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In 1992 astrophysicist Michael Hart wrote a book listing the top 100 people who have influenced this world[1]. Who would you list if you had to put in your top 10? Well, Hart had Albert Einstein at number 10, St Paul was placed in 6th, Buddha was 4th and Jesus was third. According to Hart, Jesus’s influence on this world was in the top three. Jesus just lost out to Isaac Newton and Muhammad. Is this fair, is that where you would have put Jesus?
Today we are wrestling with who Jesus is, how this affects us in the messiness and suffering in life.
I’m going to pray and ask God for help with this.
Heavenly Father,As we travel through Mark’s Gospel, we are challenged with the idea of who Jesus is and how important He is. Last week we had Peter saying Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the long-awaited King, but then Peter doesn’t quite get what that means for Jesus. In this part of Mark’s Gospel, from Peters' confession that Jesus is the Christ to chapter 11, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem. And as we approach this city Jesus is being more explicit about what is going to happen there, preparing His disciples, but they aren’t getting it.
Be with us now and help us to see Jesus for who he is.
May your Spirit empower us to listen to him.
Amen.
I think if you were to ask the disciples at this point, how important Jesus was next to some of the historical greats of their nation, they would have put Him in the top three, maybe up near Abraham or Moses or David. They were beginning to see who Jesus is but not quite so clearly.
In our passage today, three of the disciples get a better look at who Jesus is, but only for a moment. And for them to really understand this moment, they will have to wait till the end of the story, to fully know who Jesus is. What they see here is to help prepare them for what was ahead.
Jesus’ Glory
The shining white is a display of Jesus’ glory. At this moment Jesus is no longer cagy about who He is. In Mark’s gospel, there has been a hiddenness to Jesus, a don’t-tell-anyone-about-this Jesus, but as we get closer to the cross the disciples and especially these three now, they get to see Jesus in all his glory. For a moment their eyes are wide open as to who Jesus really is.
Bright lights are often a representation of the glory of God. In the fiery furnace Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are met with someone who looks like the son of the gods. There was something about that extra person that looked impressive, even out of the flames. When Saul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, he was temporarily blinded because he could not look up and see Jesus as it was too bright. And Moses’ face was known to shine after meeting with God.
Elijah and Moses
But not only does Jesus’ glory shine through, Elijah and Moses turn up and start talking to Jesus. I would love to know what was said. But we don’t get their words. But we get good old Peter’s words.He wants to build shelters or to set up tents for Jesus and these new guests. This may be a silly thing to say, and the text says poor Pete was frightened by this whole thing. And to be fair, it probably was nuts. This is a big deal. The Glory of Jesus has been shown to these people and two of the greats have turned up.
And really, Peter doesn’t know that in three more verses these visitors will nick off. For all we know, Peter thought these guys were staying to help bring about the new kingdom. The A-team is being formed, ready for the overthrow of the existing order. Moses helped bring down the Egyptians, and Elijah had no problem rebuking the kings of his day.
They could set up camp at this mountain so, when the weather came in, they would all be comfortable. They could start their rule from this mountain. This could be their HQ. And on this mountain, they are above all the issues that is going on down there.
Now, a few commentators[2] point out that it is a bit too simplistic to say that Elijah and Moses represent the Law and the Prophets. It is perhaps more specific than that.
Elijah is mentioned first, and while he was a prophet, he wasn’t a writing prophet[3]. Unlike Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, all of whom had their content written down. Elijah life is written about in the Book of Kings. Elijah’s significance, as the disciples will talk about on the way down the mountain, is that he was meant to appear at the time of Israel’s redemption[4]. The last verses of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:5-6, says
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”There was this Jewish expectation that Elijah would come and encourage people to repent before a great day of judgement. And here he is on this mountain - with Moses as well!
And I really love that it is also Moses who is here. In my yearly Bible reading, I have finished Deuteronomy, and at the end of that book, Moses dies, not entering the Promised Land. He was only allowed to see it, but here on this mountain, Moses gets to be in the Promised Land[5], and with Elijah and the Messiah.
In one of the final speeches of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 18[:15] he says:
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.It is very curious, that Moses is here talking with Jesus, a fellow Israelite, and then a voice from the sky says: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him”.
Listen to him
Moses all those years back said someone like him was coming whom Israel should listen to. And here a voice from heaven tells the disciples to listen to Jesus. I think in this moment, it is a fulfilment of Moses' words[6]. Jesus is like Moses; they have gone up a mountain and heard the voice of God. And the voice of God says, “listen to him”. This voice is even saying Jesus is on another level than Moses and Elijah. Jesus is God’s Son, not just a teacher or a prophet. He is number one.But what I find interesting in these words, while Jesus was transfigured, while he was all bright and shiny, the voice doesn’t say “look at Him! See His glory! Believe with your eyes, look!” No instead we are told to listen to the words of Jesus and yet, Jesus doesn’t say anything. The Father’s voice isn’t introducing Jesus for him to take the mic over and give some great sermon. On top of this mountain, no words of Jesus are recorded. So, what are we to listen to?
In this section of Mark three times, Jesus explains what is going to happen to him in Jerusalem. In chapters 8, 9 and 10, Jesus tells the disciples that:
“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” (Mark 9:31)
And three times the disciples don’t understand. And in the midst of this, we have a voice from heaven saying, “listen to Him!”
Now, Jesus said lots of things, and I think we should listen to everything He has to say, but in this section of Mark, I think we are at least to listen to the repetition that Jesus is going to die and rise again. That His way is that of the cross, and all who follow him also have the way of the cross, one of service and sacrifice.
Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all. (Mark 9:35)
Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)
For the disciples, being in the kingdom is about being the least, putting others, even little children ahead of you. It is a way of service, a way of sacrifice. It is a harder path where you will experience trouble.
Elijah and the resurrection
So, on the way down the mountain Peter, James and John are trying to process all that has happened. After Jesus mentions His resurrection, they are thinking about what this rising from the dead is. They ask about Elijah, who they just met, asking why the teachers of the law say he was to come first?This question of the disciples come from that Malachi verse, which says Elijah is going to come and help turn the people back to God, before that great day of judgment. The Jewish thinking on this great judgement day also includes the resurrection of everyone, so that all can be judged. But Jesus response back to this question with another question, verses 12 and 13:
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.
Jesus simply affirms that Elijah has come, he has been dealt with and then there is a question that Jesus asks, which no one answers. Why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer and be rejected? Again, the cross and the fulfilment of scripture looms large.
Jesus affirms scriptures prediction about Elijah and its already fulfilment. In Mark’s gospel John the Baptist is set up to be the new Elijah. John the Baptist is described like Elijah with his clothes of came hair and a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8, Mark 1:6), he is out in the wilderness calling Israel to repent back to the Lord, preparing the way for Jesus to arrive. John the Baptist was killed because he rebuked the king and incurred the wrath of a queen. Likewise, Elijah rebukes King Ahab and Ahaziah and incurred the wrath of Queen Jezebel.
But Jesus says God’s plan as revealed in His word is coming to pass. Elijah as John the Baptise has come and has been killed. Jesus then turns His disciple’s attention to the prophecies about the Son of Man who will suffer and be rejected.
Already they have seen Scripture being fulfilled and still, Jesus mentions again that Scripture says the Son of Man will suffer and die. Jesus is again preparing His disciples for what is ahead. Scripture says so, even if expectations are different.
This tone of suffering and rejection is a bit of a downer after this mountain top experience. But back down the mountain the disciples encounter another evil spirit and have a squabble over who is the greatest. Life resumes after this experience. Peter was probably right; it would have been better to say up on the mountain. Down here there is evil and oppression and people fighting for power and status. And the disciple's lives only get harder from this point on.
They will see the Son of Man rejected and killed. They see Jesus betrayed, they run away in fear of their own personal safety, and when Jesus comes back from the dead, after they receive the Holy Spirit, they spread the message of Jesus to a hostile world that rejects and persecutes them.
And this is real life, it is a flow of events, some up and some down. We can’t just set up camp in the good moments, in these mountains top experienced. We may have some of these, but they do not last[7].
Instead, the word of the Lord remains constant. We are to do what the voice from heaven tells the disciples. We are to listen to Him. That is what the disciples did after Jesus’ resurrection. That is what followers of Jesus do, they listen to Him. Scripture is something that we can trust, even in turmoil and distress.
When Peter was writing to some small churches who were beginning to experience suffering. He wrote to encourage them, to stand firm in the faith, to trust scripture and all that is says. And to explain this point, he tells them this story about his mountain top experience. He says:
In his letter, Peter recites the time on the mountain when he heard the voice of God, making to point for the churches to trust in scripture. He saw, firsthand, some prophecies being fulfilled in that moment. His only conclusion, God’s word is reliable, even when the heat is turned up. God’s word is a lamp to our feet. It helps us on our path. I bet Peter never forgot these words from God, that he hung on to them for the rest of his life.
This tone of suffering and rejection is a bit of a downer after this mountain top experience. But back down the mountain the disciples encounter another evil spirit and have a squabble over who is the greatest. Life resumes after this experience. Peter was probably right; it would have been better to say up on the mountain. Down here there is evil and oppression and people fighting for power and status. And the disciple's lives only get harder from this point on.
They will see the Son of Man rejected and killed. They see Jesus betrayed, they run away in fear of their own personal safety, and when Jesus comes back from the dead, after they receive the Holy Spirit, they spread the message of Jesus to a hostile world that rejects and persecutes them.
And this is real life, it is a flow of events, some up and some down. We can’t just set up camp in the good moments, in these mountains top experienced. We may have some of these, but they do not last[7].
Instead, the word of the Lord remains constant. We are to do what the voice from heaven tells the disciples. We are to listen to Him. That is what the disciples did after Jesus’ resurrection. That is what followers of Jesus do, they listen to Him. Scripture is something that we can trust, even in turmoil and distress.
When Peter was writing to some small churches who were beginning to experience suffering. He wrote to encourage them, to stand firm in the faith, to trust scripture and all that is says. And to explain this point, he tells them this story about his mountain top experience. He says:
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18)
In his letter, Peter recites the time on the mountain when he heard the voice of God, making to point for the churches to trust in scripture. He saw, firsthand, some prophecies being fulfilled in that moment. His only conclusion, God’s word is reliable, even when the heat is turned up. God’s word is a lamp to our feet. It helps us on our path. I bet Peter never forgot these words from God, that he hung on to them for the rest of his life.
Hold on to God’s word
How do we respond to God’s word? Does our reason or personal experience trump what a passage says. If we first read something that doesn’t sit right with us, do we try to rationalise or dismiss it?We are to listen to Jesus, to trust His word because they are true. Because they are life-giving.
The movie Black Hawk Down is a true story about an extraction operation that went bad in Somalia. One of the helicopters got shot down and the pilot, Mike Durant was injured and got taken. A battle on the ground ensued as the soldiers tried to leave the town. In the movie there is a scene where a helicopter flies over the town and over a loudspeaker it blares “Mike Durant, we won’t leave you behind, Mike Durant, we won’t leave you behind” over and over again.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean, and it can’t mean, that we are free from suffering. We can’t stay away and isolate ourselves from the world. There are disasters, demons, disease, and death out there that affects us all. There are troubles and worries in this world, but we also have Jesus, the Christ, and His words of eternal life.
How do we respond to his words? Does it bounce right off, when troubles come, do we ignore God and not go deep with him and walk away, do our worries strangle us, or do we hear the word and accept it, like in the parable of the four soils?[9]
When faced with disasters, do we trust Jesus that he is both caring and powerful, so is able to save us?
Are we willing to let Jesus be Jesus and trust Him and His plan and not speak back and tell Him what we think is a better way forward? Like what Peter did with Jesus
We need to hear from Jesus so that we can make it through the messiness of life, and to be with Him forever.
Cling to his words. Know that He does care for us.
I was in a Life Group and one of our older saints made this comment: “What you practice before a crisis become automatic when there is one.” They were talking about reading God’s word and prayer. Are these things automatic with you? When you hear something great, do you praise God? When you hear something bad do you immediately ask God to help?
When I meet with Lubbock, he now asks me, unprompted “What did you read in the Scriptures this morning?” Do you have someone in your life who could ask that question of you at random days throughout the week?
Since COVID last year I have now started to get up half an hour before my kids get up in the morning to read my Bible, as once the kids are up it's all over. I can’t say I do this perfectly, sometimes it is less than 10 minutes, sometimes it is 20, but it is a habit I have started and am trying to stick with.
This is not a guilt thing, but something that is invaluable. Jesus revealed His glory before his disciples. His disciples were going to face some heavy things in the immediate future when Jesus died and later their own lives will be cut short. But what they didn’t stop doing was listening and following Jesus. For they knew that Jesus was glorious.
Every day we are hearing all sorts of narratives. We need to hear from Jesus every day, for He is God and worthy of all our worship, and we are prone to forget this.
In your life groups this week, I think, to get really practical, you should share how and when you listen to Jesus throughout the week.
We are to listen to the voice, listen to Jesus, for in the messiness of life, God shines through[10].
Eternal God, our glorious King,
whose Son Jesus Christ was transfigured on the holy mountain
and seen in splendour by his chosen witnesses:
grant us, his followers, faith to perceive his glory,
to listen to him, and walk in his way,
that we may be changed into his likeness from glory to glory;
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen[11].
[1] Grant R. Osborne, Mark (Teaching the Text Commentary Series) mentions this book and Jesus being in the top three, then I looked up The 100 on Wikipedia for more of its details
[2] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary); R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark (New International Greek Testament Commentary) says “probably the least valid is the traditional idea that they represent the law and the prophets”
[3] R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark (New International Greek Testament Commentary)
[4] David E. Garland, Mark (The NIV Application Commentary)
[5] Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read, is where this was first pointed out to me
[6] William L. Lane, Mark (New International Commentary on the New Testament), calls it an allusion to Deut 18, I straight out call it a fulfilment.
[7] The idea of not clinging to mountain top experiences, which shaped some of the application from this point on I took from David E. Garland, Mark (The NIV Application Commentary)
[8] This is how AC/DC helped save a POW in Mogadishu
[9] These next few rhetorical questions were by way of recap over the past few weeks of Mark
[10] I really liked this line, I took it from David E. Garland, Mark (The NIV Application Commentary)
[11] From A Prayer Book for Australia
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