Series

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

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."

[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. [3] His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. [4] And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

[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." [6] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

[7] Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

[8] Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

[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. [10] They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

[11] And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

[12] 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? [13] But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

Literature is full of stories about a king who disguises himself and goes out among his people to see what they are like, what they think of him and his rule, maybe just to get a feel for the life of the common man. It doesn’t take a great literary critic to see that these stories are all based on the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He was the great King of the universe, who came to earth disguised as a humble peasant, an itinerant rabbi, and most of the religious leaders didn’t recognize Him. Even His followers didn’t understand what was going on.

Just before this section in Mark’s gospel, Jesus had demolished the disciples’ expectations of what kind of Messiah He would be. He was not here as the strong, powerful, military and kingly ruler who would restore Israel to greatness. He was here as the suffering servant, the Messiah who would go to the cross for the sins of the world.

Then at the end of that teaching, He started to turn a corner back toward the expectations they had had of the Messiah. They did have it partly right. Mark 8:38-9:1, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. [9:1] I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

What’s that? He’s going to suffer and die, but He’s going to come in glory with the angels? We have to take up our crosses and die to ourselves, but the kingdom will come with power? This is very confusing.

Here’s another instance of progressive revelation. The Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah, and the Day of the Lord, and God restoring all things under His authority, and all of that, but they didn’t know, they couldn’t see, that there were two separate times that the Son of God would be on earth. The prophets were sometimes called “seers”, because God enabled them to “see” things in the future that others could not see. But their sight was something like a telephoto lens that compressed the distance between things. They looked into the future, saw the coming Messiah, saw that He would make the people righteous, and rule on the earth, but they couldn’t see that there were going to be thousands of years (at least 2,000) between those events.

So Jesus is now starting to open the eyes of the disciples a bit more, helping them to understand that He was going to suffer and die for the sins of the world this time around but that He would be back, and when He came the second time, it would be as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

And then there was this tantalizing promise: some of you disciples will not die before you see the kingdom of God come in power. Bertrand Russell was a famous English atheist who wrote a book called Why I Am Not a Christian. In that book, one of his arguments is that Jesus was obviously mistaken when He said this, because we’re still waiting for the kingdom to come in power two thousand years later. But Russell didn’t read the Bible very carefully. Because in the very next chapter, Jesus pulled back the veil that separates this world from the spiritual realm, and allowed three of His men to see who He really is. They saw the power of the kingdom displayed before their very eyes.

Mark 9:2, “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. [3] His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. [4] And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.”

The word translated transfigured (<metamorphoo) means to transform, to change in some fundamental way.[1] We get our word metamorphosis from it. Mark tells us that His clothes became dazzling white. The word (<stilbo) means to gleam, or to flash intensely, to shine.[2] His clothes weren’t just reflecting light; they were the source of the light. Peter, who related this to Mark, had never seen anything like it—all he knew was that no one on earth could bleach Jesus’ clothes to make them that bright.

Matthew also mentions that His face shone like the sun (17:2). You can imagine what a huge impression it made on the disciples. So this is who He was! He was not just a Galilean carpenter, or an itinerant rabbi; He was something entirely different, someone glorious, majestic, magnificent, awe-inspiring. They became convinced, as the author of Hebrews said later, (1:3), “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being…”

And then there were Moses and Elijah! We don’t know how the disciples knew that’s who these other figures were; they just knew somehow. But the presence of Moses and Elijah told them some more about who Jesus was: Moses was the great Law-giver of Israel, and Elijah was one of the greatest of the prophets, so their presence meant that both the Law and the prophets testified to Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the whole sacrificial system instituted by Moses at Mt. Sinai, and He fulfilled all the predictions about the Messiah in the prophets.

You remember that after the resurrection, Jesus intercepted two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They didn’t recognize Him, so, Luke 24:27, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

So yes, Jesus is saying, I really am the Messiah. I am the one spoken of all through the inspired Scriptures. I’m not what you were expecting, but I’m the real deal. I am the one you have been waiting for. Can you hear me now? Can you believe me now?

You might have thought that this would be enough to convince these men, but the concept was just mind-boggling. The Messiah was not going to be the powerful military and kingly ruler, but He was glorious, awesome, other-worldly, and He is the one the Scriptures all pointed to. So on the way back down the mountain, the disciples still had a question. They were convinced now that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, but they wanted to know, Mark 9:11, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” The reason the teachers said that was because of Malachi 4:5-6, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. [6] 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.” So the Scripture was clear that before the “Day of the Lord”, the day the Lord returned to earth, the day the Messiah would come, before that day, the prophet Elijah would come back to prepare the way for Him.

Mark 9:12, “Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things…[3] [13] But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.’” In Matthew 11, Jesus stated more explicitly that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was prophesied in Malachi. He was the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who would prepare the way for Him.

Faced with this dazzling display of Jesus’ glory, and the two great representatives of the Old Testament, Peter said to Jesus, Mark 9:5, “‘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.’ [6] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)”

This last phrase is a really helpful insight into the impact of this experience for these three men. They were frightened, and the word he uses is ekphobos. We have the word phobia from this Greek root, but the prefix “ek” means out of. Literally, they were frightened out—scared out of their minds, terrified.

And yet, Peter doesn’t want to run—he wants to stay. Maybe it was something like standing next to the cataract of Niagara Falls, hearing the roar, feeling the vibration and the spray, and knowing that if you were to fall, you would surely die—and yet, there is something about that dangerous, awesome sight that holds you there, fixed to the railing.

In that state of mental and emotional ambivalence, Peter makes a suggestion to us that seems silly: let’s put up some shelters for you three great men. Given the fact that Moses and Elijah have been dead for centuries, and that Jesus has just been transformed before them, revealing a powerful, awe-inspiring nature, none of these men really need shelter from the weather.

But Jesus doesn’t put Peter down for that remark, because it comes from the desire of his heart just to stay there in the presence of these great ones. “It is good for us to be here.” A thousand years before, King David had come to the same conclusion in Ps 73:28, “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” Another translation says, “The nearness of God is my good.” Yes, it is. This is the Ultimate Good. To be in a right relationship with God, enjoying His fellowship, basking in His love, wallowing in His grace, exulting in His glory—it really doesn’t get any better than that. The theologians call this the summum bonum, the highest good there is.

Peter, James, and John had a visible manifestation of Moses and Elijah; they saw Jesus transformed before them. They knew this was a very special and powerful time, and they wanted to linger there. For us, it’s harder, because we can’t see Jesus with our physical eyes. So we come to worship each week, praying that God will open the eyes of our heart, that we will be able to see with the eyes of faith the spiritual reality that is all around us. The Scripture tells us plainly that God is everywhere.[4] Jesus promised specifically that wherever even just two or three of His followers gather, He will be there in our midst (Matt 18:20). So we know He is here. But we want to see Him, to sense His presence, to experience Him in a powerful way.

So we come, seeking His face. Our hearts resonate with Paul’s prayer in Ephes. 1:17-19, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [18] I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19] and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” When Paul asks that we might “know him better”, the word means to really recognize what we are looking at, to see the full implications, to grasp the significance of who He is. That’s what we want, isn’t it? God, deliver us from merely coming here out of habit, and singing songs without ever having them pass through our minds, without ever recognizing who you are and how awesome a privilege it is to be in your presence. Lord, meet us here! Fill our hearts with the awareness of Your presence. Come, Lord! Come!

Peter wants to stay. He wants to set up shelters and stay right there with the Lord. Last Monday I took half a day to go up in the mountains to spend some uninterrupted time with the Lord, and I felt much the same thing. I was walking a few hundred yards away from the road or the trail, back behind some hills where all I could see was the beauty God had created. Above was a clear blue sky without a cloud in it; in the distance were some mountains with a dusting of snow; in front of me was a little valley, just drenched in the golden rays of the autumn sun. Birds were singing in the trees; there was a light breeze waving the grasses and trees ever so slightly. The sun was warm on my face, and the presence of the Lord surrounded me. I didn’t want to leave. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, so good to be in His presence. I didn’t talk much; I didn’t hear profound thoughts from God; I didn’t labor in intercessory prayer; I didn’t do anything that was on my checklist—but it was the best hour of the entire week.

That’s what I long for in our worship services. I long for the day when we will not be in a hurry to leave, when we will be so conscious of the Lord, and be enjoying Him so much, that we will just want to linger, to stay. Here are a couple of songs that express this longing well:

These writers got it. They wrote out of their own experience of God, which only made them thirsty for more. That’s something I’ve often wondered about—Jesus says that if we drink the living water that He provides, meaning His Spirit, we will never thirst again. But my experience is that the more I drink from Him, the more of Him I want. I think He means that there will be a part of us that is eternally satisfied. But I am more conscious of the part of me that is still parched, dried up and cracked, with my spiritual tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth, driving me to drink more of Him.

So there they were—three men, completely blown away by what they had seen, standing in awe and amazement, not knowing what to say. And then the Father spoke!

Mark 9:7, “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’” If they still had any doubts, that did it for them! The sight of Jesus shining before them in glory, the vision of Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus, and now the voice of God! Earlier, Jesus had asked the disciples, Who do people say I am? And who do you say I am? Now He’s showing and telling them who He really is. He may not be the kind of Messiah they were expecting, but He is very definitely the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt 16:16).

Therefore, we should, “Listen to Him.” It was easy for the disciples—they had Jesus right there with them, speaking to them in their native language. All it meant for them was to pay attention and do what He said. But what about us? How do we listen to Jesus, when there is such a gulf between Him and us, between the physical realm and the spiritual realm, a gulf we cannot cross because we are trapped in these bodies of ours?

Remember back in Mark 6:31, Jesus had invited the disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” I think that’s the first thing: to find a quiet place of solitude, a place where we will not be interrupted, where we can be free from the many distractions that vie for our attention. Maybe for you that will be a quiet and mostly dark room. For me it is most often someplace outside where all I can see is what God has made. It has to be a place where the phone doesn’t ring, where the email doesn’t beckon, where the stacks of unfinished business and projects don’t call to us. Silence and solitude are two of the key prerequisites to hear God’s voice, because He usually doesn’t shout. He usually speaks in the quiet whisper of His Spirit, and we need to be in a place where we can hear that, like Elijah standing at the mouth of a cave.

The next step is to make sure you are tuning in to the right frequency. There are other voices that can speak to us in the silence, and we want to make sure we are hearing only from Jesus and His Spirit. We can do that through worship, which focuses us very explicitly on Him. We can do it through reading a portion of His Word. And we can do it by simply stating, “Lord Jesus, I want to hear only from You. I reject any voice, any spirit, any influence that is not from You.”

Learning to listen to God is like learning to play the piano, or learning how to type. At first, we are awful at it. We make so many mistakes, it is terrible, and even discouraging. But the more we practice, the better we get, and soon it becomes a joy. When you first start trying to listen to God, you may find that you are easily distracted, even if you are in a quiet place alone. Your mind may run off in all directions, jumping frenetically from the kids to the parents to the job to the plumbing to the friend who called to homework to a boyfriend to whatever. Don’t get upset with yourself, and don’t get discouraged. You didn’t learn to walk in a day, either, and this is every bit as complicated as that.[i] As soon as you realize your mind has wandered, pull it back, focus on the Lord again, quote a Scripture, or read a verse or two, sing a song to get your mind back on Him. Ask the Lord to help you: “Father, I really want to spend this time concentrating solely on you. You are worthy of my full, undivided attention. Please help me.” If you find yourself thinking about something you have to do later, make a quick note to yourself on a pad of paper—just enough to remind you to deal with it. And then you can leave it there, knowing that you won’t forget it and you don’t have to keep thinking about it.

Ask questions. You may want to ask God for His perspective on some troubling situation you are in. You’ll probably have situations where you need His guidance, or His wisdom. Sometimes I’ll just ask the open-ended question, “What do you want to say to me, Lord? Speak; your servant is listening. I want to hear anything you have to tell me, even if it is painful.” You can ask about your relationship with Him, or with others. Or what does He want to say to you about your character? Or how He wants you involved in His kingdom. What do I need to know about this person in my life who is giving me so much trouble right now? Ask Him questions, and expect an answer.

And then listen. Tune in your spiritual ears, pay attention to any thoughts that come to your mind, any words you hear in your head, any general impressions that come to you. It’s hard to explain, and I’m not all that good at it. But I know I have sometimes heard from God. Sometimes the answers will be right there, so quick and so clear that they will startle us, and we may be tempted to disbelieve that they came from God, because we really weren’t expecting Him to answer us. Other times we may have to wait, and the answers will come over the course of the next days or weeks. But it is so helpful to get alone with God and be able to ask Him questions and talk over life with Him.

Finally, we need to have the attitude of Peter, who said, “It is good to be here.” We need to be content with simply being in the presence of Jesus, whether He says anything to us or not. Last Monday when I was away with Him, I asked several times if there was anything He wanted to say to me. I prayed, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” But I didn’t “hear” anything. I didn’t need to. I was so blessed just to be in His presence, surrounded by His love, that He didn’t need to say anything to me in words. The nearness of God is our good, friends. Be content with that.

[1] That change may be visible, as here, or invisible, as in Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18

[2] This sense is compounded by the additional adjective lian, meaning exceedingly, describing “white”.

[3] Jesus continues, “Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?” Cranfield (Cambridge, 1966, p.298) suggests this way to understand this question, which seems somewhat out of place in the flow of thought: “Having admitted that the scribes are correct in this that they say, Jesus goes on to suggest that this ‘restoring all things’ cannot mean just what on the surface it seems to mean, since scripture foretells for the Son of Man much suffering and humiliation.”

[4] Ps 139; Jer 23:23,24