March 2, 2003 Mark 9:2_9
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
The Rocky Mountains are a hot spot for vacationers and thrill seekers. Downhill skiing, snow-boarding, and bungee jumping are just some of the entertainment values of going to Colorado. Jesus brought the three disciples - Peter, James, and John along with him up this unknown yet spectacular mountain. They had no idea what was going to happen, but He wanted them to come. It wasn’t to go sight seeing. Jesus had something to show them. Years later, the Holy Spirit moved Mark to write about what happened that day. With these words God leads us up the mountain to experience with our ears and minds what Peter, James, and John experienced with their eyes. It was an awesome view. But it wasn’t merely for aesthetic value. What did it mean? What was it for? We’re going to find out today as we put on our spiritual boots and -
Journey Up and Down the Mountain with Jesus
I. From the viewpoint of Jesus
When two people go on the same trip, they can remember completely different things. So what I want to do is to approach this text from two different view points - that of Jesus and that of the disciples. First of all, let’s look at the viewpoint of Jesus. Jesus, being in His humility on earth, didn’t always make full use of his powers. More often than not Jesus chose to go about things the normal way. He didn’t fly from place to place, he walked. He didn’t automatically know God’s Word - he studied them and learned them. Much like the man he was, he ate, drank, slept, and learned just the way we do - but much better. Jesus was about to go through something horrifying, terribly painful - as God would change from being His loving Father into His Angry Judge. The smile of God would turn into a frown when Jesus would climb up Mt. Golgotha with the sins of the world on His back. Jesus was human. It wouldn’t be easy to climb this mountain. He’d sweat about it, cry about it, and pray about it. He’d do it, but it sure wouldn’t be easy.
What Jesus needed, as a man, was a running start. You might compare it to when you’re in a little car facing a big pile of mud. The only way you can get through it is with a running start. That’s what I might compare this transfiguration to for Jesus. Before Jesus began his ministry, the Father came and said, “this is my beloved Son, listen to him.” Jesus then went on to fight the devil for forty days in the desert, to preach God’s Word, and heal diseases - acting as our substitute. Now, Jesus would need another kick start at the end of his ministry, as he was about to be our substitute to pay for our sins on the cross. So he went up on a mountainside and started praying.
God answered His prayer. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. What a rush this must have been for Jesus - what an exhilarating feeling - to for a moment feel and experience the same kind of glory that he hadn’t fully experienced for thirty three years. For that one moment, Jesus permitted himself to allow his full union with God to flow through His body and appear to the world before him - to let his disciples fully see who He really was - without the clothing of humility. There is nothing that we can really compare it to. But Jesus knew that He would soon look and feel that way all the time - very soon.
As this happened, Moses and Elijah appeared on the scene. Luke 9 tells us that, They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Lk 9:31) Here was two men that were on Jesus’ level - they understood what was about to happen. Just as Moses had led God’s people out of the bondage of Egypt, Jesus was about to lead the world out of the bondage of sin through the cross. Jesus didn’t have to explain everything to them - they knew what was going to happen. Instead of trying to talk him out of it, as Peter tried to do, they encouraged him to do exactly as he planned - go to Jerusalem to die.
After this conversation was over, Mark says that Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” God the Father was stating His love for His Son. These words would again encourage Jesus to stay on the path. They would assure Jesus on the cross that the Father wasn’t deserting Him because of anything He did, but because of everything WE did.
Now, when I explain this Transfiguration as something that was beneficial to Jesus - to encourage him to go on the cross - this might sound offensive to some. There are some people who are appalled at such a picture of our Savior. Many don’t want their God to be someone who needs encouragement and strength, who then goes on to die. They would rather have Jesus be more like a professional wrestler - Steve Austin or the Rock, come rushing into the ring of death and say, “let’s get it on!” They want him to rush into the arena with twenty four inch pythons and screaming fans - to scream at the devil and say, “I’m gonna break your face!” That’s what people are impressed with today - power. It’s more natural and easy to focus on the light and the glory. It isn’t easy to look at Jesus in a weak way.
When you get married, you have to look at your spouse with and without makeup. The first time I saw my spouse without makeup, I hardly even recognized her - she still teases me about my reaction - I was almost shocked. But when you’re deciding to marry someone, you can’t just look at him or her when he or she is all gussied up. The same goes with our God and Savior Jesus Christ. You can’t pick and choose. The God that we have revealed to us in Jesus isn’t just a God of power. He cries. He sweats. He gets tired. He dies. You can’t choose one part of Jesus but not another. For if you only pick Jesus as God - then you don’t have a Savior. And if you only pick Jesus as human, then he couldn’t pay for the sins of the world. You have to take both.
II. From the viewpoint of the disciples
The disciples were more apt to just look at the glorious side of Jesus. So let’s look at this transfiguration again - from the view point of the disciples. What an encouraging moment this must have been for the disciples! Jesus literally transfigured before them. This word in Greek means that a metamorphosis took place - kind of like how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. What happened here was Jesus’ face began to shine, and even his clothes turned white - like a flash of lightning. We know that skin can turn color - from dark red to pale white. And we know that clothes can be made in different colors - some shirts can even change colors according to the heat of the body. But to shine like the sun - how is this possible? Even though we can’t understand how, we do understand the clear message that God was sending to their eyes - Jesus is true God - just look! When they were seeing Jesus dying on the cross, they could then recall this view and remember - “Jesus is not a phony! We know He is our Messiah! We saw it ourselves!”
When Elijah and Moses showed up, it gave the disciples another message. If Elijah and Moses were still alive, body and soul, then God’s promises of a resurrection from the dead would come true for them! From the conversation of Jesus with Moses and Elijah to Jesus’ own words, God was trying to give the disciples confidence to face the suffering and death of their Savior. If they knew that Elijah and Moses were still alive, then Jesus would also live again after his crucifixion. If Jesus said He was going to rise, then He would! This experience would prepare them for the future of the cross.
The “glory of the Lord” then showed up. In the OT the Kavod Adonai, the glory of the LORD, appeared as a cloud at critical times in Israel’s history, such as at the crossing of the Red Sea and the dedication of the Tabernacle in the desert. This appearance would tell the Israelites - “I the Lord am with you! I will protect you!” Now the Lord was enveloping Jesus - speaking His approval - saying to His disciples - “I am with Jesus!”. When the Father said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" - this meant that Jesus’ ministry - His job of living a perfect life in our place - was acceptable in God’s sight. These words would assure the disciples that Jesus wasn’t going to the cross because He failed to do. He was going to the cross for someone else’s sins - the world’s. With this testimony they would know that they had the right Savior, the right religion. What a wonderful vision this was! It prepared their eyes and their ears for the blood that they would see shed and the abuse that they would hear spoken to their Savior.
But how did they react? Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Peter was really out of his element. When he was faced with holy people and their Lord in his glory, he didn’t know what to say. He liked what he was feeling though, and when Moses and Elijah turned to walk away - he wanted them to stay. Basically, Peter wanted this moment to last forever - to experience the glory forever. But when the cloud enveloped them and the voice of God spoke, they couldn’t help but fall to the ground in sheer fright. As much as they wanted to keep experiencing the glory of the Lord, they couldn’t handle the glory of the Lord in it’s fulness - it was just too terrifying.
It’s kind of a sad commentary on the human nature, isn’t it - as we see what happens to Peter, James and John. Here, their whole life, they had been waiting for Jesus to bring this earthly kingdom - thinking that he would somehow display this awesome power and save the world from the Roman government. But when they finally did get their opportunity to experience the glory of the Lord - they were too scared to bear it. Their natural sinful condition made them feel scared to death in the presence of the holy God. If we were just to try and experience God’s glory before the cross, we too would fall in sheer fright, because we are sinful humans. There is no way that sin can stand before the holiness of God without the cross. We can only cower in fright without the cross. We could only live our lives in sheer fear with our faces to the ground.
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. It may have been depressing to the disciples to only be there with Jesus -back in His humility - when they looked back up. It was probably sad for them to walk down the mountain. But it was a necessary journey. The Son of Man had to die and then raise from the dead. Jesus would not be held back. This vision would at least give them a spiritual boost to be able to handle what was going to come.
This week we are going to begin our Lenten Season with Ash Wednesday. You may not like to go through Lent. You may not like to see your God go through such suffering and pain. But with this story, Jesus is telling us, “I am a God of glory and power. Remember that. But I didn’t come to this earth just to give you what you want. I came here to give you what you need. Like it or not - I am going to the cross.” In order to save us, our God had to become something He wasn’t, to have something He didn’t have. This would require not using His power so He could hang onto His wrath. We can’t have the resurrected Christ until we see the crucified Christ. Jesus can’t rule all things until He purchases all things. It isn’t a fun trip - to go down the mountain - but it’s a trip we have to take. We have to see Jesus suffer and die for our sins. As ugly as it may be - we have to see Jesus on the cross. It takes more strength to see Jesus die than it does for Him to live, for it is against the nature of an eternal God to die. This vision today is to assure you - that man who is dying on the cross - He is God. He may not look like it - but He is. And He will rise again. So stand up and look at him - look at what He will go through for you.
Mountain climbing is not an easy exercise. The incline is enough to wear the greatest of athletes out. The air gets thin. If you get high enough, it even starts snowing. Then, once you get to the top, you have a feeling of accomplishment. You can look out and see valleys and hills from miles away. It’s a beautiful sight. But sooner or later, you have to come back down and live life again. You can’t just sit up there and stare at nature forever. You have to live too.
Jesus has mountain boots on our minds and our imaginations on a taken us on a hike up a high mountain today. We were privileged to see a side of Jesus we don’t usually get to see. We were able to see Him as true God. It was an exhilarating sight. Enjoy it today, but remember - we can’t sit up here all year. After today, it will be time to start going down the hill - back to the real world. A world of hate, death, and vengeance. It is scary going into the valley of the shadow of death. But as long as we keep our boots of faith on - and remember where Jesus was going, we need fear no evil. For we know that after Jesus death he will climb back up the mountain, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
