1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,640 Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth. 2 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,960 Those words of wisdom were spoken by the heavyweight boxing 3 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,280 champion Mike Tyson before his famous fight with Evander 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,520 Holyfield back in the early 90s. They have since been quoted by 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:25,200 journalists, entrepreneurs, politicians, even a president of 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,480 the United States. Tyson later reflected on what he 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,920 meant by the famous quip. People were asking me before the 8 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,800 fight, what's going to happen. They were talking about his 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:39,400 style. He's going to give you a lot of 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,760 lateral movement. He's going to move, he's going 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:43,920 to dance, he's going to do this, do that. 12 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,880 I said everybody has a plan until they get hit. 13 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,720 Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze. 14 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:01,120 Sometimes when we encounter suffering, it feels like getting 15 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,920 punched in the mouth. It feels like you had your plan, 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,040 you knew what you wanted to be doing. 17 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,720 And then the suffering came and you just freeze. 18 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:16,400 It scrambled every plan you had. You thought you knew how to 19 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,600 handle it. It turns out you don't. 20 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:25,520 Suffering often comes as a shock, as a surprise. 21 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:31,760 So a crucial question really in just living as a human being and 22 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,160 a crucial question for those who follow Jesus. 23 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,120 So what can you do now to prepare to suffer well? 24 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:45,960 What do you need now in order to suffer well when it comes? 25 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,720 This morning we return to our series in Mark's Gospel. 26 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,480 We're picking up just past the halfway point at Chapter 9, 27 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,880 verses 2 to 13. If you don't have a Bible, you 28 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:58,680 can put up your hand and someone will bring you one. 29 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:00,960 If that's because you just forgot a Bible this morning, 30 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:02,720 that's fine. If you don't have a Bible at 31 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:04,240 home, we're happy for you to take this one. 32 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,400 Keep it, read it, it's our gift to you. 33 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,639 In the last passage we studied a couple of months ago, the end of 34 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:15,360 chapter 8 through Chapter 9, verse one, Peter rightly 35 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,520 confessed Jesus to be the Messiah. 36 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,840 He also wrongly rejected Jesus own teaching that his 37 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:27,000 Messiahship means he is going to the cross to die for sins. 38 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,480 And so Jesus instructed Peter and the other disciples that it 39 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,880 wasn't just Jesus's road that led to the cross, it will be 40 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,240 their Rd. too. As Jesus says in chapter 8 verse 41 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,880 34, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and 42 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:50,200 take up his cross and follow me. That really becomes a theme 43 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,240 sentence for the whole rest of Mark's gospel, that definition 44 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:55,680 of what it means to follow Jesus. 45 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,920 Take up your cross and follow me. 46 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,840 That's what Jesus is especially going to be unpacking and his 47 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,840 teaching in the next 3 chapters. That's what he's going to be 48 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,880 exemplifying as he goes to the cross. 49 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:12,640 In order to find life in Jesus, you have to die first. 50 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:19,720 In order to receive glory with and from Jesus, you have to 51 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:24,600 suffer with Him first. The only way into the Kingdom is 52 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,920 through the cross. And that's true both for Jesus 53 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,080 and for everyone who follows him. 54 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,280 At the end of that section, Jesus makes a promise that's a 55 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:35,040 little hard to understand at first. 56 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,760 Chapter 9, verse one. And He said to them, truly, I 57 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,960 say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste 58 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,840 death until they see the Kingdom of God after it has come with 59 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,120 power. Somehow some of His disciples 60 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,960 will see God's Kingdom come in power and glory within their 61 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,200 lifetimes. That raises a lot of questions. 62 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:09,520 Who, when, how, why? Please follow along as I read 63 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:15,520 our passage for this morning. Mark Chapter 9, verses 2 to 13. 64 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,720 And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and 65 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,600 John and LED them up a high mountain by themselves. 66 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,880 And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became 67 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,920 radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 68 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,960 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were 69 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:45,200 talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, 70 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:50,040 it is good that we are here. Let us make 3 tents, one for you 71 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,200 and one for Moses, and 1:00 for Elijah. 72 00:04:53,320 --> 00:05:00,000 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified, and a 73 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,800 cloud overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the 74 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:11,240 cloud. This is my beloved son, listen 75 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,920 to him. And suddenly, looking around, 76 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,600 they no longer saw anyone with them, but Jesus only. 77 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,800 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to 78 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:30,080 tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen 79 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,680 from the dead. So they kept the matter to 80 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,720 themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might 81 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,720 mean. And they asked him, Why do the 82 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,560 scribes say that first Elijah must come? 83 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:50,360 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all 84 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:53,880 things. And how is it written of the Son 85 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:59,520 of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with 86 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:03,760 contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has 87 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:09,520 come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is 88 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:14,200 written of him. Here's the main question our 89 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:20,200 passage answers. What do we need to see in order 90 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,640 to suffer well? The answer is simple. 91 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:29,000 We need to see Jesus's glory. What do we need to see in order 92 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,600 to suffer well? We need to see Jesus's glory. 93 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,480 More specifically, here's the point of the sermon. 94 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:44,440 In one sentence, seeing Jesus's glory prepares us to share in 95 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,400 both Jesus's suffering and his glory. 96 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:58,160 Seeing Jesus's glory prepares us to share in both Jesus's 97 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:03,040 suffering and his glory. We'll walk through the passage 98 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:10,440 in three parts .1 Glory unveiled, glory unveiled. 99 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,880 We see this unveiled glory in verses 2 to 6. 100 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,120 Look again with me at verses 2:00 to 3:00. 101 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,280 And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and 102 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,520 John and LED them up a high mountain by themselves, and he 103 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,280 was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, 104 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,760 intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 105 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,640 Six days after what? Well, it's six days after He 106 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,560 gave that promise in verse one that some of the disciples would 107 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,320 see the Kingdom of God coming in glory and power in their 108 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,840 lifetimes. Now, until we arrive at the 109 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:51,240 final week of Jesus's life, this is the most precise time stamp 110 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:54,720 in all of Mark's gospel. He's never been so specific 111 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:56,920 about the timing when something happened. 112 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,640 Why does he highlight that this took place only six days later? 113 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:08,400 It's to underline that this experience fulfills that 114 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,840 promise. What these three disciples would 115 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:16,960 see on the mountaintop is the Kingdom of God coming in power 116 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,240 and glory, at least a preview of it. 117 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:27,400 Now what exactly do they see? Verse 2 tells us that Jesus was 118 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:32,919 transfigured before them. That word transfigured means his 119 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:36,559 appearance changed, but changed How? 120 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:40,200 This one verb transfigured doesn't tell us explicitly, but 121 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,320 it becomes a little clearer from the next detail. 122 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,320 His clothes became radiant. They were shining with light. 123 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,760 They were so bright it was beyond the capacity of anyone 124 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,160 who works with clothes on Earth to get them that white and 125 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:57,000 bright. His clothes were shining with 126 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,720 light. Light always comes from a 127 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,640 source. What is the source of the light 128 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:09,560 that is lighting up his clothes? It didn't come from outside, but 129 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:13,200 from inside. The light was not from the sun 130 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,800 or any external source of brightness. 131 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:25,080 Jesus himself was the light. Jesus himself was the cause of 132 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:26,680 his clothes shining like the sun. 133 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,400 The light was coming from him and passing through his own 134 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:39,000 garments as it radiated outward. So what caused Jesus appearance 135 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,040 to change? We could say that his human 136 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:49,200 nature began to shine with the glory of his divine nature. 137 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:54,960 He began to radiate divine brightness and beauty and glory. 138 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,560 One way to think about the incarnation that I think is 139 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:00,360 biblically fruitful is to understand that when the Son of 140 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:05,240 God became Incarnate, his human nature became like a cloud that 141 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,600 both concealed and revealed his divine glory. 142 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:10,320 Think about what a cloud does to the sun. 143 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,320 On the one hand, it blocks it. You can't see the sun directly 144 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:15,480 when there's a cloud in front of it. 145 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,000 It acts as a veil between the cloud and your eyes. 146 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:24,080 But on the other hand, a cloud blocking the sun still let some 147 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,320 light through. It could be completely overcast, 148 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,760 but the sun is still getting some light to earth. 149 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,760 And when there is a cloud, just the right kind of cloud, just 150 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:36,920 the right thickness, sometimes you can even look and see the 151 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:38,720 outline of the sun, the shape of the sun. 152 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,640 You can see it, you can look at it without your eyes getting 153 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,400 burned out by it. If you looked at the sun without 154 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,920 a cloud in front of it, it would destroy your eyes. 155 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,440 You can't gaze on it without something in between. 156 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:01,480 So in his Incarnate state, Jesus's humanity normally acts 157 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:06,200 as a veil for his divinity, like a cloud covering the sun. 158 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,320 But now, for a brief time, to these three disciples up there 159 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,800 on the mountain, Jesus himself lifts the veil. 160 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,160 Jesus himself reveals his divinity more fully and directly 161 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,080 to these three disciples. The rays lighting up his 162 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,960 clothing come from Jesus himself. 163 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:30,880 When Moses would speak with God face to face on Mount Sinai or 164 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,480 at the Tent of meeting, we learn in Exodus chapter 34 that his 165 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,720 face would shine afterward. He had to put a veil over his 166 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:40,800 face so he didn't scare the people of Israel. 167 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,640 But Moses glory was borrowed. It was given, it was a 168 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:52,560 reflection, it was derivative. Jesus glory is his own, it comes 169 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:55,680 from himself. So the Transfiguration is not 170 00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:00,200 exactly a change in Jesus. More specifically, it's a change 171 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:04,720 in what Jesus let's his disciples see of the glory he 172 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,840 always has. Now, why did Jesus choose to 173 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,000 reveal his glory to these three disciples? 174 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,880 I think the clearest clue comes from later in Mark's Gospel in 175 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:24,080 chapter 14, when Jesus chooses these same 3 disciples to 176 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:26,000 accompany him into the Garden of Gethsemane. 177 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,160 They'll see him fall to his knees in prayer. 178 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:33,040 They'll see him sweat drops of blood and agony. 179 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,800 They will hear him ask the Father if the cup of wrath can 180 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:41,640 pass from Him. Jesus handpicked these three 181 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:47,240 disciples to see an advanced vision of His glory because they 182 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,720 would have the most intimate sight of His agony. 183 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:56,760 He let them behold His glory now to prepare them for when they 184 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:01,520 would behold His suffering. But Jesus's glory is not all 185 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,640 they saw. Look at verse 4. 186 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,840 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were 187 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,960 talking with Jesus. Why are Moses and Elijah here? 188 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:14,160 A lot of people take them to represent the law and the 189 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,640 prophets as the kind of two major divisions of Old Testament 190 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,160 Scripture. I think that's on to something, 191 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:21,760 but I don't think it's exactly right. 192 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:26,320 For one thing, while Elijah was a prophet, he did not write any 193 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,920 prophetic book. There is no book of the Old 194 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,360 Testament bearing the name of Elijah. 195 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,680 For another thing, Moses is also frequently called a prophet in 196 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:38,200 Scripture. I think there are two main 197 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,960 reasons why Elijah and Moses show up here. 198 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:42,840 We're going to camp out on this for just a little while. 199 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,880 One is that both Moses and Elijah are somehow associated 200 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,200 with the promised fulfillment of God saving purposes. 201 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:55,200 In Deuteronomy 18, verses 15 to 18, God promises to someday 202 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,760 raise up another prophet like Moses. 203 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:04,680 And in verse 15, the Lord says it is to him you shall listen. 204 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,520 And then at the very end of Malachi in chapter 4, verse 5, 205 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:13,440 the Lord promises to send Elijah before the day of the Lord 206 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,640 comes. And then in verse 6, the very 207 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,320 last verse in the Old Testament, he will turn the hearts of 208 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,960 fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their 209 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,440 fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter 210 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,440 destruction. So by their presence here, Moses 211 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:32,160 and Elijah are showing. Now's the time, the things God 212 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,720 promised to his people to do to save them, that's what he's 213 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:40,080 getting busy fulfilling now. In that sense, even though I 214 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,080 don't think Elijah and Moses represent the law and the 215 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,000 prophets, I think they are witnesses from God's past 216 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,400 revelation. There are witnesses that what 217 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,000 God said he is now doing in Jesus. 218 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,520 They attest that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God's 219 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,000 promises. But I think there's an even 220 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,960 deeper reason why Moses and Elijah are here. 221 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,720 Why those two? When Moses was on Mount Sinai 222 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,320 receiving the Law, the people sinned with the golden calf. 223 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,840 That's Exodus 32. Then in Exodus 33, Moses pleads 224 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,440 with God not only that the Lord would continue to personally 225 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,720 accompany His people to the Promised Land, but even more 226 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:25,440 specifically Exodus 3318. He asks, Please show me your 227 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,920 glory. And God answered that request. 228 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,080 He hid Moses in a cave in the side of the mountain. 229 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:35,400 He caused his glory to pass by him, and he proclaimed His 230 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:37,960 goodness. He proclaimed His name before 231 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:43,440 Moses. Moses asked for and received a 232 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:47,040 revelation of God's glory on a mountaintop, specifically Mount 233 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:50,440 Sinai. Elijah the prophet also received 234 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,960 a revelation of God's glory, also on a mountaintop. 235 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:56,880 In fact, it was the same mountain. 236 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,880 First Kings 19 tells us that after Elijah confronted Ahab and 237 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,600 was threatened by Jezebel, he fled to Mount Horeb. 238 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,320 Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai. 239 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:13,560 There God gave Elijah food and rest, and he also gave him a 240 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,280 glimpse of his glory. He gave him a revelation like 241 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:20,600 Moses first Kings 1911, and he, that is the Lord, said to 242 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:26,080 Elijah, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord, and 243 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:33,600 behold, the Lord passed by. Why are Moses and Elijah here 244 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:36,240 now? Because they both in their 245 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:41,320 earthly lifetimes received a mountaintop revelation of God's 246 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:46,920 glory. And now they get another what 247 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:51,720 they could only previously catch a glimpse of as God passed by. 248 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:54,600 Now they can look at face to face. 249 00:16:55,320 --> 00:17:00,440 They can see the glory of God in the face of Jesus. 250 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:05,160 This is yet another mountaintop revelation of God's own glory, 251 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:07,560 here in the person of His Incarnate Son. 252 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,400 Now how did the disciples respond to both of the glory 253 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,160 itself and the prophets being there? 254 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:17,359 Peter, as he often does, rushes in and tries to take decisive 255 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,119 action. Verses 5 and 6 and Peter said to 256 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:25,560 Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here, let us make 3 tents, 257 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,280 one for you and one for Moses, and 1:00 for Elijah. 258 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,040 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 259 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,520 It's a little bit difficult to know exactly what Peter was 260 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,760 hoping to accomplish. We shouldn't go looking for some 261 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:41,080 grand thought out strategy because the verse tells us he 262 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,040 didn't know what to say. He and the other disciples were 263 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,880 terrified. But whatever Peter's exact plans 264 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:52,280 or hopes, it does seem clear that he was trying to prolong 265 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:56,080 the magic. He was trying to take this 266 00:17:56,080 --> 00:18:01,120 moment and keep it going. On the one hand, that's a good 267 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,360 thing. He's there with the Lord and his 268 00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:05,040 glory. It's where he wants to be. 269 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,400 It reflects his love for Jesus. And it does seem that the 270 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:14,120 Transfiguration is a preview of the end that God has in store 271 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:17,240 for all believers. Peter knows it's good to be in 272 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:19,200 the presence of God's glory face to face. 273 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,960 What more could you want? But Peter also should have 274 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,760 known. But he didn't know that this is 275 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:31,200 only a preview. It can only be a preview. 276 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,120 Why? Because Jesus has already told 277 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:39,640 him he's going to the cross. Jesus has already told him he's 278 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:44,760 going to die and rise again. Jesus has given Peter enough 279 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,040 information to know whatever this is, this isn't going to 280 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,880 last. So even if Peter isn't fully 281 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,240 aware of the implications of what he's saying, in effect, 282 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,440 he's asking for a Kingdom without a cross. 283 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,560 He wants the Kingdom to set up shop right here on this mountain 284 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:06,360 right now. Who knows, maybe extend 285 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:10,160 operations outward from its base on the Mount of Transfiguration. 286 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,080 Didn't Elijah call down fire from heaven? 287 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:13,960 Didn't Moses defeat Pharaoh's army? 288 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,840 They can take care of whatever issues need ironing out as the 289 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:20,480 Kingdom gets established, but that's not how God's Kingdom 290 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,320 would come. Also, Peter's offer to make 3 291 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,640 booths kind of misses the whole point of the Transfiguration. 292 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:32,800 This is Jesus revealing his own divine glory that is completely 293 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:35,000 incomparable to anything any human being could possibly 294 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,520 possess. And Peter goes, well, let's make 295 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:38,880 3 tents, one for you, one for you, one for you. 296 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,200 No, no, no, Peter. These three are not on the same 297 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,000 level. These three are not in the same 298 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,120 class. You might be intending to honor 299 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,040 Jesus by that offer to build a Tabernacle to shelter him. 300 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,000 We're actually demoting him to the level of a mere prophet like 301 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,680 Moses and Elijah. The whole point is He is utterly 302 00:19:57,120 --> 00:20:00,840 unique. Verse 6 tells us they were 303 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:03,960 terrified that all three disciples were overcome with 304 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,960 fear. That is a proper and fitting 305 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,360 response to seeing the glory of God. 306 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:18,840 One test of whether you really know God is that you fear Him. 307 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,160 One test of whether you have genuinely encountered the glory 308 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:30,280 of God is that it scares you. Our God is a consuming fire. 309 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,600 Our God is so holy that when He brought His glory down to touch 310 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,840 Mount Sinai, the mountain trembled and quaked as if it 311 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,320 would come apart under the weight of God's glory. 312 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,640 If you meet the true and living God, if you have a true 313 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:51,440 revelation of His glory, your soul will tremble and quake 314 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,680 under the weight of it. Your soul will threaten to come 315 00:20:55,680 --> 00:21:01,000 apart because it cannot bear the encounter with His utter purity. 316 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,760 Why? Because of your sin. 317 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:10,040 To see God's glory is to see yourself in a new and sobering 318 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:13,680 light. One more question about this 319 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,880 part of the passage. Why did Jesus give these three 320 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:21,920 disciples this revelation Now? Why does it happen here at this 321 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:26,120 point in his ministry? It's because He has just begun 322 00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:30,200 His journey to the cross. It's because He's just begun to 323 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,760 teach them that the Kingdom will come through His death and 324 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,520 resurrection. He's just begun to teach them 325 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,760 that His Messiahship will mean his being crucified and their 326 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,160 discipleship will mean they're taking up the cross. 327 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:51,360 Jesus showed these three disciples His glory to prepare 328 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:54,240 them for His suffering and their own. 329 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:58,080 He revealed His infinite divine majesty to remind them that His 330 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:01,520 death is part of His own divine plan for their salvation. 331 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,600 This will not be a mistake. This will not be an accident. 332 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:11,080 This will not be Plan B. This is divine Plan A from all 333 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:14,920 eternity. Jesus is letting them see His 334 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,960 divine glory now so that they won't forget it when they see 335 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,640 Him in the depths of suffering and shame and agony. 336 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,480 There's a 12th century Greek speaking Christian teacher in 337 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:33,080 Italy named Phil Agathos who put this point beautifully. 338 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,200 A little bit of a long quote, but I think it's worth it. 339 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:41,520 Indulge me. Why then did the amazing 340 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:46,120 transfiguration occur? If they should see His face 341 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:50,760 slapped and spit upon, let them no longer be scandalized, since 342 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,480 they had stored in their memories his brilliance that 343 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,680 outshone the sun. If they were to see him clothed 344 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:02,520 in purple as mockery, let them affirm him to be the one who on 345 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,920 the mountain was wrapped in light as in a robe. 346 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,040 If they should see him fixed on a scaffold between two 347 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:14,560 criminals, let them recognize him here as Lord, standing in 348 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,720 majesty between Moses and Elijah. 349 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:22,120 If they should know him as a corpse hidden away in the earth, 350 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:27,600 let them remember him overshadowed by a brilliant 351 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,360 cloud. What do we need to see in order 352 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:35,480 to suffer well, We need to see Jesus's present divine glory. 353 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:38,240 We need to see by faith that he's seated at the right hand of 354 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,920 the Father. We need to see by faith that he 355 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:42,800 eternally exists from the Father. 356 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:46,960 We need to see by faith that He is the Father's beloved, eternal 357 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,240 Son. We need to regard Jesus as more 358 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:54,360 important, more compelling, and more beautiful than anything in 359 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:57,680 this world. In 2nd Corinthians 318, Paul 360 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:03,160 writes, and we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the 361 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:08,040 Lord, are being transformed into the same image from 1° of glory 362 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,240 to another. This is how Christian growth 363 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,200 happens. This is how spiritual 364 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,280 transformation happens. This is how the Lord prepares us 365 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:21,200 to suffer well for His glory. Seeing Christ's glory conforms 366 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,240 you to His glory. That is one of the essential 367 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:30,120 dynamics of the Christian life. Seeing Christ's glory conforms 368 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:33,160 you to His glory. Seeing Christ's glory fills you 369 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:39,840 with that same glory. What can you do this week to see 370 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:44,840 Christ's glory? You might prefer to be on the 371 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,600 Mount of Transfiguration then Jesus would just show you. 372 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:55,960 But alas, we're not. Where has God put Christ's 373 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:58,440 glory? Where has He made it available 374 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:03,960 and put it on display? How can you access it and behold 375 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:12,160 it and be changed by it? Point #2 Glory proclaimed. 376 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,240 Glory proclaimed. In verses 7 and eight, another 377 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:23,480 witness to Christ's divine glory comes onto the scene, verse 7. 378 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,080 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the 379 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:28,720 cloud. This is my beloved Son. 380 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,480 Listen to him. Throughout Scripture, God 381 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,280 frequently manifests His presence to His people in a 382 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,320 cloud of glory. We see this especially in 383 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,000 Israel's wilderness journey after the Exodus, where the 384 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,880 pillar of cloud and fire dwells in the midst of the camp and 385 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:48,880 leads them on their way. Isaiah 6311 identifies that 386 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,920 cloud as a manifestation of God's Holy Spirit. 387 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:58,640 So here a sign of the Spirit shows up, and the voice of the 388 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,840 Father speaks. This is my beloved Son. 389 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,680 Listen to him. This is God the Father Himself 390 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:10,680 bearing witness to his Son, and every word of this divine seal 391 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,960 of approval has a biblical background. 392 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,240 The fact that Jesus is the Father's beloved son echoes 393 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:22,280 Genesis 22 two, where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, 394 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:28,720 his only son, his beloved son. What God commanded Abraham to do 395 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,440 is what he Himself, in the fullness of time would do by 396 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:38,920 giving up his eternal Son, His only Son, to death on the cross. 397 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:43,480 For us. The declaration, this is my Son 398 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,920 echoes Psalm 27, which Michael read earlier. 399 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,200 In Psalm 2, verse 7, the Messiah is enthroned in power and 400 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,040 victory over the nations. And when we see how that promise 401 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:57,480 is fulfilled in Jesus career, we understand that this King 402 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,440 Messiah will reign not only over Israel, but over all nations. 403 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,040 Not only over all nations, but over the universe. 404 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,240 This Messianic Son is also the divine Son. 405 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:09,960 He reigns and rules over all things. 406 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,520 That Jesus is the divine Son is also implied by the word 407 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,680 Beloved. Why does the Father love the 408 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:19,680 Son? Because the Son eternally 409 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:21,520 radiates God's glory back to Him. 410 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,600 Because the Son possesses all the fullness of the Father's 411 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:30,920 eternal beauty and glory. Because this Son is of the same 412 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,680 essence as the Father. Finally, there's a biblical 413 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:36,440 background to the phrase Listen to him. 414 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:39,120 We've already heard it from Deuteronomy 1815. 415 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,400 When the Lord promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, he says 416 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,840 listen to him. So by the Father saying listen 417 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:49,000 to him, he's saying, this is the prophet like Moses, who I 418 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:55,400 promised to you. Now what specifically do Peter 419 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,000 and the apostles need to hear from Jesus? 420 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:01,640 Why does the Father give them this declaration here and now? 421 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,840 Listen to him. What are they supposed to listen 422 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,960 to? I think the answer is plain from 423 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,760 the broader context. Again, as we've reviewed, right 424 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,600 at the end of chapter 8, Jesus made his first explicit 425 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,040 reference to the fact that he is going to suffer and die for 426 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:20,440 their salvation. He is going to the cross to 427 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,080 deliver them. But Peter hasn't gotten it yet. 428 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:27,400 And so this divine endorsement is also a little bit of a rebuke 429 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,360 to Peter. Hey, Peter, Jesus has already 430 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:32,800 told you this once. He's going to have to tell you 431 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,040 it again. Listen. 432 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,280 Listen to Jesus proclaim the cross. 433 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:44,000 Jesus has told you the Kingdom will come through the cross. 434 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,400 Jesus has told you that following him is going to mean 435 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:50,200 going to and through the cross with him. 436 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:54,200 So keep listening. Jesus is going to make two more 437 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:57,880 predictions about his death and resurrection, One in Chapter 9, 438 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:04,560 one in chapter 10. Listen to Jesus pre proclaim the 439 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,920 cross. Even the Transfiguration itself 440 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,920 pre proclaims the cross. This glory on a mountain 441 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,400 prefigures the darkness of Mount Golgotha. 442 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:23,120 Consider the parallels and the contrasts between this mountain 443 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,280 and the mountain on which Jesus would be crucified. 444 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:32,720 Here he takes others with him. There he's taken by others. 445 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:38,760 Here he ascends a mountain. There he's lifted up on a cross. 446 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:42,480 Here supernatural light shines out of Jesus body. 447 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,200 There supernatural darkness covers the earth. 448 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:50,680 Here Jesus clothes show his power and glory. 449 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,800 There his clothes will be stripped from him in an act of 450 00:29:55,840 --> 00:30:01,200 shameful degradation. Here he stands between two 451 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:05,080 prophets. There he hangs between two 452 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:10,600 criminals. Here Peter wants to stay. 453 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:18,880 There Peter denies and flees. Here God declares his delight in 454 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,280 Jesus. They are humans shout their 455 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:26,440 hatred of him. Here God's voice booms out his 456 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,160 commitment to his beloved Son. There he falls silence. 457 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:35,600 There Jesus cries out. My God, my God, why have you 458 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:41,320 forsaken me? If I might be permitted to 459 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:46,960 introduce an archaic technology? By way of illustration, I am old 460 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,800 enough that in my elementary school days, maybe even into 461 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,440 middle school, teachers would use things called 462 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:57,520 transparencies. They were clear plastic sheets. 463 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:01,480 They would write or draw or whatever on them and put them on 464 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:04,520 a little flat projector that had a light and then it would show 465 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:07,560 the image. See a clear thing you would 466 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:08,920 write or draw a picture on. Right? 467 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:14,400 Two transparencies. The Transfiguration and the 468 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:19,320 crucifixion are like 2 transparencies that have the 469 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,200 same shape but different details. 470 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,720 When you lay one over the other, the lines disappear. 471 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:30,160 It's like you're looking at an opposite version of the same 472 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,800 image. Even the glory being revealed 473 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:39,280 here foreshadows the suffering to come. 474 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:45,480 And there we have to ask why? Why is all of Mark's gospel this 475 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,880 relentless conveyor belt to the cross? 476 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:52,120 Why is even the glory portrayed in terms that lead us to the 477 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:56,880 darkness of crucifixion? The reason is that our sin 478 00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:59,360 deserves and demands that darkness. 479 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:03,960 Our sin is that big. Our sin is that bad. 480 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,560 Our sin requires that drastic of a remedy. 481 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,920 It's hard when you're not a believer in Jesus, or maybe you 482 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:16,400 have a sort of vague cultural attachment to Christianity. 483 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:22,160 It's hard to reckon with how big a deal your sin is. 484 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:27,080 One of the best ways to start to come to grips with how big a 485 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:31,960 deal your sin is, is to come to a better understanding of the 486 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,640 glory of God, the holiness of God, the majesty of God, a 487 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,800 glimpse of glory like this. God's our Creator, He's our 488 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:41,040 ruler. He's our judge. 489 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,240 He gives us everything and we've given him nothing. 490 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,120 We've taken whatever we can from God, turned our backs on him, 491 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,960 said no thanks, see you later. I'd like to live my own way. 492 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:51,480 I'd like to be my own Lord and master. 493 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:53,480 That's the essence of what the Bible calls sin. 494 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,040 It's not about a tiny little infraction of an arbitrary rule, 495 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,600 like parking within 15 feet of a mailbox or something. 496 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,640 Sin is against God. It's rebellion against God, it's 497 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,760 rejection of God. And God has every right to 498 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:13,840 condemn us forever for our sin. That's what he promises to do 499 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:16,480 for all those who persist in unrepentance. 500 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,720 And yet God is also infinitely rich in mercy. 501 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,480 And he sent Jesus into the world to save us from sin by dying on 502 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:26,720 the cross and rising again to pay the full penalty for sin, to 503 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:30,800 extend the offer of forgiveness. Grace eternal life to all who 504 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,280 will turn from sin and trust in Him. 505 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,320 If you're not a believer in Jesus, repent and trust in Him 506 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:38,200 today. This glory He holds out can be 507 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,320 yours. This Kingdom, this bliss, this 508 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:46,480 paradise he holds out can be yours if you simply repent and 509 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,640 believe. If you're not a believer in 510 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,360 Jesus, I wonder what you make of the Father's words. 511 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:55,200 This is my beloved son. Listen to him. 512 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:58,440 I've talked to a number of people who've become Christians 513 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,120 over the years, and one of the kind of turning points or first 514 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:04,520 steps for them was there may be a self-conscious atheist or 515 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,800 agnostic, Not a Christian, not a religious person. 516 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:09,800 But I started to wonder, you know, I guess if I'm going to 517 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,159 reject the whole Christianity thing, maybe I should, like, 518 00:34:12,159 --> 00:34:13,800 figure out what it's about in the 1st place. 519 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:15,760 Maybe I should give it a fair hearing. 520 00:34:16,159 --> 00:34:17,960 Have I ever read the Bible? Nope. 521 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:20,360 Have I ever, like, read through one of the Gospels? 522 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:22,880 Nope. Do I know what Jesus actually 523 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:24,719 says? Nope. 524 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:28,040 I've met a number of people for whom that was kind of a first 525 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:28,840 step. Wait a minute. 526 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,800 Why don't I just at least listen? 527 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:34,960 Why don't I just at least check it out? 528 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:38,960 Now you might be thinking, Oh dear, if I do start to check it 529 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:40,280 out, does that mean I'm going to become a Christian? 530 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:45,239 Well, I sure hope so. I think it's better than 531 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:49,120 anything you could expect from him and the downsides are all 532 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:51,840 more than worth it. But I would just appeal to you 533 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,159 if you're self consciously not a believer. 534 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:58,720 Have you listened to Jesus? Do you know what he says about 535 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:01,120 you? Do you know what he says about 536 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,800 himself? If that sparks any interest, if 537 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,120 that sparks any willingness to sit down and listen to Jesus, 538 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,400 you should talk to whoever, whatever church member here you 539 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,720 know best, whatever Christian friend brought you, or if you're 540 00:35:10,720 --> 00:35:12,840 kind of here on your own, don't know anybody, I'd be delighted 541 00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:14,240 to talk with you. Sit down, read through the 542 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,040 Gospels, and listen to Jesus together. 543 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:20,720 Sometimes people think that listening to Jesus basically 544 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:24,240 means hearing the moral content of what Jesus teaches and trying 545 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:25,640 to sort of do that as well as you can. 546 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:28,520 Jesus says be a good person. So I'll try to live up to 547 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:33,160 whatever Jesus standard of good person this is, but here in this 548 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:40,080 context, listen to him means listen to him proclaim what he's 549 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:45,640 going to do to save you. Listen to him tell you how he is 550 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,920 going to reconcile you to God. It's not listen to him tell you 551 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,000 how to work your way back to God. 552 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,160 You can't do that. And that is not what he's 553 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,840 teaching. It's listen to him say that he's 554 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:00,960 going to do for you, but you could never do for yourself. 555 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:07,320 Verse 8 rounds off the narrative by telling us how the vision 556 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,080 ended. And suddenly looking around, 557 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:14,000 they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 558 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,520 So this is, it's over. It's over. 559 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:21,040 It's almost as fast as it began. No more Moses, no more Elijah, 560 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:22,760 no more Cloud, no more divine voice. 561 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:27,080 They have Jesus only. The disciples now descend the 562 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:30,440 mountain with the Father's words ringing in their ears. 563 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:35,920 What do you need to see now in order to suffer? 564 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:41,360 Well, you need to see the truth of the Father's testimony to His 565 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:44,840 beloved, only begotten Son. And when you see the truth of 566 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,600 that testimony, once you embrace it, you're going to have to keep 567 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,200 on trusting it. You're going to have to keep on 568 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:53,120 seeing it, keep on believing it. Why? 569 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,440 Because the time has not yet come for its full unveiling 570 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:05,480 point #3 Glory concealed. Glory concealed. 571 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,280 That's what we see in a number of senses in verses 9 to 13. 572 00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:16,800 First verse 9. And as they were coming down the 573 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,320 mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen 574 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:21,680 until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 575 00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:26,000 Throughout Mark's gospel, we've often seen that Jesus tells 576 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,840 someone to keep quiet about something he's done or something 577 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,320 they've learned about him. He often told people not to tell 578 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:34,760 others who he was. This is the last time he does 579 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:38,440 that, and it's the only time he does that. 580 00:37:38,720 --> 00:37:43,440 That gives us a release date until the Son of Man had risen 581 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:47,600 from the dead. Why does this command to silence 582 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:51,360 have an end date? It's because the resurrection 583 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,320 will make sense of the Transfiguration. 584 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:56,440 Just as the transfiguration points ahead to the 585 00:37:56,440 --> 00:38:00,640 resurrection, the resurrection begins to reveal more openly and 586 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:04,920 permanently what the Transfiguration gave just a few 587 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,640 a glimpse of. What this means for us today as 588 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:12,640 Christians is that we should tell others the good news that 589 00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:17,360 Jesus rose from the dead. The whole age we live in is the 590 00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:21,920 time of open proclamation. We should boldly declare what 591 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,040 God has done in raising Jesus from the dead. 592 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,160 Nothing like it has happened in all of history. 593 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:31,240 No other religion holds out any kind of hope or promise at all 594 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:34,560 comparable to the resurrection of Jesus. 595 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:39,360 The resurrection of Christ is the best news, so share it 596 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:42,800 boldly. The disciples weren't ready to 597 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:46,200 do that just yet. In fact, they did not understand 598 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,800 what Jesus was talking about verse 10. 599 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:51,760 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what 600 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:54,760 this rising from the dead might mean. 601 00:38:55,720 --> 00:38:58,160 That's important to be clear about exactly what the disciples 602 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:03,400 didn't understand in Jesus day, very many Jews, likely including 603 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:06,160 the disciples themselves, believed in a general 604 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:09,040 resurrection. They believed that at the end of 605 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:12,040 time, God would raise all of his chosen people from the dead, 606 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,600 maybe even all people all at once. 607 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:19,360 They believed in resurrection as an all together one time event. 608 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:25,560 What they did not have a category 4 was that happening to 609 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,400 one person ahead of all the rest. 610 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,040 And that's exactly what Jesus was saying. 611 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:33,560 What happened to him? The explicit sense of the Greek 612 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,320 phrase is hard to bring over into English. 613 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,440 Jesus isn't talking about the rising of the dead in a general 614 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:42,560 sense. It's literally more like until 615 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:46,520 the Son of Man is raised out from among the dead ones. 616 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:51,840 In other words, everyone else stays dead for now, but Jesus 617 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,360 raised. Nobody else has resurrected, 618 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:58,720 just him. That doesn't fit with any of 619 00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:02,680 their end times timelines. They have no chart on the wall 620 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:05,200 that shows them that it doesn't compute. 621 00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:08,720 And I think their confusion over end times timelines helps 622 00:40:08,720 --> 00:40:11,440 explain the question they ask next verse 11. 623 00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:14,880 And they asked him, why do the scribe say that first Elijah 624 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:18,960 must come based on the promise of Malachi 4-5. 625 00:40:19,240 --> 00:40:22,040 At least some religious authorities at the time taught 626 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,160 that Elijah would come back before the day of the Lord. 627 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:26,480 And remember, they just saw Elijah. 628 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:29,000 I assume he's fresh on their minds. 629 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,240 They're thinking something like, OK, well, we don't really know 630 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:34,000 what this whole resurrection thing means, but are the scribes 631 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,640 right? Is Elijah coming back first? 632 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,120 I mean, we just saw him. Is he like waiting in the wings 633 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:40,000 to come out and and do what he's going to do? 634 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,840 They're confused. So they bring their confusion to 635 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,480 Jesus, which is always a good move. 636 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:53,000 Better open confusion than hidden ignorance. 637 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,120 Better a question that drives you to Jesus, then a question 638 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:03,080 that keeps you from Jesus. And then Jesus replies in verses 639 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,760 12 and 13 with probably a bit more than they were expecting. 640 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:13,200 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all 641 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:17,000 things. And how is it written of the Son 642 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:23,080 of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with 643 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,840 contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has 644 00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:27,960 come and they did to him whatever they pleased as it is 645 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:31,040 written of him. So first Jesus says the scribes 646 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:33,000 are right. Elijah does come. 647 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:34,840 He's going to say more about that in a minute. 648 00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:37,440 But first he takes a sharp left turn. 649 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:41,760 He poses a question of his own. And how is it written of the Son 650 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,120 of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with 651 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:46,920 contempt? Why does Jesus raise this 652 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:49,960 question before more fully addressing theirs? 653 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:55,560 I think it's because he's saying there's something both the 654 00:41:55,560 --> 00:42:00,160 disciples and the scribes have missed in asking this question. 655 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:03,320 I think Jesus brings together at least three different themes 656 00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:06,880 from scripture. 1 is where he says the Son of Man. 657 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:10,440 That comes from the vision in Daniel Chapter 7, especially 658 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:13,440 verses 13 and 14. There one, like a Son of man 659 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:16,640 that is a human being, is given divine authority and universal 660 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:19,360 worship. Jesus clearly identifies the Son 661 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,000 of Man as Messiah. He's clearly saying he is this 662 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,920 Son of Man who is the Messiah and Jesus teaching based on 663 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:28,360 Daniel seven, that the Messiah is not only human but also 664 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:31,240 divine. But his focus here isn't so much 665 00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:33,560 on the Son of Man himself, but on what he suffers. 666 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:38,560 And yet nothing in Daniel 7 says anything about the Son of Man 667 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,400 suffering. We have to go to two other 668 00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:46,280 places of Scripture to get that. One is a couple of key psalms of 669 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:49,520 David, like Psalm 22 and Psalm 69. 670 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:53,040 And those Psalms, David's talking about himself, but he 671 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:56,720 says things about himself that go beyond anything he himself 672 00:42:56,720 --> 00:42:58,640 experienced or suffered in his life. 673 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:02,240 He's talking about himself, but somehow more than himself, he's 674 00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:06,240 teaching about his descendants, the Messiah, what the Messiah is 675 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:09,560 going to endure. The basic message is this 676 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:14,440 suffering, then glory, rejection, then vindication, 677 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:18,080 death, then resurrection, all to redeem God's people. 678 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,040 And a third scriptural source Here I think Jesus is pointing 679 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:25,800 to the language of Isaiah 53. He says the Son of man will be 680 00:43:25,800 --> 00:43:30,640 treated with contempt, and Isaiah 53 three says that God's 681 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,200 suffering servant will be despised. 682 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:38,840 So Jesus brings together Daniel's Son of man, David's 683 00:43:39,240 --> 00:43:43,880 suffering Messiah and Isaiah's suffering servant. 684 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:47,800 Why does he do that same message we've been seeing all along? 685 00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:51,840 To teach his disciples that the cross comes before the Kingdom, 686 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:54,920 and the Kingdom comes through the cross. 687 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:59,960 The only way into the Kingdom is through Jesus's crucifixion. 688 00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:04,160 When you're trying to get your end times timetable straight, 689 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:05,760 here's what you have to put at the center. 690 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:11,120 The crucifixion of the Messiah. And so not only does Jesus 691 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:15,120 command his disciples to conceal the glory they've seen on the 692 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:18,840 mountain, he also tells them that in his first coming, his 693 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:23,040 glory will be a concealed glory. It will be a hidden glory. 694 00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:25,440 The revelation of God the Son will be a Riddle. 695 00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:27,400 The Kingdom will come through a cross. 696 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:29,040 Glory will come through suffering. 697 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:32,800 In Jesus first coming, glory is hidden under shame. 698 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:38,120 Power is hidden under weakness. Life is held out through death. 699 00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:41,560 If you embrace this from the heart, you are a true disciple 700 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:43,640 of Jesus. You know the secret of the 701 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:46,360 Kingdom and you know the shape of the Christian life. 702 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:51,880 But if this is foreign to you, then I mean, it's very literally 703 00:44:52,720 --> 00:44:55,520 you do not know the first thing about Christianity. 704 00:44:56,360 --> 00:45:01,920 This is the essence, this is the secret, this is the whole thing. 705 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:05,120 So that's the first main part of Jesus answer. 706 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:11,440 Yes, Elijah does come, but first you have to understand that this 707 00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:14,160 time around the Son of man's glory is going to be hidden 708 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:18,320 under suffering. But then Jesus does come back to 709 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:22,040 Elijah, verse 13. But I tell you that Elijah has 710 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,200 come and they did to him whatever they pleased as it is 711 00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:28,000 written of him. So despite appearances, we're 712 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:31,000 actually much farther along the End Times timeline than the 713 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,160 disciples thought. They're wondering if it was 714 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:34,720 right to expect Elijah still to come. 715 00:45:34,920 --> 00:45:36,720 Jesus says, hey guys, he already has. 716 00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:40,960 Who's Jesus talking about? John the Baptist. 717 00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:44,240 Remember from Mark chapter 1, John's clothing strikingly 718 00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:46,480 resembled Elijah. And he came to restore the 719 00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:48,520 people. He came to turn their hearts 720 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:50,720 back to God and back to each other. 721 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:54,000 He came to prepare the way of the Lord himself. 722 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:57,160 And what happened to John? John was imprisoned. 723 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:02,720 John was beheaded. John too, walked the way of the 724 00:46:02,720 --> 00:46:08,240 cross ahead of Jesus. John, the precursor, previewed 725 00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:11,760 in his own fate, the one he came to proclaim. 726 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:17,280 John's fate previewed Jesus's, and both John's and Jesus's 727 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,400 fates draw the shape of true discipleship. 728 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:28,240 To be a Christian is to be willing to die for Jesus and the 729 00:46:28,240 --> 00:46:32,280 Gospel. To be a Christian is to count 730 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:36,280 Jesus as more valuable than life itself. 731 00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:41,760 That is simple to understand and hard to do. 732 00:46:43,720 --> 00:46:47,920 Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. 733 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:53,000 When suffering punches you in the face, what will help you is 734 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:56,800 not any kind of plan you made for your life, for yourself, for 735 00:46:56,800 --> 00:47:00,000 whatever. The thing that will help you 736 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:05,240 most is loving Jesus more than you love life itself. 737 00:47:06,560 --> 00:47:09,160 That's not something you can turn on and flip with a switch. 738 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:13,480 That's not something you can just do in like, you know, 3 739 00:47:13,480 --> 00:47:14,920 minutes while your coffee's brewing. 740 00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:18,160 That's part of the secret of how to suffer well. 741 00:47:18,920 --> 00:47:20,800 It's part of the deepest secret of what it means to be a 742 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:25,600 Christian. How can you come to love Jesus 743 00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:33,080 more than you love life itself? What do you need to see now in 744 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:36,560 order to suffer? Well, you need to see God's 745 00:47:36,560 --> 00:47:38,640 glory unveiled in the person of Christ. 746 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,440 You need to see, you need to see the truth of the testimony that 747 00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:43,640 God the Father proclaims about God the Son. 748 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,040 And you need to see that in this life both Jesus glory and ours 749 00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:52,520 are hidden. As Martin Luther put it, this 750 00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:58,080 life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth and 751 00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:07,480 righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, 752 00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:15,440 not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, 753 00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:20,600 but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished, 754 00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:26,160 but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is 755 00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:31,880 the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, 756 00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:40,840 but all is being purified. There's one more reason Jesus 757 00:48:40,840 --> 00:48:45,200 gave these disciples this vision of His glory. 758 00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:53,240 It's to show them that what He is, they will become. 759 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:58,480 They won't just see this glory face to face, they'll be 760 00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:02,200 transformed by it. They'll be made like He is. 761 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,560 Consider Paul's promise in Philippians 320 to 21. 762 00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:10,200 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await A 763 00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:14,160 Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly 764 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:18,320 body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables 765 00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:20,440 him even to subject all things to himself. 766 00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:25,360 Jesus is human. Bodily glory is a guarantee of 767 00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:29,920 ours and a preview of ours. In the age to come. 768 00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:37,120 We will perfectly behold His glory and become perfectly 769 00:49:37,640 --> 00:49:40,080 glorious. Let's pray. 770 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:48,280 Heavenly Father, we pray that we would behold Christ's glory by 771 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:51,160 faith. We pray that you'd grow us in 772 00:49:51,160 --> 00:49:54,200 love for Him. Pray you'd grow us in devotion 773 00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:56,680 to Him. We pray you'd strengthen our 774 00:49:56,680 --> 00:50:04,240 confidence in the promise that what he is now, we will be. 775 00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:08,760 We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.