MARK 9:2-8 (READ VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS) JULY 20 TH, 2016

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1 BEHIND THE BOOK Connecting to the Bible (Observation) MARK 9:2-8 (READ VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS) JULY 20 TH, 2016 RESOURCES: THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT THE PILLAR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY MARK: 9-16: TIM CHESTER MARK 1-8: TIM CHESTER THE KING S CROSS: TIM KELLER Introduction: Mark s Gospel has two summits: Peter s confession and the transfiguration. These are the apex of Mark s gospel. It s also the midpoint (8 of 16 chapters) and the turning point in the gospel. Jesus comes away from this mountain to next summit a smaller mount called Golgotha. Everything previous to this has led up to this point and everything after this leads away from it. It s worth a momentary review: a) Peter s confession is made in the city dedicated to a false god, Pan, and named for another false god Caesar Augustus. Jesus attributes this confession to God s work in Peter s life. b) Peter s confession is immediately followed by Peter s rebuke of Jesus which the Lord attributes to the work of Satan. In his temptations of Jesus, the devil attempted to offer Jesus the throne without going to the cross. Peter is hoping for the same thing. But Jesus knows better because Jesus plan is bigger. He is not simply overthrowing 1

2 the Romans but the curse. Satan was behind Adam s power play against God. Peter s mind, filled with the leaven of the Pharisees and Herodians, is thinking the same way: Let s use the world s methods to do God s work. But Jesus has come to introduce a new kingdom ethic; service and suffering as the way to live in God s eternal kingdom. The world s idea of power might get you a promotion in a human business, but it won t get you into God s kingdom and it won t win God s heart. c) Throughout his Gospel, Mark has been intentional to demonstrate the apostles slowness to understand and believe. This is one more example of the arduous road of discipleship. Mark wants his Roman readers to understand the cost of following Jesus. Salvation will put them at odds with Caesar and Rome but in favor with Jesus and the New Jerusalem. V 2 Luke says the transfiguration occurred about 8 days after Peter s confession. Mark places the transfiguration six days after Peter s confession and rebuke of Jesus. Mark probably puts it at six because a) it was exactly six day or b) when Moses travelled to Sinai, The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days (Exodus 234:16). In Mark s account, a greater One than Moses is about to ascend the mount and a greater glory is about to be seen. To encourage the disciples and to further enlighten them, Jesus is going to once again demonstrate his deity. He has already done so in his miracles. But he is going to once more show his followers his greatness in an effort to encourage their submission to his will. And so it is that verse two of chapter nine says: 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. Jesus did this to fulfil his word in 8:38. The disciples easily dismissed Jesus teaching on the resurrection in 8:31. It s understandable. Their minds were so troubled by the discussion about Jesus death, they didn t pay attention to what came after. Even if they did think about it, they still didn t like the idea of Jesus dying to obtain a resurrection. In the transfiguration Jesus gave them a glimpse of what his resurrected life will look like. He showed them the glory that would follow his suffering and their suffering in order to prove to them the suffering was worth the glory. 2

3 As Jews, the disciples had read about God appearing on earth, often in the form of glorious, marvelous, blinding light. At the initiation of the priestly service in Leviticus 9, God appears in light. n Exodus verses 7 to 10, God appear s to Israel as light. In Exodus 24 God appears to Moses as light. In Exodus chapter 40 verses 34 and 35, the tabernacle is completed and God appears in the Shekinah glory as light. At Kadesh-Barnea in Numbers chapter 14 where the children of Israel rebelled against God, the Lord once again appeared as light. A couple of chapters later in the sixteenth chapter of Numbers at the exposure of the sins of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, God again appear as light. In Numbers 16, the same chapter, at the rebellion of Israel against Moses and Aaron, God appears. In Numbers chapter 20 God appears as light at Meribah where Israel was thirsty. And then when the temple was completed, it is recorded in 1 Kings chapter 8 verse 11 that the glory of God descended on the place. And God was there in His blazing glory in 2 Chronicles 7:1 when the first offering was made in the temple. The prophet Habakkuk prophesied that The earth shall be filled with a knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Until then, all the revelations of God s glory are somewhat partial and somewhat limited but nonetheless present. Every miracle Jesus performed looked forward to the day when sin is removed from the earth and Jesus permanently tabernacles among us. Ever since Eden, when God visited Adam in the Garden, it has been his desire and plan to live on earth with us. The Revelation reminds us that it will happen. Revelation 21:1-5a Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. The Old Testament appearance of God, like when God showed himself to Moses in Exodus 33, appeared less vibrant because they were incomplete. They were sunbeams pointing to the sun but not the Son himself. There are many ways to look at Jesus but only one way is correct. There are many sunbeams, like Moses and Elijah, but only one sun. 3

4 I was standing today in the dark toolshed. The sun was shining outside and through the crack at the top of the door there came a sunbeam. From where I stood that beam of light, with the specks of dust floating in it, was the most striking thing in the place. Everything else was almost pitch black. I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it. Then I moved, so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 90 odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam and looking at the beam are very different experiences. C.S. Lewis in Meditation in a Tool Shed The incarnated Jesus was the perfect representation of the Father. In him, the disciples saw God s glory in a way no Old Testament saint had ever perceived it. John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Paul also understood this reality. 2 Corinthians 4:6 - For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Seeing Jesus is a life-transforming experience. These men still have one year of ministry with Jesus before he dies. It is unquestionably this experience that cements their minds and hearts, their lives, to Jesus. Jesus took the inner circle of Peter, James and John with him to the mountain top. They are the same men who he will take into Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). Why did he take these three men? James will be the first martyr. If James faith holds true in his martyrdom, it will encourage the church. If James faith falters, the church will be discouraged. James needs to see Jesus glory to confirm his deity and be assured of Jesus resurrection and his own. Peter who denied Jesus three times before the resurrection will be the first New Testament preacher/prophet to proclaim Jesus. He will do so before 3000 hostile Jewish men. There, he will indict them for illegally crucifying God s Son (Acts 2:23). That will take guts. Only a vision of Jesus as God will suffice for Peter. John is the longest-living disciple. He will remain alive for years after all the other disciples have died. His Revelation won t be written until about 30 years after the rest of the New Testament is completed. As an old man, John will need strong memories; memories that will still be vivid, real and poignant. He will need to know 4

5 that his mind is not playing tricks on him. John will need to believe a lot longer than any other disciple. This vision of Jesus will last him a lifetime. Luke 9 informs us that Jesus took the disciples with him to pray. So from Caesarea Philippi they ascend Mount Hermon and there he was transfigured before them. Luke 9 tells us it happened while he was praying. Luke 9:28 - Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. V 2b As was his custom, Mark truncated the entire event. He gives us one subject, one verb and one adverb: He was transfigured. Aside from the resurrection, it is is perhaps the most astonishing miracle of Jesus incarnation. It was sufficient to accomplish Jesus purpose: to put steel into the disciples lives. We don t know how long he had been praying but the journey up the mountain must have exhausted the disciples because Luke also tells us the disciples were asleep when the transfiguration began (Luke 9:32). Transfigured = ismetamorphoo = metamorphosis. Morphe = body or form and meta = change. In effect, nothing inside of Jesus changed. Only his outward, external physical appearance changed. This word is used 4 times in the New Testament; here and Matthew 17:2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect Think about what it means for you to be transformed on the inside like Jesus was transformed on the outside. That s an incredible thought. 2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 5

6 Jesus nature didn t change. But his appearance changed. Matthew 17:2 and Luke 9:29 say His face shown like the sun. This is not the last time John will see a glorified Jesus. Revelation 1:16 his face was like the sun shining in full strength. V 3 - Mark also says his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one [a] on earth could bleach them (3). Radiant = stilbo = glitter This radiance undoubtedly awakened the disciples since it was like a noon day sun shining in their faces. V 4 One awakened, the disciples instantly knew they were in the presence of Moses and Elijah. No introductions were necessary. Perhaps God gave them this knowledge or perhaps the conversation let the men know Jesus acquaintances. After all, they were talking about his his departure, [b] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Departure = exodus = exit. If you travel to modern Athens, one of the first things you will notice upon your arrival is that the exit signs from the airport read ἔξοδος, exodus. Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus about his death. And they were probably encouraging him about not only his death but his resurrection and the glory to follow. But the transfiguration and the conversation wasn t necessarily for Jesus but the disciples. Jesus wants the disciples to know that his death doesn t negate his glory. Why Moses and Elijah? a) According to 2 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Peter 4:5, Jesus is the Judge of the living and the dead. Moses death is recorded in the OT. But Elijah went to heaven without dying. Moses and Elijah undoubtedly signify that God could take to Jesus to heaven without dying but has chosen to take his Son to heaven via a resurrection after his death. This is a clear rebuke of Peter s rejection of Jesus cross. In God s plan and to fulfil Gods purposes, there is no other way. Jesus must die. But, he will be resurrected. b) Moses is the greatest leader in Israel s history, rescuer of the nation from captivity, its greatest general, can we say? God was the one who drowned Pharaoh s army but Moses was the victor by divine power. In authority he was a king, though he never 6

7 had a throne. In message he was a prophet. In service to God he was every bit a priest, serving God on behalf of His people. He was the author of the Pentateuch, the agent by which God gave His holy Law. He s the greatest. If you re going to have somebody give testimony to the fact that the Messiah needs to die, you couldn t get a better witness than Moses, unless it was Elijah. He could stand with Moses because he fought against every violation of that law. He battled the nation s idolatry and he battled it with great courage and words of judgment and he validated his preaching with miracles. There are only two miracle eras in the Old Testament, the time of Moses, and you know what the miracles were, they were in Egypt and the time of Elijah. You can read them in 1 Kings 17 to 19, 2 Kings 1 and 2. There was no law giver like Moses and there was no prophet like Elijah. Moses gave the Law, Elijah was His greatest guardian. Here are the most trustworthy eyewitnesses. No one could bring the apostles more assurance and confidence that the death of Jesus was in the plan than to hear it from Moses and Elijah, the very men that they look to as the heroes of the Old Testament faith. (JM) vs 5-6 You can imagine such an experience. It would spellbind you. It would mute you. What could anyone say in the light of such an experience. Verse six tells us the disciples were once again terrified. The Greek is ekphobos from which we get our English word, phobia. Then again, Peter was never one to lack for words, even the wrong words. So Peter encouraged the building of three tabernacles: for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Peter called Jesus "rabbi but Jesus is more than just a rabbi. Moses was a rabbi who taught the nation. Elijah also. But Jesus is not just a rabbi. In God s providence, the transfiguration happened in the month of Tishri during which Israel celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles commemorating the nation s exodus from Egypt. In the transfiguration, Jesus has shown them that the original exodus was a type, a foreshadowing of a greater exodus, when death becomes life. V 7 Matthew 17:5 - He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, [a] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. The problem with Peter s suggestion of building three tabernacles is that it is, in effect, no different from his rebuke of Jesus in the previous chapter. He has simply replaced the Pharisees with Moses and the Herodians with Elijah. It isn t necessary sin that keeps us from God s glory. The good also keeps us from the best. In fact, Christians are not prone to sin with drugs or alcohol but do sin with work, hobbies, etc. We would never let illegal things compete with Jesus but we do make respectable or socially acceptable things compete with Jesus. And it s hard to rebuke good things. It s hard for us to do it and it s hard for someone else to do it for us. Thankfully, God the Father rebuked Peter. 7

8 Both the Greeks and the Romans honored a pantheon of gods. In fact, the Romans have a structure called the Pantheon in Rome, in which they housed statues to the gods. But there is no pantheon in Christianity. Mark wants his readers to understand that not even the greatest Old Testament prophets can rival Jesus. They need to know this. Jesus cannot be number one and Caesar Augustus, number two. If Jesus is number one, there is no number two, or three, or four, etc. He is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:6). Mark s Jesus refuses the upward mobility of the divine man (PNTC). No man ever has or will become a god. Only God, the one true and living God, became a man. If If everything in God s church is supposed to be confirmed by 2 or 3 witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16) then the Father is the third witness in the transfiguration. Luke adds that the voice said, My chosen One. Matthew adds, In whom I am well pleased. And here comes the Father s testimony. He says this, Listen to Him...Listen to Him. In other words, Don t listen to Peter. The Father's "listen to him" proves even Moses subjection to Jesus s voice/ In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses predicted The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Moses appearance fulfils that prophecy and validates the voice of Jesus concerning the cross and his resurrection. The Father wants the disciples to listen to Jesus about his death. Glory will come in time. But it is vitally important the disciples don t follow Peter in rebuking Jesus about the cross. Their response, according to Matthew 17:6, is that They fell face down to the ground and were terrified, just flat. Then, Jesus came to them, touched them, said, Get up, don t be afraid, and you go back to Mark, Tender touch and verse 8 says, And all at once they looked around, saw no one with them anymore except Jesus alone. V 8 The father sent Moses and Elijah to encourage his Son. The Son allowed the disciples to witness the transfiguration to encourage them. But there can be no competition to Jesus; not Peter s will, not Moses or Elijah. And so the Father immediately removes Moses and Elijah from the scene. The kingdom will come but only on Jesus timetable. And the cross will precede the crown. Any discussion about that issue is now concluded. The transfiguration has proven once and for all that Jesus is Lord! It s important for Mark s Gospel to note that only Jesus ascends the mountain in Luke and in Matthew, the disciples presence is minimal. Only in Mark are the disciples fully in the event from beginning to end. It is before them (v 2) that Jesus is transfigured and before them (v 4) that Moses and Elijah appear. 8

9 Mark is committed to the real Jesus and real discipleship. He does not want to hide either from his readers. He wants them to fully understand who Jesus is and what it will cost them to follow him. But there is good news. Jesus does not ever forsake the disciples, even though they forsake him. In fact, The one who calls disciples to follow him does not abandon them for glory, [Jesus did not stay on the mountain and send the disciples to Jerusalem] but turns from glory to accompany them on the way to Jerusalem and the cross (PNTC). That is good news!!! For your consideration: 1 Why does Mark place the transfiguration exactly six days after Peter s confession? To place his readers minds in the context of Moses ascending Mt. Sinai so that he can reveal that Jesus glory is greater than Moses. 2 Why did Jesus take Peter, James and John? James is the first to die. Peter is the first bold witness. John is the last to die. 3 Why Moses and Elijah? a) Moses had predicted Jesus would appear and that Israel should listen to him. b) Jesus is the judge of the living Elijah and the dead Moses. Their appearance proves that Jesus rules his life and in his death. c) God could get Jesus to heaven without Jesus death. 4 What was the point of the transfiguration? To prove Jesus was God. To prove Jesus would be glorified. To prove the cross was God s way for Jesus to be glorified. 5 What is wrong with Peter calling Jesus rabbi at this point? He is equating him to Moses and Elijah when one of the points of the the transfiguration is to prove Jesus has no equals; He is God. 5 What is the problem with building 3 tabernacles? There is no equal to Jesus. How do we often build tabernacles? Making things equal to Jesus as the priority of our lives. 6 What is meant by the phrasing Listen to him? The disciples should not listen to Peter s rejection of the cross or of equating Moses and Elijah to Jesus in a pantheon. 7 - How does Mark s presentation of discipleship differ from many modern presentations of following Jesus? Mark is completely honest about the cost of discipleship. He does not ignore the cross but places it in the path of the throne. Behind the Book is only one aspect of Heritage s teaching ministry which seeks to employ our church s mission statement: Connecting to God, Growing with Others and Impacting the world. 9

10 On Wednesday evenings we connect to Sunday morning s Bible passage and discover what it says through in-depth Bible study. Sunday morning in corporate worship (9:30am) we grow from the passage by learning what it means for our daily living. In Community Groups (10:45am) we practically apply the text, being impacted by it and learning to impact the world with it. CGI provides a balanced approach to life and Bible study; an upward look (Connect), an inward look (Grow) and an outward look (Impact) ensuring that our mission fulfils our vision to be a God-centered, Great Commission congregation. It s a well-known and beneficial way to approach the Bible Connect/Observation, Grow/Interpretation, Impact/Application. It s also a Trinitarian approach to Scripture: Connecting to the Father, Growing in Christ and Impacting the world by the Spirit, so that the way we study the Bible daily reminds us about who our God is and how he is unique among all religions of the world. 10