Mark 9:1-13
“And he said to them, “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.” After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 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.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 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. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus 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? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.””
Mark 9:1-13 NIV
What a remarkable event, there are four dramatic occurrences in this account that should immediately capture our attention. First, there is the glorious change in the person of the Lord Himself. The second thing that grips us is the account of the heavenly visitors, Moses and Elijah. The third element of great interest in this account is the proposal that Peter makes. The fourth dramatic event occurred. Suddenly they were overshadowed with a cloud.
I am grateful for this preview of glory. Let it teach us to stand back in awe at who Jesus is and what He has planned for us.
Everything Jesus did and does has a purpose. Every miracle of Jesus, every word of Jesus, every action of Jesus, and every display of His divinity had a purpose. Sometimes when we see Jesus at work we learn something about Him and sometimes we learn something about ourselves. Sometimes we simply stand in awe of who He is.
In these verses let us consider the event of the transfiguration with a view to understanding what happened as well as its purpose. Mark approaches this from the perspective of what it meant for the disciples. What were they to learn? What are we to learn from beholding the glory of Jesus? We must hope in Jesus.
We see this in 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.’”
Clearly the experience of the transfiguration had a profound impact on these brothers. It was meant to. Perhaps when James was martyred, the remembrance of Jesus glory as revealed on the holy mountain gave him profound comfort. Beholding the glory of Jesus has such an effect on those who follow Him. That is, those who take up their cross and follow Him will indeed see the glory of him who has been crowned King.
Seeing Jesus glory helps us to listen better and, therefore, to learn and to follow much better. The only true listening in the Bible is obedient listening. The transfiguration was for their spiritual instruction. But Jesus forbade them, for now, from telling anyone what had happened on the mountain. They did not fully understand it yet, and if they shared it they would send a confused message.
When we see Jesus as God does, then we will listen very carefully to Him. This means that we will obey Him. This obedience means that we will embrace the fullness of His gospel agenda, not merely the parts that suit us. We will, in other words, embrace the cross and therefore we will embrace our cross. We need such a vision. We need to be transfixed by this vison. When this is the case, then we will find ourselves enabled to follow Him closely regardless of the cost.
The Kingdom and the power of heaven belong to the Son. Those who belong to Jesus can experience His power and belong to His Kingdom. The question is not, can God can make this possible? He already has in Jesus. The crucial question is, Have we decided to honor God's Kingdom and live for His Son, Jesus, so that His great power can be at work in us and through us!!!
Father thank You for this day and that we can see the power of Jesus unfold and to experience the full victory of Your Kingdom when He comes. Lord let the floodgates of heaven pour Your abundant blessings upon my friend and family today. Lord align our hearts with Yours so that it is fit for Your Kingdom. Lord remove any duplicity, dishonesty, and doubt so that we can serve You with an undivided heart. Lord, you give us glimpses of the beauty of Your way in the world, often when we can only see the struggle, still our fears. Lord speak encouraging Words into our spirits when we falter. Lord use my friend to a blessing someone needs today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !!
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