Mark 9:2-9 Listen to Him

Mark 9:2-9 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

2After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. 3His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. 4And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say because they were terrified.

7A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”

8Suddenly when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Listen to Him

I.

The glitz. The glamor. The spectacle. Statistics say that 3 out of 4 of you—75%—will be doing one particular thing later today.

Not everyone has the same reasons for doing it, of course. Some actually want to see the game. Others want to be dazzled by the halftime show. Still others want to watch the commercials to see if advertisers have come up with something entertaining in their efforts to entice you to buy their products. Many just have the TV on in the background—the whole event of the Super Bowl is just an opportunity to have a party and be with friends.

Everyone who turns on the game or gathers with friends and family wants to be entertained—perhaps to have a break from all the stresses of life and the daily concerns. It’s a chance to escape.

I wonder if that’s the way Peter, James, and John felt as they witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration. There had been some difficult moments for the followers of Jesus in the past few days. Jesus’ perpetual nemeses—the Pharisees and Sadducees—had challenged Jesus yet again. Not long afterward, Jesus had begun to teach them again, but this time the lessons were harder. Jesus asked them to identify him, and they correctly described him as the Christ—the One God had promised from ancient times.

Then came the hardest lesson to date. Jesus told them that all his enemies were going to have him put to death. He did tell the disciples he would rise again, but maybe they stopped hearing what he said when he said he would be killed.

You know how it goes when you hear bad news; you want to soften it, to make it less intense. Peter took Jesus aside and scolded him for having such a negative attitude. “Jesus rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men’” (Mark 8:33, EHV).

That was a rough end to a week. James and John, and Peter even more so, needed an escape from the harsh realities of the daily grind.

Jesus led these three up a mountain to be alone with him. “There he was transfigured in front of them. 3His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:2-3, EHV).

Not even an event like the Super Bowl could compare with what these three disciples saw. Two of the most prominent and respected figures from the Old Testament then appeared with Jesus—Moses and Elijah. They were there talking with Jesus. It must have been quite an enjoyable party to attend.

II.

This special party was just what they needed. Peter, ever the impetuous one, said to Jesus: “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5, EHV).

Some people think that the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. The business world anticipates that 16.1 million employees will have “Super Bowl Flu” the Monday after. Many overindulge at their parties and are reluctant to go back to the daily grind.

Peter wasn’t experiencing “Transfiguration Flu,” but he did want the escape from reality to go on and on.

“It is good for us to be here.” And it was. These three were permitted to get a glimpse of the glory of Jesus that was normally out of sight. After the rough time he had when Jesus had to rebuke him, and even call him “Satan,” it was a welcome relief to be with Jesus in such a special place at such a special event.

Maybe the worship service is a little bit like that for you, too. It doesn’t have all the glitz and glamor of the Super Bowl or a rock concert. But here you get to sing your praises to God and be reminded of the words and works of Jesus and all he has done for you. This is a place to escape from all the worries and cares of everyday life. It is good to be in church and to worship the Lord Jesus.

I wonder if Satan tried to use Peter’s words as a temptation for Jesus. “It is good for us to be here.” Let’s stay. Peter was willing to do some work to stay right there. The three disciples would be willing to put up some tents so Jesus and Moses and Elijah wouldn’t be affected by the weather. Peter, James, and John could stay in the shelters, too.

III.

“A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him’” (Mark 9:7, EHV). A few verses earlier Mark had told us that Jesus was transfigured before them. The voice of God the Father from the heavens tells us who did the transfiguring. The display of Jesus’ glory was arranged by his Heavenly Father.

The transfiguration had a purpose. It wasn’t just a glitzy, glamorous event to entertain the disciples. It was to give them reassurance that they had been right days before when they identified Jesus as the Christ—the Messiah God had promised. Now God himself tells them they were absolutely correct.

Since this Jesus is the Promised One, it is essential that they listen to him. Listen to him when he tells you that he will be rejected by the religious leaders. Listen to him when he tells you that he came for something far more important than reestablishing an earthly kingdom. Listen to him when he tells you the hard reality that he has to die to accomplish the mission God the Father, himself, set for Jesus to do.

To get that mission accomplished, Jesus had to come down the mountain. The Epiphany season of our church year has been all about Jesus being revealed as the Messiah—the One God sent to deal with the problem of sin in the world. The Transfiguration is the culmination of that revelation. For the next six weeks in our midweek and Sunday services we will walk with Jesus as he makes his way to the cross to complete his all-important work.

“As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark 9:9, EHV). It wasn’t only Jesus who had to come down that mountain. The disciples had to come down, too.

As they walked down, undoubtedly they wrestled with what they had seen. They had the mandate from Jesus not to talk about this until he had risen from the dead. As clear as he had been about that, they didn’t yet understand. As painful as it would be for them, Jesus knew it would be vital for the disciples to see what happened so they could give their eyewitness accounts to those living at that time, and to write down what they saw for innumerable future generations.

IV.

“Listen to him.”

You and I didn’t get to see the glory of Jesus revealed at his transfiguration in person, like Peter, James, and John. We do have something they didn’t have: we have the completed history of God’s saving activity.

The words of the Heavenly Father echoed in the disciples’ ears as they descended the mountain. His words echo through the ages to us. “Listen to him.”

I don’t know if coming to the worship service is a relief and an escape for you, or if you are one of those who sees it more as a chore that must get done before you get on with the rest of your day. I pray that it brings you the peace of God that passes all understanding as you “Listen to him.”

I pray that you leave worship rested and refreshed for the hours and days ahead. Jesus hadn’t completed his work of saving the world and had to come down from the Mount of Transfiguration to finish it.

The disciples had years—even decades—of work ahead of them. There would be some rough patches yet to come. They would flee in fear. They would deny. They would cower behind locked doors. But they would remember this time. The Holy Spirit would use all these events and others like it as he continued to prepare them to share the good news of what Jesus did for all people. They would preach boldly. They would teach. They would write it all down for us.

You have work yet to do, too. Leave worship today rested and refreshed to live your Christian life of faith as an example to others. Share the news of Jesus. Invite people to come and hear along with you the Father speak and say “Listen to him.” Prepare your heart also to walk with Jesus on the road of his passion. Marvel yet again that he willingly came down from the Mount of Glory to make sure that you will one day join him in glory.

“Listen to him.” Always. Amen.