Mark Chapter 9 - Transfiguration

Intro

Students we are continuing our Mark series!

Only a couple of weeks left, I hope you’ve been enjoying it as much as I have!

It’s been fun being able to walk through a book and see everything that God is trying to teach us in one book

Today we are going to hit a passage that I wanted to hit when we were at Mark chapter 9, but just didn’t feel like it was the right time

But now that we are going back, as my favorite announcer for UFC says

“ITS TIME!!!”

Grab your Mark journal, or regular Bible and go to Mark chapter 9

Transfiguration

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.

Man this is a pivotal moment in Scripture

This is the moment where everything starts to become real

The Bible says that He was transfigured before them

Quite literally this means that Jesus shows Peter, James, and John who He is

He shows them the full glory of God

It says that His close became white to the point where no one could make clothes that white

They were radiant in appearance

The Bible says that while Jesus was showing them the full glory of God that two OT figures appeared before them

The two being Moses and Elijah

This may seem crazy but here’s the reality of why Moses and Elijah appeared

Moses is the representation of the Law

He was the one the one who brought the Law to the people of Israel

The Law is the very thing that all Jews followed and the thing that was kept as most sacred

The Law was designed to help people get closer to God

So Moses showing up at Jesus’ transfiguration shows us that Jesus is the total fulfillment of the Law

That everything that Jesus has done/will do is in accordance with the Law

And that His teachings are greater than the Law

Moses was all about the Law

Elijah on the other hand was the representative of the prophets

Of all the prophets in the Old Testament Elijah is considered to be the best of them all

He was the one that was held in highest esteem

He was the one that was looked at as the greatest of them

Prophets were messengers of God — they sometimes told the future but not always

Prophets would go to people and share the message that God has for them

Elijah showed up to show them Jesus is the greater prophet

He is God himself — he is not simply a mouthpiece for God, He is the very literal voice of God

Moses and Elijah appeared to show Peter James and John that the OT — the Law and the prophets all pointed to Jesus

That Jesus was the Savior

He is the one that is promised to come and save the World

On top of this mountain they see:

Jesus in the full glory of heaven

Moses testifying that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and is greater than the Law

Elijah showing that Jesus is the greater prophet, the very literal voice of God

Peter James and John got a one of a kind viewing of Jesus

But notice what happens next

Mark 9:9–10 ESV

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.

Jesus asked them to keep it quiet — to not tell the other about what they had witnessed on the mountain

At least don’t tell them until after He had raised from the dead

How crazy is that?

Jesus brings Peter James and John up to a mountain to experience the full glory of God — to show who He is

YET

He says don’t tell what they see

And this isn’t the first time that this happens with Peter James and John

We talked about when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane how he brought the disciples out, but then brought those three closer to Him and shared His troubles

Mark 14:33 ESV

33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

He also did this when He raised Jarius’ daughter from the dead

Mark 5:37 ESV

37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

Mark 5:43 ESV

43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus is routinely bringing them closer and giving them opportunities to see something greater

It feels like Jesus is choosing favorites

But we know that isn’t true

James 2:9 ESV

9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

We are told that you are not to have favorites — that you shouldn’t treat others differently based off solely who they are

So why is Jesus treating them better / different?

I heard it said like this:

“Jesus doesn’t have favorites, He has intimates”

Intimates are close friends — people that know you and know everything about you

Jesus isn’t showing favoritism here — he instead is doing exactly what the Bible says

James 4:8 ESV

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

How to be an intimate

So reading and studying this got me thinking how can we be one of Jesus’ intimates?

He doesn’t have favorites, but it’s very clear that He allows some be closer than others

He allowed Peter James and John to be closer than the other disciples

So what can we do?

Confess Him as Lord

The first we need to do comes from Peter

Listen to what Peter did:

Mark 8:27–29 ESV

27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Here’s the first thing if we want to be one of Jesus’ intimates:

Confess Him as Lord

At the time when Peter confessed this — none of the other disciples knew that He was Lord

The knew He was a good teacher, a Rabbi, smart, worthy of being followed, but they didn’t know He was God

Or if they did they were afraid to confess that He is Lord

They were fearful if the knew, or they were still unknowing

Students if we want to be one of Jesus’ intimates, where we get experiences that others don’t

Where it feels like we have a special connection with God we must confess Him as Lord to all people

We cannot be ashamed of who Jesus is

We cannot be afraid to talk about Him and share who He is with the Lost world!

We must confess Jesus as Lord

Stay close to Him

The second thing comes from John

Listen to what John did

John 13:23 ESV

23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side,

In John 13 we see that John (thats how he referred to Himself) was reclining at Jesus’ side

Quite literally the reference was that he was reclining or lying close on Jesus

He most likely had his head on Jesus

Here’s the second thing if we want to be one of Jesus’ intimates

Stay close to Him

We must stay close to Jesus

John wanted to be so close to Jesus that he was quite literally reclining on Jesus when he was around Him

What about us?

We want to be one of the intimates

We want to experience God closer and more fully

But like we can’t even make time to read our Bible

We can’t spend time in prayer or meditating on the things of God

BUT we want Him to show us great things and do great things in our life

How crazy is that?

We must stay close to Him

Serve Him no matter what

The last thing comes from James

Acts 12:1–2 ESV

1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,

James gives us a beautiful picture of the last thing it takes to be one of Jesus’ intimates

Serve Him no matter what

We are to serve Jesus no matter what it costs us

James knew this was going to come

Listen:

Mark 10:39 ESV

39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,

Jesus here is speaking to James and John — two of the three we’ve been looking at

He is telling them that the very cup — suffering — that He is drinking they will also drink

For James that meant that he was going to be persecuted and ultimately killed for his faith in Jesus

For us what does that look like?

Are we willing to serve Him when times get tough?

When things aren’t going your way are you willing to stand firm?

Conclusion

MAN I want to be one of Jesus’ intimates

I want Him to know who I am

I want Him to show me things and do things in my life that don’t make sense

I want to be blessed by Him

But I can’t expect that to just happen

Peter James and John didn’t just get to experience the transfiguration — the full glory of God — by accident

It took them:

Confessing Jesus is Lord

Staying close to Him

Serving Him no matter what

MAN lets do that Students!

Discussion Questions

How do the experiences of Peter, James, and John inspire you to seek a closer relationship with Christ?

Share a time when you felt especially close to God. What led to that experience?

What challenges do you face when trying to stay close to Jesus, and how can you overcome them?

What does it mean for you personally to confess Jesus as Lord in your daily life?

How can staying close to Jesus influence your choices?

In what ways can you serve Jesus, even when it is difficult or costly?