The Path to Glory

INTRODUCTION

Please take God’s Word and turn to Mark chapter 9

We are looking today at the events that followed the transfiguration in vv.1-8

Our text is verses 9-13

This account also occurs in Matthew 17:1-13 and Luke 9:36

I’m going to read the full account from John MacArthur’s book, “One Perfect Life.”

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” So they kept this word to themselves and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen, while questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him. Likewise, how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must also suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”

Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

The defining mark of the true church of Jesus Christ has always been its unwavering proclamation of the cross and the resurrection

From the very beginning, these twin themes were at the heart of apostolic preaching—starting on the Day of Pentecost

In Acts 3:18, Peter declared that “the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”

Similarly, when Paul preached in Thessalonica, he “explained and gave evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead,” declaring, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ” (Acts 17:3).

To the Corinthians, Paul made it clear that the message of the cross is central, saying:

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called… Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:18, 22–24).

The resurrection is the necessary counterpart to the cross

On the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly proclaimed, “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32)

The Jewish leaders were disturbed because the apostles were “teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2)

Luke notes in Acts 4:33 that “with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul brought this same message to the Gentile philosophers in Athens, where he “was preaching Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18, cf. v. 32)

And later, before Agrippa, Paul testified that the Christ would suffer and “by reason of His resurrection from the dead… proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23)

In 1 Corinthians 15:12–20, Paul emphasizes that the resurrection is foundational to Christian faith

If Christ is not risen, then preaching is vain, faith is worthless, and believers remain in their sins. But he triumphantly affirms: “Now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”

There is no salvation without these two truths—the death and resurrection of Christ

As Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Yet, before the cross, Jesus’ followers struggled deeply with the idea of His death

When He first told them, “the Son of Man must suffer many things… and be killed, and after three days rise again,” Peter rebuked Him (Mark 8:31–32)

At the Transfiguration, Peter wanted the kingdom without the cross

Later, in Mark 9:31–32, Jesus again taught that He would be killed and rise after three days. But the disciples still didn’t understand—and they were afraid to ask

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He made it even clearer:

“The Son of Man will be delivered… they will mock Him and spit on Him… and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again” (Mark 10:33–34)

But the disciples still missed the point

James and John were thinking about kingdom glory, not suffering

Seeing Jesus transfigured in divine glory with Moses and Elijah only intensified their expectation of an imminent kingdom

The idea of a dying and rising Messiah had no place in their thinking

The scribes had taught the people to expect a Messiah who would conquer, judge His enemies, bring salvation to Israel, and establish an earthly kingdom filled with righteousness, peace, and knowledge

The Messiah would be victorious, not humiliated; reigning, not rejected

So when Jesus spoke repeatedly of suffering, betrayal, and death, it was a shocking and deeply troubling message

But reality was beginning to challenge their expectations

The religious leaders, who were supposed to recognize the Messiah, were plotting to kill Him (John 5:18; 7:1; 11:53)

The general population, though curious, remained largely unconverted and uncommitted

One disciple even asked, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” (Luke 13:23)

Many so-called followers abandoned Him when His teaching demanded self-denial (John 6:66; Luke 9:23)

The Transfiguration, therefore, served as a preview of the glory to come, intended to strengthen the disciples’ faith in the midst of their confusion

Even in this passage (Mark 9:9–13), Jesus continues to emphasize the necessity of His death

Verse 9 begins with…

The Command to Silence (v.9)

It came as they were coming down the mountain

Jesus commands them to “tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead” (Mat.17:1)

Mark says “He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen”

The phrase “gave them orders” (diesteilato) carries the force of a solemn, binding command

This isn’t a suggestion

He strictly charges them to remain silent

Jesus gave similar commands like this

After He healed a leper - Mark 5:43

After raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead - Mark 7:36

After healing a deaf and mute man - Mark 8:26

The Transfiguration is tied to Jesus’ death and resurrection

Only after His resurrection would the full meaning of what they saw be made clear

The Transfiguration was not just a supernatural display—it was a preview of the resurrection glory that awaited Christ

They wouldn’t understand everything until after that event

Verse 10 indicates they didn’t understand “what rising from the dead meant”

They knew about resurrection from Old Testament teaching

They had even seen Jesus raise others from the dead

But His own resurrection was beyond their full comprehension

Luke 9:45 indicates it “concealed from them so that they would not perceive it”

That explains why Peter rebuked Jesus when Jesus told them “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 9:31)

Peter was “not setting [his] mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (v.33)

This was an obvious indicator that he, as well as the rest of the disciples, did not understand

Jesus, therefore, didn’t want them talking about something they didn’t fully grasp

If the disciples told others about the transfiguration prematurely, people would assume Jesus was going to establish His kingdom then and there

This is what happened in John 6:15

This occurs right after Jesus feeds the 5,000

The crowd, impressed by the miracle, tries to take Him by force to make Him king, expecting a political Messiah

Jesus, knowing their intentions, withdraws to a mountain alone, rejecting their false expectations of His mission

Jesus wanted His death and resurrection to interpret His glory—not glory without the cross (cf. Luke 24:26)

This is why He said this to the two on the road to Emmanus in Luke 24:26, “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?””

So at that point Luke 24:27 says, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

Mark 9:10 says after seizing on the statement “until the Son of Man rose from the dead” (v.9), they were “discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant”

The word “discussing” (syzeteo) means more than simply chatting

It means they were actively and intently engaging with each other trying to reason out what Jesus meant

They did not yet understand what “rising from the dead” meant in its full, literal, and theological sense, so they were debating or puzzling over it

Mark uses this word in other places to indicate a dispute or intense questioning (Mk.8:11; 9:14)

So as they debated “what rising from the dead meant” (v.10), they ask…

The Question About Elijah (vv.11-12)

“They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

This raises a theological question in the disciples’ minds

“If Elijah is supposed to come first, why did we just see him now, and why didn’t he come to restore all things before You began Your public ministry?”

They are trying to reconcile their recent experience with what the scribes taught based on Malachi 4:5–6

This reflects the Jewish eschatological expectation: Elijah would appear as a forerunner before the coming of the Day of the Lord

The scribes based their teaching on Malachi 4:5-6

So, the Jewish expectation was that Elijah would come before the Messiah, as a forerunner

He would prepare and restore the people spiritually

This is what the scribes taught, and the disciples are now wondering:

“If You are the Messiah, where is Elijah in all this?”

They just saw him on the mountain—but only briefly and not publicly

D. Edmond Hiebert said…

“The disciples’ question shows how deeply ingrained the scribal teaching was. Their question was not hostile, but a sincere effort to harmonize Scripture with what they had just seen.”

R.C. Sproul adds…

“Their expectations were still colored by popular eschatology. Jesus redirected them to the suffering aspect of the Messiah and the forerunner’s role.”

So Jesus gives now…

The Explanation About Elijah (vv.12-13)

Jesus affirms that Elijah does come first

He says in verse 12, “Elijah does first come and restore all things”

Before He says more about Elijah, he redirects “them to the suffering aspect of the Messiah and the forerunner’s role” (Sproul)

Jesus’ statement in the last half of verse 12 begins with “It is written”

That’s a reference to the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah

Isaiah 53:3-7: describes the Messiah being despised, rejected, and afflicted, and bearing the sins of many through suffering

Psalm 22:6-8: describes the Messiah as scorned and mocked by people

Zechariah 12:10: Foretells the piercing of the Messiah, leading to mourning

By referencing these prophecies, Jesus emphasized that His suffering was not a deviation but a fulfillment of God’s plan, challenging the disciples’ expectations of a triumphant Messiah

Jesus explains that Elijah has already come (v.13)

“But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

The Old Testament records that Elijah faced significant opposition

He was persecuted by Ahab and Jezebel in 1 Kings 19:1-10

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel sought to kill Elijah for his bold preaching against their idolatry and for challenging the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 19:1–10)

Jezebel’s threats forced Elijah to flee for his life

He was also rejected by the people

Many in Israel ignored or opposed Elijah’s call to worship the true God, as seen in the widespread idolatry under Ahab’s rule (1 Kings 18:17–40)

The account of Elijah parallels what happened to John the Baptist

He was the Elijah who had already come - Matthew 11:14

In the context of the provided text and Jesus’ statement in Mark 9:13, the reference to Elijah primarily points to John the Baptist, whom Jesus identifies as the one who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17)

The text states that the people “did to him whatever they wished,” which aligns with John the Baptist’s fate. Specifically:

Rejection by the religious leaders: The Jewish leaders, including the Pharisees and scribes, rejected John’s message of repentance and his role as the Messiah’s forerunner (Matthew 21:25; Luke 7:33).

Imprisonment and execution: Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist for condemning his unlawful marriage to Herodias. Eventually, at Herodias’ request, Herod had John beheaded (Mark 6:17–29).

John the Baptist fulfilled the Elijah role by calling the nation to prepare for Messiah through repentance (Mark 1:2–4)

Just as John was rejected and killed (Mark 6), Jesus too would be rejected and crucified

Some believe that Elijah will come again literally, based on Revelation 11:3–12, which describes two witnesses during the Great Tribulation who:

Prophesy for 1,260 days

Call down fire from heaven

Shut up the sky (like Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1)

Strike the earth with plagues (Rev.11:6)

These acts mirror Elijah’s ministry. That’s why some (especially in premillennial, dispensational circles) believe one of the two witnesses is Elijah

Elijah never died (2 Kings 2:11); he was taken to heaven

Malachi 4:5–6 is still seen by some as awaiting literal fulfillment before the Second Coming

At the Transfiguration (Mark 9:4), Elijah appears bodily, not as a spirit

The Jews today have a tradition of setting an empty place at the table for Elijah during the Passover Seder

During the Seder, a cup of wine, known as the "Cup of Elijah," is filled and placed on the table, and a door is often opened to symbolically welcome Elijah

This act expresses hope for his arrival as a sign of messianic redemption, when he will announce the coming of the Messiah and the restoration of Israel

Believer’s Bible Commentary D. Closing Exhortation to Obedience, with Promise of the Coming of Elijah the Prophet (4:4–6)

In reading Malachi in the synagogue the Jews repeat verse 5 after verse 6 so that the book will not end with a curse. However, as Wolf observes, “This attempt to soften the message does not alter the grim reality.”

CONCLUSION

So what can we take away from this mysterious yet majestic moment on the mountain?

First, we learn that Jesus’ path to glory leads through suffering, and any message about Him that ignores the cross is incomplete (John 15:20)

That’s why Jesus commanded silence—because people were ready for a crown, but not a cross

Second, we see how even the most devout disciples can misunderstand God’s timing and methods

They were right to expect Elijah, but they didn’t realize Elijah had already come—in the person of John the Baptist, who like Jesus, was rejected and killed

And finally, we are reminded that God’s promises are always fulfilled, though not always in the way we expect

Whether Elijah has come once in John the Baptist or will come again before Christ returns, the point remains: God is faithful to His word, and Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills it all

So as we reflect on the Transfiguration and Jesus’ words about Elijah, let us fix our eyes not just on the glory that awaits—but also on the cross that explains it, and the resurrection that secures it

Let us proclaim not just a King of glory, but a Savior who suffered, died, and rose again—so that we could be brought into His glory

Have you given your life to the Messiah who suffered and died on account of your sins and rose again from the dead?

Charles Spurgeon said, "Accepting Christ Jesus as suffering for me, I have accepted a complete discharge from judicial liability. I have been condemned in Christ, and there is therefore now no condemnation to me anymore."

You can trust Him right now by confessing Him as Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead

Upon your confession, which comes from your believing heart, Paul says you will be saved

But you also have to call upon Him

Will you call upon him now?

Call upon Him as we pray