What Can We Learn From The Transfiguration? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: Jesus is glorious and demonstrated that through His sacrifice.
SCRIPTURE: Mark 9:1-13
1 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.”
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.
This passage is beautiful. If you’ve grown up around church, it’s probably a familiar one. If not, it may come across a bit striking. We haven’t seen anything quite like this so far in the gospel, and really won’t see anything like it again until Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. We’re looking at Jesus’ earthly ministry. We’re talking about the true reason for why He came. Then, almost abruptly, we’re given this Heavenly glimpse. It’s wonderful, but to be honest, I don’t know that I’ve ever thought too much about it until these past few weeks.
I think the title I sent Darla originally for the bulletin was “What is the Transfiguration?” However, I modified that slightly to “What can we learn from the Transfiguration?” because that’s where I’ve been. Maybe none of you are with me here, but as I’ve been gnawing on this passage, what has struck me has been more the why than the what. Now, that what is absolutely incredible, and we will be looking at it today. Nonetheless, I know this is recorded on purpose...and for a purpose, but what is that? Why is this here, at this point in the gospel?
That’s where studying through an entire book really comes in handy. What’s been happening leading up to this? Most immediately, we’ve had Peter’s proclamation that Jesus is indeed the Christ. Then, Jesus teaching them what that actually means. He’s not the Christ they were expecting, but He’s more. He came not to establish a political kingdom, but an everlasting one. He came to destroy sin, not the Roman Empire. He is God-in-the-flesh, and the only sacrifice which could pay the price for our salvation. This Christ comes and changes everything, and following Him means giving up your life, your sinful desires and being willing to follow Him even to death. It’s a radical message, and not at all what the disciples thought He was going to tell them.
Then, at the end of last week’s passage, we get this verse: 1 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.” In our English translation, it starts chapter 9, but it’s really a closing remark from chapter 8. There have been many interpretations given for what exactly was meant by this verse, and I think it likely has multiple fulfillments, but, at least in part, it seems to be directly connected to what immediately follows. Jesus tells them some of them will see the kingdom of God come in power, and six days later Peter, James, and John see the transfiguration. The kingdom of God is all about Jesus. His kingdom is established by His death and resurrection and consists of His people following Him. What then is the transfiguration showing us? Jesus.
So, the gist for today? Jesus is glorious and demonstrated that through His sacrifice.
I. JESUS IS GLORIOUS
Old Testament Imagery Paints A Picture. This whole passage is steeped in Old Testament imagery. It reminds me so much of when we were studying through Revelation. A lot of those images are really hard to understand, but when you realize many of them come directly from the Old Testament and go back and see what was happening in those Old Testament scenes, they become a lot clearer. The same thing is happening here. Jesus takes three of the disciples with Him up a mountain. Luke’s account tells us they went there to pray. While they’re there, the disciple see something incredible. The message in what they saw seems to be twofold: Jesus is the Messiah, and Jesus is God.
Jesus Is The Messiah. Let’s break down the imagery in what happens here real quick. They go up on the mountain. They’re praying, and Jesus is transfigured before them (more on that in a second). That word in Greek is the source of our word metamorphosis, so it signifies a change in form. After the change, two people show up, Moses and Elijah, and start talking to Jesus. Even though the disciples have never seen these men before, they recognize them. God opens their eyes because they need to get this.
Fulfillment of the Old Testament. These two men are significant because not only were they faithful servants of God, but they had become synonymous with the two major sections of the Old Testament Scriptures. Moses recorded the Law sections, and Elijah was one of the major prophets. A common way of referring to the entire Old Testament Scripture at that time was to call it the Law and the Prophets. So, Jesus is transfigured and begins talking to representatives of the Old Testament Scripture...about what? Luke records that they were discussing the exodus He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Again...this is incredible! When we hear the word “exodus”, we think of Moses leading God’s people out of captivity. Again, it’s synonymous with God saving His people. And here Moses and Elijah are talking to Jesus about how He is going to fulfill that promise of true and lasting salvation that the entire Old Testament pointed to; He would save us from true captivity, slavery to sin! He is the Messiah.
One Like Moses to Listen to. And in case we missed that point, there is more to clarify this. In Exodus 24, Moses goes up on a mountain to meet with God, a cloud descends on the mountain (a scene very similar to this passage), and he is given the Law which he then gives to the people. Then, in Deuteronomy 18:15, God promises to send someone who is like Moses, a prophet who will speak God’s Word to His people, and who the people are to listen to (keep that phrase in mind). Early in the book of Acts, both Peter and Stephen preach sermons that explain that Jesus fulfilled that promised expectation (Acts 3:22, 7:35-37).
Elijah as Forerunner. Furthermore, in Malachi 4:4-6, literally the last verses in the Old Testament, we’re told that one like Elijah is going to come as a forerunner of the day of the Lord, the Messiah coming. So, the picture of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, is painted in this encounter.
Jesus Is God. Yet, we see that He is more than just a human Messiah. Not only did He come from God, but He is Himself God. The imagery echoes this as well.
Radiantly White. When He’s transfigured, He’s radiantly white, glistening. That kind of language in Scripture points to God’s holiness, His purity. Here are two examples: Daniel 7:9 (the description of the Ancient of Days), and Revelation 1:14 (the description of the throne room of God). Moses and Elijah aren’t radiantly white in this image. Jesus is.
Cloud on a Mountain. Likewise, we are given a picture of a cloud on a mountain. We’ve talked about this before. All throughout Scripture, mountains represent “places where you meet with God”. Moses met with God on a mountain several times. Possibly the most memorable occasions were when he was given the 10 commandments and when God allowed him to see a glimpse of His glory (Exodus 16, 19, 24, 33-34, 40...etc). Elijah, likewise met with God on a mountain several times. Two famous meetings happen in back to back chapters in 1 Kings. In chapter 18, he faces the prophets of Baal and stands boldly for God in the face of opposition, then, after running for his life, in chapter 19, God speaks to him in the still small voice. Both happen on mountains. Add to this the cloud imagery, and there is no mistaking what’s happening here. Clouds descending on things often represented God’s presence. I did a quick search to see how often that imagery happens in the Old Testament, and there were so many. When God was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, He did so with a pillar of fire by night, and of cloud by day (Exodus 13:21). When God met with Moses on the mountain, His presence descended on the mountain as a cloud (Exodus 19, 24, 33). The same thing happened with the tent of meeting (Exodus 40), and when Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant back to the Temple, God’s presence filled the temple in the form of a cloud, as well (2 Chronicles 5). The list goes on.
Confirming Voice of God. And in case there was any confusion, God the Father speaks from the cloud in thee say confirming manner as He did at Jesus’ baptism: “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” Remember when the Messiah was promised to be one like Moses who we were to listen to? Well, here we have confirmation; this is the one you’re supposed to be listening to; this is the Messiah, and this is my beloved Son. We’ve address that term before. This is not sonship in a biological sense, but in a representative sense. Jesus is God-in-Flesh. The second member of the trinity. If we’ve missed it up until this point, here we have it laid out in splendor. Jesus is God and our Messiah. Jesus is glorious!
II. AND DEMONSTRATED THAT THROUGH HIS SACRIFICE
Listen to Him. This second point might feel abrupt. We have this picture of Jesus’ majesty, and then we shift to talking about His death. That’s how the disciples felt too, and I think this is one of the major reasons this happened where it did. They were struggling with wrapping their minds around a Christ who came to die and rise again (especially with the dying part), so Jesus gives them this picture of who He is unveiled. He. Is. God. It’s marvelous...and absolutely terrifying. In fact, Peter is so scared he starts talking...even though he really doesn’t know what he’s saying (man, can’t some of us relate to that...☺). In Luke’s account, he starts talking as Elijah and Moses seem to be walking away. He offers to build them some tents. Maybe he’s trying to preserve this moment, in which case, what happens next would come as a rebuke of sorts for missing the point, but I think it’s more likely that he is just… talking. Either way, Matthew and Luke both record that it was while Peter was still talking that the cloud descends and God declares: this is my beloved Son; listen to Him. It’s like God knows Peter is just rambling and needs him to get the point.
Listen to Him. What has He been saying? He’s been proclaiming the Gospel. Yes, all of this that you see is true. He is God. He doesn’t have to go to the cross and die. If He chose to do otherwise, nothing could stop Him. BUT, He chose to die for us!
A Casual Conversation With Two Dead Saints About Salvation. Within the text, we’re reminded of this, as well. Remember, when Jesus was talking to Moses and Elijah, His Exodus was the topic of their conversation. They were talking not only about what He came to do, save the world from sin, but how He would do that.
Then, on the way down the mountain, we listen in on this conversation:
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. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
The disciples are confused by what Jesus means about the resurrection (which, again, is why they’re not ready to tell the world what they’ve seen yet), but rather than ask for clarity on this, they ask an Elijah question. They’d always heard Elijah would come before the Messiah. They just saw Elijah on the mountain, but Jesus came first, so how does this connect? Jesus clarifies that Elijah has already come, and Matthew’s account spells out that He’s talking about John the Baptist here. John came like Elijah preparing the way for the Messiah to come. AND, like Elijah, they mistreated John. This was a multifaceted “preparing of the way”. Not only did he help prepare hearts, but in like manner, yet to a far greater extent, Jesus would also suffer at their hands.
All About Seeing Jesus. At the end though, this is all about seeing Jesus for who He truly is! I love verse 8, “And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.” Matthew 17 records it like this: “6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” When everything is stripped away, they are being lifted up by Jesus. And man, we need this Jesus. We need His Glory, and we need His sacrifice. We need a savior who is sufficient to save us; only God meets that bill. And we need a savior who’s willing to take our place; only enduring Hell would cut it. Probably what is most wonderful about this balance here is that together we get the complete picture of Jesus. His sacrifice points all the more to His glory because His glory is the revelation of His character, and His character is love! He is the just, all powerful, loving God--and we see that in the transfiguration.
TAKEAWAYS
1. Above everything, we need Jesus--the real Jesus. This experience for the disciples would have been unforgettable, but Jesus was more important than the experience. In the same way, we should love and serve Him for more than circumstantial benefit. If we’re looking for Jesus because we want Him to improve our lives by earthly standards, we’ve missed the point. From that perspective, the disciples lives are about to get really messy. Yet, this keeps coming up throughout our study. We are a people of deep need. Nothing and no one can satisfy that need except Jesus--who is both the glorious God and the deliberate sacrifice for our sin.
2. And… we should listen to Him. This might seem obvious...but we don’t live it. If the disciples who lived face-to-face with Jesus needed to be reminded to listen to Him, we most definitely do. There are a lot of voices coming at us in this world. In the midst of that, are you listening to Jesus? This isn’t even just about listening to people preaching or teaching God’s Word...because even the most faithful preachers are not infallible. I hope you guys check everything I say by the Scripture. Are you studying His Word? Do you take it seriously?
3. Furthermore, this reminds us that mountain tops prepare us for valleys. This takeaway might be out of place a bit, but I’m going to throw it out here in preparation for next week. This situation was wonderful, but they don’t stay on the mountain. And when they get to the bottom, they’re going to be greeted by chaos and doubt. Our lives are no different. Learn from the mountain tops, the times when you experience Jesus and learn from Him in clear and unmistakable ways, and don’t forget those lessons when you encounter the trials which will inevitably follow.
4. And points us to eternal glory: Heaven. Let’s close by remembering this glimpse of Jesus’ glory is a glimpse of Heaven. Those of us who know Jesus and have given Him control of our lives look forward to a time when we will see Jesus in the fullness of His glory for all eternity. Last Sunday, I planned on preaching on this passage, but we had to cancel for snow. That morning, I listened to R.C. Sproul preach on this text. He ended his message by saying, “we missed out on the transfiguration the first time, but if we’re in Christ we won’t miss it the second time”. What struck me most as I listened to him conclude the message with those words is Dr. Sproul passed away just a few weeks ago. He’s experiencing that full glory of Jesus now! One day, those who are saved by His grace will too.
1 John 3:1-3: “1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
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