GOSPEL OF MARK: GOD’S SERVANT IN ACTION
THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS
2/2/20 – Garfield
A. How many of you have ever MISPLACED something, and had difficulty FINDING it?
ILLUSTRATION:
I remember a time when I had MISPLACED my CAR KEYS, and was looking for them everywhere. I checked the little TABLE where I always keep them. I went and checked on my DESK and the COMPUTER TABLE. I checked the LIVING ROOM where I sit, the KITCHEN counters, the BEDROOM dresser, and even the BATHROOM. I just had no idea where they were, until I finally realized they were in my POCKET.
1. That’s the way LIFE often is. We MISS things that have been there the WHOLE time.
a. This was certainly true of the DISCIPLES of Christ.
COMMENT:
By this TIME, they had been with Jesus for over 2 years. They had WITNESSED some amazing MIRACLES that Jesus had performed. And although they all profess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, they still haven’t quite GRASPED who it is they had been FOLLOWING all this time.
b. That’s why Jesus asked them, “Who do you say I am?”- Mark 8:29.
COMMENT
Although Peter had the right answer when he said, “You are the Christ”, he then turned around and “REBUKED Jesus after He told the disciples that He would have to DIE in order to SAVE the
World”- Mark 8:31-33.
c. Peter still MISSED the PURPOSE for which Jesus came to this EARTH.
2. So now what?
a. The disciples know that Jesus is special. They have seen Him do things that no other MAN has been
able to do. But did they realize that He was DIVINE—that He is God in the FLESH?
b. Jesus decided to take Peter, James and John to a mountain so they can SEE it for themselves—to
move them from FAITH to SIGHT.
c. But even then, Peter will still MISSES what had been before him the WHOLE time.
B. Mark 9:2-10 (READ)
MESSAGE:
I. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS- vv. 2-4
A. In the midst of His busy MINISTRY, Jesus often sought opportunity to leave the CROWDS of people
and get away for PRAYER and FELLOWSHIP with His heavenly Father.
1. He usually went ALONE, but this time He brings along three of his closest disciples, “Peter, James and John.”
a. While Jesus is PRAYING, Luke said that “the DISCIPLES became very SLEEPY”- Luke 9:32.
b. This had been a very EXHAUSTING and TRYING time for the apostles—especially for these
three.
COMMENT:
Peter, James and John are Jesus’ CLOSEST friends. And, yet, they have just heard from the mouth of their LORD that He was going to be put to DEATH. Then there was this talk about
them having to TAKE UP their own CROSS if they want to continue FOLLOWING Jesus.
They are CONFUSED, and their HEART is TROUBLED and GRIEVED. And, often the way many COPES with physical or emotional TRAUMA is through SLEEP—it becomes an ESCAPE from the distressing EVENTS that SURROUND them.
2. While they are DOZING off, Jesus is going through a TRANSFIGURATION.
a. The Greek word for “transfigured” is where we get the English word “metamorphosis”—
the process that a CATERPILLAR goes through to become a BUTTERFLY.
b. The word simply means to “transform, to alter, or to change”.
COMMENT:
Paul used a form of the word when he said that “we (YOU and I) are not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus”- Romans 12:2.
3. As Jesus is being TRANSFIGURED, his APPEARANCE began to CHANGE.
a. Luke wrote that “…the appearance of His face changed…”- Luke 9:29.
b. Matthew recorded that “…His face shone like the sun…”- Matthew 17:2.
c. All three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, POINT OUT that “His clothes turned a brilliant
white.”
COMMENT:
Mark described it this way, “His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them”- v. 3. TAKE THAT, CLOROX!!
4. Luke tells us that “It’s at this moment that the DISCIPLES become fully AWAKE and witness this
spectacular CHANGE that is happening to their LORD.”
a. This must have been a FRIGHTENING experience for the DISCIPLES.
COMMENT:
They had seen Jesus do some INCREDIBLE things that put the FEAR of God into them, particularly “calming the storm and walking on water”. But this time they SEE something
happening to Jesus personally. His whole appearance CHANGES right before their EYES.
b. So, what’s HAPPENING to their Lord? Simply put, Jesus is being GLORIFIED.
B. Peter, James, and John are getting a rare GLIMPSE of Jesus’ GLORIFIED STATE.
1. For a brief moment the VEIL of His HUMANITY was LIFTED and Jesus’ body SHINED with
HEAVENLY BRILLIANCE.
a. Many years later, John, one of the witnesses of the TRANSFIGURATION, saw in a VISION
the “GLORIFIED CHRIST”.
-Revelation 1:16b- “…His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
b. And then at the close of his REVELATION, John describes HEAVEN this way:
-Revelation 21:23- “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the GLORY
of God gives it light, and the Lamb [Jesus Christ] is its lamp.”
c. This is the “GLORIFIED CHRIST” standing before them.
2. What an AMAZING thing for these three DISCIPLES to WITNESS . . . but WAIT, there’s MORE!
a. “Moses and Elijah show up from heaven and have a conversation with Jesus”- v. 4.
b. Luke tells us that “they are talking to Jesus about His departure, which He is about to bring to
fulfillment”- Luke 9:31.
COMMENT:
They are talking about Jesus’ MISSION to SAVE the world through His DEATH upon the CROSS and His RESURRECTION from the DEAD. Remember, “Jesus came to SERVE and to SAVE—to give His life a RANSOM for many.” And very shortly He will FULFILL His PURPOSE in coming to this EARTH.
C. The APPEARANCE of Moses and Elijah along with Jesus is very SIGNIFICANT.
1. MOSES represents the LAW of God that the Israelites had BROKEN, and ELIJAH represents the PROPHETS sent by God to call His people back to Him.
2. Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount that “He had come to fulfill the Law and the prophets”-
Matthew 5:17.
a. This shows the CONTINUITY between the OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS.
b. It was through Jesus’ death upon the CROSS that He fulfilled the LAW and the PROPHETS
and ushered in the NEW COVENANT under which you and I serve.
-John 1:17- “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.”
II. THE RESPONSE OF THE DISCIPLES- vv. 5-10
A. Mark 9:5-6 (READ)
1. As often as was the case, Peter had NO IDEA what to SAY, but that doesn’t STOP him from
SAYING something, ANYWAY. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here…”
a. Now, that’s the UNDERSTATEMENT of the FIRST CENTURY!
COMMENT:
Peter and his companions have WITNESSED something that NO ONE else had ever SEEN. They have seen the Son of God in His HEAVENLY GLORY. And to top it off, Moses and Elijah
come down from HEAVEN to JOIN Him. And all that Peter can say is, “It’s good be here.”
b. But . . . to be FAIR to Peter, I’m sure that I would have been numbingly FRIGHTENED, too.
ILLUSTRATION:
I probably would have stood there with this DUMBFOUNDED look on my face and say, “COOL!”
2. Apparently Peter thinks that he needs to do something to COMMEMORATE this occasion, so he tells Jesus that “he and his companions are going to build three shelters (tabernacles). One for
Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
a. Undoubtedly, this was an impulsive gesture on Peter’s part to HONOR all THREE.
b. However, Luke writes that “Peter didn’t know what he was saying”- Luke 9:33b.
COMMENT:
The GLORIFICATION of Jesus was not about Moses and Elijah. They, too, are there to put all FOCUS on Jesus as the Son of God.
B. “While Peter is speaking God the Father INTERRUPTS by enveloping them in a CLOUD”- v. 7.
1. From the CLOUD, God SPEAKS from HEAVEN, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”
a. Not MOSES. Not ELIJAH. But LISTEN to JESUS.
c. Not MAHAMMAD. Not BUDDHA. Not the POPE. But LISTEN to JESUS.
COMMENT:
There are too many VOICES out in the WORLD today competing against Jesus and His Word. You tell someone that “Jesus said…”, and they will say something like, “Yea, but that was way back then. Times have changed. People no longer believe that!”
People are listening to the VOICES of their so-called FRIENDS who tell them just to LISTEN to their HEART—LISTEN to their FEELINGS.
People are listening to the VOICES of PROFESSORS, of POLITICIANS, of MUSICIANS, of ACTORS and ATHLETES, of ANYONE who tells them what they WANT to HEAR.
People are listening to the VOICES of PREACHERS who promote their own AGENDA over the TRUTH of God’s Word.
2. Paul WARNS the young preacher Timothy that this would happen- 2 Timothy 4:2-4 (READ).
a. Paul is describing our WORLD today, isn’t he?
b. People are no longer listening to Jesus—listening to God’s Word.
COMMENT:
Even so-called Christians are turning away from the TRUTH of God’s Word, and finding CHURCHES and PREACHERS who will TELL them only what makes them FEEL GOOD—“to
tickle their ears.”
c. I PROMISE you that as long as I am your PREACHER, the message you will HEAR from this
PULPIT will be from God’s Word.
COMMENT:
I want to be like the apostle Paul when told the Ephesian elders, “…I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God”- Acts 20:26-27. Not just the parts that make you FEEL GOOD, but the “WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD.”
3. Peter was putting Jesus, Elijah and Moses all on the same LEVEL when he wanted to put up three
SHELTERS to HONOR them.
a. But in no uncertain terms the Father wanted the disciples to fully understand that “Jesus is His
Son, and they were to LISTEN only to Him.” (Matthew adds: “With Him I am well pleased”-
Matthew 17:5.)
ILLUSTRATION:
Incidentally, if you were to go up Mount Tabor today, the traditional location for The Transfiguration, you would find three SHRINES or MEMORIALS—one to Moses, one to Elijah and one to Jesus.
This misses the entire MESSAGE that the Father wanted the DISCIPLES to understand. JESUS ONLY!
b. “After God spoke and the smoke cleared, ONLY JESUS remained”- v. 8.
C. Undoubtedly, witnessing the TRANSFIGURATION of Jesus greatly IMPACTED Peter, James, and
John.
1. I’m sure they could hardly WAIT to TELL their fellow-apostles what they saw, but then “Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone until after He rises from the dead”- v. 9.
a. According to v. 10, they didn’t tell anybody, but now they are wondering what “rising from the
dead” means.
b. Although Jesus told His disciples on many occasions that “He would be killed and rise from the dead on the third day”, the disciples never fully GRASPED the reality of Jesus’ DEATH and RESURRECTION, until it finally happened.
2. Over 30-years later, Peter wrote these words about his EXPERIENCE on that MOUNTAIN-
2 Peter 1:16-18 (READ and COMMENT).
COMMENT:
Peter is AFFIRMING to his READERS that his and their FAITH in Jesus as Christ the Son of God is not based upon FABRICATED STORIES, but upon FACT that he, along with James and John, WITNESSED when THEY were PRIVILEGED to be on that MOUNTAINSIDE to SEE with their OWN EYES the GLORIFICATION of Jesus and HEAR with their OWN EARS the VOICE of God PROCLAIM, “This is my Son!”.
CONCLUSION:
WE, TOO, NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT THE BIBLE IS NOT SOME FAIRYTALE. THAT JESUS IS NOT SOME MERE MAN THAT WE FOLLOW, BUT IS TRULY THE SON OF GOD—AND WE ARE TO LISTEN TO HIM.
WHAT VOICES ARE YOU LISTENING TOO?
