It's Remarkable!
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | February 11, 2024
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Read Mark 9:2-9
According to the liturgical calendar, today which is the last Sunday before Lent is recognized as Transfiguration Sunday. It is a time when we, as believers, are called to reflect upon the revelation of Christ’s glory even as we contemplate the passion of the Christ… the inconceivable series of events that led up to Jesus’ death, His burial, but then ultimately His resurrection.
And so, as we turn to our text for the morning, in some versions of the Bible, it is preceded by the heading, “The Transfiguration,” which seems particularly fitting, given the fact that this is Transfiguration Sunday.
Now, in this passage, we read about Jesus taking His inner circle of disciples, Peter, James, and John with Him up to the top of a mountain… to a place of solitude. And while they were there, something quite remarkable occurred.
The scriptures tell us that Jesus’ appearance changed right before their very eyes… He was literally transfigured right in front of them. His clothes became a shimmering, glistening white… whiter than any bleach could make them. Not even Clorox could take credit for such brilliance.
But even as the disciples found themselves transfixed by Jesus’ transfiguration… they soon realized that they were no longer the only ones on top of that mountain with Jesus. The text says that Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Him.
And lest you think that seeing Jesus standing there with Moses and Elijah was anything less than remarkable… keep in mind the fact that Moses lived about 1,500 years before Jesus did and Elijah lived roughly 900 years before Jesus.
Is it any wonder that the text actually says that they were frightened?
Now, never known for being one to think first and ask questions later… Peter simply blurted out the first thing that apparently came to his mind, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah” (MSG).
But then before anyone could say or do anything else, the text tells us that a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and the disciples heard a voice from within the cloud say to them, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
And just like that (snap), the three disciples were once again standing there… just the three of them… alone with Jesus. Talk about remarkable!
But there was one slight problem for the disciples when they came back down from the mountain… in spite of how remarkable the events that they had just witnessed had been … Jesus told them NOT to talk about any of it… at least not until AFTER He was raised from the dead.
Now, if you’re like me, you might be wondering why Jesus would tell His companions to keep quiet about something so remarkable.
Why wouldn’t Jesus want them to shout it from the rooftops and rafters… telling everyone what they had just seen and heard?
Perhaps it is because they did not have a complete understanding of what they had just witnessed… and they would not be able to understand it fully until after Jesus had risen from the dead.
Because in spite of the fact that the disciples had spent time in Jesus’ presence watching Him perform miracles, speaking to the masses, and teaching in the synagogues… they still had not been able to come to terms with the fact that Jesus would be betrayed… that He would be killed… and… that He would rise again after three days.
It is back in Mark chapter 8, just before our text for the morning that we find the account of what happened when Jesus told the disciples what was to come… that He would suffer and be rejected and killed… and then after three days… He would rise again.
And according to the Scriptures… in true Peter fashion… rather than trying to get a better understanding of what Jesus was telling them… Peter actually had the audacity to rebuke Jesus!
Let that sink in for just a minute… Peter… a disciple… a fisherman… took it upon himself to rebuke Jesus… the Son of God.
Needless to say, that did not go over well… and in Mark 8:33 we read Jesus’ very strong words of rebuke to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Can you say ouch? I mean it’s bad enough to be chastised by Jesus, but to be called Satan? I would definitely not want to be in Peter’s shoes.
And yet, even in the wake of Peter’s flagrant act of foolishness, Jesus did not cast him aside… He did not demote Peter from the rank of “disciple insider.”
Instead, Jesus did what He always does… He extended grace and mercy to Peter… taking him up on that mountain that we read about in our text.
Just think about that for a moment…
Jesus started telling the disciples some pretty disturbing things about what was going to happen to Him… then Peter rebuked Jesus… and in turn Jesus rebuked Peter.
But even AFTER all of that… Jesus still took Peter with Him and allowed him to be a witness to Jesus’ transfiguration and the appearance of Moses and Elijah.
Talk about grace! I would say it’s all pretty remarkable… if you ask me.
Now, let me suggest that there are several points we can take from our New Testament lesson this morning.
First, the Lord does not reveal His glory to us because of anything we have done to deserve it but simply because He loves us.
There is absolutely nothing that we can do to earn God’s grace and there is nothing we can do to deserve the privilege of seeing His glory revealed. Just think about Peter’s story.
It was not long after Jesus had rebuked Peter and even lumped him into the same category as Satan that He allowed Peter to have this mountaintop experience.
It is not a far stretch to say that Peter is the ultimate example of what it means to be the beneficiary of the Lord’s unconditional love and receive grace upon grace.
You see, although Jesus knew that Peter would eventually deny three times… Jesus still told Peter:
Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:17 – 19)This same Peter would go on to do great things for God… preaching the Gospel and bringing thousands to a saving knowledge of Christ (see Acts 2).
And Peter still serves as an example to us… of how in spite of our failures and shortcomings… God loves us and wants to use us for His glory.
Now, the second lesson we can take from the text is that:
The glory of the Lord can be revealed in unexpected places and unimaginable ways.
Peter, James, and John were accustomed to traveling with Jesus. They were His trusted inner circle so to speak and had seen Him perform miracle after miracle. But as they went up to the top of the mountain that day… to a seemingly deserted place… there was probably little indication of what was to come.
And yet, it is so often in those secluded spaces… when God has our undivided attention… that is when we can bear witness to His glory.
It reminds me of when Ron and I were blessed to travel to Hawaii where we were able to see some truly majestic sights that only God could have created.
When you take into consideration that all of the beauty that characterizes the Hawaiian Islands is actually the result of volcanic eruptions… you get just a glimpse of what Isaiah might have been referring to when he said that the Lord would “provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…” (Isaiah 61:3).
That even out of extreme devastation, God can bring splendor that truly reflects His glory. And that glory will continue to be revealed to us in unexpected places and unimaginable ways.
Now, the next lesson we can take from this text is that:
The Lord has a purpose for revealing His glory.
Peter, James, and John were no doubt amazed when they saw Jesus transfigured right before their very eyes… and probably even more so when they realized He was standing there talking with Moses and Elijah.
Now, it was no mere coincidence that it was these particular two figures who suddenly appeared with Jesus. Moses was a representation of the Law while Elijah represented the prophets. Their appearance on that mountain served as confirmation that Jesus was actually the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and the prophetic promises.
It goes to what Jesus, Himself, said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
The purpose for the disciples being allowed to see Jesus in all of His glory there alongside Moses and Elijah was to dispel any question as to whether or not He was anyone other than the Son of God.
Previously, when Jesus had asked Peter who people were saying He was… Peter said that some thought He was John the Baptist, while others thought He was Elijah or one of the other prophets of old who had come back to life.
But when Jesus pressed Peter further and said, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:13 – 20; Mark 8:27 – 30; Luke 9:18 – 20).
And lest there be any shred of doubt that still remained as the disciples stood up there on that mountain… the text says that the voice of the Lord came to them clearly saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Clearly, the Lord had a purpose for revealing His glory.
And yet, as we come to the end of the text, there is this lingering question about the need for secrecy… why Jesus told them not to tell anyone... which brings us to the last lesson I want to highlight from the text.
There is not only a purpose for the glory of the Lord to be revealed, there is also an appointed time for the revelation to be shared.
When the three disciples descended that mountain with Jesus … He told them to keep what had happened a secret until the appointed time… until AFTER He had risen from the dead.
Because it was only AFTER Jesus had risen from the dead that the disciples would be able to realize that through dying Jesus was able to demonstrate His power over death and His ultimate authority to be King… and once they were able to grasp that truth… that is when they would become powerful witnesses for God.
And it is like that for us as well.
AFTER we have born witness to and experienced the glory of the Lord for ourselves that is when we can become powerful witnesses and share the good news with someone else.
AFTER we have come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior… that is when we can tell others about who He is and His remarkable love for us.
And AFTER we have realized how the Lord has been at work in our lives and how we have experienced His grace first-hand… that is when we can tell others just how truly amazing God’s love for us is.
When we think about how the Lord reveals His glory to us… not because of anything we have done to deserve it but simply because He loves us… and that He does so in unexpected places and unimaginable ways… for a purpose and for an appointed time… simply put IT’S REMARKABLE!
And it is nothing short of amazing… and that is why I want to invite us to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Amazing Grace #546. Return to News
