COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 94
“ Mark 9:2 And after six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and He was transfigured before them. 3 And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.”
(Mark 9:2-4; Matt 17:1-3; Lk 9:28-31)
THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS, #1
INTRODUCTION
There are aspects of Jesus’ Person and work that are made known to special people at special times. These occasions are not determined by the people who are blessed, but by the One who blesses them. We have such an occasion before us. One of the advantages of being with Jesus is that at some moment you may hear the words, “Friend, go up higher” (Lk 14:10). This requires humility depicted as the disciple taking the lower position: i.e. one of service and not one of attention before men. There are times when certain disciples are given extraordinary glimpses into the Person of Christ and the truth of God. Such times are to be coveted, for they are precious beyond comprehension. These are the times of which David spoke when he wrote, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand” (Psa 84:10). And again, “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God”(Psa 84:2). This is the time when the blessed ones “behold the beauty of the Lord” and “inquire in His temple” (Psa 27:4). David pled for moments like this when he said, “O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God” (Psa 43:3-4). That is the kind of moment we now have before us – a time when Jesus called some of His disciples higher, and they received a glimpse into His Person they never would forget. He brought them up a His “holy hill,” and suddenly their perception of Jesus and the world to come was enlarged exponentially.
HE WAS TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM
“ Mk 9:2 And after six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves . . . ”
AFTER SIX DAYS. This was six days after Jesus had spoken to His disciples about the requirements for being His disciple, and that some of them would not die until they saw the Kingdom of God come with power (Mk 8:34-9:1). None of the Gospel writers elaborate on what happened during these six days, but you may be sure, Jesus was not idle. Things taking place during that time are among those that are“not written” (John 20:30).
Luke says Jesus took His disciples into the mountain “about an eight days” (Lk 9:28). The word “about” indicates that a fraction of a day preceded the six day period, and another fraction after the six days. Matthew and Mark count only the whole days.
JESUS TAKES WITH HIM. There were times when, as compared with following Jesus, He took certain disciples with Him. When He went deeper into the garden on the night He was betrayed, “He taketh with Him Peter and James and John” (Mk 14:33). One time, from among a multitude of disciples Jesus “took the twelve apart in the way,” telling them of His imminent death (Matt 20:17). These occasions were strictly at the discretion of the Lord. No one should be surprised if Jesus takes some of us aside for a season, and unveils some rare and precious things. This is His manner. Such occasions, as is confirmed by Scripture, did not remain secret. However, during them, revelations were vouchsafed to favored souls that were not, at the time, personally shared with the multitudes. The masses of people only received a second-hand knowledge of them. It ought to be observed that there are remarkable advantages to remaining close to Jesus that cannot be foreseen.
PETER, JAMES, AND JOHN. This holy cluster of disciples were especially favored at least three times in Scripture. At the house of Jairus, when Jesus raised his daughter from the dead, He allowed only these three to accompany Him into the house (Mk 5:37; Lk 8:51). Second, on this occasion of His transfiguration (Matt 17:1; Mk 9:2; Lk 9:28). Third, when He prayed in agony in the Garden, they were allowed to come closer (Matt 26:37; Mk 14:33). There was another time when Andrew joined these three, and they asked Jesus of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times (Mk 14:33).
A HIGH MOUNTAIN. It was in “a high mountain” that Satan tempted Jesus following His baptism (Matt 4:8), and on an especially “high mountain” that the devil showed Him “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time” (Lk 4:5). But there were other times when He went to a mountain – as when He delivered the sermon on the mount. On that occasion He “went up into a mountain” (Matt 5:1). On other times, He went “into a mountain apart to pray” (Matt 14:23; Mk 6:46; Lk 6:12). On another occasion He “went up into a mountain” and great multitudes came to Him with their sick (Matt 15:29). After Jesus had risen from the dead, He met His disciples “in a mountain where Jesus had appointed them” (Matt 28:16). When He chose the twelve, it was while He was on a mountain (Mk 3:13). On yet another occasion “He went into a mountain, and there sat with His disciples.” It was on this occasion that Jesus fed the five thousand (John 6:3).
There is a picture here of separation from the world – of going higher, away from earth’s business, and even tumult. Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac on a mountain, and there is where he found God’s substitute (Gen 22:14). The Law was given from a mountain (Lev 27:34). God spoke “face to face” with Moses “in the mount” (Deut 5:4). The pattern for the tabernacle was given “in the mount” (Heb 8:5). Those who are in Christ Jesus are even said to have “come unto mount Sion” (Heb 12:22).
As was common during Jesus’ ministry, we often come “down from the mountain” to serve (Matt 8:1; 17:9; Mk 9:9). However, there are those precious times when we receive on the mountain, apart from the world, and elevated from its cares.
APART BY THEMSELVES. Those who imagine that Jesus was always among the multitudes, or with publicans and sinners, forget the private sessions Jesus had with His disciples. There is where the real teaching took place (Matt 24:3; Mk 9:28; 13:3; Lk 10:23). Those who place the emphasis upon reaching others, do not speak much about these private sessions, or the necessity of living by every word of God (Lk 4:4), or being personally taught by Jesus (Eph 4:20-21). However, believers are called into the fellowship of the Son (1 Cor 1:9), and it is a serious error in judgment to neglect that fellowship.
TO PRAY. Luke tells us that Jesus took the three disciples with Him and “went up into a mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28). Our text does not reveal the purpose of the prayer, but Luke will reveal that it no doubt pertained to His death. At this point of His ministry, Jesus “began to teach them that He would “suffer many things,” “be rejected,” “be killed,” and “after three days rise again” (Mk 9:31). Now, in preparation for those experiences, He enters into a season of prayer, during which He will be fortified to finish the work He was given to do.
THE EFFECTS OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
“ 2a-3 . . . and He was transfigured before them. And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”
AS HE PRAYED. Luke says of this event, “as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered” (Lk 9:29). The “countenance” is “the appearance of His face.” NKJV It is obvious that in His prayers He was in communion with the Father – “face to face,” as it was. The same thing happened to Jesus that happened to Moses when He spoke: “the skin of His face shone while He talked with Him” (Ex 34:29). Jesus was in close communion with the Father.
TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM. The word “transfigured” comes from the Greek word metemorfw,qh (meta-morph-is). The literal English equivalent of this word is “metamorphosis” – “a change of physical form . . . especially by supernatural means.” WEBSTER In nature, two examples of metamorphosis are the caterpillar becoming a butterfly, and a tadpole becoming a frog. In the case of Jesus’ transfiguration, the glory that was veiled by His flesh actually came forward and penetrated His flesh. By contrast, Moses reflected the glory of God in his face. The glory that was seen in Jesus was His own.
HIS FACE. Matthew saws “His face did shine as the sun” (Matt 17:2). Luke says, “the fashion of His countenance [appearance of His face NKJV] was altered [became different NASB]” (Lk 9:29). In Moses’ case, “the skin of His face shone while He talked” with God (Ex 34:29). That glow was a reflection of the glory of God. The glory was not that of Moses himself. With Jesus, as He was in rich communion with the Father, His own inner glory burst forth, and “His face shone clear and bright like the sun.” AMPLIFIED Close proximity to the Father caused more of His own Person to show forth. It is still true that when a person is exposed to the Living God, what they really are begins to show itself.
In this we have a picture of what is involved in being regenerated, or born again – beholding the face of Jesus. It is written, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). We are also told that the Spirit changes us “from glory to glory” as we are “beholding” the glory of the Lord (2 Cor 3:18).
HIS CLOTHING. Even His clothing became “radiant,” NASB and “dazzling white.” NIV It was the sort of appearance that no man could produce, no matter what earthly resources were available – “as no launderer on earth can whiten them.” NKJV Matthew says His clothing was “white as the light” (Matt 17:2). Luke says “white and glistering,” “gleaming,” NASB or “as a flash of lightning.” NIV You certainly get the impression that what is close to Jesus can reflect His glory, or nature.
THE TIME. Keep in mind the time during which this occurred. The popularity of Jesus would now begin to wane, and the influence His enemies would become more prominent. He was now beginning to concentrate on His sacrificial death. This occasion no doubt strengthened Him for making that sacrifice, upon which the hope of the world was suspended.
REFERENCES TO THE TRANSFIGURATION. Both John and Peter, who were present at the transfiguration, refer to it in their writings. John says of it, “and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). Peter says of the occasion, we “were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount”(2 Pet 1:16-18). Notice that Peter is careful to say Jesus received glory from the Father, not when He was transfigured, but when God spoke of Him. The glory that was seen was His own – “HIS majesty.”
THE SUPERIOR EXPERIENCE OF BEHOLDING HIS GLORY. In our assessment of our most blessed times, it is good to obtain a true sense of Kingdom values. Take Peter for an example. If his religion was based upon his own experience, he might have referred to the time he walked for a short distance upon the water (Matt 14:29). Or, perhaps, when he paid the Temple tax with a coin he took out of a fish’s mouth (Matt 17:27). He could have related when they were first sent out to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons” (Matt 10:8). He might even have told how Jesus healed his mother-in-law with a touch and a word (Lk 4:39). Instead, both Peter and John chose to emphasize when they saw the glory of Jesus, and heard what God said about Him.
This is the perspective that David had when he said, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple” (Psa 27:4). Kingdom life is characterized by the perception of the superior value of seeing Jesus. We are not born again by doing this or that, but by God shining in our hearts with the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6). That is also the means of changing us to be more like Him (2 Cor 3:18).
MOSES AND ELIJAH APPEAR WITH HIM
“ 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.”
THERE APPEARED. Mark and Matthew say Elijah and Moses “appeared unto them.” Luke says they “appeared in glory” (Lk 9:31). By saying they “appeared,” the Spirit means that the three disciples were allowed to see what was otherwise invisible.
Within the majestic glory of Christ, other glorious things could be seen – in this case, two men from the past, who also “appeared in glory” with Jesus (Lk 9:31). The disciples could not have seen them apart from the glory of Christ. When Jesus is seen, other things are seen also.
The men were Moses (the lawgiver), and Elijah (the prophet). In these two men were comprehended “the Law and the Prophets” (Mat 7:12; 22:40; Lk 16:16; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; Rom 3:21). To “the Law” and its ministration, belonged Moses in particular, with Aaron the High Priest, and the Judges, who clarified the Law to the people. Now Moses, standing for that branch of revelation, is seen with Jesus. Jesus is not with him, he is with Jesus! Elijah also stands with Jesus, representing the prophets, that unique class of individuals to whom things of God were revealed. With him it is also true: Jesus does not stand with him, he stands with Jesus, yielding himself and his glory to the greater glory found in the Lord’s Christ.
TALKING WITH HIM. Contrary to the-sleeping hypothesis, these two men, who had left the world, were not unconscious, or in unconscious repose. Moses left the world by death around 1,500 years before this occasion. Elijah left the world by translation a little over 900 years before Christ’s transfiguration. Yet, here they came from another realm and met with Jesus on a certain mountain. They were not only seen “in glory,” but were seen “talking” with Jesus.
We learn from this incident of the intelligence and interest of those who have departed from this world. John saw the souls of those who had been “slain for the word of God,” and they had an intense interest in the matter of their vindication on the earth (Rev 6:9-10).
The Gospels confirm the interest of heaven in the Lord Jesus while He walked among men. God the Father Himself encouraged Jesus after He had said, “Father, glorify Thy name.” God responded, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (John 12:23). On another occasion, after Jesus was tempted by the devil, “angels came and ministered unto Him” (Matt 4:11). Now, two spirits come from the unseen world to talk with Jesus. We will find that they also will minister to Him, regarding what He was do to upon the earth.
We do not know the extent to which heaven is involved in our own pilgrimage in “this present evil world.” We do know that Jesus Himself teaches us (Eph 4:21). Holy angels are sent to minister to us (Heb 1:13-14). The Father’s ears are open to our cries (1 Pet 3:12). The Holy Spirit bears witness “with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom 8:16). We have also come to “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb 12:23). Just as surely as it was true of the prophet Elisha and his servant, “they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2Kgs 6:16). The saints of the Lord have every reason to be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Our Head has set the tone for the Kingdom He is administering. While the measure of ministry He experienced was much larger, it was of the same order and nature as the ministry we now enjoy.
THEY SPOKE OF HIS DECEASE. When “talking” with Jesus, Moses and Elijah spoke of things of which they knew little or nothing when they were upon the earth. They talked about His death – something, so far as the record is concerned, they never addressed when they were in this world. Two things, therefore, become apparent. First, believers who leave this world are in a learning-state on the other side. Second, the death of Christ was apparently of paramount importance to those who were awaiting the expiation of their sins from the other side, and the confirmation that they had not died in vain.
They spoke to Him about “His decease.” Other versions read, “His departure,” NASB “His death,” BBE “His exodus,” NAB “His passing,” NJB “His outgoing,” YLT and “His exit [from life.” AMPLIFIED The word “decease” means “exodus, departure, the close of one’s career.” THAYER It is taken from a Greek word which is transliterated “exodus.” They were, then, speaking about HOW Jesus was going to leave the world. He would do this by laying down His life, as He was commanded (John 10:17-18).
AN ACCOMPLISHED DECEASE. Luke says they were speaking with Jesus concerning “His decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). Their discussion was remarkably precise. The death of Christ would be an accomplishment, not His fate. That is, He would die in such a manner as to achieve something. There would be significant results from His death that would ripple into eternity itself. His death would deliver a mortal bruise to Satan (Heb 2:14), spoil principalities and powers (Col 2:15), put away sin (Heb 9:26), and reconcile the world (2 Cor 5:18-20). All of this was surely encouraging to the Son of God, who would be “crucified through weakness” (2 Cor 13:4). Now, two who were fearless warriors upon the earth return to comfort and strengthen Him for this accomplishment. They even knew where this death was going to occur – “at Jerusalem.” Shortly after this, Jesus would set His face steadfastly “to go to Jerusalem” to die (Lk 9:51). Moses and Elijah helped to ready Him for the work.