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The Good News of Jesus

05/17/2009 - It's a Bird. It's a Plane. It's ..., Mark 9:1-13

When I was a kid growing up I can remember coming home from school with my brother, Ken, turning on the television and watching Superman. This was the original black and white version of Superman starring George Reeves as mild mannered Clark Kent. And I can remember being fascinated by this guy who was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, who could leap tall buildings in a single bound and was committed to the never ending fight for truth, justice, and the American way! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!

Of course, nobody knew that Clark Kent was really Superman. After all, he was just a reporter for the Daily Planet. He certainly didn't look like the man of steel. But whenever there was a crisis in town Clark Kent would slip into a nearby phone booth (remember phone booths) and quickly emerge in his Superman outfit with the big "S" on his chest ready to save the day. Underneath those street clothes was a real, live superhero. Clark Kent was much more on the inside than he appeared to be on the outside.

Things aren't always what they appear to be, are they? Sometimes people are a whole lot more than they appear to be and sometimes they're a whole lot less. Today a few select friends of Jesus are going to discover that he is more, much more than he appeared to be. They're going to have a mountain top experience that's going to forever change their view of the rabbi they've been following now for almost three years.

This morning we resume our series called The Good News of Jesus ... As Told By Mark with an event known as "The Transfiguration." If you have a Bible meet me at Mark 9:1.

Two weeks ago we left Jesus and his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, an idolatrous city way up north. It was there that God revealed to Peter that Jesus was more than a rabbi and more than a great prophet. Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. He was the one that the prophets had spoken about for centuries. He was the anointed one, the liberating king that was going to make Israel a great nation again. So they had passed the course that we called Jesus 101. They had correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah.

And right after that Jesus enrolls them in Jesus 201 which is all about the mission of the Messiah, what he came to do, and he starts teaching them that the Messiah would have to go to Jerusalem not to set up a kingdom but to be rejected by the religious leaders and suffer many things. He'd be killed there and after three days rise again.

But a dead Messiah wasn't what the disciples were looking for at all. So Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him saying, "No way, Lord. This will never happen to you!"

But Jesus says, "It must. I must suffer and die. Don't talk me out of the cross." And then he says, "Not only must I suffer and die, but you must be ready to suffer and die too. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

This was strong stuff. Jesus had never talked like this before. Not only was he going to suffer and die on a cross, but if they really wanted to be his followers they would have to take up their cross as well. That was a chilling statement and I'm sure it made their heads spin.

And so at the end of the discussion Jesus says to them in Mark 9:1, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power."

Jesus knows that he's just raised the bar for what it means to be his disciple. It will not be easy. It will cost these men something, just like it will cost us something. So he needs to show them that it's worth it. He needs to strengthen their faith and galvanize their resolve. So he decides to give them a taste of the kingdom so that they'll be willing to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him.

So we read in 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.

Caesarea Philippi was at the base of Israel's tallest mountain, Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon is 9,200 feet high and snow covered most of the year. Here's a trivia question for you. Can you snow ski in Israel? The answer is yes. People ski on the slopes of Mount Hermon up until the month of May.

Mount Hermon is 3,000 feet taller than the highest mountain in the northeast United States, Mount Washington in New Hampshire is 6,200 feet high. So it's a tall mountain and quite a hike for Jesus, Peter, James, and John. It takes a few days to scale it and when they finally get to the summit they're all alone and they're exhausted. In Luke's account we read that the three disciples fall asleep, but Jesus prays. And as he's praying something amazing happens.

Look at verse 2, There he was transfigured before them. ³His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. Matthew says in his account that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Luke says his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Jesus starts glowing! His body just explodes with light! He's being transfigured. The Greek word "transfigured" is the word "metamorphosis." It literally means to change from the inside out. Metamorphosis is the opposite of masquerade. To masquerade means to change something on the outside that really isn't on the inside so that we appear to be something that we're not. To be transfigured means to change something on the inside to reveal that we really are more than we appear to be on the outside. Jesus is more, much more than he appeared to be.

The curtain is being pulled back and the eternal glory of the Son of the living God is being revealed. Like Clark Kent ripping open his shirt and exposing the "S "on his chest, Jesus is dropping his disguise and giving his disciples a glimpse of who he really is. They had never seen this side of Jesus before. He is literally the light of the world. But there's more.

Look at verse 4, And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Not only is Jesus glowing on the mountain, but Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain as well and they're talking with Jesus. Luke tells us what they're talking about. They're discussing his departure which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. The word "departure" is actually the word "exodus." Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus about his exodus.

Jesus' death and resurrection in Jerusalem would be his exodus out of this world. And just like Moses had led an exodus of people out bondage to slavery in Egypt, so Jesus would lead an exodus of people out of bondage to slavery to sin but it would cost him his life. And he needs encouragement to go through with it. So Moses and Elijah are there to cheer him on and encourage Jesus to accomplish his mission.

Why Moses and Elijah? That's a great question. Some feel that God sent Moses and Elijah because they represented the Law and the Prophets. The Law was given through Moses and Elijah was the first and considered the greatest prophet. And both the Law and the Prophets spoke about the mission of the Messiah.

Others think that God sent Moses and Elijah because they understood what it meant to do hard things for God. And going to the cross was the hardest thing Jesus had to do and these men understood that. Moses had risked his life before Pharaoh and Elijah had put his life on the line before King Ahab.

And so they were there to say, "Go for it, Jesus. You can do it. This is what we wrote about. This is what we've waited for. This is the exodus that you alone are qualified to lead. Set your face towards Jerusalem and don't turn back. We prepared the way now complete the mission the Father has given you."

Remember Jesus was praying on the mountain. And God answered his prayer by providing him with a glimpse of the kingdom, heaven come down to earth, and the encouragement he needed to stay the course. But what about the disciples?

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." ⁶(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)⁷Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

Peter finally wakes up and when he does he sees Jesus glowing and Moses and Elijah standing there. He doesn't know what to say so he blurts out, "Rabbi, it's good to be here. Let's build three lean to's, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Let's just camp out up here and not go back!"

I don't know why he said that. Peter didn't know why he said it either. But it wasn't time to talk. It was time to listen and a voice came from the cloud and said,"This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" This is the second time God the Father affirmed his Son. The first time was at Jesus' baptism when the voice said, "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased."

Peter and the rest of the disciples needed to listen to Jesus especially when he spoke to them about the cross and the suffering that was to come. They needed to have their view of the Messiah changed. And so the voice from heaven was saying, "Listen to Jesus. When he talks about going to Jerusalem and being rejected and suffering and dying don't rebuke him anymore. Don't try to talk him out of it. Listen to what he says."

Verse 8, And suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As quickly as Moses and Elijah had appeared they were gone.

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

After being told to listen, they didn't dare ask any questions, at least not right now. But they couldn't figure out what Jesus meant by rising from the dead. Their understanding of the resurrection was that everybody would be raised from the dead at the end of the age, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt.

Passages like Job 19 and Isaiah 26 talk about that resurrection as well as Daniel 12:2-3 that says, Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

And that's true. There will be a final resurrection of everyone one day, but Jesus' resurrection would come first. He would be the first fruits of all those who have fallen asleep. But they didn't understand that and kept discussing among themselves what "rising from the dead" meant.

They didn't ask him about the resurrection, but they did ask Jesus about Elijah. Look at verse 11, And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" ¹²Jesus 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? ¹³But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

Elijah had come, Jesus said. He had come on the mountain that day, but he had also come in the person of John the Baptist. In fact, in Matthew's account he writes then the disciples understood that Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist. These poor guys are trying to put all this together, but it's hard. And it's going to take a long time, but they're working on it.

The transfiguration was a powerful moment in the life of Jesus. It gave him the encouragement that he needed to go to the cross and finish his mission. From now on he was going to pick up the pace and head for the finish line in Jerusalem and nothing and no one was going to stop him. On the mountain that day he was affirmed by Moses and Elijah and God the Father himself whose voice thundered through the clouds, This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.

The transfiguration was a powerful moment in the lives of the disciples. It opened their eyes to the power and glory of Jesus. It gave them a glimpse of who he really was and of the kingdom that was on its way. They had been shattered by Jesus' words that he was going to Jerusalem to die. Their minds were baffled and their hearts were breaking, but the transfiguration gave them something to hang on to even when they couldn't understand. It gave them a compelling reason to take up their cross and deny themselves and follow hard after Christ.

They had walked behind Jesus for almost three years. They knew what the back of his head looked like and the back of his robe. They knew his gate, they knew the heels of his feet, and the soles of his sandals. But after this event they would never look at Jesus the same way again. They had seen his glory and they would never forget it. He was still the same, but never the same again in their eyes. And they probably wondered for the rest of his days if he would ever do it again.

Later the apostle John would write in John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John had seen his glory on the mountain that day and so had Peter.

Later Peter would write in 2 Peter 1:16-18, 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. ¹⁷He 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." ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came form heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

The transfiguration was something these men looked back on the rest of their lives to give them strength and courage.

Sometimes we need a fresh vision of Jesus, especially when we're going through hard times. Sometimes we need a mountain top experience or a dramatic answer to prayer to prop up our sagging faith. Sometimes we need to see Jesus in a new way to keep going. Maybe that's what you need right now. Maybe that's what this series has done for you. It's helped you see Jesus in a new way. I hope so. But maybe it will take something else. Maybe you need to ask Jesus to reveal himself to you in a way that you've never seen him before so that you can stay focused on the mission that he has for you. I think that's a prayer he loves to answer.

Sometimes we need to be quiet and stop talking and stop negotiating and stop complaining and stop trying to figure everything out and just listen to Jesus and go where he leads. This is my Son, whom I love, listen to him. Those words to Peter are words to us as well. Listen to Jesus and follow him.

In his comments on this passage Tom Wright says, "Jesus has led the disciples up this high mountain to catch a new view of God's kingdom. The disciples are having their eyes opened so that they can see for the first time the inner reality of that kingdom and though he doesn't look like what they expected Jesus really is the Messiah, God's anointed one.

"Now each one of us is called to do what the heavenly voice said, Listen to Jesus, because he is God's beloved son. And as we learn to listen, even if sometimes we get scared and say all the wrong things, we may find that glory creeps up on us unawares, strengthening us, as it did the disciples, for the road ahead."

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Valley View Community Church, feel free to contact us at info@valleyviewseek.org or call 610.631.2707.