A Glimpse of the Final Glory
Notes
Transcript
Scripture passage: Mark 9:1-10.
Hymn 367 – Jesus, I my cross have taken
Main point: Let us carry our cross today, looking to the glory of tomorrow.
Introduction
Introduction
Hallelujah.
Today is Oct 27th, which is the anniversary of Pyungkang Cheil church. And this year, we’re commemorating the 60th year of proclaiming the Word of Redemption and transfiguration.
And it just so happens that today, we come to our 14th study in the Gospel of Mark, and it’s the part where Jesus transfigured.
And so based on Mark 9:1-10 as the elder read, I’d like to share a message with the title: “A glimpse of the final glory.”
What was the best view you’ve ever seen in your entire life? Chances are that many of us are thinking of a mountaintop view.
In today’s passage, we see Jesus bringing Peter James and John up a high mountain.
The views from a mountaintop are so good. They just take our breath away. It’s almost a supernatural beauty.
This morning, the disciples Peter James and John catch a supernatural view at the top of a mountain. They caught a glimpse of Jesus’ divine glory.
Mountains in the Bible symbolize a place where heaven and earth overlap. It’s the highest place that’s closest to the heavens. And it’s where God often meets with His people.
And at the top of this high mountain, Jesus reveals His glory to the disciples. But then He tells them not to tell anyone about it.
This morning, we’ll look at this passage in four parts.
First, we’ll look at the promise that Jesus makes to His disciples at the beginning of the passage.
Second, we’ll look at the appearance of Moses and Elijah.
Third, we’ll look at Peter’s response.
And fourth, we’ll conclude by looking at Jesus’ command not to tell anyone about it until after the resurrection.
Jesus’ promise to His disciples (v.1-3)
Jesus’ promise to His disciples (v.1-3)
So far, Jesus’ ministry has been in the northern Gentile regions. But after this, Jesus starts making His way to Jerusalem, where He would be crucified. And this episode is kind of like an interlude in the middle point.
And it begins with Jesus making a promise to His disciples.
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
What’s the promise? That some of the disciples will not die without first seeing the kingdom of God, after it has come with power. That’s end time language. He’s saying that some of them, not all, but some, will see the end time glory before they die.
Now, did Jesus keep His promise? The end time hasn’t happened yet. So are any of the disciples still alive? Is the Apostle Peter out there somewhere? They all died a long time ago. So how did Jesus keep His promise?
He brings some of them up a high mountain. Peter, James, and John. And He shows them the final glory, but it’s not what they expect.
If I were them, I might expect a vision of an apocalypse where the skies are red and the earth is black and the clouds open up and the armies of heaven are floating in the air.
But that’s not what they see. All they see is Jesus, who transfigures before them to reveal the divine glory hidden inside of Him.
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, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
This word, “transfigure” is metamorphoo/μεταμορφόω, which means to change form. It’s where we get the word metamorphosis, to transform or be changed.
So through His transfiguration, Jesus shows some of them the glory of the end time, of the second coming. It’s the glory that lights up the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Peter, James and John saw this with their own two eyes. Wouldn’t we like to receive this promise?
If God told us that we could see the glorious end of redemptive history without seeing death, how would that change us? How would that change the way we do business, or family, or church? How would that change the way we deal with suffering?
But here’s the thing. We too have received such a promise.
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
You can also refer to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.
This is the physical transfiguration that we will go through at the end. For all who believe in Jesus, this is the promise we receive. But we first need to receive the spiritual transfiguration, to be born again in Christ.
Let us firmly hold on to this promise. And I pray that all of us in Zion Church will not taste death until we see Jesus in the fullness of His divine glory.
But why does Jesus show this end time glory to Peter James and John?
One week ago, Peter made an amazing confession that Jesus is the Christ. But then Jesus talked about His suffering and death, and Peter rebuked Him for it. And then Jesus says to him, “Get behind me, Satan.” That’s in the previous chapter, Mark 8.
So how is Peter doing spiritually? Probably not too well. He might’ve been darkened. In fact, what we’ll see is that he calls Jesus “Rabbi” instead of “Christ”. That’s in Mark 9:5.
So Jesus brings him and two others up a mountaintop and reveals this amazing glory to them.
Some of us might not be doing ok spiritually. Some of us may be feeling dark or frustrated or going through a spiritual dry season. Some of us may be feeling bad about not loving God enough. Or not being disciplined enough. And we’re carrying this burden of guilt and shame rests on our shoulders.
But I pray that if we’re in such times, may we will turn our eyes upon Jesus, and look full in His wonderful face. And by faith, let us see that mountaintop view. Let us catch a glimpse of that shining glory hidden in Jesus.
But it wasn’t only Jesus at the mountaintop. The Bible says that two others were with him.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah (v.4)
The appearance of Moses and Elijah (v.4)
And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
Now, Moses and Elijah appear to Him. And it shouldn’t be any surprise to us that the saints who’ve long departed this world would reunite with us in the last day. That’s to be expected as well. When redemptive history is complete, we will meet Moses, Elijah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We will meet once more with our loved ones who have gone before us in the faith. It’s something that all of us can look forward to.
But do Moses and Elijah appear here specifically?
First, they symbolized the covenant of God.
God’s covenant was comprised of the law and the prophets.
Moses was the bringer of the Law. Elijah was the prophet of prophets. The law was given to teach the people repentance, but also to point to the Messiah who would fulfill the righteous requirement of the Law.
The prophets pointed the people to the Messiah, who would fulfill the covenant of God.
So both the law and prophets point the people to Jesus.
That’s why God’s last Word in the Old Testemant was a command to remember the law and to look for Elijah.
Malachi 4:4–5 (ESV)
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
God telling the people to remember the pattern of how the Old Covenant was given, so that they could recognize the one who brings the New Covenant. The pattern would be the same.
Second, they foreshadowed the departure of the Messiah.
Mark doesn’t record what they were talking about, but the Gospel of Luke tells us that they spoke of His departure.
And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
The Greek word for departure here is exodus/ἔξοδος.
How did Moses and Elijah depart?
Moses died outside the promised land and his body wasn’t found (Deut. 34:5-6). That’s the pattern of the first coming Christ, who would die outside the city of Jerusalem, and then resurrect so that His body wouldn’t be found. His tomb is still empty.
On the other hand, Elijah didn’t die, but went to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11). And as we read in Malachi, Elijah would return to earth when the Father sent him. That’s the same pattern as the risen Christ, who ascended up to heaven after His resurrection, and soon He will return in glory.
So together, Moses and Elijah represent the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of the Messiah. They foreshadowed the mission of Jesus from His first coming to His second coming.
Peter’s response (v.5-8)
Peter’s response (v.5-8)
Let us now look at Peter’s response.
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.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
Mark says he was so terrified that he didn’t know what to say, so he ends up talking nonsense. Let’s build tents.
Why build tents? Peter’s suggestion is actually based on the hope of the Jewish people. And it’s also our hope as well. They believed, as do we, that the history of redemption concludes with God once again dwelling with His people. So Peter suggests to build tents for them to dwell. In Greek, it’s skenae, meaning tent or tabernacle.
But Peter makes two mistakes here.
First, he thinks the end has already come.
We already know that Peter struggles to accept a suffering Messiah. But here, Peter suggests again that they skip to the good part. Skip the suffering, death and resurrection, and go straight to the transfiguration. Skip to the last episode, where the saints are clothed in white and every tear is wiped away.
Second, he puts Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah. He doesn’t suggest making only one tent for Jesus, but three tents for the three of them.
Moses and Elijah represented the servants of God in the Old Testament, who suffered for their obedience. But in his mind, the Messiah wouldn’t go through all that.
So because Jesus spoke of his suffering and death, Peter put Him at the same level as God’s servants. He calls Jesus “Rabbi.” Not “Christ”, not “Savior”, but “Rabbi.” “Teacher.”
And then what happens? God the Father comes in a cloud of glory and rebukes him.
And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
Let us think about this. There’s a powerful picture here of the clouds fading away, and there’s no more Moses, no more Elijah. They’ve gone back to heaven. But Jesus remains, His glory hidden once more.
He didn’t go back, even though He could’ve. He had every right to return with Moses and Elijah. But He chose to stay. Even though His disciples were stubborn and slow to learn, He didn’t leave them. And even when we stumble and fall again and again in our daily lives, He doesn’t leave us.
Jesus carried His cross that day, so that we can see the future glory of tomorrow.
Conclusion: Let us follow Jesus up and down the mountain (v.9-10)
Conclusion: Let us follow Jesus up and down the mountain (v.9-10)
After all this, Jesus doesn’t keep His disciples at the top of the mountain. He brings them down the mountain.
There are times in our lives of faith where we have such mountaintop experiences, where we’re blessed with overflowing grace and our spirits are raised to the highest heights. It can happen on a regular worship service, or during our special worship services, or especially during church retreats. Such mountaintop experiences are precious times where God pours out His grace upon us.
But after receiving such grace, we have to go down the mountain. Back to the mission field. The mountaintop views are awesome, but our daily lives are lived below. Our mission field is below.
Jesus went down the mountain to go to Jerusalem, where His mission was. And as His disciples, we need to follow Him not only up the mountain, but down the mountain as well.
And as they were coming down, Jesus says not to tell anyone about what they saw.
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. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
What’s He saying? He’s saying, don’t talk about transfiguration before the resurrection. The death has to come first. The resurrection has to come first. And then the transfiguration.
Why? Because that’s the order of our salvation. Death, resurrection, transfiguration.
The Bible says that we were dead in our sins. We were already spiritually dead. But on the cross, Jesus took our death and gave us His life. And we who receive this in faith are born again into eternal life. That’s the spiritual resurrection.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
So we were spiritually dead, and then we were spiritually resurrected. Now we need to be spiritually transfigured.
Spiritual transfiguration means that our souls go through metamorphosis. Our souls go through change to become more like Christ. Another word for it is sanctification. Another word for it is “the cross we must bear.”
Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.”
We have to follow Jesus down the mountain, and follow Him on the path of the cross. That’s the path of spiritual transfiguration.
Look at how the Apostle Paul describes it.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
But how can we put our old selves to death? It’s not by willpower or discipline. It’s not by focusing on our sinfulness. We put our old selves to death by beholding the glory of our new selves in Christ.
In other words, we must behold the glory of Jesus at the mountaintop. That’s how our souls are transfigured into Christlikeness.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
The word “transformed” here is the same word used for Jesus’ transfiguration.
What do we need to do in order to go down the mountain? We need to first go up the mountain. So in order for us to walk on the path of transfiguration, we need to first go up the mountain and behold that final glory hidden in Jesus Christ.
Following Jesus down the mountain also means to follow Him into the mission field.
For Jesus, the mission field was Jerusalem. For us, the mission is to be Christ to the world. To bleed love when people cut us. To turn the other cheek. To be the salt and light and peacemakers and good Samaritans.
But we cannot be Christ if we hold on to our old selves. We must see the glory of Christ, His goodness, His love, His righteousness, and choose to live, not as ourselves, but as the body of Christ. That’s our cross to bear.
Some of us have carried our cross for many years now, and it’s starting to feel too heavy to bear. Some of us have left our cross by the wayside. Maybe we’ve stopped trying. Maybe we’re at the bottom of the mountain, and we can’t remember the vision of glory at the mountaintop.
But let us ask God, “Show me that final glory. Give me the eyes of faith to see that glory, hidden in Jesus Christ. Bring me up the mountain once more, that I may go down in faith.”
After this, we’ll be singing hymn 367 – Jesus, I my cross have taken. And the second verse goes like this:
Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior too. Human hearts and looks deceive me. Thou art not like man untrue. And while Thou shall smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might. Foes may hate and friends may shun me. Show Thy face, and all is bright.
Let us follow Jesus up the mountain in grace, and let us follow our Savior down the mountain in faith. Let us look to that final glory hidden in Jesus. The glory that lights up the New Jerusalem. And may we follow our Lord Jesus into that final glory at the last day.
