Our text this morning is from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9, starting in verse 2. We’re going to read Mark’s account of the transfiguration of Jesus. If you grew up hearing stories of the Bible, I don’t know how many of you grew up in the church, but this one is probably very familiar to you, although it might be what I call a Passover kind of story. I don’t mean the biblical Old Testament Passover, but one that you read and you say, I don’t know what’s going on here, let’s pass over to what’s next. But we shouldn’t. We should drink deeply from the beauty and awesome event that happened there on the Mount. So let’s read together Mark 9, verses 2 through 15.
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 and Moses, and they were They were with Jesus, talking to him. And Peter said to them, 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. And 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 and teachers say that Elijah must come? And he said to them, Elijah does come first and 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.
This is the word of the Lord. Well, in this passage, God tells an essential truth and gives an essential command. It is a command to Peter, James, and John, but through them, it is a command to each of us. This is my beloved son, listen to him. The essential message that the creator of the universe spoke with audible words from heaven and wanted these disciples to know and wants you and I to know today through their testimony is that Jesus is God’s beloved son and that we should listen to Jesus. This is a message that is applicable to you no matter where you are in your faith story. No matter how long you’ve been a believer, and even if you are not yet a believer, this message is for you. Listen to God’s beloved son. There’s a sense in which this is the most important sentence that there is for a human being to understand. It’s right up there with, in the beginning God created. All of the deepest questions of human history find the beginning of their answer here. This is my beloved son. Listen to him. Looking at this passage, I want us to see three simple things. First, we’ll look at the text, and then I want us to look at three points. Those points are first, we must recognize who Jesus is. Second, we must trust in the Word of God that has been given to us. And finally, because of those first two, we can be sure of the hope we have in Christ.
Recognize who Jesus is
So recognize who Jesus is, trust in the Word of God, and your hope in Jesus is secure. So let’s look a bit at this passage in the Gospel of Mark, a little bit of context, In the last 10 or so verses of chapter eight, we’ve had both Peter’s confession of the Christ and Jesus telling Satan to get behind him. Jesus had asked the disciples who they thought that he was, and to answer, Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Christ and is commended for this insight. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to Peter. Jesus then discusses with them the death and resurrection that he would soon accomplish. And Peter seems like he’s stopping on a dime, pivots, and begins to rebuke his Lord. Yeah, yeah, I said you’re the Lord, but you’re wrong about this one. Jesus says to Peter, it may have been my father who revealed who I am to you, but you’re talking the devil’s language now. So while these disciples are starting to understand who Jesus is, they do not yet truly understand who Jesus is. That is, they’re starting to accept his lordship, but they’re not accepting or understanding him in his mission. So this is the backdrop, this is the state of affairs, the state of relations between Jesus and his disciples before our passage this morning begins. So the question on everybody’s mind, the question that Jesus is trying to teach his disciples is, who is he? Who is Jesus? So Jesus takes this inner circle of disciples, John, his brother James, and Peter. Everyone knows Peter. Early church tradition holds that this book, the Gospel of Mark, represents Peter’s account of Jesus’ ministry. And they go up on this high mountain with Jesus and some really strange things begin to happen. And we don’t know what mountain that they went up. Peter refers to it in 2 Peter 1 as the holy mountain. One possibility about a six-stage journey from where they were in chapter eight is Mount Horeb. six days away from Jerusalem. While they are up on this mountain, Mount Horeb is the holy mountain from the Old Testament where both Moses and Elijah had encounters with God. While they’re up on the mountain, Jesus changes somehow. The Greek word for transfigured here is metamorpho, metamorpho-eo, sorry, my Greek pronunciation is poor. He metamorphed, he changed his physical appearance in front of them. Luke’s account specifies a little bit and says the appearance of his face was altered. Matthew’s account says, his face shone like the sun. What’s more, we’re told Jesus’ clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one could bleach them, dazzlingly white, as white as light. I’m not sure, I’m sure you have. You should start thinking, this should start reminding you of things as we get to this point in the story. I think of the Star Wars original, well the prequel trilogy. Sometimes while Anakin Skywalker is going about his, the unfolding of his story, the refrain will start playing in the background of the Darth Vader theme. Do you all remember this? And we are reminded of things that we’ve seen or read or heard before, and we’re reminded of what’s happening in the story here as we go on. The radiance of Christ here should put us in mind of things that we’ve heard before. Have we ever heard of someone standing on the top of a mountain and being so radiantly white? We have. In Exodus 34, When Moses on Mount Horeb meets with the Lord, his face begins to glow. When we were kids, we had glow-in-the-dark toys, and you would shine a light on them, and then you take the light away, and it would retain some of the light. This is what’s happening to Moses. He has stood in the glory of the Lord, And once it is taken away, that glory still is reflected in him. He has absorbed some of the light and it stays with him for a bit. So this is all to say, the first thing we are meant to understand is that these men on this mountain are in the presence of the Lord. And sure enough, what’s the next thing that happens? Moses and Elijah appear and begin speaking with Jesus. It’s interesting to note that Elijah himself in 1 Kings 19 spent some time in the presence of the Lord, and hears the Lord speak. Where was that? At the top of the holy mountain. In Old Testament law, two witnesses were required to prove any fact. If an important fact was claimed, two witnesses must be there to confirm it. The two most important spokesmen for the God of Israel in Israel’s history have appeared on this mountain to confirm to these disciples what will be declared in this passage. We’re not told what James and John do, while all this is going on, presumably they sit in awestruck silence, not knowing what to do. I think they probably chose the better portion. Peter typically is not afflicted with the wisdom to do and say nothing. He jumps to the fore and he suggests that he, James and John, erect tents for these three heroes. After all, these three are such important figures in the faith. On one hand, this response shows how highly Peter regards Jesus. And you wonder, did anyone alive at the time think more highly of Jesus? Look here, in Peter’s mind, Jesus is a prophet on par with the greatest of the prophets in the Old Testament, with Moses and Elijah. Three tenths for the three greatest of Israel’s prophets. This suggests a view of Jesus that is high by the world’s standards, but in reality is far, far too low. What I love about this passage is it isn’t Jesus who corrects Peter or even Moses or Elijah. Rather, it is the voice of God that corrects Peter at this moment. Peter hasn’t even finished getting his suggestion for tense out of his mouth when the cloud descends and the voice declares, this is my beloved son, listen to him. Then in an instant, the witnesses are gone, the cloud is gone, the radiance is gone, and Jesus is left alone with his disciples. This whole display, all the refrains echoed from the Old Testament, the two witnesses were all there, all occurred to make one truth unquestionably clear. All of this beautiful display In it all, God wanted to say one thing very clearly, and that is, this Jesus is my beloved son. Listen to him. It is a very simple, yet very, very important message. Succinct and sufficient for the disciples and for us. It is what they needed to know the most, and it is what you and I need to know the most. So our first point is, listening to the beloved son means that we must recognize and affirm who he is. This is my beloved son, God says. This Jesus of Nazareth is the divine son of God. He has the authority to speak for God. He is greater than Moses. He is greater than Elijah. He is the one whom they have served. Instead of three equal tents, These two men are the pegs in Jesus’ tent. They have testified about his greatness and his coming. When Moses stood on the mountain and beheld God’s glory, the glory that lit up his face, like the glow-in-the-dark toy, is the same glory, the same radiance that was coming out of Jesus’ face. When Elijah stood on the mountain and listened for the still, small voice, it was the voice of Jesus that spoke. When Peter describes this experience in 2 Peter 1, he describes himself as having been an eyewitness of Jesus’ majesty. In the transfiguration, God the Father bestows supreme honor and glory upon Jesus. Jesus is the king of glory. He’s not merely one in the line of Moses and Elijah. He is the new and better Moses. He is the radiance that lit Moses’ face. He is the king that was to come to which the law and the prophets testified. He deserves the worship of every bit of creation. And it is only right that we would proclaim that to everyone and everything in every way. Brothers and sisters, we must make every effort to make the real Jesus, this Jesus in radiant glory known for his sake, for our sake, for the sake of the world. The world around us absolutely does not see who Jesus is. How often do we hear Jesus’ name taken in vain in our culture? I don’t just mean like as an expletive or as a curse. I mean, how often do people appeal to Jesus to justify or prop up whatever pet ideology that they advocate? If you do a Google search, for two phrases together, bumper sticker and Jesus was a, you get the following results. Jesus was a socialist. Jesus was a liberal. Jesus was a libertarian. Jesus was an independent. Jesus was a home birth. It takes an unexpected turn there at the end. Jesus wasn’t those things. I’m sorry. And let me tell you, it’s a good thing that he wasn’t, because none of those things can give you meaning, true happiness, and hope. Jesus, the beloved Son of God, the radiance of God’s glory, can give you meaning, hope, and true happiness. I hate to say it, but there are people even in our congregations who don’t understand this. Many people follow Jesus because they perceive him to agree with them. Peter seemed to have a pretty good understanding of how things were turning out, at least in his own eyes. He had stuff together, and he had a good idea about how to move forward. No, Jesus, you’re not gonna die. I’ve got a great idea, let’s make some tents. What Peter gained between Mark 9 and 2 Peter 1 is an understanding of this supreme authority of Jesus. This is my beloved son. Listen to him. Peter. When Jesus speaks about the world, he describes it as it really is. When he tells you about his plan to usher in his kingdom, he knows what he’s talking about. A lot of people are friends with Jesus because some of the things that he says bolster their worldview. Just like Peter in Mark 9, they’re super excited about the Jesus in their mind, but not particularly excited by the Jesus as he really is. But he is not a tame lion, brothers and sisters. You may not look to Jesus as an ally. He is not your advocate or your co-pilot. He is Lord, clothed in radiant glory, and your agenda must submit to his. This is the only path to happiness. This is the only path to wholeness. And this is the only path to salvation. And it’s the only hope for the people of this world.
Trust in the Word of God
Our second point is that listening to the beloved son of God means that we must trust in the word of God. Moses, of course, here on the mountain, represents the law that was given to Israel. He’s the first and greatest of the prophets. And Elijah, prophet to the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, represents the ministry of the Old Testament prophets. All of the later prophets can be said to have operated in the spirit of Elijah. So when Jesus taught, you’ll remember, he often used the phrase, he would say, the law and the prophets testify to X, whatever it was, whatever the truth he was demonstrating. Paul uses this phrase, the law and the prophets. And what they mean by this phrase is the scripture, the Old Testament. The Holy Word of God says, testifies to, I don’t want you to miss the strong symbolism here on the mountain. Here we have two witnesses, one the law and the other the prophets, testifying to what God says out of this cloud. This is my beloved son, listen to him. What the disciples and we are shown is that the word of God demonstrates and proves who Jesus is and what he came to do. Now, Peter did not miss out on this significance. He did at the time, but later. His major takeaway from the event was the authority of the Word of God. After describing the transfiguration and the words that God spoke from the cloud, 2 Peter 1 says in verse 19 through 21, and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention. as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts knowing this first of all that no prophecy from scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man but men spoke from god as they were carried along by the holy spirit so peter’s commentary on the transfiguration is Essentially, he says, you want to know what I learned on the mountain? I’ll tell you, I learned to trust in the Word of God. The Old Testament said that a king from the line of David was coming who would be a prophet like Moses, usher in a new covenant, by his stripes we would be healed, He would be born in Bethlehem, he would die on the tree, he would rise again after three days, and his death and resurrection would be the blow by which the ancient serpent is defeated and the curse of creation is reversed. If you want more, it’s all in your Old Testament. There’s an aspect of this that you’re going to have to think about and chew on. The ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus substantiated the truth of the word of God. Because the law and the prophets testified that these things were going to happen. So if someone says to you, how do you know that the word is true? An answer that you can give is because it promised that Jesus would come and save us from our sins. And he did exactly in the way that he said it would. But the reverse is also true. Jesus proves the word. The word also proves Jesus. The fact that the Word of God laid out this plan of salvation before it happens demonstrates that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be, the Son of God.
All that together means that you can be sure of Christ because of His Word, and you can be sure of the Word because of Christ. Thus, when you and I declare who Jesus is, like I said, we must, we can be fully assured that the word of God, once sowed, will not return void. Why? Because the God who raised Jesus from the dead has said so. The power that is on display here in our passage today and in the resurrection of Christ demonstrates that the promises of the word are true. The word will accomplish the work that God has set for it.
Be sure of our hope in Christ
And this leads to our final point. When we recognize who the beloved son is and we place our trust in his sure word, we can be certain of the hope that we have Do you ever, as you read these accounts, these stories of the disciples with Jesus, do you ever wonder why didn’t they understand what Jesus had come to do? Do you ever think, he just said he’s gonna die. Why are they so slow to understand this? He kept telling them this. He said it in our passage. He said it just before our passage. Jesus tells them in our passage, or just before, and Peter said, no, I’m not gonna let that happen. They questioned in our passage what this rising from the dead might mean. How is it that they didn’t understand? But they didn’t. They didn’t understand, and this means something, I think, that is practically interesting for us. Something can be rock-solidly true and certain, and you and I, out of a fear or lack of faith, just can’t see it or accept it. But praise be to God, the truth and certainty of the gospel doesn’t depend upon how you and I feel about it. How often does our world encourage faith? Faith in faith. As if faith in and of itself was the goal. Doesn’t seem to matter what you believe in just as long as you believe. What nonsense. There’s no power in faith. There is power in Jesus. And if you trust in him, if you place your faith in him, you will be rescued from death, sin, and hell. Faith is essential. but it isn’t the power. The power is the object of our faith, Jesus himself. This is really good news, brothers and sisters. There are some of us, maybe even some of you here today, who struggle to accept in full what Jesus has accomplished. You’ve maybe heard the truth, you’ve grown up knowing that Jesus died for sinners, But in your heart of hearts, you think, ah, not me. My heart is too wicked. I’ve denied him too many times. I’ve turned to my own way too often. I have doubts too often. I’m a Christian and I can’t kick this small addictive sin. I belong to Jesus and yet there’s darkness in me, anger in me. Not trying to say that these things are consistent with one another. You come to Christ and you turn away. But people who respond to the gospel in this way, doubting the sureness of the promise for them personally, stay stuck in these sinful patterns, robbed of freedom, robbed of the joy of the gospel, can be in the room singing with the congregation of saints, but sit off by themselves and fret instead of singing out in the joy and freedom of Christ. It’s like Jesus comes to them with living water, with the freedom of the gospel, with joy, and they say, no, no, you’ve got the wrong guy. Listen, Jesus doesn’t have the wrong guy. Jesus doesn’t have the wrong gal. This Jesus, clothed in radiance, crowned in majesty, doesn’t make mistakes. He didn’t die just for the ones who feel it enough. If you want him to deliver you from your sin and be your savior, give yourself fully to him. This beloved son of God, in whom we must believe, said this, this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose none of those he has given me. He said this, come to me, all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He said this, My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Word of God clearly says, if you give yourself to him, you are his. And he doesn’t lose what’s his. In fact, He guides, He teaches, He comforts, He perfects what’s His. By His Spirit, He grows the fruit of righteousness in those who are His. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. His grace is sufficient for you. He will always be with you and not leave and forsake you. He will give you wisdom if you ask. He will supply every need of yours according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. He will provide you a way out of temptation. He will complete the good work that he’s begun in you. He is working all things, all things for your good and nothing, that is nothing. can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ. How do we know that these things are true? How can we be certain that these glorious promises are real? Let me answer that question, how can we be certain, with a few final questions, and we’ll be done. Has Jesus come in the flesh Has he lived the perfect life? Did he die? Did he rise? If the answer to those questions is yes, then the promises of God are more certain than the rising of the sun each morning. This is the God and Savior that we worship.
Let’s pray. Father, we are in awe of your goodness and your mercy to us in Christ. He is your beloved son and he is our Beloved Savior, we thank you that you did not leave us to ourselves, you did not leave us to what we deserve, but you have accomplished a glorious salvation through Jesus for your people. We thank you that he is the sure power in which we can trust and have faith. And we thank you that you promised him in your word, and that in him we have a sure salvation. We ask that you would enable us to share this hope with those around us and that you would work through your word as we share it to bring to yourself children who trust you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ strong name, we pray. Amen.