Countryside Vineyard Church
Mark - The Transfiguration: A Glimpse of Jesus' Glory Pt. 49
  • King of Glory
  • In Your Presence
  • I can Only Imagine
  • Take the World, But Give Me Jesus

      • Mark 8:34-36ESV

      • Mark 8:37-38ESV

      • Mark 9:1ESV

  • The Transfiguration: A Glimpse of Jesus' Glory

    Good morning, and welcome to Countryside Vineyard.
    We are currently studying verse by verse through the Gospel of Mark. Today we will be studying Mark 9:2–13.
    Last week, Bill ended with Jesus saying that some standing there would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God come with power. Bill said there are several ways people understand that statement, but he believes its immediate fulfillment is the Transfiguration. I agree.
    At Bible study this week, Shelly added an important thought. She said, “I also see this being fulfilled in our lives as we experience the kingdom coming in power.”
    We experience that when someone is healed. We experience it when the Holy Spirit brings a Scripture to mind for us to share with someone. We experience it when Jesus saves, delivers, restores, or changes a life. I could give many more examples.
    Shelly was not denying that the Transfiguration is the immediate fulfillment of Jesus’ words. She was reminding us that the power of God’s kingdom was not locked away on that mountain two thousand years ago.
    We are still invited to experience the kingdom of God breaking into our lives today.
    This morning, Mark is going to pull back the curtain and show us the glory of Jesus. The Father is going to identify Jesus as his beloved Son and command us to listen to him.
    That is the invitation before us today:
    Behold His Glory, Listen to him, and Obey / Follow Him.
    Normally, I stay mainly within Mark’s account because each Gospel writer tells the story with his own purpose. Today I will bring in a few details from Matthew and Luke, but Mark will remain our guide.
    I have put the parallel passages on the screen: Matthew 17:1–13 and Luke 9:28–36.
    I am going to give you a fair amount of Scripture references this morning. I am asking you to write them down, go back through them this week, and read them in their full context. Immerse yourself in the Scriptures and see how the Scriptures come together in Jesus.
    Let’s begin by reading Mark 9:2–13.
    Mark 9:2–13 ESV
    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, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 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.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 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. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 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? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
    Let’s Pray

    I. Behold His Glory

    Mark begins:
    “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.”
    That phrase, “after six days,” should take us back to Mount Sinai. In Exodus 24, the glory of God covered the mountain for six days. Then, on the seventh day, God called to Moses from the cloud.
    Now, after six days, Jesus leads three disciples up another mountain—and once again, the glory of God appears.
    Mark says:
    “And he was transfigured before them.”
    The word means that his appearance was transformed. Jesus did not suddenly become glorious. He had always been glorious. For one brief moment, the glory that was normally hidden beneath his ordinary human appearance was allowed to shine through.
    This is the glory Jesus shared with the Father before the world existed. This is the glory that belonged to him before Bethlehem, before he took on flesh and walked among us.
    Mark tells us:
    “His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.”
    Mark is reaching for something we can understand. Imagine the cleanest and brightest white you have ever seen. Now understand that this was beyond anything anyone on earth could produce.
    The words are true, but even these words are an accommodation to our limits.
    How do you describe the glory of the eternal Son of God in human language?
    Matthew says it was like the sun. Mark says no one on earth could make clothing this white. Luke says his clothing flashed like lightning.
    They are reaching for the brightest things in creation to describe the glory of the One through whom creation was made.
    And I feel that limitation this morning. I can explain the words. I can show you the connections. But I cannot make us understand the full weight and beauty of the glory of Jesus Christ.
    The Bible itself often gives us comparisons: “like fire,” “like lightning,” “like the sun.” God gives us pictures our limited minds can hold. But the reality is greater than the picture.
    Moses once asked God: (Ex. 33)
    “Please show me your glory.”
    God gave Moses only a guarded glimpse. Afterward, Moses’ face shone because it reflected the glory he had seen.
    But Jesus is not merely reflecting someone else’s glory.
    Moses reflected the glory of God. Jesus radiates the glory of God.
    This is the same glory that appeared at Sinai, filled the tabernacle, and later filled the temple. Ezekiel watched that visible glory leave the temple before Jerusalem was destroyed. For centuries, Israel waited for the promised return of God’s glory.
    Now the glory had returned—but it is not contained in a tent, a temple, or even on a mountain.
    The glory has returned, and now the glory has a face.
    John later wrote: (John 1:14)
    “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.”
    Hebrews calls Jesus: (1:3)
    “The radiance of the glory of God.”
    Peter would never forget this moment. Years later, he wrote that they had been eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty.
    2 Peter 1:16–18 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
    These men saw the glory—and still had much to learn about who Jesus was. They would have to come down the mountain. They would fail, misunderstand, and run away. But they had seen enough to know that Jesus was unlike anyone else.
    We have not been invited onto that mountain. We do not see his clothing flash like lightning. But through Scripture and by the Holy Spirit, we are invited to behold the same Jesus.
    You should desire to know the presence of God, see the power of God, and behold the glory of God.
    Moses prayed:
    “Please show me your glory.” —Exodus 33:18
    David wrote:
    “My soul thirsts for you…so I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.” —Psalm 63:1–2
    That kind of hunger is biblical. We should want more than information about God. We should want to know him, encounter him, and be changed by him.
    Paul says:
    “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.” —2 Corinthians 3:18
    Notice that Paul does not say we simply study his glory. He says we behold his glory. And as we behold Jesus, the Holy Spirit changes us.
    Sometimes the presence of God may become so real that we feel it in our bodies. We may feel a weight upon us. We may kneel, weep, tremble, or fall facedown. People respond that way throughout Scripture (Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 10:8–9; Matthew 17:6; Revelation 1:17).
    At other times, his presence may bring deep joy, peace, freedom, or a sense of lightness (Psalm 16:11; Romans 14:17; 2 Corinthians 3:17).
    But we do not chase sensations. We pursue Jesus.
    A physical feeling is not proof that we have encountered God, and the absence of a feeling does not mean God is absent. The Holy Spirit may touch our emotions and even our bodies, but he may also work quietly—in conviction, peace, healing, obedience, or a new love for Jesus.
    The clearest evidence that we have encountered the glory of Jesus is not how we fell down, but how we get back up.
    Are we becoming more loving? More holy? More willing to forgive? More ready to obey? More like Jesus? That is what Paul means when he says we are being transformed into his image (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22–23).
    We will never comprehend the fullness of his glory in this life. But we can open our hearts to him. We can turn our attention toward him. We can ask the Holy Spirit to show us Jesus as he truly is (John 16:13–14; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
    And this begins before we gather on Sunday.
    Take time during the week to become quiet before Jesus. Open the Scriptures. Turn off the noise. Ask the Holy Spirit:
    “Show me Jesus. Help me recognize your presence. Show me what you want to change in me.”
    Then listen—and obey.
    Because when each of us learns to behold Jesus during the week, we will come together already hungry, already listening, and already aware of his presence.
    We do not manufacture the glory of God in our gatherings. The worship team cannot create it. The preacher cannot produce it. But together we can welcome Jesus, turn our attention toward him, and give the Holy Spirit room to work among us.
    We are not merely individuals attending the same service. Together, we are being built into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21–22; 1 Peter 2:5).
    When a church full of people who have been seeking Jesus all week gathers to behold him together, we should expect his presence to change the room—and change us.
    So before we ask Jesus for anything, before we rush to explain him, and before we try to fit him into our plans...
    Mark invites us to stop and look:
    Behold his glory.

    II. Listen to His Voice

    Mark 9:4
    “And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.”
    Stop and imagine this.
    Moses and Elijah are standing there, speaking with Jesus. How did the disciples know who they were? Moses and Elijah lived centuries earlier. There were no photographs. Did Jesus use their names? Did the disciples understand it supernaturally? Did Jesus explain it afterward?
    Mark does not tell us.
    There is more happening here than we can fully understand. We should not rush past the mystery and wonder of this moment.
    Luke tells us what they were discussing, but we will come back to that in our third point.
    For now, notice what Peter does:
    Mark 9:5–6
    Peter feels that he has to say something:
    Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents…
    Mark explains:
    For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
    Peter did not know what to say—but he said something anyway.
    Honestly, that sounds like Peter. It also sounds like us. We become uncomfortable with silence, so we start talking.
    We try to explain the moment, manage it, or turn it into something we can control.
    Matthew says that Peter was still speaking when the cloud appeared. Luke also says the cloud came while Peter was saying these things.
    Peter is talking—and God interrupts him.
    Mark 9:7
    This is my beloved Son; listen to him.
    Peter wants to build three tents: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
    Whatever Peter intends, he has placed three great figures beside one another.
    But the Father does not say, “These are my three servants; listen to them.”
    He says:
    “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
    Moses represented the Law. Elijah represented the Prophets. Both are important. Both point toward Jesus. But neither stands on the same level as Jesus.
    Moses and Elijah are servants. Jesus is the Son.
    The command “listen to him” may also recall what Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15:
    “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me…you shall listen to him.”
    Moses had told Israel that someone greater was coming. Now Moses stands beside that very someone, and the Father says:
    “Listen to him.”
    THE CLOUD
    This is not an ordinary cloud. Throughout Scripture, the cloud marks the presence and glory of God.
    Luke says they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Matthew says that when they heard the voice, they fell facedown and were terrified.
    Of course they were terrified. We sometimes speak casually about wanting God to “show up.” But when people in Scripture truly encounter the unveiled presence of God, they do not remain casual.
    They tremble. They fall down. They become silent. John when he saw the risen Jesus on the island of Patmos said he fell down as if dead.
    Mark 9:8
    And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
    Moses disappears. Elijah disappears. The cloud lifts.
    Jesus alone remains.
    The Law and the Prophets have borne their witness. They have pointed toward Christ. Now the Father directs the disciples’ attention entirely to his Son.
    The Law and the Prophets point toward the glory. Jesus is the glory.
    God does not say, “Listen to them.” He says, “Listen to him.”

    Application

    We often come into worship with minds full of noise. We bring our opinions, plans, fears, and distractions. Like Peter, we may be talking when we should be listening.
    There is a place for speaking, singing, and praying. But there is also a place for becoming quiet before the Lord.
    Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is stop talking and behold Jesus.
    When we worship, pray, or open Scripture, we can and should ask:
    “Jesus, what are you saying? Am I truly listening?”
    Because Christianity is not mainly about having something to say about Jesus. It is about hearing Jesus and obeying him.
    Peter spoke. The Father interrupted. Moses and Elijah disappeared. Jesus alone remained.
    Behold his glory—and listen to his voice.

    III. Follow His Way

    READ — Mark 9:9–10“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. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
    As they come down the mountain, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone what they have seen until the Son of Man has risen from the dead (Mark 9:9).
    Why the silence? Because they have seen his glory, but they still do not understand his mission. If they tell this story now, they will proclaim a glorious Messiah without understanding the cross. The resurrection will be the key that unlocks what they have just seen.
    They obey Jesus, but they begin asking each other what “rising from the dead” could mean (Mark 9:10). They knew about the resurrection at the end of the age. What they could not understand was how the Messiah could die and then rise while the rest of the dead remained in their graves.
    Now verses 11-13 can sound confusing at first glance.
    The disciples ask, “Why do the scribes say Elijah must come first?” They are still trying to fit what they have seen into their expectations. If the kingdom is arriving in power, shouldn’t Elijah come and restore everything first?
    Jesus’ answer is compressed, but his point is clear. Yes, Elijah comes first. His work is to turn hearts and prepare people for the Lord (Malachi 4:5–6; Luke 1:16–17). But the disciples are forgetting another part of Scripture: the Son of Man must suffer and be rejected.
    Elijah had already come in the ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:12–13). But instead of receiving him, the rulers mistreated and killed him (Mark 6:17–29). John prepared the way for Jesus not only through his preaching, but also through his suffering.
    They have seen Jesus in glory, but Jesus immediately leads them back down the mountain.
    The Transfiguration does not replace the cross. It prepares them to understand the cross.
    BRING IN LUKE — Luke 9:30–31
    Now remember, I told you we would come back to what Moses and Elijah were discussing with Jesus. Mark tells us that they were talking. Luke tells us what they were talking about:
    “They spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30–31).
    The word translated “departure” is the Greek word exodos.
    Now listen to the sentence again with that word:
    “They spoke of his Exodus, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
    Who is going to accomplish this Exodus?
    The Romans? The religious leaders? The devil?
    They will all act, and the people involved will bear responsibility for what they do (Acts 2:23). But none of them is ultimately in control.
    Jesus is going to accomplish it.
    He is going to Jerusalem willingly. His death does not merely happen to him. He lays down his life to complete the mission the Father has given him.
    Jesus says:
    “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).
    The cross was not something Jesus failed to avoid.
    The cross was the mission Jesus came to accomplish.
    This is new Exodus language.
    Moses led Israel out from under the rule of Pharaoh. Jesus leads people from every tribe, language, people, and nation out from under the rule of sin, death, and darkness (Colossians 1:13–14; Revelation 5:9–10).
    The first Exodus began with the blood of a Passover lamb (Exodus 12:1–32). The greater Exodus was accomplished through the blood of Jesus, our Passover Lamb (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7).
    In the first Exodus, Pharaoh and his army were defeated (Exodus 14:26–31). At the cross, Jesus disarmed the rulers and spiritual powers and triumphed over them (Colossians 2:15).
    The first Exodus led Israel toward the Promised Land. Jesus’ Exodus leads his people through death into resurrection and new creation (1 Corinthians 15:20–23; Revelation 21:1–5).
    Moses led one nation out of Egypt. Jesus leads people from every nation out of sin, death, and darkness.
    Conclusion - Worship team
    Peter wanted to stay on the mountain. He wanted the glory without the suffering, the kingdom without the cross.
    We often want the same thing. We want God’s presence, power, healing, and glory—but we do not always want surrender, obedience, sacrifice, and death to ourselves.
    But Jesus does not invite us merely to admire him on the mountain. He tells us to follow him down the mountain.
    We cannot follow the glorified Christ while refusing the way of the cross.
    This does not mean we earn God’s presence by suffering. It means that we experience and display his glory as we surrender control and follow Jesus.
    Bill said this last week:
    We cannot fully experience or display the glory of God while still insisting on ruling our own lives.
    The glory revealed who Jesus is. The voice told us to listen to him. The road to Jerusalem shows us what it means to follow him.
    Behold his glory.
    Listen to his voice.
    Then follow his way—
    even when his way leads down the mountain and toward a cross.
    Before you leave spend some time in quiet reflection as Bill plays a little. If that’s not what you want to do then please go out there. Let this be a place of quiet meditation on the words that God spoke to each of your hearts. Please be quiet as you make your out into the lobby so those who want to mediate , invite, repent, whatever so that they can have that time.  
    In Jesus’ Name please stand and let’s pray...
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