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Intro
Galadriel, the elf queen in Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings, is at the top echelon of creatures in the Tolkien universe.
She is one of the three leaders of the three elven kingdoms in the books.
But she stands alone in power and potential.
During one scene in the second book (and movie) The Two Towers, Galadriel contemplates who she would be if she takes the Ring of Power - a ring filled with all the malice and power of the Dark Lord Sauron.
In the scene, she is transfigured and transformed.
She is transformed revealing the glory and extent of her innate power.
She is transformed to reveal how that ring of power would corrupt her.
But instead of taking the ring, she refuses it.
She denies herself all the additional power because she would not accept the corruption that came along with it.
This scene is in many ways an parallel to two times in Jesus’ life: The temptation in the wilderness and this moment we will read about today, His transfiguration.
But unlike Galadriel, Jesus is not the recipient of outside power or authority when He is transfigured.
That is why it is not expressed as a transformation.
Let’s prayer, then read...
Pray
What will you do with Jesus?
What WILL you do with Jesus?
This is the most important question of your life.
In Jesus, everything that matters is established or brought down.
In Jesus there is hope; without Him there is none.
What will you DO with Jesus?
This is the question on Mark.
Mark, the author, isn’t in a quandary seeking answers.
Mark presents Jesus in all His humanity yet in all His uniqueness and begs the question to us: What will you do with JESUS?
Through the fist 8 chapters Mark revealed the man Jesus, foretold by the prophets before, proclaimed by John the Baptist, and attested to by the voice of God from Heaven.
What will you do with this Jesus?
The first section of Mark concludes with one answer to that question: To acknowledge, confess, submit to Jesus as the Christ, the Savior, the Lord.
The Gospel of Mark turn at the point of this confession.
There is a transition between parts 1 and 2. After Jesus ministry finally brings His disciples to the point of acknowledging that Jesus is the promised Messiah of God, Mark takes us on a direct journey to the cross.
Jesus begins predicting His own death.
He death, but not His defeat.
Part 2 of Mark begins with several parallels from part 1.
In both, Prophets of old point to Jesus as the Lord.
In both, God’s voice from heaven declares Jesus as His son.
In both, after this revelation of glory - the first from God at His baptism, the second from Jesus’ own body - Jesus heads directly towards a purpose.
The first purpose was to reveal His identity through His actions fulfilling prophecy.
The second goal is the cross.
The gospel of Mark will conclude with uncertainty.
Not the uncertainty of Peter, or of Mark.
But the kind of uncertainty that it self forms the question - What will you do with Jesus?
Lets take a close look at the transfiguration.
As we study this, we will find several purposes of Jesus that He expresses.
We will find expressions of His identity.
And we will be confronted with Jesus that we must do something with.
The events of this day are recorded on all three of the synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
It’s an important and central aspect of Jesus purpose and ministry.
The Purpose of Jesus
Maybe one of the best summations of Jesus’ purpose in found in
Jesus purpose was to seek and save the lost.
There are two aspects of this purpose expressed in the transfiguration.
Jesus is not “the lost”.
What happens when the lost come to save the lost?
The transfiguration cemented the fact that Jesus was, at His nature, not a blind guide!
He carried within Himself the nature and characteristics of God Himself.
Here He establishes His credentials of redemption.
If two are caught in an avalanche, what good does it do for one to offer to save the other?
The short answer is none.
The long answer is still none!
“Who can save us from this body of sin and death?” as Paul asks in Romans?
Well, not another dead sinner!
Jesus, here on this high mountain, declares He is not another dead sinner!
He is not stuck in the same avalanche.
His is not a blind guide.
2. The second point here is found in one phrase that is identical in all three accounts.
It’s found as the voice of the Lord interrupts Peter’s.
The first part is represented with some variations, but the end is always, “Listen to Him.”
If Jesus purpose is to Save the lost, and He does that by not being in the same condition, the means we are saved by him is to listen to him!
Jesus purpose in my life or yours cannot be fulfilled if we ignore Him.
We’ll spend more time on this next week.
We’ll return to this passage for more insight then.
We see the transfiguration supports the purpose of Jesus.
It also reviews the person of Jesus.
The Person of Jesus
Transfigure = reveals the essence or some hidden aspect of someone or something.
Transformers transfigure.
They are in essence bi-pedal, mechanical aliens (who comes up with this stuff??) AND vehicles.
Butterflies don’t transfigure.
They transform.
Transformation = Moving from of fundamental essence to another.
Butterflies don’t start out as winged creatures hiding in a round little grub.
They start out as round little grubs.
What comes out a a chrysalis bears only the slightest resemblance of what went in.
That’s transformation!
This event we read about today is one of the most foundational scriptures supporting the divinity of Jesus - fully God and fully man.
Jesus pulled back the veil that covered His glory.
That didn’t cause Him to stop being the flesh and blood person of Jesus of Nazareth, but it revealed the other side of His essence.
This is who we follow.
When the scriptures say Jesus was meek, It means this same Glorious One allowed Himself to be brought from this high mountain to be crucified on the cross.
This person of Jesus who is somehow simultaneously impossibly more than any other person has ever been and who was brought impossibly lower.
Only through this person can we be saved from the judgement for our sins.
But before we move on, I want to address the other two people who appear next to Jesus.
Moses and Elijah.
There are several perspectives on why these two Old Testament saints appeared here.
But it is clear that they are not on par with Jesus.
Only Jesus shines with holy radiance.
God speaks to and about Jesus, not them.
Moses represents the giving of the Law.
Moses Led the people of God out of slavery in Egypt into the promised land, only to die right before they entered.
Elijah represents the prophets, that class of people who’s job it was was to speak the words of God, that the people might listen to them.
Elijah was called to share God’s love to the Jews and the gentiles.
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