus, and what his inspired apostles say about him, we are likely to come up with our own ideas of Jesus, but not the real Jesus. If we don’t listen to what the gospels and New Testament tell us, we might end up saying, ‘Well, I don’t think Jesus is like that, or I don’t think he would say or do that’.

No doubt there are many voices that try to tell us how to know God and how to be a complete person and how to get to heaven one day, but if God says, “Listen to my Son”, then we can be confident his words are true. We will not be led astray if we listen to Jesus and his authorised apostles!

“And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of man should have risen from the dead.”

Jesus knew that the time for public disclosure of his glory had not yet arrived. But after his resurrection the disciples are to make known what they had seen.

And so, Jesus came down the mountain with his 3 disciples. Indeed he came down to Calvary, to the suffering and death of the cross; but “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

And one day Jesus is going to come down from heaven, and he will come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. We shall see him as he is; we will have the experience Peter, James and John had that evening. And we shall also be like him. One day we will also shine. That is the final stage in discipleship. We are justified, then sanctified, then glorified, and we shall share his glory, and reflect his likeness.

“He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.” Mark 9:9,10

Years later, Peter could write in a letter “we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For when he received honour and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory…. we heard this voice borne from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain.” 2 Peter 1:16-18

“We were eye-witnesses of his majesty”. The basis of our faith rests solidly upon certain events that actually happened, to which apostles of Jesus bear witness. These events include Jesus’ transfiguration.

Series: Mark

Topics: #Mark