Revelation and Sacrifice: The Transfiguration of Christ
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We continue this morning with our study of the Gospel According to Saint Mark, and I will be reading from chapter 9, verses 2 through 12, since we considered verse 1 of this text last week. Mark 9:2–12, and I’ll ask the congregation now to stand for the reading of the Word. [00:00:01]
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. [00:00:27]
And a cloud came and overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. [00:01:23]
For our benefit the gospels give to us this narrative of the glorious manifestation of Christ in the transfiguration. May the Spirit take this revealed Word to our hearts. Please be seated. Let us pray. Father, we have absolutely no hope whatsoever in this world to fathom in its fullness the things that we have just heard. [00:02:35]
Several years ago, I wrote a book that was kind of an unusual book. It was titled “The Glory of Christ,” and I wrote it for this reason, that in classical theology we make note that the progress of Jesus’ life in general is a progress that moves, again in the main, from humiliation to exaltation. [00:03:42]
But there is no point in the life of Jesus prior to the resurrection where His glory shines forth so magnificently as it does here at Mount Hermon presumably in His transfiguration. Let’s note the setting for it. Mark tells us that it was after six days that Jesus took the inner circle, Peter, James, and John, up to a high mountain apart from the crowd. [00:05:25]
And so this foreboding cloud of doom was hovering over them for six days, and in the midst of the edge of despair, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John and goes up to a high mountain, apart from the people, and the Scriptures tell us He was transfigured before them. The word in the Greek is a form of the verb “metamorpheo.” [00:07:04]
The incarnate Logos, the second person of the Trinity has His glory hidden and veiled in the cloak of Jesus’ humanity, and now all of a sudden before the eyes of the disciples they see the bursting forth of the full deity of Christ. Now let’s notice the details that Mark gives us. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white like snow. [00:08:48]
But beloved, when Moses’ face shown with such intensity, it was the shining of the face of a creature who had been in the presence of God and whose face was now reflecting the radiance of God. That is to say, the light in the face of Moses was a reflected light. Moses’ face was not the source of the light. [00:11:48]
But the source of the light that the disciples are now seeing is coming from within Christ Himself. Again, it’s not refracted, it’s not a reflected glory. It’s an internal, inherent glory that is now bursting forth before their very eyes. Throughout the gospels, the gospel writers refer back to this when they said, “And we beheld His glory as the only begotten Son of God.” [00:13:00]
And then we read that Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Can you imagine? The disciples are watching this display of light, this breakthrough of glory, and all of a sudden appears before them Elijah and Moses, and they are watching Jesus in a conversation. He’s huddled together with Moses and Elijah. [00:17:52]
The voice thunders from heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” Three times God is heard to speak audibly in the New Testament and every time it’s to acknowledge His only begotten Son. “This is My beloved Son.” And now listen to what He says, “Hear Him.” You know if God were to speak aloud this morning from the heavens, you know what He’d say? [00:22:56]
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Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. [00:00:27]
And a cloud came and overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. [00:01:23]
For our benefit the gospels give to us this narrative of the glorious manifestation of Christ in the transfiguration. May the Spirit take this revealed Word to our hearts. Please be seated. Let us pray. Father, we have absolutely no hope whatsoever in this world to fathom in its fullness the things that we have just heard. [00:02:35]
Several years ago, I wrote a book that was kind of an unusual book. It was titled “The Glory of Christ,” and I wrote it for this reason, that in classical theology we make note that the progress of Jesus’ life in general is a progress that moves, again in the main, from humiliation to exaltation. [00:03:42]
But there is no point in the life of Jesus prior to the resurrection where His glory shines forth so magnificently as it does here at Mount Hermon presumably in His transfiguration. Let’s note the setting for it. Mark tells us that it was after six days that Jesus took the inner circle, Peter, James, and John, up to a high mountain apart from the crowd. [00:05:25]
And so this foreboding cloud of doom was hovering over them for six days, and in the midst of the edge of despair, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John and goes up to a high mountain, apart from the people, and the Scriptures tell us He was transfigured before them. The word in the Greek is a form of the verb “metamorpheo.” [00:07:04]
The incarnate Logos, the second person of the Trinity has His glory hidden and veiled in the cloak of Jesus’ humanity, and now all of a sudden before the eyes of the disciples they see the bursting forth of the full deity of Christ. Now let’s notice the details that Mark gives us. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white like snow. [00:08:48]
But beloved, when Moses’ face shown with such intensity, it was the shining of the face of a creature who had been in the presence of God and whose face was now reflecting the radiance of God. That is to say, the light in the face of Moses was a reflected light. Moses’ face was not the source of the light. [00:11:48]
But the source of the light that the disciples are now seeing is coming from within Christ Himself. Again, it’s not refracted, it’s not a reflected glory. It’s an internal, inherent glory that is now bursting forth before their very eyes. Throughout the gospels, the gospel writers refer back to this when they said, “And we beheld His glory as the only begotten Son of God.” [00:13:00]
And then we read that Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Can you imagine? The disciples are watching this display of light, this breakthrough of glory, and all of a sudden appears before them Elijah and Moses, and they are watching Jesus in a conversation. He’s huddled together with Moses and Elijah. [00:17:52]
The voice thunders from heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” Three times God is heard to speak audibly in the New Testament and every time it’s to acknowledge His only begotten Son. “This is My beloved Son.” And now listen to what He says, “Hear Him.” You know if God were to speak aloud this morning from the heavens, you know what He’d say? [00:22:56]
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