The Joy of Clarity

The Glorious Son of God & Man

2.11.24 [Mark 9:2-13] River of Life (Transfiguration of our LORD)

2 Cor. 4:6 May the God who said “Let light shine out of darkness” make his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ Jesus, his beloved Son. Amen.

Imagine for a moment someone offered to tell you just about everything that would happen in your life in advance. Would you want to know?

Our natural curiosity would probably move most of us to say yes without thinking twice. But we might come to regret that decision.

Do you really want to know in advance that you are going to lose your job, that you’re going to get hurt or sick, or that your loved ones will? If we knew that was going to happen to us, we’d likely try to avoid the sad things and problems or change our path.

Even the good things wouldn’t be as good. Is it as good to know every single present under the tree before you open it? How will we feel when we know most of our good moments are behind us? God knows it is for our good to not know all the details about our future in advance. Yet there are times when he gives us a quick glimpse. Today’s one of those.

As Jesus traveled with his disciples he was discussing the future with them. Both his own future and theirs. Jesus began to address the misconceptions about him in the minds of the people. He wanted his disciples to trust—to know and confess that he was more than a great prophet. He was (Mk. 8:28) the Messiah. But that meant something different than what the disciples expected. They thought of the Messiah as a glorious political deliverer. Jesus told them that the Messiah would suffer, be killed, & rise again.

Then Jesus reminded his disciples about what it meant to truly be his disciple. It meant (Mk. 8:34) denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following him. Losing their lives for him. This was their future if they followed him. And ours.

That is a frightening proposal, isn’t it? To be told in no uncertain terms that being a disciple of Jesus means tremendous personal loss and sacrifice. That we might be willing to lose our very lives.

Who would want to make such a sacrifice?

Well, history has more than a few who have been willing to deny themselves and make all kinds of sacrifices for the sake of some greater gain—especially eternal. Japanese kamikaze pilots were committed to the honor and glory of their empire. Some believed they would enter into the glory of the Pure Land. Islamic jihadists have been willing to die for their beliefs, too, and with infamously confounding expectations of what heaven will be like for them.

But it’s not just in warfare. Groups like Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate have also convinced their followers to give up their material goods and also die because of what their leader told them.

I’m guessing when you think about kamikaze pilots, jihadists, and Heaven’s Gate you don’t admire their devotion. You think they’re crazy. But why is what Jesus calls his disciples to any different?

Why are the sacrifices you make—giving of your time, your money, your skills—something excellent and praiseworthy when others who have done so are fools?

The answer must not be that we are not fools because we do not give up all our money or that we do not sacrifice our lives. Jesus does not set such limitations. It’s not the cost. It’s the ‘cause.

So how can you be sure that your ‘cause is right?

Today’s Gospel, this glimpse of the transfigured Jesus gives us such certainty. As we, with Peter, James, and John behold the glorious Son of God and Son of Man we are made certain that the one who calls us to follow him is faithful and true. He is true God.

Six days after telling his disciples that he would suffer, die, and be raised back to life on the third day, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain. (Mk. 9:2) There he was transfigured before them. The glory that was always his from eternity burst forth before their very eyes. It was such a powerful and luminescent glory that even Jesus’ clothes were changed. They (Mk. 9:3) became dazzling white. Whiter than anyone or any product could make them. Why? Because the One who made all things was purposefully making his glory evident to these three disciples.

Then Jesus was joined by two Old Testament luminaries: Elijah and Moses. Both of these men had served as powerful voices for God. As they spoke for God, both had suffered great personal losses. They had made great sacrifices. They, too, had been rejected and reviled by the people God sent them, too, during their lives.

In that day, many believed Moses and Elijah would usher in a new era for Israel. Perhaps that is part of the reason why Peter offered to put up three shelters. But that was not God’s plan.

As soon as Peter made that offer, the Father enveloped them all in a cloud and shone the spotlight back on Jesus. He declared (Mk. 9:7) This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.

These two simple sentences pack a gloriously powerful punch. God the Father reminded Peter, James, and John that Jesus was more than just a Rabbi or a great prophet. He was the glorious Son of God and Son of Man. The Father ordered them to listen to Jesus.

So what did Jesus say next? (Mk. 9:9) Don’t say anything about this to anyone until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Then they left that mountain of glory and made their way back to the nine other disciples. Peter, James, and John realized they had to discuss this now, amongst themselves, before they rejoined the others. Even though it’s as plain as day to us, on this side of Easter, they couldn’t unravel what he meant by (Mk. 9:10) rising from the dead. Even those Israelites who believed in the resurrection thought it would happen for all God’s people at the same time.

What could Jesus mean by waiting until that moment? And what were they to make of seeing Elijah? So they asked Jesus.

We’ve heard the other rabbis talk about Elijah coming back first. Was this the sign they have been waiting for?

Jesus told them no. Elijah had already returned. John the Baptist was the Elijah who called people to repentance. And you know what they did to him. They will treat the Son of Man in the same way.

Maybe it seems like a strange conversation. But look at what Jesus emphasizes. His suffering. His death. His resurrection. He knew exactly what was going to happen to him. And them. He knew his future—everything that was bad and sad and embraced it. He knew their futures, too. And he wanted them to share in his eternal glory.

Jesus revealed his glory at the Transfiguration because he wanted them to see who he really was so they could better understand that what was about to happen to him was not an accident. It wasn’t a tragedy or a catastrophe. It was his Messianic mission to suffer and die and rise again. As the glorious Son of God, he had the power to strike down all his enemies with just a word. But as the glorious Son of God and Son of Man he chose to be silent before his accusers so that he might be stricken for sinners. He came to sacrifice himself for his disciples, rather than the other way around.

Who would want to make such a sacrifice? Listen to him. Jesus tells us clearly (Mk. 10:45) He came to give his life up as a ransom for many. No one was taking his life from him. (Jn. 10:18) He was laying it down of his own accord. He has the authority to lay it down and take it up again. This is the command he has received from the Father who loves him. He only lays down his life out of love for us all.

And that is the crucial difference between Christians and cult members, kamikaze pilots, and jihadists. We do not make sacrifices thinking our sacrifice is securing some great eternal prize. We do not give up our lives because we think that in doing so, we earn glory. God graciously gave us that glory when he gave up his glorious Son. We have seen Jesus’ glory in advance.

Not just in his Transfiguration. But in his Resurrection as well. You know how these three disciples reacted when Jesus was arrested. None took up their cross and joined him on Calvary. But after Jesus defeated sin, death, and the devil he appeared in glory to them. And they were transformed. They spoke boldly of his glory and power. They were transformed into witnesses who were not looking to die but were not intimidated by threats of death. They reflected his glory.

As we listen to him, we are being transformed into his image. We are being made more and more glorious. On this side of heaven, that glory is hidden from our eyes. But it is there. It is real. We know it because we know him who suffered, died, & rose from the dead. So we, too, live confident in the Word that God’s own Son has spoken.

He is the reason we sacrifice our treasures, our time, and our talents. We gladly give these things up knowing that the life of Jesus is being revealed in and through us. Our treasures are being invested in his kingdom where moth and rust and fire and recession cannot destroy. Our time and our talents are being leveraged to lead many more to know him who lived and died and rose for us. And we will receive a 100x more than we have given up in this life & eternal life.

That’s the remarkable thing about the glory of God. He longs to share it with us. He promises us that. We can be certain about it because we have seen his glory. We may not know all the details about our future—and that’s a good thing. But we know the direction we are headed. We know our glorious destination. A city whose streets are paved with gold. A place where death is defanged and time no longer exists. Always day. A place where all our talents are maximized and we praise his glorious name with all the saints and angels forever. Amen.