Following Jesus (10)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Scripture: Mark 9:2-10
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 3/5/2017
For nine weeks we’ve followed Jesus from the banks of the Jordan River to a Judean Synagogue, across the Sea of Galilee and into the dusty villages of Caesarea Philippi. In the first two chapters of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus invited fishermen and tax collector alike, beckoning, “Come, follow me.”
And did they ever. In Mark 2, the house where Jesus stayed grew so packed with visitors that there was no more room even outside the door. In Mark 6, Jesus feeds a hungry hoard of 5,000 families. In Mark 8, he repeats the same miracle for crowd of 4,000. But then, as we saw last week, Jesus began to thin the herd a little. He issued a challenge to his wannabe followers, saying, “If any of you wants to be my followers, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34 NLT). Jesus wanted to separate the tire-kickers from the car buyers. And that’s just what he did. As the crowds begin to dwindle, Jesus focuses more on his faithful followers.
As Mark 9 begins, Jesus singles out three of his most devoted disciples and leads them up a high mountain for a life-changing experience. If you have a Bible, open it to Mark 9:2-10.
It’s not surprising that this monumental moment takes place upon a mountain. It was on Mount Ararat that God made his covenant with Noah. It was on Mount Moriah that God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac and provided a lamb in his place. It was on top of Mount Sinai that God revealed his glory as Moses hid in the cleft of the rock. It was upon that same mountain that God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice. These “mountain top” moments left an indelible mark those who experienced them. And Jesus’ inner circle—Peter, James and John—were about to have one such experience. Let’s read this passage together.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them. (Mark 9:2-8 NLT)
What Peter, James and John saw and heard here on the Mount of Transfiguration was astonishing and I can only imagine the emotional and spiritual impact it made on their lives. As we move through this story, let me highlight three significant aspects of this mountaintop experience. The first, and most obvious, is Jesus’s change.
• A MAJESTIC CHANGE
Mark says that Jesus was transformed or transfigured before them. Listen to this description again: “His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them” (Mark 9:3 MSG).
In the Old Testament, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandment, his face had become radiant. It literally glowed after being in the presence of God. His face reflected the glory of God like the moon reflecting the sun. But this isn’t like that. The Living Bible says that Jesus “face began to shine with glory,” but unlike Moses this light didn’t come from some outside source; it came from within.
The Greek word translated changed or transfigured is metamorphothe, from which we get the word metamorphosis. The verb refers to an outward change that comes from within. It wasn’t merely a surface-level change, but a complete change into another form.
On earth, Jesus appeared as a man, a poor carpenter from Nazareth. But at the Transfiguration, Jesus’ body transformed into the glorious radiance of his heavenly form. The glory of Jesus that had been concealed in the manger is now revealed on the mountain. The glory and grandeur within Christ exploded like a just-opened fire-hydrant. One commentator puts it like this: “For a brief moment the veil of his humanity was lifted and Jesus’ body shined with brilliance.” The whole scene brings to life Psalm 104, which says, “Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:1-2 NIV).
So what’s the point of this majestic change? Why this momentary metamorphosis? Jesus wanted to give these three disciples a glimpse of his glory, to remind them and us that he is more than a carpenter. He’s no mere mortal. In fact, there is nothing mere at all about this Messiah. The author of Hebrews says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV). Paul writes that he “lives in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16 NIV). Of course, Jesus himself says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12 NKJV). This is the Jesus that we follow!
What I find most compelling is that Jesus offers to show us what he showed them. Someday, we will see Jesus as they saw him—beaming face and radiant robes. What we have only seen in our thoughts, we will see with our eyes. What we’ve struggled to imagine, we will be free to behold. What they saw in a glimpse, we will then see in full view. When we see Jesus as he really is, we will be amazed!
Of course, the show is not over yet. The next highlight in this mountaintop experience involves a mysterious conversation.
• A MYSTERIOUS CONVERSATION
Almost as interesting as Jesus’s change of appearance is the sudden appearance of two Old Testament figures: “Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus” (Mark 9:4 MSG).
Doesn’t this scene just pique your curiosity? Don’t you wonder what Moses, Elijah and Jesus were talking about? Well, Luke tells us that they were talking about Jesus “departure,” his death and subsequent return to Heaven. Perhaps they offered words of comfort, knowing what Jesus would have to endure. Maybe they told him how excited everyone in heaven was about his homecoming. More important than what they were talking about, however, is who was talking—Moses and Elijah.
Jews highly revered Moses and Elijah for their respective roles in Hebrew history. Moses rescued God’s people from Egyptian bondage and delivered the Ten Commandment, carved by the finger of God on Mount Sinai. He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament and came to represent the Jewish law. Even Jesus refers to the Old Covenant as the Law of Moses. Elijah was Israel’s greatest prophet who performed incredible miracles and ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. He represented the prophets who foretold of the coming Messiah.
Not coincidently, Jesus declared in the Sermon on the Mount that he had come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). And now, Moses and Elijah who both met with God on mountains and caught a glimpse of His glory stand together in the glorious presence of Jesus on yet another mountain. Their presence represented a sort of “passing of the torch,” bridging the gap from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant in Christ.
When it seemed as though Elijah and Moses were about to leave, Peter raises his voice: “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5 NLT).
I just love the note that Mark adds after this: “He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say” (Mark 9:6 NLT).
What would we do without Peter? The guy has no idea what he is saying, but that doesn’t stop him from saying it. He has no clue what he’s doing but he offers to do it anyway. Peter’s error is not that he spoke, but that he spoke heresy. Three monuments would equate Moses and Elijah with Jesus. But as Peter’s about to find out, no one share a platform with Jesus. Forget MVP. He’s in a league of His own. The head of the parade? Hardly. No one else shares the street. No one even comes close. Humanity’s best and brightest fade like dime-store rubies next to him. But even as Peter is speaking, God clears his throat. That brings us to last aspect of this mountaintop experience—a magnificent cloud.
• A MAGNIFICENT CLOUD
Mark writes again, “Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: ‘This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.’” (Mark 9:7 MSG).
Obviously, this is no ordinary cumulus type cloud. But we need to journey back to the book of Exodus to get the whole story. When the Israelites left Egypt, a mysterious cloud led the way. The Bible says, “As Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud” (Exodus 16:10 NLT).
Later, after building a place of worship called the Tabernacle, the Bible says, “Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34-35).
This cloud is what Jewish Rabbis called the Shekinah glory—the very presence of God. Centuries earlier, however, the Shekinah glory left the Temple just as the prophet Ezekiel predicted. For hundreds of years none of God’s people—not even the high priest—saw the Shekinah glory of God. Until now.
Suddenly Peter, James and John were overshadowed and enveloped by the glory of God. And equally important as what the three apostles see is what they hear.
In Mark’s Gospel, God only speaks twice—at Jesus’s baptism and then here are the Transfiguration. In both cases he begins with “This is my beloved Son.” But here he concludes with “Listen to him.”
He doesn’t command, “Listen to them.” He could have. Has a more authoritative group ever assembled? Moses, the lawgiver. Elijah, the prophet. Peter, the Pentecost preacher. James, the apostle. John, the gospel writer and revelator. The Bible’s first and final authors in one place. God could have said, “These are my priceless servants; listen to them.”
But he doesn’t. Instead, he says, “Listen to Him!” The definitive voice in the universe belongs to Jesus. He’s not one among many voices; he is the voice over all voices. Through His presence and proclamation, God affirms the divinity and supremacy of Jesus.
Perhaps the most poignant stroke of Mark’s pen comes in the next verse, where he writes, “The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus” (Mark 9:8 MSG).
This mountaintop experience left an indelible mark on these three followers of Jesus. Years later, looking back on this moment, Peter wrote:
For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18 NLT)
Conclusion
Today the “mountaintop experiences” of Moses, Elijah, Peter, James and John have become a metaphor. When we talk about having a mountaintop experience, we mean a personal, powerful encounter with God that gives us a fresh awareness of His presence in our lives. Have you ever had a mountain-top experience with God? Maybe at a Christian conference or concert? Perhaps during a mission trip or the day you were baptized? These experiences bring a flow of joy and peace that eclipses any other human experience. And we often want to cling to the experience. Unfortunately—as was true of Peter, James and John—it’s not long before we have to come down off the mountain.
In the next verse, Jesus and this three followers went back down the mountain and returned to normal life—whatever normal meant for them. The same is true for us. While those mountaintop experiences are wonderful and inspiring, the reality of human life is that there are a lot more valleys than mountains. Most days will be filled with conflict, homework, errands, laundry, loss, pain, bitterness and—hardest of all—apathy. But the important thing is—regardless of whether we’re on the mountain or in the valley, Jesus is right there with us.
Invitation
Next week, we’ll continue following Jesus through the Gospel of Mark.
In the meantime, whether you’re just now coming down the mountain or you feel stuck in the valley, let me encourage you to keep following Jesus. One day we’ll all experience His greatness and glory on a mountain from which we never come down. Let’s stand and sing together.
