The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ
The Book of Mark
Mark 9:1-13
I. Introduction:
A. Have you ever wondered what it will be like when Jesus comes in all of His Glory to set up His kingdom and bring the world as we know it to an end?
B. Today’s text gives us a glimpse of this yet future event.
C. The chapter break here is unfortunate because it breaks up the flow of this whole section of the book.
1. Jesus’ statement in vs.38 is referring to His second coming.
a) As we saw last week it is said in the context of discipleship.
b) Those who are ashamed of Christ and His word now will find that He is ashamed of them when He comes again.
2. This whole section from 8:27 through 9:13 is one cohesive unit.
a) It starts with Jesus asking the disciples who they think He is, vs.27-30 and the disciples’ comprehension of who He is.
b) He then begins to prepare them for what lies ahead speaking plainly to them with regard to His death and resurrection, vs.31-32.
c) He rebukes Peter for attempting to prevent what needed to be done. Vs.32-33.
d) In vs.34-38 He lays down what is required of true disciples; they must deny themselves and be willing to give up even their own lives and follow him.
3. As we have seen this whole exercise is a process in which God is bringing the disciples to a full understanding of what they have been called to and who it is that they are following.
a) I am sure that by now their heads were spinning.
b) They had gone from the pinnacle of understanding who Jesus is to the pit of being called a messenger of Satan.
c) The disciples continually struggled with the things that Jesus taught them about Himself and the resurrection.
(1) They kept going in and out of focus.
(2) Mk.9:10
(3) Jn.14:6-9
4. Lk.24:25. It finally became clear to them after the resurrection.
a) Lk.24:2-8
b) Lk.24:31
c) Lk.24:44-53.
5. This part of the process culminates in three of the disciples actually seeing Jesus in His glory for a short time.
D. If someone were to tell you about something which you had no clue about how would you respond?
1. I would venture to guess much the same way that these men responded.
2. They had nothing to reference to.
3. No one had ever done or said the things Jesus was saying and doing – not in their lifetime anyway.
4. The purpose for this glorious event was to encourage His disciples and to assure them that there was a purpose and an end to all of this vs.1.
a) The word assuredly is our word amen.
b) Interestingly it is a Hebrew word which was transliterated into Greek and then Latin and finally English with essentially the same spelling.
c) It is always used to affirm something.
(1) In the Gospels it is used exclusively by Jesus and always to testify to the truth of what He had said or was about to say.
(2) Here Jesus is affirming His own word as to the surety of the event He is referring to.
5. Some of those who were standing there.
a) Remember He was talking to a large gathering of people now.
b) Some of those would not die until they had seen the Kingdom of God.
6. The question is what was He referring to?
a) Variations among writers.
(1) Luke and Mark use the kingdom of God
(2) Matt. uses kingdom of the Son of God.
b) There have been various theories put forth about this.
(1) The resurrection and ascension.
(2) The birth of the church on Pentecost..
(3) The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
(4) The Second coming.
c) The context best fits the last view.
(1) Verse 38 definitely refers to the second coming.
(2) The others have very little supporting evidence besides speculation.
(3) Kingdome can also describe the royal splendor of a King which would fit the context also.
d) Some of those standing there at that time – the disciples – would be eye witnesses to the glory that would be revealed in Him at His second coming.
E. I want us to look at this passage from 2 perspectives.
1. The participants in the event
2. The event itself.
II. The participants.
A. The observers: Peter James and John.
1. These are the ones Jesus was referring to who would not taste death until they had seen the Kingdom of God present with power.
2. Both Peter and John make mention of what they saw.
a) 2Pet.1:16 -18
b) Jn.1:14 and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.
3. These men often accompanied Jesus where the others did not.
a) Mk.5:37 Jaris’ daughter.
b) Mk.13:3 sitting on the Mount of Olives explaining the end times.
c) Mk.14:33 in the garden.
4. A look at the lists of disciples recorded in scripture turns up some interesting possibilities as to why this was so.
a) All 4 lists seem to divide the 12 into 3 distinct groups with some exceptions.
b) This may indicate some form of organization among the disciples.
c) If this is so then Peter, James and John may have been group leaders of some sort representing and reporting to the rest.
5. Whether they were in fact group leaders or just the men who were in Jesus’ inner circle of disciples these three men were given the exceedingly grand privilege of seeing Jesus as He will appear at His coming the second time.
B. The Participants: Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
1. Symbolism.
a) They are representative of 3 aspects of the Law.
b) Moses the Law giver Jn.1:17 The law came through Moses.
c) Elijah the Law restorer (the prophets)
d) Jesus the Law fulfiller – Lk.24:44Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
2. The relationship of the Gospel to the law and prophets.
a) Moses and Elijah represent the keeping of the law and point to man’s inability.
b) Jesus represents grace which testifies of God’s ability.
c) The Law kills but Christ in fulfilling the requirement of the law makes us righteous before God in Him.
3. Individually.
a) Elijah represented those who will be alive at Christ’s appearing.
b) Moses represents those who are asleep in Christ
c) 1Thess 4:13-18.
d) Jesus
(1) The Son of God – the one who willingly laid aside His attributes to become a man Phi2.
(2) He is God wrapped in human flesh Jn.1:14.
(3) The Messiah.
(4) He represents
(a) God’s love Jn.3:16
(b) God’s Mercy 1Pet.1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(c) God’s Grace Jn.1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(d) God’s Righteousness Ro.1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
(e) God’s promise,
III. Conclusion:
A. The purpose of the transfiguration was to provide encouragement for the disciples.
B. We can draw the same encouragement from this wonderful event as we work our way through our experience as followers of Christ here in this life.
