Getting Jesus Right
Mark 9:2-10
February 26, 2006
For the first 8 chapters of Mark, Jesus had been doing his thing. He had been doing his best to reveal who he is to any who will listen and pay attention. Not limiting himself to the temple - to the religious, not isolating himself among the toxic environment of the educated teachers, Jesus had been demonstrating his powers, teaching, loving and reinterpreting the way life was meant to be lived to any who were able to perceive it. In the first 8 chapters of Mark, Jesus had healed the demon-possessed, the leprous, the paralytic, a deaf man and a blind man. He’s recruited a group of people to invest in and put them thru an intense Boot Camp experience of fast paced learning. He has calmed a stormy sea, multiplied fish caught in it and walked upon it. Jesus has taught by a lake, from a boat on the lake, in a field and in a church.
And along the way his closest followers and those in the crowds are doing their best to figure out what in the world is going on. But they are having a hard time. Here is a list of some of their reactions to Jesus.
What is this? (1:27)
We’ve never seen anything like this. (2:12)
What is this? (4:41)
What is this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles. (6:2)
They were completely amazed - for they did not understand. (6:52)
Though people have seen Jesus.
Though people have been healed by Him.
Though people have learned from him and been inspired by Him they really can’t comprehend who he is or what he is up to. [The only one’s who do know what is going on are the demons - for they realize who Jesus is and what he came to do - namely put them out of business. (1:24, 5:7)]
This goes on for 8 chapters. For the first half of Mark.
Though Jesus is causing oohs and ahs - it hasn’t caused people to truly know him.
Though Jesus is the center of attention wherever he goes - few have made him the central part of their life.
Jesus must have realized this.
He must have sensed this, and he didn’t like it. He wasn’t intending to be popular. He wasn’t seeking people’s approval. He wasn’t out to impress others.
To get a feel for where the people were at, he asks a question to his followers in Mark 8:27. "Who do people say I am?" And he gets a myriad of answers. Not the one he was looking for.
v. 28 - His disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and still others, one of the prophets.
Three strikes and they were out. The people hadn’t figured him out. So he asks again. This time to his disciples, v. 29.
"But what about you? Who do you say I am?"
In asking the question - Jesus makes himself vulnerable. In poising the question again - Jesus opens himself up to perhaps learn that even his closest followers don’t know who he is either.
But he must ask the question.
He must find out - for if people don’t know who he is and why he is doing the things he does, Jesus is wasting his time.
Before we get to their answer, listen close Saints. Though these words were said 2000 years ago by Jesus, his question will be asked again to you and to me.
What about you? Who do you say I am? Do you know me or just things about me? Who do you say I am? You, not your mom, your Father-in-law, your boss, but you. Who do you say I am? Are you able to answer?
Peter, good old Peter, raises his hand, cleans his throat, steps forward and says. V. 29b.
"You are the Christ." Which means the Messiah, the one sent by God, the one anointed by God.
Someone got it. Got Jesus right or at least partly. What I mean is that in verse 31 Jesus tells them what him being the Christ/the Messiah will mean.
It means not what they think.
It will not mean what they imagine.
It will not include a throne, a castle, all the food and chariots a man could ever
want- no instead it will mean - v. 31:
Suffering
Rejection
Be killed
And then life
Peter with a bit of confidence from getting Jesus’ 1st question right, pulls Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him (v. 32)/ to correct him/to tell Jesus to stop talking like that. Jesus’ response, v. 33, "Get behind me Satan. You don’t have in mind the things of God but the things of man."
Peter gets corrected. Peter gets put in his place. "Don’t you think that because you can simply name me - that you know me. Don’t think that because you know a bit about me, that you can control me.
I don’t follow your agenda. Your agenda is similar to Satan’s. "Get behind me."
Yikes! But notice something, chapter 9:2:
Just when we would have thought Jesus would want nothing to do with Peter, this one he called Satan in verse 2 of chapter 9, Jesus does the very opposite. He chooses this one plus 2 of his friends to join him on a hike. It’s six days later. Jesus has cooled off a bit. Peter is finishing up licking his wounds but still trying to figure out who Jesus is and what he is about. Let’s read what Jesus does for Peter and his buddies. Read 9:2-10.
The heading over these verses is, "the Transfiguration." That word appears in v. 2 -"Jesus was transfigured." The Greek word is "metamorphose." It is where we get the word, "metamorphosis," to change, to move from one state to another.
On this mountain, Peter, James and John will see with their eyes Jesus’ clothes becoming dazzling white.
They will see Elijah and Moses reappear before them.
They will feel a cloud roll in. It’s dampness.
And they will hear God’s voice.
Why? Because God wanted them, needed them to get him right. This Messiah/this Christ was someone beyond their comprehension and it was going to take all of this for Peter, James and John to realize who Jesus was.
Notice a few things:
#1 Though they didn’t know Jesus correctly. Didn’t understand fully - sometimes getting him right and sometimes getting him wrong.
Jesus-v. 2 took them with him.
v. 2 he led them.
v. 2 they were all alone.
(12 Them/they)
Jesus would lead them into knowing him. He would guide them into understanding their past mistakes. Their past misunderstandings, didn’t cause them to be disqualified in knowing Jesus. Jesus took the responsibility to make sure Peter, James and John would undergo their own "metamorphose" relating to him. Because he wanted them to end up knowing him for who he was and what he would do.
And friends the same is true for us as well. Have you got Jesus wrong in the past? You’re in good company. Have you struggled to understand Jesus? So did they. But this didn’t stop Jesus; in fact it seemed to get his attention. He chose them. He took them to be with him. Jesus guided them into belief.
Notice another thing:
This wasn’t a classroom lesson.
This wasn’t learned in a book.
This wasn’t a chalkboard session. This was learned/experienced outside of a
classroom, outside of a book, away from a chalkboard.
Could it be that if Jesus is leading us into a knowledge of himself, leading us to see him for who he truly is - that he will do this not only on Saturday nights at 6:30 p.m. or on Sunday mornings, but whenever and wherever he pleases.
Though mountains have long been thought to be spiritual places, Peter, James and John had no expectation for what they would experience that day.
But because Jesus wanted them to get him right, he used that place, at that time to lead them into belief.
And so too will he, has he and does he do the same for you and me.
Peter’s initial response to this grand moment is to want to preserve it, make a monument of it. v. 5 "Let us put up 3 shelters, one for you (Jesus), one for Moses and one for Elijah."
Peter wants to make this place permanent. But at this God moves in, a cloud comes and a voice speaks, "this is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him."
Stop doing and be still.
Stop trying to work at this and listen.
Don’t worry about making this mountain top a special place. Jesus wants to make
your walk in the valleys as well.
I will not be confined to a place; I am going with you and will teach you wherever you are.
One last thing, even after all of this, all the dazzling clothes, the enveloping cloud, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, hearing God’s voice, Peter, James and John still had questions, still hadn’t figured it all out.
Verse 10 says they were talking among themselves about this and verse 11 records them asking Jesus a question. But something had changed within them. Now they were will to listen. Now they were willing to learn.
Are you?
I assume in coming today that you are. So take out your yellow insert. This week we begin something the Church calls Lent. On Wednesday we begin a 40-day period when we prepare ourselves for Easter. A Grand Moment. The time we celebrate Jesus’ metamorphose again, his life returning to us in bodily form.
But before we get to that glorious day, we have some journeys to do in order to get Jesus right. In your bulletin is an insert. An insert that will be our guide. Each week we will give you one of these that is meant to be your aid in asking questions. In reporting things learned, in getting Jesus right.
