The Transfiguration of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Last week, Jesus asked His disciples who people thought He was. Then He asked them who they though He was. We saw Peter’s great confession, and then right on the heals we saw Peter rebuke Jesus.
Jesus’ response to Peter’s rebuke, was met with a message to His disciples and to the crowd that was following along with them.
We ended with the first one of the ninth chapter.
And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
Today we are going to look at a story that is in all the synoptic gospels—the Synoptic Gospels include: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In each case, right before our the story that we are looking at today we have the same statement as we have in Mark 9:1.
This morning we are going to look at the story that comes right after this statement. If you have your Bibles, I want to encourage you to turn with me to Mark 9, and we’ll begin reading with verse 2.
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
There are several things that we need to see in this short little verse.
First, we’re given a time line—After six days.
Secondly, Jesus only too His inner circle—Peter, James, and John.
Thirdly, Jesus led them up a high mountain. Since they had been in the area of Caesarea Philippi. Just north of there is the high mountain called Mt. Hermon—around 9,200 feet high.
Jesus took them there so they could be alone!
Finally, there’s the word “transfigures”—The disciples are about to see Jesus in His glory.
To understand what this looks like all we have to do is to keep reading.
His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
This is an amazing picture. We catch a glimpse of the glory of Jesus (which is the glory of God).
First His clothes became dazzling white. Pure white!
In fact, they were whiter than any bleach in the world could have made them.
Plus, they saw two other figures talking with Jesus. They saw Him talking to Elijah and Moses.
Now comes one of my favorite parts of the story. Look at verse 5.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Peter speaks up. It is as though he is the spokesman for the group.
Let us build three shelters—tabernacles, or booths. In Leviticus, Israel was given the Festival of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles. Look at Leviticus 23:34.
“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.
They made the “shelters” to stay in during the festival of booths—to Peter this may have reminded him of this festival. So he offers to build three shelters—one for Jesus, one for Elijah, and one for Moses. Look at verse 6
(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
Isn’t that just like Peter—when he’s scared, or nervous he talks! But often what he says is not good.
Now the disciples have seen the glory of Jesus, now they are going to see a different kind of glory of God. Look at the next verse
Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Shekinah glory—This cloud that appeared is known in Jewish circles as the shekinah glory of God—or the presence of God. God’s shekinah appears as a burning bush, as a pillar of fire at night, and as a cloud by day. It covers the mountain at Sinai, and here it is seen once again as a cloud and a voice.
Out of the cloud came a voice—the voice of God, saying “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
As quickly as the cloud rolled in, everything was gone! And as quickly as Elijah and Moses came, they were gone.
When it was all over, Jesus and His disciples began to heading down the mountain. Look at verse 9.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Don’t tell anyone about what you have seen.
Until after he rises from the dead.
They couldn’t figure out what he meant by, “rising from the dead.”
Once again, Jesus talks about his death and resurrection, yet His close friends don’t understand what He is talking about. They begin to ask Him questions about the prophecies regarding the Messiah’s coming to restore the kingdom. Look at verse 11.
And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
Perhaps, seeing Elijah at the transfiguration, and Jesus talking about the “resurrection” got the disciples to thinking about the Messianic prophecies. They knew the promises of Malachi, in Malachi 4:5-6.
“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
Look at Jesus’ response.
Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”
In His response, Jesus makes two significant statements:
First, Jesus says that Malachi was right—Elijah does have to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. But the promise out of Malachi does not negate the prophecy of Isaiah 53:3.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
In the last statement, Jesus gives a vailed reference to John the Baptizer fulfilling the role of Elijah in His first advent.
But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”
Once again, Mark records for us a great story of Jesus. But what does it say to us today? What is it that we take away from this passage?
SO WHAT?
SO WHAT?
Peter, James, and John were able to see the physical manifestation of Jesus’ glory!
Peter, James, and John saw a physical manifestation of God’s glory.
And by witnessing the change in Jesus at the transfiguration, they began to understand that Jesus is who He claimed to be—the Messiah.
QUESTION: How do you know Jesus?
A lot of us know Jesus as Savior—we know we have been put into a right relationship with God—just as if we had never sinned.
But do we know Jesus as Messiah? Messiah means “Anointed One.” The disciples were looking for God’s Messiah, God’s Anointed One; but they were looking for a conquering king—one who would come to oust Rome from the borders of Israel. A conquering king that would establish the throne of King David. A conquering King that would be King over all other kings, and Lord over all other lords.
Have you and I accepted Jesus as the Messiah? Or let me ask it a different way. Have you and I accepted Jesus as our King; Master; our Ruler?
You see if Jesus is our Ruler, or Master then we must obey Him. That is why Jesus says,
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
If we accept Jesus as the Savior of our lives, we MUST allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. We must—have to—obey. As James says:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
QUESTION: Is Jesus the master of your life today?
QUESTION: Are you doing what God’s Word says to do?
Over the next several chapters, Peter, James, and John are going to be challenged to put what they believe about Jesus into action! Today, we are being challenged to put what we believe about Jesus into action in our lives! The question is: Will we do what Jesus says?
