"a Preview Of Coming Attractions"

“A Preview of Coming Attractions”

Mark 9:2-10

Have you ever been in a group of people where someone told a joke and everyone else laughed except you?

Or perhaps you are in a group of people where someone makes a point and everyone else nods their head in agreement—except you?

“I don’t get it? I missed the point? What just happened?”

Today’s Gospel Lesson can be kind of like that.

It was that way for Peter, James and John…

…and it’s probably like that for us as well.

This is Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday, and the Gospel Lesson we are looking at is the reason it’s named this.

But what is it about?

Why did Jesus take Peter, James, and John up to the top of the mountain where Jesus was somehow “transformed” in front of them?

Why did Elijah and Moses appear and start talking with Jesus?

What were they talking about?

I don’t get it.

If you feel this way, you are not alone.

I think a key to trying to figure out what’s going on is to look at the context of the story.

What happened before it and what happens after it?

The story begins in verse 2 with this: “After 6 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…”

Six days after what?

If we look back at chapter 8 we find out what was going on six days before.

Jesus was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

And then He asked, “Who do you say that I am?”

And Peter got the name right but not the meaning, “He said, you are the Messiah.”

And Jesus affirmed Peter’s answer.

And then we are told that Jesus began telling them what that meant: “He began to teach them that [the Messiah] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”

But this didn’t make any sense to them.

They had been taught that the Messiah was going to be a conquering hero in a worldly way…

…not someone who would be arrested, killed, defeated…

So, Peter took Jesus aside and “began to rebuke him.”

After which Jesus rebuked Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Sounds pretty rough, right?

Then Jesus continues teaching them, but now He’s telling them what they are going to face as His disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…

…whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and the gospel will save it…”

Sounds tough.

It might even sound crazy.

(pause)

Six days later Jesus leads Peter, James and John up the mountain where Jesus is transfigured before them. “His clothes become dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.”

What are they seeing?

Are they seeing the Resurrected Christ in all His glory?

Is this a preview of what’s coming?

He’s having a conversation with Moses and Elijah.

And then a cloud appears and God speaks from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

And I think this is the key!!!

Where else have we heard God say something similar to this?

This reminds us of God’s voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism when He said to Jesus, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

We talked about this last month on Baptism of the Lord Sunday.

God the Father was affirming Jesus’ identity.

That’s Who Jesus is and that enabled Him to live triumphally in a world that kept rejecting Him, or praising Him or laughing at Him, or spitting on Him.

He was God’s Son, Whom God loved.

And God was pleased with Him.

And that was all that mattered.

Now God is speaking to the disciples rather than to Jesus using similar language but the ending is different: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”

“Listen to Him.”

The Transfiguration has often been interpreted as a “pep talk” for Jesus before His crucifixion.

But I don’t think that is what it is at all.

Jesus has been telling them some very tough stuff about what is going to happen to Him, what it means to be the Messiah, and what it means to follow Him.

This is very hard for them to understand and to want to do?

Now, Peter, James and John are getting a glimpse of the Ressurected Christ—even before it happens.