Mark 9:2-13 - See the Glory of the Son of Man
Notes
Transcript
My dad gave me a Bulova watch when I was in high school
I never knew what it was.
Pastor Tony Valenti gave me my Tissot
Tony explained to me the meaning of watch collecting
I started researching out of curiosity
Now I’m enthralled.
I never saw the glory and beauty in watches
I never recognized what it truly was
Today’s passage is going to reveal some understanding of the glory of Jesus.
Big Idea: See the Glory of the Son of Man
Big Idea: See the Glory of the Son of Man
Context: 6 days ago, Peter confessed the identity of Jesus.
People have their preconceived ideas of who Jesus is
Peter speaks on behalf of the disciples: “You are the Christ”
Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah who would usher in the Kingdom of God!
Jesus gave them His death notice about His sufferings for the first time.
He tells them this to show that He’s going voluntarily!
Hey, guys. This is about to happen.
Peter: “‘No’ says I.”
Jesus calls His disciples to suffer with Christ.
Stand to read
Mark 9:2–8 (ESV)
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
Leader: This is God’s Word
Everyone: Thanks be to God
He takes His disciples up a mountain where He’s transfigured in front of them.
Jesus was changed in outward appearance to reveal His true nature and essence.
This was a radical transformation where Jesus’s eternal identity was manifested.
This was the Son of God before their very eyes for brief moment.
Jesus gives a glimpse of glory
Jesus gives a glimpse of glory
He gives them a small taste of His glory
On our honeymoon, Hilary and I tried these pecan pralines.
They’re made of pecans, sugar, and cream.
They gave us a small taste at this little shop
These are amazing. So we bought a pound of them.
I’ve never spent $20 on any dessert
But the small taste was so amazing, I couldn’t help but get them!
They see Jesus as He his when He triumphantly comes to establish His Kingdom! (Rev. 19:11-16)
Matthew 17:2 “2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”
Jesus’s clothes were maximum light.
“There isn’t enough bleach in the world” (v. 3)
This was the show His purity and the holiness of His character and nature.
His purity is the purest and His holiness is the holiest.
Jesus reveals to them this small taste of who He truly is.
Peter had said that He was the Christ, but now Jesus is giving them a small glimpse that He truly is the King of glory.
This shows us:
APPLICATION: We can know the real Jesus
There are so many people with opinions of Jesus.
How can we know that we know the true Jesus?
Jesus doesn’t hide Himself from us.
He’s revealed Himself in His word!
Those who have been changed by Jesus have been given eyes to see Him!
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is much more than a philosopher or a good teacher.
He’s the righteous King of all!
He’s the promised Savior who can free us from our sin and shame!
He’s the glorious Son of God!
Jesus isn’t a God that holds us at arm’s length
He brings us in!
Although He is the King of the universe, He receives us as we are and gives us hope in Him!
Jesus has revealed to them who He truly is.
The veil is taken off. This is God.
As if this weren’t overwhelming enough, Moses and Elijah show up.
4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
The book of Exodus is a really important backstory for the transfiguration
If you haven’t read it, read it **Not right now. I’m preaching.**
Exodus 24, Moses goes up high on Mt. Sinai, where he receives the covenant (10 Commandments) from God.
Exodus 34, Moses comes down from the mountain and his face is reflected with the glory of God
His face glowed radiant of God’s glory.
As Moses/Elijah talked with Jesus, Peter gets suggests building small tabernacles.
Do you know someone that when they get nervous by not knowing what to say, they just start spewing mouth
They start talking even if they don’t know that they’re talking about
That’s what’s happening here.
Then, as if this party wasn’t amazing already, God the Father shows up.
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
Does this phrase sound familiar?
This echo’s Mark 1, where the Father acknowledges the identity of Jesus as His Son.
Now God is speaking directly to the disciples:
This is more than an identity statement. It’s PLUS a command.
Listen to Him.
This has the tone of a rebuke!
Peter’s suggested that Mo/Eli/and Jesus all get a tent.
That puts Jesus as equal to Mo/Eli.
God the Father interjects: Don’t you dare put Mo/Eli in the same category with my Son.
Woah. Why?
When Moses came down off the mountain, he reflected the glory of God.
Jesus’s face didn’t reflect the glory of God, because Jesus is the glory of God.
Moses and Elijah spoke from God; Jesus speaks as God.
Jesus is more than the Law and Prophets: He’s the Son of God
Jesus is more than the Law and Prophets: He’s the Son of God
Moses and Elijah are forerunners, Jesus is the source of God’s glory!
Their words and work are fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus!
Jesus is the glory of God on display!
God gives the same command to us as to Peter:
APPLICATION: We must listen to Jesus
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
God had spoken through the Law and the Prophets
But now He has spoken through His Son who gave us His Spirit!
He’s revealed His glory through Jesus Christ, God in flesh!
You want to see and know God?
You must look and listen to Jesus!
Have you ever asked yourself, “What is God’s will for my life?”
Listen to Him!
God has revealed Himself through Scripture!
The Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you, and change you to be more like Christ!
Immediately after God spoke to Peter, James, and John, the cloud disappeared and so did Moses and Elijah.
All that stood before them was Jesus!
All the Law and Prophets point to Jesus!
So Jesus just showed them a small glimpse of His glory and then suddenly He was back to normal (v.8)
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
Jesus brings the conversation back to what we talked about 6 days ago: His sufferings.
They can’t tell anyone until after the Son of Man has risen.
Resurrection implies death. You can’t have resurrection without death.
Jesus brought this up in 8:31-33 and Peter got all up in arms about it, then gets called Satan.
So trying to avoid the conversation, Peter tries to change the subject.
“Okay, but what about Elijah? We were told in Malachi 4:5 “5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”
Jesus notices that Peter is once again blind to the reality of who Jesus is and the fact that he’s trying to change the subject.
Pastor Tony taught us last week that the Jews, like Peter, believed that the Messiah would be a military hero who would squash the Roman opposition with force.
Jesus is claiming that He was going to die.
Messiah’s don’t die!
Jesus isn’t the Messiah Peter thought He’d be, so Peter’s missing the big picture.
What Jesus is telling them is:
Jesus’s glory comes after His suffering
Jesus’s glory comes after His suffering
Jesus is laying out a theology of suffering here.
He tells them that Elijah has come
He’s alluding to John the Baptist here.
John was the forerunner of Jesus
He came in the spirit and power of Elijah
He says, “they did to him whatever they pleased”
John was beheaded in Mark 5.
So, Elijah/John the Baptist has come, just like the Scripture said.
They killed him.
The Messiah has come, just like the Scripture said
They will kill Him.
All that Jesus has done was because it was written in the Scriptures!
They Scriptures prophesied that the Messiah would suffer!
Isaiah 53:4–5 “4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
Gospel presentation
God the Father had promised that He would send a Savior to restore everything that was broken.
In our sin, we rebelled against God and plunged ourselves into brokenness
God has been faithful and patient with us!
He sent His Son at the right time to receive the punishment it took to bring justice for sin!
Sin had to be punished!
2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
• “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… He was pierced for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities”
It’s through Jesus’s sufferings that we are able to have peace with God!
We have eternal life because Jesus freely gave up His life on the cross!
Through faith in Jesus your sins can be forgiven!
Will you trust in the suffering Savior today?
If you’re here and you’re not a Christian, your story can be changed forever!
In this life, you will have suffering.
We live in a fallen and dark world.
But through the gospel, Church:
APPLICATION: We can hope in the glory that will be revealed
Notice how Jesus told them they couldn’t tell anyone what they had seen until after the resurrection (v. 9)
Here’s what Peter and John would go on to write:
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Peter writes: We saw it ourselves! We heard the voice!
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God took to Himself a human nature and came to be with us.
We have seen His glory.
As Christians, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can see the beauty and the glory of Jesus!
I, at one time, had no clue what I was looking at when I saw this beautiful watch.
I didn’t regard it for the art and the craftsmanship.
Now I see it! I enjoy it.
All of us, at one time, didn’t see the beauty of Jesus.
But now, He can see His glory.
Even in the midst of suffering.
Abuse, addiction, divorce, neglect,
Weight of needing to forgive or needing a recovery.
First, Jesus understands your suffering.
He suffered before glory.
Second, He promises you, it won’t always be this way.
Church, let’s see the glory of the suffering Savior who died to set us free from this darkness!
We don’t have live as if there isn’t a resurrection.
Who do you know that needs this good news?!
John would go on to give us this bit of encouragement:
1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”